Nikolai Foster’s vision beautifully evokes a sense of community against a delicately balanced backdrop of political and emotional turmoil in Lee Hall and Elton John’s Billy Elliot The Musical at Curve Leicester.
The Show People Podcast: Scott Garnham is too working class (1st Birthday Episode)
The Show People Podcast is one year old! That’s right The Show People Podcast celebrates one year of bringing you special theatre guests every fortnight and shining a spotlight on the UK performing arts and joining host Andrew Keates this time is Scott Garnham.
INTERVIEW: Spotlight On… Billy Elliot’s Anna-Jane Casey
I enjoy working with the different ‘Billys’, they all bring some different to the role and they’re all so talented. My favourite moment is when Billy shows his letter from his mum to Mrs Wilkinson. It makes me cry, I’m a big softie and I cry at anything!
My answers to that musical meme on Facebook
Musical I Love: Guys and Dolls – much of this choice is down to the fact that it is set in the era that I would have most liked to have lived in. But it also has some absolutely classic songs that I find myself singing (when alone of course!)
BILLY ELLIOT – Touring
Built around the acclaimed film and with music by Elton John, Billy Elliott seemed destined for success but I’ll admit I was a little surprised to realise it had run for 11 years in London before heading out on tour.
LOVE – National Theatre
New devised piece about poverty and temporary accommodation is extremely powerful, but also deeply flawed.
BILLY ELLIOT – Touring
Tutu Good To Miss:Five stars and ten tissues as the smash hit musical of a working class boy’s battle to do ballet comes to the Edinburgh Playhouse.
OUR LADIES OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR – National Theatre
Sheer joy and excitement as Lee (‘Billy Elliot’) Hall adapts book about six convent girls, with miraculous results.
The week in theatre: Billy Elliot goes, School of Rock comes, Bugsy Malone returns
Big musicals news of the week: Billy Elliot is closing at the Victoria Palace, School of Rock is coming to the London Palladium, Bugsy Malone is returning to the Lyric Hammersmith, and Gypsy will on be BBC4.
NEWS: Billy Elliot closes on 9 April after 11 years in West End
Universal Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions today (10 December 2015) announce that after 4,600 performances, due to the theatre’s previously announced refurbishment programme, the multi award-winning West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical will play its final performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre on 9 April 2016 as the production celebrates its eleventh birthday. The show has been seen to date by over 5.25 million people in London and nearly 11 million people worldwide, has grossed over $800 million worldwide and is the winner of over 80 theatre awards internationally.
NEWS: Full dates announced for Billy Elliot’s first-ever UK tour
Universal Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions are delighted to announce the complete list of dates for the first-ever UK and Ireland tour of Billy Elliot the Musical.
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM – West End
This is the one where critics who spend most of their time in the theatre show off their football knowledge. In my case, it won’t take long. In fact one of the best things about Bend It Like Beckham is that you don’t have to give a referee’s toss about the beautiful game, and you don’t need to have seen the 2002 movie.
Diary of a theatre addict: Another 10-show week
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Diary of a theatre addict: Scott Alan, Alison Jiear, Carrie and more
I feel like I’ve been at the St James Theatre and Studio all week — I went to three consecutive nights of Scott Alan performing his own work from last Sunday to Tuesday (joined by a host of guests in his first night in the main house, then just Cynthia Erivo and one more guest a night on each of the other more intimate gigs in the downstairs Studio), then also saw Paul Baker on Friday and tonight I’m seeing Jamie Parker. All that, and Alison Jiear on Britain’s Got Talent, last night too — what a week it has been for cabaret.
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Counting Sheep and Maggies: 18+ Thatchers onstage in the past decade
When Margaret Thatcher died on 8 April 2013, she remained alive and well in two West End characterisations, neither particularly flattering. In Billy Elliot The Musical, during the “Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher” set-piece, her giant Spitting Image-style head loomed large above a group of festive miners, one kitted out in a trademark Iron Lady blue […]