Caroline Sheen new Fantine in LesMis

When the Les Miserables cast change takes place on 23rd June at the Queen's Theatre new members include Alfie Boe playing Jean Valjean, Matt Lucas as Thenardier, Hadley Fraser as Javert, Liam Tamne (Enjolras), Craig Mather (Marius), Alexia Khadime (Eponine) and now the excellent Caroline Sheen has been confirmed as Fantine taking over the role from Rebecca Seale.

Sheen has an extensive range of musical theatre credits including  Florinda in Into the Woods (Donmar), Sophie (u/s) in the original cast of Mamma Mia!, Jennifer Gabriel in the original cast of the Witches of Eastwick, Eponine in Les Miserables, Sandy in Grease, Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,  Philia in the National Theatre production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Mary Poppins on the first National Tour of the UK and Clara Johnson in the European Premiere of The Light in the Piazza.

Julian Ovenden to star in new musical Death Takes a Holiday

The cast of the new musical Death Takes a Holiday will include British actor Julian Ovenden as the grim reaper plus Broadway's Jill Paice as his object of desire, with Max von Essen, Matt Cavenaugh, Simon Jones, Rebecca Luker and Michael Siberry.

Roundabout Theatre Company's world-premiere production of the musical with libretto by Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston (Nine, Titanic) will open at Off-Broadway's Laura Pels Theatre on June 10th  (opening on July 21st). 

Ovendens' theatre credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Grand Hotel (Donmar); Annie Get Your Gun (Young Vic); Marguerite, A Woman of No Importance (Haymarket); King Lear (RSC); Butley on Broadway, plus TV's "Foyle's War," "The Forsyte Saga," "Any Human Heart," "Cashmere Mafia," "Related," "Charmed" and "A Christmas Carol."

Death Takes a Holiday is a romantic musical based on the Alberto Casella play of the same name.  It is set just after the First World War when a lonely soul arrives at an Italian villa disguised as a handsome young Prince (played by Ovenden). He unexpectedly falls in love with a newly engaged young woman (played by Jill Paice) and for the first time in his life experiences the joys and heartbreaks of life. But the mysterious stranger discovers that love may in fact be stronger than death."

Ray Quinn on ITV this Saturday

West End musical theatre star Ray Quinn was due to leave Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre at the end of May, but has now extended his contact until 9th July when the show closes.  It then embarks on a national tour starting 1st September.

You can see him on Sing If You Can this Saturday 30th April on ITV1 at 7:00 pm when he will be in a team with Camilla Kerslake and Darren Gough playing against Boyzone's Mikey Graham, Loose Woman Lisa Maxwell and sports pundit Rodney Marsh.

They will have to perform songs by artists including Yazz and Blur while being dropped into rubbish bins, surrounded by a dog display team and being treated to  some extreme weather conditions.

Open Auditions for Tour of Dirty Dancing

The musical Dirty Dancing is currently playing at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End until 9th July when it closes and goes on a tour of the UK starting at the Bristol Hippodrome on September 1st.

The producers are holding open auditions for the ensemble on the tour of Dirty Dancing and are looking for strong male and female dancers with a high level of ballroom, Latin or contemporary dance styles. Partnering skills are essential and for some cast members vocal ability in a pop/rock style is required. Some members of the ensemble cover principal or singing roles for which strong acting and singing ability is necessary.

Women must wear dance shoes with a heel, and no baggy clothes. All auditionees should bring along a photo and CV stapled together. Artists of all ethnicities are encouraged to attend.
Auditionees will be required to learn one individual dance routine and perform within a group. Successful applicants may then also be asked to sing.

The dates for the first round auditions are:

Tuesday 3rd May – BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME/ DANCE XCHANGE LTD
Birmingham Hippodrome, Thorp Street, Birmingham, B5 4TB

Wednesday 4th May – CARDIFF THE GATE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE
Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW

Thursday 5th May – EDINBURGH DANCEBASE
14-16 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU

Women: Sign-in begins at 7.45am. Be in line no later than 7.30am.
Men: Sign-in begins at 12.45pm. Be in line no later than 12.30pm.

Successful dancers will be contacted at the end of the week and asked to come to London on either the 9th or 10th May for further casting calls.

9th and 10th May - LONDON PINEAPPLE DANCE STUDIOS
Women: 10am Monday 9th May 2011.
Sign-in begins at 9am. Sign-in/be in line no later than 10am

Men: 10am Tuesday 10th May 2011.
Sign-in begins at 9am. Sign-in/be in line no later than 10am

Gary Wilmot to Star in Radio Times at Watermill

Comedian and musical theatre star Gary Wilmot is appearing in Radio Times at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury from August 4th - September 24th.

The book for Radio Times is by Abi Grant and songs are by Noel Gay. The musical is about the members of a BBC light entertainment show who are struggling with a limited cast and no star as their show is being broadcast for the first time to live America. Numbers include "There's Something About A Soldier", "Run, Rabbit, Run", "Who's Been Polishing The Sun?" and "Hey Little Hen".

Wilmot's stage credits include the West End productions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Bang and Me and My Girl and The Invisible Man at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

The production will be directed by Caroline Leslie, with musical supervision and arrangements by Paul Herbert and choreography by Alistair David.

Tickets at: www.watermill.org.uk

Tracie Bennett to play Judy Garland on End of the Rainbow Tour

Tracie Bennett has just been talking to Paul O'Grady on his live ITV show  and has confirmed that she will be performing the role of Judy Garland in the tour of  End of the Rainbow  which is due to start in August.

End of the Rainbow ends its run at the Trafalgar Studios on 21st May so if you can't get to see it in London you can now catch it on tour.The dates will be published shortly.

Legally Blonde wins West End Eurovision

The fourth  West End Eurovision contest was held last night at the Piccadilly Theatre in aid of TheatreMAD (Theatre: Make a Difference), which supports those living with HIV, AIDS and other long-term conditions.

The winners this year were members of the cast from the Musical Legally Blonde which is currently playing at the Savoy Theatre. In second place were The 39 Steps.

The event was hosted by Gabby Roslin and casts from a number of  West End musicals took part including Avenue Q, Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, Dreamboats & Petticoats, Legally Blonde, Les Miserables, Love Never Dies, The Phantom of the Opera, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Mamma Mia!

Previous West End Eurovision Champions include Wicked (2008), Mamma Mia! (2009) and last year Dirty  Dancing won performing "Shake It" by Sakis Rouvas (Greece's 2004 Eurovision entry).

Judges this year were Sheridan Smith, Keith Lemon and Graham Norton and this year's competition included a special guest performance by 1981 Eurovision Song Contest winners Bucks Fizz.

The Wiz starring Clive Rowe and X -Factor's Treyc Cohen opens next month

X Factor finalist Treyc Cohen (pictured) is to star as Dorothy in The Wiz musical which is a retelling of L Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture.

The Wiz will run at the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from June 10th-18th and the West Yorkshire Playhouse from June 24th-July 16th.

Cohen lost out to Katie Waissel who went into the final 9 causing much controversy as many felt she was by far the superior performer and she can certainly belt out a number and should be fabulous as Dorothy. Further casting includes Allyson Ava-Brown as Glinda, Melanie La Barrie as Aunt Em, Horace Oliver as The Tin Man, Wayne Robinson as The Scarecrow, Clive Rowe as The Lion and Peter Straker as The Wizard. The production will be directed by Josette Bushell-Mingo.

Despite the fact that Andrew Lloyd Webber has his production of The Wizard of Oz starring Michael Crawford as the Wizard currently running at the London Palladium, the Ambassadors Theatre Group think London can cope with two wizards and are apparently interested in transferring this show (which is very different) to one of its West End theatres in September 2011. The 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Book tickets for The Wiz

Tracie Bennett not performing tonight at End of the Rainbow

But it's not as disastrous as it sounds! Tracie is the tour de force currently playing Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow at the Trafalgar Studios.  It is an enormously demanding part, but somehow she has managed to do every performance - with the exception of tonight when the show is not on.

Instead you can see Tracie on the Paul O'Grady show which is live on  ITV1 at 9:00 pm tonight.

End of the Rainbow closes at the Trafalgar Studios on 21st May, but is due to go on tour in the Autumn (full details to follow in the next few days) and is Broadway bound next year.

Marianne Elliott to Direct Spice Girls Musical

As mentioned several times, Judy Craymer (Mamma Mia!) and Jennifer Saunders are already on board for the new Spice Girls musical Viva Forever which is due to open in London next year. They have just recruited top director Marianne Elliott who co-directed London's National Theatre and New York smash hit War Horse.

Elliott will work with Saunders on the book and stage a workshop of the musical, with the show planned to open in late 2012. All of the Spice Girls are involved in the show’s development.

Judy Craymer said in a statement: "I am delighted that Marianne has agreed to direct Viva Forever. With her theatrical aptitude for exploring strong women and their relationships and her meticulousness to detail, she is absolutely the right person to direct this new musical which is all about female friendship, celebrity and fame. I’m so happy to have her on board, together with Jennifer Saunders, who has written the musical."

Simon Fuller who manages  the Spice Girls  added: "The girls and I are delighted that one of the most brilliant female theatre directors, Marianne Elliott, is to direct Viva Forever. Judy, Jennifer and now Marianne, make an eminent team.”

Viva Forever will revolve around a TV talent contest with Craymer aiming to explore the nature of instant celebrity and how our culture is being driven by Facebook and Twitter and the impact they have on fame.
Craymer said: “I’m interested in the sense of fame, and how it’s sustained. People aren’t going to be asked to play the Spice Girls, per se. There’ll be a wink at them and, of course, their songs”.   She made clear that the show won’t be a biographical musical about the Spice Girls.

Saunders’ first draft of Viva Forever features 18 numbers including Stop, Say You’ll Be There, Viva Forever and Never Give Up On the Good Times.

With three women at the helm Viva Forever really is promoting girl power.

Injured Tierney Rejoining Spider Man Musical

The stuntman Christopher Tierney who was badly injured in Broadway's Spiderman: Turn off the Dark musical is rejoining the cast next week.  The show is currently closed and back in rehearsals for its revamped latest opening night on 11th June.

Tierney suffered several broken ribs, a fractured elbow, bruised lung, three fractured vertebrae and a cracked skull when he fell from a ledge during the show on 10th December.  He had to undergo back surgery and spent Christmas in hospital, but amazingly after several months of treatment at a rehabilitation centre he is now fighting fit.

Jonathan Ansell playing Prince Charming

Musical theatre star and ex G4 tenor Jonathan Ansell has a busy few months ahead with an afternoon soiree at the Royal Albert Hall in April and Concert Tour Jonathan Ansell and Friends  in June and July.

He has just announced that he will be playing Prince Charming in pantomime this year at the Watersmeet Theatre which is situated on the High Street in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.

The panto runs from 7th-31st December and you can purchase tickets by telephoning 01923 711063

Liza Minnelli adds two more UK Concert Dates

Broadway Star Liza Minnelli is doing four UK concerts this summer when she will perform with a nine piece orchestra.

She was originally doing two concerts performing at the Royal Albert Hall and Bridgwater Hall in Manchester, but has now added two dates:  at Kenwood House in London’s Hampstead and Glasgow Concert Hall.

Book tickets for Liza Minnelli in Concert

Little Shop of Horrors replaces Moby Dick at Landor

A show which is currently running at the White Bear in Kennington will part fill the slot left by the last minute cancellation of Moby Dick at the Landor Theatre next month.

Little Shop of Horrors ends it run at the White Bear on Saturday and run at the Landor from 5th-21st May.

In this new production which is directed by Paul Taylor-Mills three men and three women alternate between the roles of the Ronette’s and the man-eating plant.

South Pacific News

As previously mentioned, ex-EastEnders actress Samantha Womack will play Nellie Forbush and Tony winner Paulo Szot is set to reprise his Lincoln Center role as Emile de Becque in the tour of South Pacific which opens at the Barbican Centre on 15th August. de Becque will only perform for the Barbican run and will share the role with Welsh National Opera star Jason Howard

Daniel Koek  is playing Lt Cable, Loretta Ables Sayre will come to London to reprise Bloody Mary and Alex Ferns (Nathan Detroit in the Donmar's Guys and Dolls) will play Luther Billis.

South Pacific is a huge production with a cast of 40. It is being brought to the UK by the entire Lincoln Center creative team led by director Bartlett Sher, with musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Scott Lehrer, musical direction by Ted Sperling and original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett

Moby Dick Musical at Landor cancelled

As tweeted by me a few days ago, the revival of  the comedy musical Moby Dick  which was due to run at the Landor Theatre from 27th April to 28th May has been cancelled because of funding issues.

The cast were in their third week of rehearsals when they were told that the show’s main backer had pulled out and there was no money to pay them for the remaining rehearsal period and five-week run. The cast and creative team rallied round and launched a  major Twitter campaign which managed to raise £10,000 – but it was not enough to cover the shortfall.

The show’s director and choreographer Andrew Wright, co-producer Danielle Tarento with the support of  rights holder Cameron Mackintosh, are “adamant” that the production will take place eventually and they hope to remount it with new backers in six months’ time.

Casting for Spring Awakening tour

The cast has now been announced for tour of Spring Awakening which kicks off at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter on 17th May and ends at Norwich Playhouse on 18th June

The cast  includes Jonathan Eio as Melchior (West Side Story, Songs for a New World): Jill Armour as Ilse (Godspell, Aspects of Love): James Benn as Hanschen, Dan Buckley as Otto; Billy Cullum as Mortz : Anna McGarahan as Martha, Zachary Morris as Ernst: Victoria Serra as Wendla: Jane Stanton the Adult Woman: Dale Page as Georg: Kee Mack as Anna  and Natalie Green as Thea.

Ramin Karimloo joins Alex Gaumond in Concert

Following the success of his Lauderdale House concert appearance last year, Alex Gaumond who is currently playing the role of Emmett in Legally Blonde the Musical  will make his West End solo concert debut at the Leicester Square Theatre on Sunday May 22nd at 7.30pm.

It has just been announced that he will be joined by Ramin Karimloo from Love Never Dies.

Alex was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical at the 2011 Olivier Awards. He is due to leave Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre in June with Lee Mead taking over the role on the 20th.

Alex will be backed by a full band and cover songs that inspire him with some rock standards and beautiful love songs, making it different from the typical musical theatre set standards.

Tickets at: www.leicestersquaretheatre.com

Alfie Boe, Tam Mutu and Matt Rawle St George’s Day Concert in Trafalgar Square

Alfie Boe is due to join the cast of Les Misérables in June but you can see him in a musical theatre showcase which forms part of the Mayor’s celebrations for St George’s Day on Saturday 23rd April. The concert will be held in Trafalgar Square from 12:30 to 18:30.

He will lead musical theatre stars Matt Rawle (Zorro The Musical, The Three Musketeers), Lara Pulver (Parade), Annalene Beechey (Marguerite) and Tam Mutu (Love Never Dies) in performing a series of classic show tunes accompanied by the Rhythm of London orchestra.

The event is free and forms part of Rhythm of London which runs from 16th-23rd April and  is an annual showcase of young musical talent organised by Boris Johnson.

Tracie Bennett and End of the Rainbow Broadway bound

The New York Times has reported that End of the Rainbow which is a play with music about Judy Garland’s last months before overdosing on drugs in 1969 is heading for Broadway in the Spring of 2012.

The Broadway production will star the fabulous Tracie Bennett who is so great in this role which she is currently playing at the Trafalgar Studios. 

End of the Rainbow will play eight weeks at the Guthrie theatre in Minneapolis from January 28th-March 11th before opening on Broadway.

End of the Rainbow is also scheduled to do a UK tour after it closes in London on 21st May.  Dates confirmed include Royal & Derngate Theatre Northampton from 25th August - 3rd September and Theatre Royal Norwich from 5th to 10th September 2011.  I don’t yet know if Tracie will be going with the tour – more news to follow shortly.

Ruthie Henshall & David Shannon at Llangollen Music Festival

Llangollen is a small town in Denbighshire in north-east Wales and each year they present six days of the best music and folk dance. At this year's festival West End stars Ruthie Henshall, David Shannon, Robyn North and Andrew Halliday are performing The Best of the West End at the Llangollen International Eistedfodd on Friday 8th July.

They will be performing hit songs from Chicago, Miss Saigon, She Loves Me, Crazy for You, Les Misérables, My Fair Lady, Guys & Dolls, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Love Never Dies and Oliver! accompanied by the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera conducted by Martin Yates.

Tickets from : www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Matt Willis joining Albert Square?

Ex Busted member and I’m A Celebrity winner Matt Willis has been appearing in musical theatre productions for the past year: He was in Flashdance which ran in the West End until the beginning of the year and is currently in the tour of Footloose which is due to end in July.

Today’s Mirror has reported that he is now being lined up for a role in EastEnders playing the son of David Essex who is due to join the show in the autumn as Michael Moon’s dad Eddie – Alfie’s uncle
.
Apparently Willis had a second audition at the show’s Elstree headquarters this week after impressing show bosses with an initial screen test and it sounds like the role of the cousin of Alfie Moon (played by Shane Richie) is virtually his.

Daniel Boys Playing Peter Pan

Musical theatre star Daniel Boys is appearing in a brand new musical version of Peter Pan

It opens at the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin where it plays from 15th July-16th August and then goes to the Southampton Mayflower Theatre over Christmas from 9th December 2011 - 14th January 2012.

The producers of Peter Pan the Musical are Michael Rose and Chris Moreno whose credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

They are saying that this version of Peter Pan has a modern twist with stunning sets, sensational flying sequences, a brand new score and a sprinkling of modern day fairy dust.

You can book tickets for Peter Pan the Musical here 

Spider Man Musical to close next week for changes

This weekend is the last chance to see the director Julie Taymor’s original vision of the $70 million musical Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark which is easily proving to be most expensive show in Broadway history.

It currently includes the Goblin’s demise at the end of the first act and the prominence of Arachne who a mythical spider-woman created by Taymor and her co-writer Glen Berger.

But after this weekend the show closes for three weeks and re-opens on May 12th. The new version will see the Goblin who is the chief villain in the first Spider Man movie becoming a bigger character and Arachne will be turned into a sort of guardian angel.

With the firing of Taymor, Berger has rewritten the script with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa who is a playwright and comic book author. Philip William McKinley (Broadway’s “Boy From Oz”) is the new director.

After another month of previews Spider-Man is scheduled to open officially on June 14th.

Casting for South Pacific

As previously mentioned, ex-EastEnders actress Samantha Womack will play Nellie Forbush and Tony winner Paulo Szot is set to reprise his Lincoln Center role as Emile de Becque in the tour of South Pacific which opens at the Barbican Centre on 15th August.

It was previously tipped that Glee's Matthew Morrison would reprise his role of Lt Joe Cable which he also played in the Lincoln Center production, but his filming, recording and concert tour commitments means have made it impossible.   

Daniel Koek (pictured) who is playing Anatoly the Russian in Craig Revel Horwood's tour of Chess the musical  is playing Lt Cable and the brilliant Loretta Ables Sayre will come to London reprise Bloody Mary.

Matthew Kelly to star in Lend Me a Tenor at Gielgud

Lend Me A Tenor is opening at the Gielgud Theatre on 15th June (previews from 2nd June).

Some casting  has just been announced and Matthew Kelly (Henry Saunders general manager of the opera company),  Michael Matus (Tito), Damian Humbley (Max) and Sophie-Louise Dann  (prima donna Diana Divane) are all reprising their performances from Plymouth where Lend Me A Tenor ran from 24th September to 6th October last year.

Dirty Dancing adds more tour dates

The tour of Dirty Dancing is due to begin at the Bristol Hippodrome on 1st September and it has now added more dates to its schedule which means it will extend into 2013.

The new dates are for 2012 in Leeds, Birmingham, Norwich, Sunderland, Liverpool, Cardiff and Edinburgh where it currently ends on 12th January 2013.

Dirty Dancing is also playing at the Aldwych Theatre in Theatre in London's West End where it is booking to 9th July 2011 when the production closes.

Cast announced for Batman Live Arena Tour

The tour of Batman Live starts at the MEN Arena in Manchester on 19th July and then goes on an Arena tour ending at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on 9th October.

The arena show will include, pyrotechnics, a trapeze show and hot air balloon sequences, stuntmen, super villains and Batmobiles on a 100ft-wide, 60ft-deep performance area, with a giant video wall flashing panels from comic strips and special effects which give the appearance of interacting with the live performers on stage

Batman Live will also have circus sequences which will include a trapeze show and hot air balloon sequences.

The show held open auditions in January for the show, with producers apparently hoping to discover a wealth of untapped talent. The cast has now been announced as follows:  Nick Court and Sam Heughan will play the combined roles of Batman and Bruce Wayne: Mark Frost has been cast as the villainous Joker and Robin / Dick Grayson will be played by Kamran Darabi-Ford and Michael Pickering.

Other cast members include Commissioner Gordon/ The Penguin - Alex Giannini: Catwoman / Martha Wayne - Emma Clifford : Alfred Pennyworth - John Conroy: Harley Quinn / Mary Grayson - Poppy Tierney: Two Face / Ringmaster - Garry Lake: Tony Zucco - Jack Walker  and Dr. Wayne - Darrell Brockis

Wizard of Oz London Cast Recording

The new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Wizard of Oz is about to release the London Cast Recording.

You can pre-order the CD from Amazon for £10.99 as it is due for release on 2^nd May.

The track listing is:

    1. Overture
    2. Nobody Understands Me
    3. Over The Rainbow
    4. Wonders Of The World
    5. The Twister
    6. Arrival In Munchkinland
    7. Munchkinland / Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
    8. Follow The Yellow Brick Road
    9. If I Only Had A Brain / We’re Off To See The Wizard
    10. If I Only Had A Heart / We’re Off To See The Wizard
    11. If Only I Had The Nerve / We’re Off To See The Wizard
    12. We’re Outta The Woods
    13. The Merry Old Land Of Oz
    14. Bring Me The Broomstick
    15. Haunted Forest
    16. Red Shoes Blues
    17. Bacchanalia
    18. Red Shoes Blues (Reprise)
    19. Over The Rainbow (Reprise)
    20. If I Only Had A Plan
    21. The Rescue
    22. Hail-Hail! The Witch Is Dead
    23. The Wizard’s Departure
    24. Finale

Jonathan Ansell & Helena Blackman on Radio2 this Friday

On 15th April Friday Night is Music Night is being presented by Clare Teal from the Mermaid Theatre.

The show will feature a selection of show tunes and jazz with Helena Blackman and Jonathan Ansell singing highlights from the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook and some magical movie moments. Jonathan will be singing I Have Dreamed, Here's to the Heroes and Music of the Night.

You can hear the show on BBC Radio 2 at 20:00 this Friday, 15th April.

Samantha Womack and Paulo Szot to star in South Pacific tour

As previously announced, ex EasEnders actress Samantha Womack will star as Nellie Forbush in the tour of South Pacific which opens at the Barbican in August.

The production is the Lincoln Center's long-running revival and the baritone opera singer Paulo Szot is to come to the UK to reprise his role as Emile de Becque.   He won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance becoming the first Brazilian to receive such an honour.

Szot is a Brazilian of Polish descent who made his professional opera debut in a production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Municipal Theatre of São Paulo in 1997. Since then, he has performed with the New York City Opera, the Palm Beach Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, Opéra de Marseille, and Vlaamse Opera in operas including L'elisir d'amore, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, Cavalleria rusticana, I Pagliacci, Carmen, Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro and Maria Golovin. 

In March 2010 he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Kovalyov in Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose .

Lend Me A Tenor to follow Umbrellas of Cherbourg at Gielgud Theatre

The new musical adaptation of Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor which premiered at the Theatre Royal Plymouth last year now looks definite for a West End run following the Umbrellas of Cherbourg early closure at the Gielgud Theatre on 21st May, with Lend Me a Tenor expected to open there on 15th June (previews from 2nd June).

No news on casting yet, but the Plymouth production was led by Matthew Kelly, Sally Ann Triplett, Damian Humbley and Michael Matus.  Matthew Kelly is of course unexpectedly available with the early closure of his West End show Sign of the Times …

Ludwig’s original play premiered in the West End at the Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud) in 1986 and opened on Broadway in 1989 when it won two Tony Awards. It was revived on Broadway in March last year when it was directed by Stanley Tucci.

Lend Me a Tenor takes place in 1934 and tells the tale of famous tenor Tito Merelli ("Il Stupendo") as he prepares to perform Otello. Things go wrong at the final dress rehearsal with mistaken identity, double entendres and innuendoes threatening to ruin the show. When Tito can’t go on the director’s assistant Max is given the impossible task of finding a last-minute replacement.

More news to come …

Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show opens tomorrow

The excerpts I have seen from the Neil Diamond musical Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show with Brian Conley performing on various TV shows suggest that it will offer a really good night out.  Especially as it is unusually being performed in a big top at various outside venues.

It opens at  Cheltenham Racecourse tomorrow night and then Brother Love spreads the word at Leeds Castle in Maidstone, Beaulieu Palace House, Woburn Abbey in Milton Keynes, Rockingham Castle in Market Harborough and Goodwood Racecourse in Chichester before finishing at Sandringham House in King’s Lynn on 22nd May.

You can find out more and book tickets for Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation show here.

If you are a Neil Diamond fan then he is touring the UK in the summer and you might be interested in going to one of his concerts.  Tickets and more details here for Neil Diamond Concerts

Sheridan Smith, Bucks Fizz & Gabby Roslin at West End Eurovision

Gabby Roslin will host this year's West End Eurovision which will be held at the Piccadilly Theatre on Thursday 21st April from 11.30pm. 

This is an annual competition when London shows and theatres compete against each other singing original Eurovision Song Contest songs to win the votes of the audience and a panel of celebrity judges which this year will include Sheridan Smith.

Previous West End Eurovision Champions include Wicked (2008), Mamma Mia! (2009) and last year Dirty  Dancing won performing "Shake It" by Sakis Rouvas (Greece's 2004 Eurovision entry).

West End shows who are competing this year include Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, Love Never Dies, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The 39 Steps, Phantom of the Opera, Wizard of Oz, We Will Rock You and Wicked.

This year's competition will also include a special guest performance by 1981 Eurovision Song Contest winners Bucks Fizz.

Tickets for West End Eurovision can be purchased here 

Il Divo and Alfie Boe performing at Classical BRIT Awards

The international opera group Il Divo will be given the first ever Artist of the Decade award at the Classical BRIT Awards to be held at the Royal Albert Hall on May 12th. The quartet have been given the award in recognition of “the impact that they have made on classical music to a worldwide audience, creating new classical music fans and revitalising the industry for the 21st century”

The four singers who hail from Spain, Switzerland, America and France will be performing a new song at the show to celebrate the award. It will be their first live appearance in the UK since 2008.  The band have sold more than 25 million albums since their debut in 2004 and are signed to the Syco label which owned by Simon Cowell.

As already mentioned, Alfie Boe will also be performing at the Awards along with past and present Les Miserables cast members including Samantha Barks and Gina Beck.

The 2011 Classical Brit Awards will be hosted by Myleene Klass and are being held at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday 12th May at 19:00.  

Tickets from: www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Gareth Gates Performing at Dartford Festival

He has been playing Marius in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre and leaves the show on 18th June.  But Gareth Gates is due to headline at the Dartford Festival which  takes place in Central Park on 16th and 17th  July. Entrance is free.

For more information about the Dartford Festival 2011 www.dartford.gov.ukvisit

Why the Umbrellas of Cherbourg is closing early

As I mentioned on Sunday, the Umbrellas of Cherbourg has posted its closing notices for 21st May at the Gielgud Theatre.

The producers of the show have now released a statement giving their reasons for the early closure. Daniel Sparrow said: “Together with my co-producing team, we are immensely proud to have brought our production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg to the West End following its run in Leicester earlier this year. However, despite consistently positive audience responses, for economic reasons we are having to close earlier than anticipated. To have worked with Emma Rice, Kneehigh, our hugely talented creative team, cast and company has been a privilege and as producers, our ongoing ambition to bring fresh, innovative and original work to the West End will continue to be pursued. Following positive interest in the show from the global theatrical community, plans for a UK tour and various international productions of Umbrellas are currently in discussion.”

I have to say I enjoyed the show, but when I went the circle was closed and several other people have said the same thing that the theatre was almost empty on the night they saw it.  Hence the "economic reasons"!

Liza Minnelli UK Concert Dates

Broadway Star  Liza Minnelli is doing two UK concerts in the summer when she will perform with a nine piece orchestra.

She is appearing at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday 29th June and the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Monday 4th July

When she was in London recently she went to see Cameron Mackintosh’s new musical Betty Blue eyes which is due to open at the Novello Theatre on 13th April.  She was so impressed with Sarah Lancashire's Act I showstopper “Nobody” that she asked if she could use it in her act.  So hopefully it will be included in the UK concerts repertoire.

Buy tickets for the Liza Minnelli in Concert here

Latest news on Shrek! the Musical rehearsals

I’ve just been listening to Michael Ball’s Sunday Brunch on BBC Radio 2 where he was talking to Nigel Lindsay (Shrek) and Richard Blackwood (Donkey) from Shrek! the Musical which starts previews at the Theatre Royal Drury  Lane on 1st May and opens on 7th June.

The musical is based on the first Shrek movie.  They are three weeks into rehearsal with two directors - Jason Moore has just done first 3 weeks and Rob Ashford is due in on Monday.

Nigel Lindsay has only done one musical before playing Nathan Detroit in Guys & Dolls with Nigel Harman (Lord Farquaad) as Sky Masterson. And he is certainly taking a lot on with this role as the part of Shrek involves him spending 1 ½ hours in prosthetics every night, plus he has to wear massive fat suit which has caused guy who is doing US tour to lose three stone!

Nigel Harman (whose character Lord Farquaad is described as dim-witted and vertically challenged) has to do the whole show on his knees (including dance numbers), so I hope he has some good protectors!

Richard Blackwood (who sounds incredibly like Eddie Murphy) never done a musical before and says he is currently in complete awe of ensemble because they are so good. I think he is selling himself short as his natural off the wall personality  sounds perfect for donkey to me.

Because of its complexities the show has a 2 ½ week technical with the huge dragon operated in same way as the War Horse with guys from ensemble who manoeuvre it being taught by people from that show.

Nigel Lindsay and Richard Blackwood came across as a strong double act on Michael Ball’s show sparking off one another all the time.  This is good as the show relies a lot on the chemistry/relationship between Donkey and Shrek.

I have to say I’m not the biggest fan of the Shrek movies but am really looking forward to seeing this.

Oliver! to Tour in December

The musical Oliver! closed in January this year at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to make way for Shrek! the Musical. But the goods news is that it now looks certain to be going on tour at the end of this year. 

Details are very limited at the moment as the only information I have is regarding casting breakdowns which have been sent out for auditions in May and June with rehearsals starting  in October.

Oliver! is scheduled to open in Cardiff in December 2011 and then visit the following venues: Manchester: January – March 2012, Birmingham: March – April 2012, Southampton: April – May 2012, Edinburgh: May – June 2012, Norwich: July 2012Plymouth: August – September 2012, Newcastle: September – October 2012, Leeds: November – December 2012, Dublin: December 2012 – January 2013 and Bristol: January – February 2013.



More news to follow.

Evita Tour Back in the UK

The tour of Evita has been touring Europe for the past few months, but it has now arrived back in the UK opening at the Theatre Royal Bath tomorrow (3rd April). It is currently touring to 9 venues ending at the Grand Theatre Leeds on 16th July.

The touring cast includes Abigail Jaye as Eva, Mark Powell as Che Guevara, Earl Carpenter as Peron and James Waud as Magaldi.

Dreamboats & Petticoats 2011 Tour Dates

The 1960’s rock and roll musical Dreamboats and Petticoats is currently on at the Playhouse Theatre in London’s West End and is now due to tour again this year starting at the Theatre Royal Windsor on 7th June. 

The tour of Dreamboats & Petticoats continues throughout the summer and currently ends at the Hawth Theatre Crawley on 12th November.

News of casting to follow.

Glee’s Matthew Morrison Concert Tour Dates

Glee star Matthew Morrison is going on a short concert tour this year which starts in Dublin on 6th June and finishes at the Hammersmith Apollo on 13th June. 

The full dates are as follows: Dublin O2 Arena 6th June/Glasgow Clyde Auditorium 7th June/Manchester O2 Apollo 9th June/Birmingham NIA Academy 10th June/Brighton Centre 11th June and London HMV Hammersmith Apollo 13th June

You can book tickets for Matthew Morrison's Concert Tour here

Matthew also has an album out on 6th June which features duets with Elton John and Gwyneth Paltrow. You can pre-order the album which is entitled Matthew Morrison from Amazon

Dates added to Sister Act the Musical Tour

There is still no casting news for the tour of Sister Act the Musical, but the producers are holding open auditions for the part of Deloris so hopefully some information will be forthcoming soon.

In the meantime more dates have been added to the tour which starts at Manchester Opera House on 29th September.  They are all 2012 venues as follows:  Nottingham Theatre Royal 20th-31st March/Aberdeen  His Majesty’s 8th-19th May  and  Liverpool Empire 2nd May-2nd June

John Barrowman Guest Judge on So You Think You Can Dance

If you have just watched this week's So You Think You Can Dance on BBC1 you will know that they introduced a guest judge at choreography camp.

Tonight's judge was Alexandra Burke and next week John Barrowman will join the resident panel of Nigel Lythgoe, Sisco Gomez, Louise Rednapp and Arlene Phillips.  The show airs on BB! at 6:30 pm on Saturday 9th April.

Glee's Matthew Morrison to join South Pacific Tour?

The tour of South Pacific starring EastEnders actress Samantha Womack as Nellie Forbush is scheduled to run at London’s Barbican Theatre from 15th August-1st October before embarking on a short tour to Milton Keynes, Manchester, Glasgow and Bristol.

Because of the scale of the production ticket prices are very high with box offices hoping that theatregoers will be persuaded to pay top dollar if the rumour that Glee star Matthew Morrison is joining the production is true.

Morrison is probably best known as teacher Will Schuester in the hit Glee TV series, but he originally played Lt Joe Cable in Bartlett Sher’s 2008 of South Pacific on Broadway and other pre-Glee credits include Hairspray as the original Link Larkin, The Light in the Piazza, The Rocky Horror Show and Footloose.

The timing is perfect as Morrison has a debut album  released on 9th May plus a UK concert tour which starts on June 6th at Dublin’s O2 Arena then goes on to visit Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and Brighton before finishing at  London’s Hammersmith Apollo on 13th June

Will let you know as soon as it’s confirmed ….

More News on Les Miserables Film

As previously blogged, it now looks pretty certain that The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper will be helming Cameron Mackintosh’s film version of Les Miserables. The word is that he will sign on the dotted line in a few weeks time and then start work with writer Bill Nicholson to complete the screenplay to start filming early next year,

A casting director will then be brought in to find the right actors to play the main leads of heroic Jean Valjean and his pursuer Inspector Javert.

In the Daily Mail today it has been reported that two of the actors being considered by film executives involved in pre-production are Robert Downey Jr and Sean Penn.  They are both fine actors, but as Jean Valjean is described in Victor Hugo’s tome  as “a bear of a man” and  needs to have a fabulous voice, Downey Jr and Penn are not obvious choices as they are not renowned for their singing voices or height. Maybe it’s an April Fool’s  joke – I hope so!

Mackintosh wants to screen-test opera singer Alfie Boe for the lead role.  He played Valjean at the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert and is due to join the show at the Queen’s Theatre in June.  If Boe were cast as Valjean then the producers would have to compensate by casting major names to play the other characters which would hopefully mean someone like Hugh Jackman being cast as Javert. I saw in Oklahoma! at the National Theatre and the Boy from Oz on Broadway and he has everything necessary and more for the role.

Emmerdale’s Roxanne Pallett in Satin ‘n’ Steel

Roxanne Pallett is probably best known for playing Jo Sugden in Emmerdale which she left in 2008.  Last year she appeared in a tour of Rock Around the Clock and is now about to star in a new play with music at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre from April 14th-May 7th.

Satin ‘n’ Steel is a two hander and by coincidence her co-star is Matt Healy who played Matthew King in Emmerdale until he was killed off a couple of years ago. They spent four years as co-stars on Emmerdale but only shared one scene together.

The show follows the tumultuous relationship between club singers Vince Steel and Teena Satin over the course of seven years while they are trying to find fame as a double act. They’ll both be able to showcase their vocal skills as they sing a host of party tunes as part of the action.

Tickets at: http://coliseum.org.uk

Nicole Scherzinger singing Love Never Dies

If you didn’t listen to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on BBC Radio2 this morning when his guest was Andrew Lloyd Webber, then make sure you catch it later when it's available on the BBC website as there is a real treat in store with a world exclusive of a recording of the theme tune from Love Never Dies ALW made with Nicole Scherzinger over a year ago.

It’s fabulous and really showcases her voice. Hopefully she will release it on an album one day.

Hear  it on YouTube

Liza Minnelli loves Betty Blue Eyes

Broadway star Liza Minnelli recently went to see new musical Betty Blue Eyes which is previewing at the Novello Theatre in London’s West End.  Apparently she was so taken by Sarah Lancashire’s Act I showstopper “Nobody” that she has asked for permission to use the song in her act.

All the pre-opening comments I have heard on Betty Blue Eyes are good and when I saw the show this week I loved it and thought Sarah Lancashire was fantastic in the role of Joyce Chilvers really belting out the numbers. And I fell in totally in love with Cameron Mackintosh’s amazing animatronic pig which brought gasps from the audience.  I have been a fan of composers Stiles & Drewe for some time and really think this show deserves to be a huge hit for them.