Wednesday, May 29

Casting News for Dirty Dancing at the Piccadilly

The principals starring in the West End return of Dirty Dancing which opens in London's West End at the Piccadilly Theatre on 13th July are American actress Jill Winternitz (currently in the touring cast of Dirty Dancing) as Baby Houseman.  

Paul-Michael Jones (also in the touring cast since 2011) will reprise his role as Johnny Castle and Charlotte Gooch is dancer Penny Johnson (played the role in the 2011-2012 Dirty Dancing touring cast and the Berlin production.

More casting details to follow shortly.

The West end production starts previews on 13th July and is booking until February 2014. The tour is currently booking through to January 2015!

Friday, May 24

Simon Bowman starring in The Prodigals new musical

The Prodigals is a gritty new musical written by Ray Goudie and Joe Harmston  which began life at The Edinburgh Festival and is now running at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry from 30th August-14th September.

Directed by Joe Harmston it stars  Simon Bowman (Les Miserables, Phantom, Miss Saigon) as Colonel Luke Gibson who is proud to lead the Scottish regiment his family has served in for generations. The two sons he has brought up alone are now young men with Captain Mike Gibson battling to destroy opium poppy fields in Afghanistan while his brother Kyle fuels his band’s gigs with heroin.

When Kyle hits rock bottom, can he return home to the community he has insulted and rejected? How will his brother respond to his needs? Will Colonel Gibson balance his love for two such different sons with his responsibilities to all the soldiers under his command?

From its explosive choreographic opening on patrol in Helmand Province, through the comic absurdities of Kyle’s drug-induced hallucinations, The Prodigals drives this extraordinary tale on with stunning new music and dance and a script that challenges us to explore the toughest of emotional battlegrounds.

Tickets for The Prodigals

Thursday, May 23

Details of this Year's West End Live

The 9th West End LIVE  will be back in Trafalgar Square this year on  22nd and 23rd  June.

There will be live performances from West End shows including Billy Elliot The Musical, Horrible Histories, Jersey Boys, Disney's The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Matilda The Musical, Les Misérables, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Phantom of the Opera, Stomp, Thriller Live, Top Hat, War Horse, We Will Rock You, Wicked,  Burn The Floor, The Bodyguard, A Chorus Line, The Color Purple, Dirty Dancing, From Here to Eternity, The Golden Voice, High Society, Let It Be, Limbo, Merrily We Roll Along, Once, Peter Pan: Never Ending Story, The Showstoppers and The Sound Of Music.

The free event takes place on Saturday 22nd June from 11:00am to 6:00 pm and Sunday 23rd June from 12 noon to 6:00 pm.

For more information visit the West End LIVE website www.westendlive.co.uk and for the latest news and chat visit www.facebook.com/westendlive and Twitter @WestEndLIV


Brian May & Kerry Ellis Kissing Me Song

The Kissing Me Song is the new single from Brian May and Kerry Ellis which will be released in June to coincide with their Acoustic and by Candlelight Tour in aid of the Born Free Foundation.

The Born Free Tour starts in Oxford on 17th June and promises an intimate evening of acoustic music including stripped down versions of Queen classics showcasing Kerry’s extraordinary voice with Brian accompanying her on guitar and vocals.

Gareth Gates joins John Owen-Jones and Louise Dearman in An Evening of Movies & Musicals

An Evening of Movies of Musicals with West End stars John Owen-Jones, Gareth Gates (just joined the line up) and Louise Dearman is being presented at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on 1st December. It is being hosted by Christopher Biggins.

The show debuted in early 2012 with a sell out concert at St David’s Hall in Cardiff. featuring the music of John Williams, Hans Zimmer, James Horner and many more.  Since then it has been performed several times (and sold out) with leading artistes including Ruthie Henshall and Peter Karrie.

John Owen-Jones, Gareth Gates and current star of Wicked Louise Dearman will be joined by the West End Gospel Choir and Welsh musical theatre actress Sarah Lark. It will have a specially themed Christmas section for the festive period.

Tickets for an Evening of Movies & Musicals

Michael Ball, Kerry Ellis, Gina Beck and David Shannon perform an An Evening of Gershwin

Summertime - An Evening of Gershwin take place at Kenwood House in Hampstead as part of their Live By the Lake Season on Sunday 1st September starting at 17:00 (doors open 14:30).

Performers include Michael Ball who is supported by West End leading artistes Kerry Ellis, Gina Beck and David Shannon.  They are accompanied by Vic McLean on piano and conducted by Jae Alexander.

They will be performing the very best of Gershwin including Rhapsody in Blue, Summertime, An American in Paris, Cuban Over and music from Porgy & Bess. 

Tickets for An Evening of Gershwin

Wednesday, May 22

X Factor Musical Renamed I Can't Sing!

The new X Factor Musical which had the working title X Factor - It's Time to Face the Musical has now been named I Can't Sing! after one of the funniest songs in the show.

 It will open at the London Palladium on 26th March 2014 (previews from 27th February). Preview tickets are on sale from 10:00 am tomorrow.

Simon Cowell, whose company Syco Entertainment is co-producing the show with Stage Entertainment, told the Standard: "We’d been umm-ing and ahh-ing about the title for a while, then it hit us - there’s never been a musical called I Can't Sing!"

It features a singing hunchback and talking dog telling the story of Chenice. She lives in an ITV blackspot because her Grandad's iron lung interferes with the signal in her caravan, and is only girl in the world who has never heard of The X Factor.

When she accidentally stumbles into the audition queue with her talking dog, she starts a journey to both stardom and love. Along the way she is joined by contestants with vastly varying degrees of ability, some judges you might well recognise and Max, a handsome ukulele playing plumber and part time eco-warrior.

Tickets for I Can't Sing go on sale on 2nd September

Shane Richie & The Prelude Performing at Broadway Sound

Shane Ritchie and his band The Prelude will be performing at Broadway Sound which is part of the street music festival in Haywards Heath for the May Day Bank Holiday on Sunday 26th May.

It is a charity event for It's Magic which aims to uplift and entertain using the power of music and strengthen existing community values.

The Broadway at Haywards Heath will be pedestrianised from 1:00 am until 10:00 pm with 16 acts covering all tastes in music.  Seating is provided in the restaurants and bars or you can bring your own.

Tickets for Broadway Sound    £7 now or £12 on the day.  Children aged 11 and under admitted free

John Owen Jones and Bryn Terfel A Night at the Musicals

At the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall at 7:30 pm on 9th  September John Owen-Jones will be joining Bryn Terfel performing  A Night at the Musicals which features numbers from Bernstein’s West Side Story (‘I Feel Pretty’), Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera (‘Music Of the Night’), Boublil & Schönberg’s Les Misérables, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’) and South Pacific ('Some Enchanted Evening')

Tickets on sale 14th June

Thursday, May 16

Michael Xavier, Charlotte Wakefield and Helen Hobson Cast in The Sound of Music at Regent's Park

The Sound of Music will conclude the Regent’s Park Theatre season running there from 25th July-7th September.

The cast has just been announced with Michael Xavier as Captain Von Trapp, Charlotte Wakefield as Maria, Helen Hobson as the Mother Abbess, Caroline Keiff/ Elsa Schraeder: Michael Matus/Max Detweilier: Kimberley Blake/Ursula: Helen Colby/Baroness Elberfeld: Christopher Hunt/Baron Elberfeld: Tim Frances/Herr Zeller: Stuart Matthew Price/Franz: Gemma Page/Frau Schmidt: Joshua Tonks/Rolf Gruber:Nadine Cox/Sister Berthe: Chloe Taylor/Sister Sophia: Helen Walsh/Sister Margaretta and Faye Brookes/Liesl.

They will be joined by ensemble members Samuel Edwards, Victoria Hinde, Harry Morrison, Laura Pick and Anna Simmons.

Tuesday, May 14

Cast for Kander & Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys

The cast has now been announced for Kander & Ebb's musical The Scottsboro Boys which is being directed by Tony award winner Susan Stroman and runs at the Young Vic Theatre from 7th October-9th November.

Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon will play Mr Bones and Mr Tambo which are the Tony Award nominated roles they played on Broadway. Fellow Broadway actors Clinton Roane and Christian Dante-White are also coming to the UK.

Julian Glover (star of Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Indiana Jones)  is playing The Interlocuter and he will be joined by Coronation Street's Dawn Hope, Adebayo Bolaji, Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton and Carl Spencer.

Book tickets for the Scottsboro Boys

Russell Grant Hosting Ivor Novello and the Great British Musical

Updated 13th June:  Extra date added on 10th July due to popular demand
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Russell Grant and Ross Leadbeater (former member of Only Men Aloud) are presenting a ‘Glam-orous Night’ in celebration of Welshman Ivor Novello, who was the most successful British musical theatre composer during the first half of the 20th century with 2013 being the 120th anniversary of his birth.

You can see Ivor Novello and the Great British Musical at St James Studio on Sunday 23rd June at 7:30pm.

This intimate evening in the company of Russell, Ross and a host of leading singers from the West End and the world of opera features other composers including Noël Coward, Lionel Bart and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The evening is hosted by Russell Grant with musical direction by Ross Leadbeater and performances by  Katy Treharne, Rhidian Marc, Annatt Bass and Martin Milnes.

Tickets: £10.00 - £25.00 Box Office: 0844 264 2140 or visit www.stjamestheatre.co.uk

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory First Two Previews Cancelled

The first preview of the new musical Charlie & the Chocolate Factory was due on this Friday 17th May, but the first two shows have now been cancelled due to "delivery problems with piece of stage engineering".

The shows will be replaced with an additional preview on May 22nd  at 7:30 pm which will now be the first preview performance. Another extra performance will be scheduled "during a forthcoming holiday period". Customers who had booked for the previews are being contacted and their visit being rescheduled.

The show  promises "ingenious stagecraft" with plans for a chocolate river (a central feature of the factory which washes Augustus Gloop away in the Roald Dahl book) having to be abandoned. I has also been reported that the set is so big that the weight hanging above the stage requires the structure to have steel reinforcements.

In a statement the producers blamed “unforeseen problems in the delivery of a piece of stage engineering by a contractor”, which caused delays to the schedule”.

Show spokesman Ryan Petersen said: “The whole production team is frustrated by this unforeseen delay in what has otherwise been a very smooth and exciting rehearsal period. We are sorry to inconvenience people who have booked for these first previews but are putting on an extra performance next Wednesday evening which will become our first public preview.”

Sunday, May 12

Earl Carpenter joining Ramin Karimloo in LesMis Toronto

I have already written about Ramin Karimloo playing the role of Jean Valjean again in the Toronto production of Les Miserables which starts previews on September 26th with an opening night scheduled for October 9th. The show is is expected to run at least through to February 2014.

It now appears Earl Carpenter will be joining him as Inspector Javert, who in my opinion is one of the best I have seen play the role in  London's West End.

Carpenter has just finished playing Phantom on the tour and is currently touring The Three Phantoms in Scandanavia before it comes to the UK in May.  Looks like there will be another Phantom playing the later tour dates!

Daniel Koek Joining Les Miserables

I had heard Daniel Koek's name mentioned with the Les Miserables cast change due at the Queen's next month.

It now seems that he is playing the alternate Jean Valjean for one show a week from around 17th June with a view to performing the part on a full time basis in September.

Koek last appeared in the UK as Lt Cable in the tour of South Pacific and has been performing the show in his native Australia.  In an interview with Aussie Theatre it seems that he has had to pull out of Adelaide's Cabaret Theatre as it clashes with his opening in the West End.

More LesMis casting news to follow.

Friday, May 10

Louise Dearman, Alexia Khadime and Rachel Tucker join Kerry Ellis at Palladium Concert

Kerry Ellis is in concert at the London Palladium on Sunday and will be joined by three musical theatre actresses who followed her playing the role of Elphaba in the hit musical Wicked!

Louise Dearman, Alexia Khadime and Rachel Tucker will perform a new arrangement of Defying Gravity orchestrated by Craig Adams.

Other guests include Queen guitarist Brian May (who is with her on the Born Free Tour), Alex Gaumond and Rory  Taylor.

Tickets for Kerry Ellis

Tour of Dirty Dancing to replace Viva Forever at Piccadilly

According to Baz in today's Mail the tour of Dirty Dancing will move into the Piccadilly Theatre when Viva Forever leaves there at the end of June.

The current tour ends in June before restarting next March and will move into the Piccadilly from July 12th for a limited run until February. Tickets go on sale on Monday.

No word yet on whether it will be recast or the the touring cast starring Jill Winternitz /Frances "Baby" Houseman: Paul-Michael Jones/Johnny Castle: Nicky Griffiths/Penny Johnson and Wayne Smith/Billy Kostecki will come into town.


Thursday, May 9

Sheridan Smith in The Harry Hill Movie

Updated 17th December: Harry Hill Movie UK and Ireland release date December 20th, 2013
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 Harry Hill starts shooting The Harry Hill Movie on location for eight weeks in the UK from May 12th and is due to be released in the UK at the end of this year.

Steve Bendelack (Mr Bean’s Holiday) is directing from a script by Harry Hill, Jon Foster and James Lamont with a cast including feature Julie Walters, Simon Bird, Matt Lucas, Sheridan Smith (pictured)  Marc Wootton, Julian Barratt and Jim Broadbent.

The description of the plot is:  When Harry and his petrol drinking Nan (Julie Walters) discover their hamster is seriously ill they set off on a road trip to Blackpool pursued by a lunatic vet (Simon Bird). Along the way, Harry falls in love with an undersea shell person (Sheridan Smith), witnesses canine superstars The Dachsund Five, and meets indie rock band The Magic Numbers - who run a B & B. It all culminates in a fight on top of The Blackpool Tower. Who could be behind it all? Could it be Harry’s evil twin Otto (Matt Lucas), who was separated from Harry at birth and brought up by Alsatians?

Wednesday, May 8

Sam Attwater & Helena Blackman in new Tour of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

There is a new tour of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers starring Sam Attwater (Eastenders, Dancing on Ice, Dreamboats & Petticoats) as Adam Pontipee and Helen Blackman (How Do you Solve a Problem Like Maria, The Sound Of Music, The Secret Garden, Gypsy, 'The Wizard of Oz, My Fair Lady) as Milly.

It opens in Bromley on 13th September and tours to Cardiff, Edinburgh, Wimbledon, Manchester, Crewe, Cheltenham, Aylesbury, Blackpool, Sunderland, Glasgow, Dublin and Birmingham - click on the link above for dates and booking links.

Gareth Gates & Shayne Ward in Charity Football Match

There is a  charity Sellebrity Soccer Match at Birmingham City Football Club, St Andrew's Stadium on Saturday 18th May kicking off at 3:00pm.

Gareth Gates and Shayne Ward are among the celebrities lined up to play for Footy4Harry for Harry Moseley who is an 11 year old with an inoperable brain tumour and who raises money for brain cancer research.

Find out more at www.sellebritysoccer.org.uk

Tamzin Outhwaite Joining New Tricks

Former EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite was last seen in the West End strutting her stuff in Sweet Charity.

Since then she has had another baby and is now due to join the cast of BBC's New Tricks following the departure of Amanda Redman.

Playing DCI Sacha Millard (the new boss of the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad) she will appear in the final two episodes of the 10th series alongside regular cast members Dennis Waterman and Denis Lawson, following Amanda Redman's departure in episode eight later this year.

Only Fools and Horses "Rodney" Nicholas Lyndhurst will also join the next series.

Saturday, May 4

New Fantine for Les Miserables

There is a cast change coming up for Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre in June with Fantine due to be played by Dutch musical theatre actress Na-Young Jeon.

She takes over from Celinde Schoenmaker who leaves the show on June 15th to perform in a Dutch version of Love Story.

Jeon played Kim in the Dutch 2012 revival of Miss Saigon, performed in Jesus Christ Superstar and has  won a Musical Award for her role in High School Musical in the "up-and-coming talent" category.

It is not yet when known when Jeon will open in LesMis.

Tickets for Elaine Paige & Gary Barlow in Radio 2Day Concert

Elaine Paige and Gary Barlow are performing in a special BBC Radio 2 Friday Night is Music Night concert which will form part of the radio station’s 2Day.

They will be joined by Jamie Cullum, Mick Hucknall, Claire Teal, Sinead O'Connor and the BBC Concert Orchestra for the show, which will be held at the Hackney Empire on 10th May.

Now in its third year, 2Day has an orchestral theme with presenters showcasing a different section of the orchestra: Chris Evans will look at brass in his breakfast show while Ken Bruce will focus on woodwind instruments, Jeremy Vine’s show will be based around string instruments  and Simon Mayo will cover percussion.

Listeners will be able to watch events from Hackney Empire via Radio 2’s website and the red button.

Find out more about getting tickets for Radio 2Day

Friday, May 3

Revival of the Musical Billy at the Union Theatre

Billy the Musical by John Barry and Don Black is about to have its first London revival at the Union Theatre since its premiere at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1974 when it  starred Michael Crawford and Elaine Paige.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall which is set in the 1960's when post-war Britain is about to enter the swinging sixties. Billy lives in industrial Yorkshire juggling three women and a tense home life, but fantasises about another kind of life in London with Liz.

Billy is staged and directed by Michael Strassen (Call Me Madam, The Fix, The Baker's Wife and Assassins (Best Production, Off-West End Awards 2011).

The cast includes Mark Carroll (Jersey Boys/Oliver/Marguerite) as Geoffrey Fisher, Ricky Butt (The Baker's Wife/Oliver) as Alice Fisher, Paddy Glynn (Billy Elliot) as Gran, Mark Turnbull (Jekyll and Hyde/Les Miserables) as Councillor Duxbury and Katerina Stearman as Liz (the role played by Julie Christie in the film). Keith Ramsay makes his debut in the role of Billy.

They will be joined by Michael Adams, Rosie Clarkson, Laura Bryars, Adam Colbeck-Dunn, Tom Senior, Michaela Cartmell, Rebecca Eastham, Ross McNeill, Joseph O'Malley, Paul Rymer and Ashley Stirling.

The show runs from Wednesday 29th May to Saturday 29th June. For more information visit www.billythemusical.co.uk.




Thursday, May 2

Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and James Corden Confirmed Going Into The Woods

Updated 17th May: According to the Hollywood Reporter following actors now in discussions/negotiations:  Jake Gyllenhaal & Chris Pine as the Princes with Christine Baranski as Cinderella's Stepmother

Updated 11th May:  Meryl Streep now confirmed as The Witch: Johnny Depp is the Wolf and James Corden is the Baker with Emily Blunt playing his wife.  Inspired casting. Really looking forward to this!

Updated 3rd May:  According to Baz in today's Mail Johnny Depp is now contracted for this musical and James Corden is now in the frame currently meeting with Rob Marshall in New York. (He would make a great Baker).

The fly in the ointment is that Corden is contracted to perform with Daniel Mays in Nick Payne’s new play The Same Deep Water As Me at the Donmar Warehouse.  But can do both if the dates can be worked around.
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 Disney's film adaptation of Sondheim and Lapine's dark Tony Award winning fairytale musical Into The Woods will begin filming in London in September.

It be directed by Academy Award-winning Chicago director Rob Marshall with Meryl Streep starring as the Witch.

It is also rumoured that Johnny Depp is in talks to appear in the film with Variety reporting he will play the Baker and the Hollywood Reporter saying he is in talks to play the Wolf.

I wasn't impressed by Depp's performance in Sweeney Todd  and as this is one of my favourite Sondheim pieces I hope Rob Marshall casts it with actors who can sing it properly!

More news to follow ...

Mamma Mia! big cast change

Mamma Mia! is undergoing a big cast change on 10th June with 24 new members including Dianne Pilkington (Master Class, Wicked, The 39 Steps, The Far Pavilions, Tonight's the Night,Taboo and the LesMis movie) taking over the  role of Donna Sheridan.

Also joining the cast are Jane Milligan as Rosie, Richard Trinder as Sam, Emma Crossley as Sophie Sheridan, Oliver Tilney as Sky, Jessica Daley as Ali, Stephanie Clift as Lisa, Dickie Wood as Pepper and Dan Krikler as Eddie. Kim Ismay will continue as Tanya, and Neil Roberts as Harry Bright and James Gaddas as Bill Austin.



Spice Girls' Viva Forever to close in eight weeks

The Spice Girls' Musical Viva Forever opened to very mediocre reviews and has been struggling to attract an audience.

Sadly it therefore comes as no surprise that although it was booking until 15th February 2014 last night the cast were given their closing notices and it will now shutter early in eight weeks time on 29th June 2013.

It was revamped several months ago but according to the Daily Mail it has an estimated loss of at least five million and is very sad news indeed for producer Judy Craymer (of Mamma Mia! fame) and writer Jennifer Saunders.