Peter Andre appearing in Ghost the Musical

Singer Peter Andre will be treading the boards in London's West End appearing in Ghost The Musical for one night only.

He will take on the role played by Patrick Swayze in the movie version (Richard Fleeshman in the musical) which means he will be doing that famous clay-sculpting scene.

Peter will only be making a one-off appearance after the show at the Piccadilly Theatre on 14th September, which will be filmed as a special for this year's Children In Need in November.

Gina Beck in The Belle's Strategem at Southwark

The Belle’s Strategem is playing at Southwark Playhouse from 6th September – 1st October 2011. 

It  has not been performed in over a century and takes place in London in 1780. It’s marriage season but a group of wily women are determined to challenge the status quo. Young Letitia Hardy is shocked to find that after a trip to the continent her fiancée is convinced that English women are dull and sets out to gain his love with an ingenious scheme to prove him wrong.

Meanwhile, Sir George is trying desperately to protect his wife from the evils of high society, but he  hasn’t counted Miss Ogle and Mrs Rackett who are on a mission  to convert her into a lady of fashion.

The cast for the production are Marc Baylis, Gina Beck, Holly Blair, Cassandra Bond, Jackie Clune, Samuel Dent, Tim Dorsett, Mark Fountain, Jeremy Joyce, Michael Lindall, Christopher Logan, Joseph Macnab, Nigel Munson, Hannah Spearritt, Maggie Steed and Robin Soans.

It is directed by Directed by Jessica Swale, Designed by Simon Kenny, Music by Laura Forrest-Hay and  Lighting Design by Christopher Nairne.

Book tickets for the Belle’s Strategem

Anne Hathaway joining Hugh Jackman in LesMis movie?

There are so many rumours circulating about the cast for the Les Miserables film that it’s not worth mentioning most of them.  But the strongest one at the moment is that Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway (Devil Wears Prada, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, One Day and Catwoman in  The Dark Knight Rises) will be playing Fantine alongside Hugh Jackman’s Jean Valjean.

She belted out “On My Own” from Les Miserables at February’s Oscars Ceremony when Jackman was in the audience, and rumour has it that he was so impressed that he has been pushing director Tom Hooper to offer  her the part.

Will confirm more casting soon.

Sheridan Smith Quartet DVD Released today

 UPDATED 6th May;  The DVD for Quartet is released today and can be ordered from Amazon for £10.00

UPDATED 11th January 2013:  Quartet No 1 at UK Box Office!

 UPDATED 12th December: Quartet will be released in cinemas from January 1st 2013.

UPDATED 27th October: Quartet premiered at the London Film Festival earlier this week and is due for release in the UK on 28th December. Watch Trailer for Quartet

Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman is making his directorial debut in London and is shortly to begin work on an adaptation of Ronald Harwood's 1999 stage comedy "Quartet” which centres on four retired opera singers who live together in a retirement home and perform a Verdi opera each year.

The play is being adapted for big screen by Harwood (Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Pianist ) and the principal very distinguished cast includes Dame Maggie Smith as Jean, Tom Courtenay as Reg, Pauline Collins as Cissy and Billy Connolly as Wilfred. Albert Finney was attached to the project but had to back out due to cancer. He was replaced first by Peter O'Toole and then by Connolly.

Dame Maggie Smith plays a once-grand dame of the opera world forced into reduced circumstances. She moves into the home and immediately shakes things up, helped by the fact that her former husband is already a resident.

Sheridan Smith is playing a doctor and is joined by cast members including Michael Gambon,  Trevor Peacock and David Ryall. .

Sheridan's career really is going from strength to strength since she left Legally Blonde - and deservedly so.

Matt Lucas off to Los Angeles

As previously reported, Matt Lucas leaves Les Miserables on 10th September to pursue other projects. He is pictured here playing the innkeeper Thenardier.

And it seems these "other projects"  are not in the UK,  as he revealed to Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders on their Radio 2 show over the weekend that he is moving to America in an attempt to find success there.  It is understood he has been house-hunting in Los Angeles saying “I'll split my time and still keep a very small place here. I'll still be walking my dog in Hyde Park.” He has also tweeted that he still plans to spend at least four months in the UK every year adding "It's nowt to do with tax or even work. It's partly because the winter weather plays havoc with my asthma".

Earlier this year his Little Britain comedy partner David Walliams said the pair were splitting up after two decades of performing together saying: “We will re-group at some point.”

It is believed he wants to work on more films in the USA.

Beyoncé's baby bump delays A Star is Born

Over the weekend at the MTV VMA Awards Beyoncé announced that she and husband Jay-Z are expecting their first child.

This means that filming on her new movie A Star Is Born has had to be pushed back as it was due to start shooting in February 2012. Beyoncé will play up and coming starlet Esther Blodgett (later Vicki Lester).This is the role previously played by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland in the 1976 and 1954 adaptations, and Janet Gaynor in the 1937 original.

It could be a blessing in more than one disguise as it will give the producers of Clint Eastwood's musical remake longer to find a suitable leading man after Eastwood failed to convince Leonardo DiCaprio to sign on.

Russ Abbot to play Tommy Cooper

in a new BBC Radio 3 drama entitled Glass Chair Chair Glass which imagines what would have happened if the comedian and magician had met absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco who is famous for focusing on the question of human existence as well as the trivia of everyday life in his dramas.

Rather a different role to the one Russ Abbot last played in London's West End where he is pictured as Fagin in Oliver! the Musical. 

The story has been written by Annie Caulfield, whose credits include the radio drama The Von Trapps and Me, which told the story of The Sound of Music from the point of view of the baroness.Dame Harriet Walter will also star in the drama with Allan Corduner playing Ionesco.

The 90 minute play will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 18th September at 20:30.

Matt Lucas leaving Les Miserables

Because of other commitments Matt Lucas has unfortunately only been able to spend four months in Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre playing the inkeeper Thenardier.  He has received great notices for his performance which he first played at the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert at the 02 Arena last October. I saw him in both shows and really feel he has brought a lot to the already very rich part and managed to make it his own.

Sadly Matt leaves the show on 10th September when the role will be taken by Cameron Blakely who has played the part several times and was last seen in Les Miserables as Bamatabois in the 25th Anniversary Concert.

Spend An Evening with Ben Richards

Ex-Bill member and West End star Ben Richards was last seen in London appearing in Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre and has most recently been playing Hook in a new production of Peter Pan.

You can hear him sing in London again at an Evening With Ben Richards on Sunday 11th September at 8:00 pm at INC Space, 9-13 Grape Street, Covent Garden.  His special guest is Portia Emare (one of Priscilla’s Divas).  Tickets 10GBP from 207 557 6653.

Tour of South Pacific Extended

Barlett Sher’s Tony Award winning Broadway revival of South Pacific starring Samantha Womack and Paulo Szot opened at the Barbican earlier this week prior to going on a UK tour which was originally booking until 31st December when it ended at the Oxford New Theatre.

But now five new dates have been added for next year at the Southampton Mayflower, Birmingham Alexandra, Liverpool Empire, Stoke Regent Theatre and Edinburgh Playhouse which now takes the length of the tour up until 14th April.

Crazy For You following Betty Blue Eyes at Novello

The sublime production of Crazy For You at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is transferring into the Novello Theatre after Betty Blue Eyes closes there on 24th September.

George and Ira Gershwin's musical comedy Crazy For You ends it run at Regent's Park on 10th September and an October transfer is mooted but will supply more details as soon as I have them,

Kimberley Walsh taking over from Amanda Holden in Shrek

Shrek the Musical is currently playing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane with Amanda Holden playing the part of Princess Fiona.

Sadly Amanda suffered a miscarriage earlier this year,  but the good news is that she is now three months pregnant and expecting a baby girl.  Very sensibly she is taking no chances so will be leaving Shrek two months earlier than planned on 3rd October with Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud taking over her role from 5th October.

Amanda will also be reducing her number of performances with Alice Fearn playing Princess Fiona at Thursday  and Saturday matinees.

Love Never Dies DVD

The Melbourne production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies which opened in  May will be filmed for global DVD release at performances between September 12th-15th with a release date for the DVD yet to be announced, but I am sure it will be out in time for Christmas!

Love Never Dies will end its Melbourne engagement December 18th prior to re-opening in Sydney’s Capitol Theatre in January 2012.

The London Production of the show is due to close at the Adelphi this Saturday 27th August.

Betty Blue Eyes to close

Despite very positive reviews the new Stiles & Drewe musical Betty Blue Eyes posted its closing notices at the Novello Theatre last night.

There have been rumours circulating in the West End for several weeks that the show would close when one if its stars Reece Shearsmith leaves on 8th October, but Cameron Mackintosh decided that poor ticket sales could not sustain it until then and it is due to close on 24th September.

In a press statement the producers said: "After receiving some of the best reviews seen for a brand new musical in the past 20 years and despite an enormously enthusiastic reaction from audiences each night, the new musical has failed to attract an audience in sufficient numbers to remain economically viable.  It seems that the prevailing economic uncertainties nationally are leading audiences to take less risks on spending their money on new and unknown work and to seek refuge in safe and familiar titles and material.  It is, perhaps, significant that Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera continue to play to packed houses every night." Mackintosh  commented, "It is very curious that after such amazing reviews and positive word of mouth, no one knows the real reason why Betty couldn't find a bigger audience. We have been consistently playing to just over 50% but it just isn't enough to cover the costs.  Of course I am disappointed but I'm not despondent, I am enormously proud of Betty. I know that she will eventually have her day and another life."

I feel very sad that this show is closing after six months as new musicals are few and far between in London's West End at the moment and I really hoped Betty Blue Eyes would make it until the New Year or at least until the divine Sarah Lancashire left the show in December.

Hopefully the charming animatronic pig with the voice of Kylie will not be put back in her pen for too long and the production will tour next year.

Ghost the Musical heading for Broadway

Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy who are starring in Ghost the Musical at London's Piccadilly Theatre must be wondering if they are in the running to open the production on Broadway when it opens in New York at one of the Nederlander Theatres in April 2012, following previews from March.

Sheridan Smith hosting West End Bares

This year's West End Bares will be held at Cafe de Paris  on 4th September. West End favourite  Sheridan Smith will be co-hosting the evening  with Gok Wan.

Based on the original concept by legendary Director and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Love Never Dies), West End Bares will play two shows (9:30pm and midnight) with over 100 of the hottest performers in town combining the naughtiness of burlesque with the razzle dazzle of the West End.

Amongst the many celebrity faces joining the event will be Matt Lucas (currently starring in Les Miserables), Denise Welch (star of Benidorm and Loose Women) and Dancing on Ice’s Matt Evers.

Book tickets for West End Bares

Maria Friedman spending an Evening with Marvin Hamlisch

You can spend an Evening with Oscar-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch at the Playhouse Theatre in London on October 9th.  His many credits include the musicals A Chorus Line, They’re Playing Our Song and the score to The Way We Were.

An Evening with Marvin Hamlisch will be a celebration of his career when he will perform his most popular songs including music from The Way We Were, Nobody Does It Better from the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me as well as songs from A Chorus Line.

Hamlisch will play and sing at a piano and will be joined on stage by West End performer Maria Friedman for some of the songs. He will also share anecdotes with the audience and take part in a question and answer session.

Hamlisch’s performance at the Playhouse will follow his appearance at the Royal Albert Hall on October 6th, where he will conduct the orchestra for Idina Menzel’s concert.

Book here for An Evening with Marvin Hamlisch

David Essex to star in All the Fun of the Fair film?

David Essex is currently appearing as Eddie Moon in EastEnders, but is due to finish filming at the end of this month as he is about to go on his second  tour of his musical All the Fun of the Fair which he co-wrote with Jon Conway, It also played at the Garrick Theare in London's West End last year.

Essex told ITV's This Morning  this week that there is now interest being shown in the musical being made into a film with him remaining in the lead role as fairground owner Levi Lee.

John Owen-Jones, Mark Evans, Rhydian and Sophie Evans appearing at Music Festival

Flintshire’s Gwyl Gobaith music festival is being held over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The line up for this year is as follows:

Friday August 26th: We Will Rock You’s  Rhydian Roberts, Elysium III and Welsh comedian Mike Doyle.

Saturday August 27th:  Three Welsh Tenors, soprano Natasha Marsh and violin quartet Escala.
 
Sunday August 28th;  Mark Evans from Wicked!, Only Men Aloud, the Phantom John Owen-Jones, Sophie Evans from the Wizard of Oz and Only Boys Aloud.

More information and tickets at www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk

Ruthie Henshall: Care for a Song 2011

West End star Ruthie Henshall is patron of the charity Suffolk Family Carers.  Following last year’s  success with Care for a Song, she is again looking again for up and coming singers and performers to star alongside her on 20th November at the Regent Theatre in Ipswich.

This year conductor Richard Balcombe will be joining her. His previous West End credits include Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Aspects of Love. 

The show promises to build on last year’s evening with some special guests, a live band and spectacular performances incorporating popular songs from stage, screen and beyond.

Tickets are now on sale and all proceeds raised will go to help hundreds of unpaid Family Carers and Young Carers in Suffolk. Tickets start at £19.00 and are available from the Box Office on 01473 433100 or at https://apps.ipswich.gov.uk

David Essex leaving EastEnders this month

David Essex finishes filming his EastEnders episodes later this month, but his character Eddie Moon will be on screen until October.

As soon as he leaves Walford he will be going straight into rehearsals for the tour of his musical All The Fun of the Fair which opens at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham on 16th September and tours until April 2012.

Essex has said that while a return to Albert Square is unlikely he hasn’t ruled it out completely.

Craig Chalmers back as Joseph at Guildford

Keith Jack is currently playing the title role in the tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but he is taking some time out over Christmas to appear in Sleeping Beauty at Glasgow King’s Theatre.

When Joseph plays at G Live in Guildford from 27th-31st December Craig Chalmers will return to the show to play Joseph.  Keith took over the role of Joseph from Craig who toured with the show for three years.  It fits in well with Craig’s schedule as he is also in panto appearing in Aladdin at the Dunfermline Alhambra but this ends just before he joins Joseph.

Stephen Ashfield and Ben Freeman joining Legally Blonde the Musical

There are a number of  cast changes taking place in Legally Blonde the Musical in October.

Two of the principal ones are that Stephen Ashfield (Jersey Boys)  is taking on the part of Emmett in the Legally Blonde the Musical at the Savoy Theatre.  He is due to take over the part from Lee Mead who leaves the show on 8th October.

Simon Thomas who is playing  Warner Huntington III is also leaving and will be replaced by Ben Freeman (Dreamboats & Petticoats)

More casting news to follow.

Marianne Benedict taking over from Hannah Waddingham in Wizard of Oz

Marianne Benedict is currently in the ensemble and understudy for the Wicked Witch of the West in the  The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium  but she is due to replace Hannah Waddingham in the role when she leaves on 4th September.

Her theatre credits include: Miss MacKintosh in The Sunshine Boys (Oldham Coliseum), Vivian in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych), Teacher and understudy Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (Dominion), Catherine in The Girl Dusty (workshop, Duchess), Gloria and resident MD in Return to the Forbidden Planet (Basingstoke Haymarket and UK tour), Sophie in the Misfits (film workshop), Alice and understudy Bonnie in Loveshack (UK tour), Debbie in Debbie Does Dallas (Old Fire Station, Oxford), Wealdstone in Mother Goose and Dolly and assistant MD in The Country Wife (Watford Palace), Stella and understudy Polly Baker in Crazy for You (Lincoln Theatre Royal and UK tour), Diana in the musical Dragula (fringe), Rio in Club Tropicana  and singer in West End Musical Theatre Celebration (Palace).

Stephen Schwartz’s The Baker’s Wife at Union Theatre

There is a production of The Baker’s Wife starring Lisa Stokke (Mamma Mia!, Guys & Dolls) as Genevieve with Michael Matus (Lend Me A Tenor) and Matthew Goodgame (She Loves Me, Grease, Chicago)  at the Union Theatre from 21st September-15th October. 

They will be joined by James Ballanger, Ricky Butt, Joanna Kirkland, Mark Lawson, Karl Moffatt, Ian Mowat, Natalie Viccars, Craig Webb and  Ross Witherden.

The Baker's Wife is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein based on the French film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono.  The production will be directed by Michael Strassen (who directed the award winning production of Assassins at the Union last year.)

The simple plot involves a baker who finds that a handsome chauffeur is driving his wife crazy and refuses to supply the town with any more bread until she comes to her senses and returns to him.

Tickets at www.ticketsource.co.uk

Australian Love Never Dies to be released on DVD

The UK version of Love Never Dies is due to close at the end of this month,  but the revamped version which is opened to great critical acclaim at Melbourne's Regent Theatre earlier this year,  is due to be filmed live at the performance on 15th September for worldwide release on DVD.

 No news yet on likely release date.

Santa Claus And The Christmas Adventure at Ambassadors over Christmas

A brand new show for children between the aged of 2 and 8 is being performed during the day time at The Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End this Christmas.

Santa Claus And The Christmas Adventure runs from 29th November-31st December with the adventure taking place on Christmas Eve at Santa’s HQ in the North Pole. The Reindeer SatNav is programmed and the toys are piled high on the sleigh ready for the off but disaster strikes as Rudolph goes missing and the Elves are misbehaving. Will Santa be able to deliver the presents to all the boys and girls?!

Santa needs your help, and in return the children get to meet him after the show and receive a present.

Buy tickets for Santa Claus And The Christmas Adventure

Louise English joining David Essex in All the Fun of the Fair

The tour of All the Fun of the Fair opens at Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre in September and tours until April 2012.

David Essex is playing travelling funfair owner Levi Lee and West End leading lady Louise English (pictured) is reprising her role as Rosa (the beautiful and mysterious Irish fortune teller).

Joining David and Louise are Susan Hallam-Wright as Mary, Tanya Robb as Alice, David Burrows as Harvey, Tim Newman as Jonny and Barry Bloxham as Druid with additional casting still to be announced.

Connie Fisher pulls out of Sound of Music Tour

The producers of The Sound of Music tour have  announced that Connie Fisher is unable to return to play Maria for its final engagements at Wales Millennium Centre, Manchester Palace Theatre, Newcastle Theatre Royal  and New Theatre Wimbledon.

Connie has been undergoing intensive therapy and coaching to try and cure a vocal condition, but her voice has not recovered sufficiently for her to tackle the demands of the role of Maria.

Connie said today: "After many months of battling with a throat condition known as congenital sulcus vocalis, my vocal range has altered dramatically and it is with much regret that I have to withdraw from “The Sound of Music” as I no longer have the range to sing the part of Maria. My journey with this amazing show has been such a magical one and I am devastated that I am not able to close the tour. I have loved every minute of working with Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and the cast and crew of “The Sound of Music” and I am only sorry that I am not able to be with them until the last performance."

Verity Rushworth who is currently playing Maria will continue in the role for the remainder of the tour.

Lee Mead appearing in Casualty

Legally Blonde’s Lee Mead is due to appear as Harry who is a teacher in a special needs school in an episode of BBC1’s Casualty called Starting Out which is due to be shown on Saturday 20th August at 8:55 pm

Lee’s character comes unstuck in his new job. With first day nerves he is immediately involved in an altercation with problem student. When a more experienced teacher lashes out, Harry is forced to choose between the student and his colleague.

Lee Mead is appearing as Emmett in Legally Blonde the Musical at the Savoy Theatre until 8th October.

Chicago to reopen at Garrick

Updated Saturday 27th August: The musical Chicago closes at the Cambridge today and is due to take two months off and reopen at The Garrick in November.  Actual date and cast to be confirmed.

The tour of Chicago the musical still has only dates in February/March announced so far next year for Bradford, Manchester and Sunderland.

Connie Fisher’s Musical Map of Wales

She is about to re-join the tour of the Sound of Music playing Maria from 23rd August when it plays at Cardiff Millennium Centre, but you can see Connie Fisher for the next four weeks on BBC1 Wales starting this Monday 8th August at 7:30 pm presenting her Musical Map of Wales.

Connie trained to be a TV journalist/presenter in Cardiff, but for her career took another route via a reality show, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and the Sound of Music.

In Episode 1 of 4 she travels from Cardiff to Treorchy in a restored Welsh-made Gilbern car and sings at the Millennium Stadium. The shows are about people who are inspired by the area in which they live, and how they came to be there.

Episodes include her calling into Portmeirion for a sing-along of Ivor Novello numbers with star-gazer Russell Grant, dropping into meet Tom Jones’ biggest fan in Nefyn, following the footsteps of flower-power era Beatles in Bangor, and getting some Bollywood glamour in Snowdonia.

She gets to sing with a male voice choir, plus conduct the choir in which she used to sing, Côr Newyddion Da (Good News Choir) at a local eisteddfod.

Alfie Boe on BBC TV tonight

Alfie Boe is currently playing Jean Valjean in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre. 

He is appearing on John Barrowman’s Tonight’s the Night on BBC1 tonight at 18:40 making a dream come true for a dad who has overcome a personal tragedy.

Sheridan Smith in A Fantastic Fear with Simon Pegg

West End leading lady Sheridan Smith has a non-stop shcedule at the moment.  She has been filming The Tower Block and on Monday joins Simon Pegg at Shepperton Studios to start shooting her part in A Fantastic Fear of Everything.

Filming started at the beginning of July with Jack (Simon Pegg) playing  a children’s author turned crime novelist whose detailed research into the lives of Victorian serial killers has turned him into a paranoid wreck, persecuted by the irrational fear of being murdered.

When he is thrown a life-line by his long-suffering agent and a mysterious Hollywood executive takes a sudden and inexplicable interest in his script, what should be his ‘big break’ rapidly turns into his ‘big breakdown’, as Jack is forced to confront his worst demons; among them his love life, his laundry and the origin of all fear.

Alan Drake, Amara Karan, Clare Higgins and Sheridan Smith are all co-starring.  Crispian Mills will direct from his own script alongside Chris Hopewell.  A Fantastic Fear of Everything is currently shooting at Shepperton and is part of Pinewood Studios’ new initiative to support low-budget British films.

Casting news for tour of Dirty Dancing

Rehearsals are under way for the tour of Dirty Dancing which opens at Bristol Hippodrome on 1st September, but casting news is very hard to come by.

All I have so far is that Paul-Michael Jones (Mamma Mia, Never Forget tour)  is playing Johnny Castle (the Patrick Swayze role) and Emily Holt (tour of Grease) is playing the show’s heroine Frances “Baby” Houseman who is taught to dance by hunky Johnny while at holiday camp. They are both pictured here at the Manchester launch.

West End performer Shona Lindsay (Grease, Chicago, Aspects of Love, Phantom, the King and I) is also in the cast with Aimie Atkinson playing Elizabeth, Charlotte Gooch is Penny and Neil Kellerman is Joe Evans. Russell Smith (ensemble in Dirty Dancing London) is swing/dance captain

Charlie Brown the Musical

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is the first stage musical based on the Peanuts characters and was written in 1967 by Clark Gesner. A new revised version was presented on Broadway in 1999 with new songs and additional dialogue which won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and also won Tony Awards for Roger Bart and Kristin Chenoweth as Snoopy and Sally.

It is now being presented at the Tabard Theatre in West London from 4th-30th October with a cast including MARK ANDERSON/Snoopy: LEWIS BARNSHAW/Charlie Brown: ADAM ELLIS/Linus Van Pelt: HAYLEY GALLIVAN/Sally Brown: LEANNE JONES (Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray)/Lucy Van Pelt and  NATHANIEL MORRISON/Schroeder

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown will be directed by ANTHONY DREWE:Choreographer NICK WINSTON: Musical Director ELLIOT DAVIS: Designer SIMON WELLS: Design Consultant PETER MCKINTOSH and Lighting Designer DAVID HOLMES

The Tabard Theatre is less than a minute's walk from Turnham Green Tube and the 94 bus from the West End, Notting Hill and Shepherd's Bush stops directly outside the theatre. Other buses stopping nearby are the 27, 267, 337, 391, E3 and H91. There is free parking on The Avenue after 6.30pm.

Buy tickets online or call the box office on 0208 995 6035

Julian Ovenden pulls out of Death Takes a Holiday

Julian Ovenden created the title character in the Off Broadway premiere of the musical Death Takes a Holiday, but he has had to withdraw from the production due to a throat problem which has prevented him from appearing in more than a dozen performances - including the opening night.

Roundabout Theatre Company announced "Due to Julian's indisposition he is regrettably unable to continue in the production." Understudy Kevin Earley will continue to perform the role for the remainder of the run to 4th September.

Earley has been performing the role since July 19 with the initial reason for Ovenden's absence being laryngitis. Ovenden attempted to return on August 2nd but Earley had to step in as he could not get beyond the opening moments of the show.

I am a great admirer of Ovenden's work so hope that the problem is not serious and gets sorted soon.

Avenue Q to tour again next year

Winner of the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical, Avenue Q is set to tour again in early in 2012. The list of dates is due to be announced shortly and the only one I have so far is the Grand Theatre Wolverhampton - 28th February to 3rd March.

Billy Elliott, Million Dollar Quartet and Mamma Mia performing at free Kids Week Launch

Marcus Brigstocke was King Arthur in tour of Spamalot last year and is currently playing Perks in the Railway Children at Waterloo Station.  He will be hosting the free launch of Kids Week at the Royal Festival Hall on 10th August.

Kids Week  is now in its 14th year of giving children the chance to experience London’s world-leading theatre for free and take a peek behind the scenes. Kids Week offers one child aged 16 or younger a free ticket to a participating show with every full paying adult. A further two children can also go at half price as part of the deal.

It runs this year for three weeks from 12th August to 4th September with more than 30 shows taking part with something for all ages ranging from The Tiger Who Came To Tea and Disney’s The Lion King through to Legally Blonde, Betty Blue Eyes, Jersey Boys and The Phantom of the Opera.  

The launch event will run from 14:00 to 17:00 and feature performances from the casts of Billy Elliot The Musical, Mamma Mia! and Million Dollar Quartet plus magic courtesy of David Wood, whose adaptation of The Tiger Who Came To Tea is playing at the Vaudeville.

The tiger will be at the launch demonstrating some Tiger-Aerobics - which is one of the free activities on offer plus a taster session with English National Ballet, the chance to learn a Mamma Mia! dance routine and a West End singalong.

Glee's Darren Criss to take over from Daniel Radcliffe

The hit Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying about an ambitious window cleaner won the 2011 best musical revival Tony.

It opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in March and currently stars Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter)  who is due to leave on the show on 1st January when the lead role will be taken over by Darren Criss who plays Blaine Anderson  (leader of all-male singing group The Warblers) in the Glee TV show. Criss will make his Broadway debut in the show playing J Pierrepont Finch from 3rd to 22nd January.

.Radcliffe will next be seen on the big screen in The Woman in Black thriller which due for release next February.

Wicked! Cast Changes

There is a cast change at Wicked! the Musical with Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond), Zoe Rainey (Nessarose) and Ben Stott (Boq) playing  their final performances on Saturday 10th December 2011.

Rachel Tucker will continue in her role as Elphaba into 2012. Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Nikki Davis-Jones (Standby Elphaba) and Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda) are also all staying with the show.

Singin' in the Rain, Betty Blue Eyes, Dreamboats & Petticoats and Ghost on This Morning

Lee Mead and the cast of Legally Blonde the Musical appeared on GMTV's This Morning today as they are presenting a week of musicals with different shows performing at around noon/12.15  each day.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) you can see the Chichester Festival Production of Singin' in the Rain: Wednesday is Betty Blue Eyes (Sarah Lancashire  performs Nobody): Thursday Dreamboats and Petticoats and Friday is the new musical Ghost which has just extended its booking period to 13th October 2012

Backbeat Beatles' Musical heading for West End

Backbeat was an award-winning 1994 British film about the early years of the Beatles. There is now a stage version written by the film’s creator Iain Softley which is opening Duke of York's on 11th October (previews from 24th September) and is currently booking until 24th March 2012.

 Backbeat takes place during the Beatles “Hamburg Years” in the early 1960s before they were famous. It centres on a love triangle between Stuart Sutcliffe (the band’s original bass guitarist) his best friend and lead guitarist John Lennon and beatnik German photographer Astrid Kirchherr.

Struggling with divided loyalties, Sutcliffe eventually chose Astrid and art over the Beatles and handed over his guitar to Paul McCartney just before Beatlemania took off. Sutcliffe died of a brain haemorrhage in Hamburg shortly after leaving the band. His portrait featured on the Beatles’ album cover for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

The stage play received its world premiere at Glasgow Citizens Theatre in February 2010 when Alex Robertson and Isabella Calthorpe starred as Sutcliffe and Kirchherr, with Andrew Knott (John Lennon), Daniel Healy (Paul McCartney), Jamie Blackley (George Harrison) and Oliver Bennett (Pete Best). The Beatles principals are expected to reprise their roles in the West End.