Reprising his 2016 creation, Robert Lindsay is a gnarled and grizzled Ebenezer Scrooge, blossoming as he journeys to discover compassion and kindness.
NEWS: From Page to Stage festival announces first cast & rep companies
Aria Entertainment’s From Page To Stage will have one of the largest companies in the West End this summer: a cast of 56, working alongside 18 creatives, plus musicians and over 50 composers and writers presenting all-new musicals.
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN – Union Theatre
This is a difficult one. I really like Annie Get Your Gun but the 1946 original was butchered in 1999 for a US revival with Bernadette Peters and most references to ‘Injuns’ excised to suit PC sensibilities, losing a couple of good songs.
STRICTLY BALLROOM – West Yorkshire Playhouse
It is now Drew McOnie who takes the directorial chair, the choreographer-director’s rising star an ideal fit for a musical all about dance. And what dance it is.
My musicals diary: Jesus Christ Superstar, The Go-Between, The Fix
July was a big month for Q&As for me so I’ve been a little pre-occupied by follow-up blogs on those. But in addition to musicals I’ve hosted events at – I’m Getting My Act Together and Through the Mill, both of which have now completed their strictly limited runs at, respectively, Jermyn Street Theatre and Southwark Playhouse – here are three more musicals I’ve seen recently and can recommend.
NEWS: Gemma Sutton & Broadway’s Sam Lips star in Strictly Ballroom, Full cast
The full cast has been announced for STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL, with an international company coming together ahead of the first UK staging of the musical, which is to premiere on Wednesday 30 November at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. West End star Gemma Sutton and Broadway’s Sam Lips, making his UK debut, take on the iconic lead roles of Fran and Scott.
THE GO-BETWEEN – West End
Michael Crawford remains on the stage for the duration of the play, narrating and recalling memories of that hot July summer. His stage presence never in question, he delivers a commanding performance. Gemma Sutton and Stuart Ward play Marion and Ted, the lovers whose story is pivotal to the story.
THE GO-BETWEEN – West End
Where Taylor’s recent Sheffield outing flooded the stage with talent, albeit with no big star on board, the casting feature of The Go-Between is of course England’s grand-daddy of musical theatre and the creator of Lloyd-Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera, Michael Crawford. No celebrity “stunt casting” here, the quality of Crawford’s performance brings real smiles. One would be pushed to find a better man for a role that requires not only emotional but vocal versatility, and while this national treasure may not be hitting Phantom-like notes, his performance is still certainly on the money.
THE GO-BETWEEN – West End
It has taken six years – and Michael Crawford – to bring Richard Taylor and David Wood’s poetic musicalisation of L P Hartley’s The Go-Between to the West End stage; and before the tired old debate begins as to what it is (opera? musical? play with music?), before anyone goes in search of a comforting label, let it be said that what really counts for something here is the storytelling.
NEWS: Issy Van Randwyck stars opposite Michael Crawford in The Go-Between
The full cast has been announced for the forthcoming new production of THE GO-BETWEEN. Joining the previously announced Michael Crawford – with the multi Olivier and Tony-award winning star returning to London’s West End to play Leo Colston – will be Issy Van Randwyck. Renowned for her starring role in the celebrated cabaret group Fascinating Aida, Issy will play the role of Mrs Maudsley. The production will begin performances at the Apollo Theatre on Friday 27 May 2016 (Press Night: Tuesday 7 June at 7:00pm).
Press pass: ‘Once in a lifetime’ Gypsy extends with ‘pocket diva’ Imelda Staunton
This morning, producers confirmed that – on the back of a shedload of new five-star reviews from last week’s West End opening – Jonathan Kent‘s Chichester Festival production of Gypsy, “starring Imelda Staunton as the indomitable Rose”, has extended its booking until 28 November 2015 at the Savoy Theatre.
10 unmissable Mommas … that I nonetheless missed. How many have you seen?
Is Imelda Staunton the best Momma Rose ever? She’s absolutely the best Momma Rose I’ve ever seen – but, then again, she’s also the only Momma Rose I’ve never seen. Yes, my not-so-guilty confession is this: I’ve never seen Gypsy before… I say that without much guilt because, incredibly, Jonathan Kent‘s current critically acclaimed Chichester […]
GYPSY – West End
It is rare to see perfection improved upon, but in its transfer from Chichester Festival Theatre, Jonathan Kent’s Gypsy achieves just that. A highlight of 2014, the resonance of Jule Styne’s big band brassy score filled the Sussex theatre’s world class open stage. But Gypsy was written in and for the Golden Age of Broadway, to be mounted on a proscenium stage. In re-sculpting their masterpiece to fit the Savoy’s traditional confines, Kent and choreographer Stephen Mear have excelled.
GYPSY – West End
Rose Thompson Hovick must have been one of the first practitioners of NLP. By constantly drumming in to her tapdancing infant that she was ‘gonna be a star’ Rose made it happen even if stripper Gypsy Rose Lee accidentally became a somewhat bigger name than the favoured sibling, actress June Havoc
Review: Carousel (Arcola Theatre)
Reviewers often struggle to find adjectives to describe yet another fringe musical we’re obliged to see on your behalf. For Carousel at the Arcola, we have only three: good, good, good. Good #1 because producers Morphic Graffiti are making a name for taking ‘classic’ material and re-working it for smaller scale acoustic productions. You don’t […]
The post Review: Carousel (Arcola Theatre) appeared first on JohnnyFox.
Review: Carousel (Arcola Theatre)
Reviewers often struggle to find adjectives to describe yet another fringe musical we’re obliged to see on your behalf. For Carousel at the Arcola, we have only three: good, good, good. Good #1 because producers Morphic Graffiti are making a name for taking ‘classic’ material and re-working it for smaller scale acoustic productions. You don’t […]
The post Review: Carousel (Arcola Theatre) appeared first on JohnnyFox.
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