Stage Faves

Tune in: The Shows Must Go On screens Peter Pan Live! Watch the trailer here

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 09:00:00 +0000

'Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning': Peter Pan Live! is next up on The Shows Must Go On YouTube channel this Friday. How well do you know the Broadway musical? Watch the trailer and a wickedly funny Saturday Night Live's send-up.

Free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On continues its theatre lockdown weekly schedule with another ‘live’ television broadcast of a Broadway musical, Peter Pan Live!, which aired during the 2014 Christmas season on American’s NBC channel.

For 48 hours only in the UK from 7pm this Friday 19 June 2020, fans can watch the show for free.

This musical version of JM Barrie‘s 1904 children’s classic tells the beloved story of Peter Pan, the mischievous little boy who ran away to Neverland and never grew up.

Allison Williams, best known as Marnie in TV’s Girls, stars as Peter Pan, with Christopher Walken as Captain Hook. The cast also features Christina Borle as Mr Darling, Kelli O’Hara as Mrs Darling, Taylor Louderman as Wendy, Jack Lucas as John, John Allyn as Michael and Alanna Saunders as Tiger Lily.

Moose Charlap and Carolyn Leigh‘s musical of Peter Pan premiered on Broadway in 1954, earning Tony Awards for its stars Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard. It became the first full-length Broadway production shown on colour television in 1955. The original stars also appeared in subsequent telecasts of the show in 1956 and 1960.

The Shows Must Go On YouTube channel provides musical theatre lovers with a West End and Broadway experience in their own homes, online for free during the coronavirus crisis while theatres around the world are dark. Alongside the full-length shows, clips of famous performances and behind-the-scenes footage are uploaded regularly to the channel.

The first six screenings showcased a series of Andrew Lloyd Webber works – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall, By Jeeves and Cats (starring Elaine Paige) – which has been followed NBC Live telecast of by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music and Hairspray.

Show trailer

Saturday Night Live

Up to date on theatre lockdown timing? West End remains closed until at least 2 August 2020

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 09:00:00 +0000

When can we all get back to our fave shows? The most recent statement from the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) – on behalf of the major commercial West End theatre operators – confirms that theatres will remain closed until at least 2 August 2020, with updates on subsequent cancellations issued on a rolling basis. Many musicals, including Matilda and Tina The Musical, have gone further and cancelled their shows until the end of August.

Here’s the full statement from SOLT:

“London’s West End looks forward to welcoming audiences back into our theatres. We are working closely with the government to explore ways in which we can safely reopen.

“To give our customers clarity and help us operationally, we have been cancelling performances across the West End on a rolling month by month basis since the start of lockdown.

“Every show is now extending cancellations until Sunday 2 August. Certain shows may decide to extend this cancellation period, and producers will make their own statement as appropriate for their shows.

“Ticketholders for affected performances do not need to do anything. They will be contacted by the organisation from which they bought their tickets to arrange a refund, credit note or exchange for a later date.

“This does not mean theatres will reopen on 3 August; and further cancellations will continue to be announced on a rolling basis. The decision to reopen theatres will be made based on government and scientific advice on gatherings and events.

“Different theatres and productions are likely to reopen at different times.

“We are grateful to customers for the continued patience and kindness they are showing during this challenging time for our industry. With 300,000 people visiting West End theatres in a normal week, it remains a major undertaking to process refunds, exchanges and credit notes, particularly when many staff are working remotely.

“Please rest assured that we are all working as quickly as we can, and we appreciate the continued support and understanding of our audiences.”

Tune in: The Shows Must Go On resumes this weekend with The Wiz Live! Watch the trailer here

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Ease on down the road: Way before Wicked, The Wiz reinvented children's classic on Broadway. The star-studded live American telecast of the soul and R&B take is the next free-to-view stream on The Shows Must Go On YouTube channel.

Last weekend’s broadcast of Peter Pan Live! was postponed, in solidarity with #GeorgeFloydProtests in the US and around the world, but the free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On returns this weekend and continues its theatre lockdown schedule with another ‘live’ television broadcast of a Broadway musical, The Wiz Live!, which aired during the 2015 Christmas season on American’s NBC channel.

For 48 hours only in the UK from 7pm this Friday 12 June 2020, audiences can watch the show for free online.

With a book by William F Brown and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and others, The Wiz is a soul and R&B reinterpretation of on L Frank Baum’s classic tale from The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. After a tryout in Baltimore, it premiered on Broadway in 1975 and went on to win eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and run for four years.

The Wiz Live! features a star-studded cast of performers and the awe-inspiring Cirque du Soleil Theatrical. Whisked away from home by a tornado, young Dorothy finds herself transported to the magical Land of Oz, where she sets off on a quest to meet the powerful Wizard and find her way back home. Crossing paths with enchanting friends and wicked foes, Dorothy’s journey is a timeless tale about friendship, courage and learning to believe in oneself.

Shanice Williams is Dorothy alongside Elijah Kelley, Ne-Yo and David Alan Grier as Scarecrow, Tin-Man and Cowardly Lion respectively. Also featured are Mary J Blige as the Wicked Witch of the West, Amber Riley as the Good Witch of the North, Uzo Aduba as the Good Witch of the South and Queen Latifah as The Wiz.

Viewers of The Wiz Live! will have the opportunity to make charitable donations to the NAACP. The mission of the NAACP is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

About The Shows Must Go On

The Shows Must Go On YouTube channel, presented by Universal, provides musical theatre lovers with a West End and Broadway experience in their own homes, online for free during the coronavirus crisis while theatres around the world are dark. Alongside the full-length shows, clips of famous performances and behind-the-scenes footage are uploaded regularly to the channel.

The first six screenings showcased a series of Andrew Lloyd Webber works – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall, By Jeeves and Cats (starring Elaine Paige) – which has been followed NBC Live telecasts of by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music and Hairspray.

Watch the trailer

Aired on @nbc in 2015, #TheWizLive is based on the soul/R&B take on The Wizard of Oz premiered on Broadway in 1975 (way before @WICKED_Musical).@Shanice_Williams is Dorothy in an all-star cast that inc @MsAmberPRiley @IAMQUEENLATIFAH @maryjblige @davidalangrier @Elijah_kelley pic.twitter.com/BjaW9Kluov
— StageFaves (@StageFaves) June 5, 2020

Close Every Door? Just for 12 months: Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat returns in 2021

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Are you already humming Any Dream Will Do in anticipation? You'll have to wait a year longer but Jac Yarrow will reprise his acclaimed performance in Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, alongside Jason Donovan, at the London Palladium next summer.

Due to the current global situation and the uncertainty around the resumption of West End shows, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will defer its dates exactly 12 months, and Jason Donovan and Jac Yarrow are both confirmed to star again in the acclaimed show next year. Performances will now begin on 1 July 2021, with a gala night on 15 July, and continue for strictly limited 10-week season to 5 September.

All existing tickets will be moved to the same seats for the equivalent performances by day of the week in 2021. Performance times remain unchanged. If you are a ticketholder you do not need to do anything as your point of purchase will be in touch with you soon to confirm the new date for your booking. Public booking reopens on Friday 19 June.

Jason Donovan will return in the role of Pharaoh. He was originally in the show when he made his defining stage performance as the title character of Joseph in the 1990s, in a sold-out 18-month run which produced a No.1 single and best-selling soundtrack album. Jason raised the roof of the London Palladium this year as Pharaoh, who rocks ‘Song of the King’ in the iconic musical.

Jac Yarrow caused a sensation when he made his professional stage debut playing Joseph, following in the footsteps of a line of stars who have previously played the title character. His portrayal of Joseph won him unanimous acclaim, with his rendition of ‘Close Every Door To Me’ regularly stopping the show with standing ovations.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat enjoyed a completely sold-out season last year. Audiences and critics were unanimous in their acclaim for the legendary musical – the first major collaboration by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber – as it returned to the London Palladium.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose LW Theatres owns the London Palladium, said today:

“The team and I are working hard behind the scenes to get the world’s most beloved theatre The London Palladium open and entertaining audiences this autumn. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find a safe route to provide access both backstage and front of house. I am delighted that Joseph will be back on the London Palladium stage next summer.”

ðA message from @JDonOfficial and @jacyarrow!ðÂ Due to the current global situation and the uncertainty around the resumption of West End shows, @JosephMusical has now been rescheduled to summer 2021.Â Â Head to our website for further information:Â https://t.co/Iowd8SlJhy pic.twitter.com/JunVSD74Wn
— Joseph the Musical (@JosephMusical) May 29, 2020

Imelda Staunton's much-anticipated Hello, Dolly! is postponed indefinitely

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Imelda Staunton won't be back where she belongs - the theatre, that is - quite when we expected. HELLO, DOLLY! is the latest West End postponement in the face of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The hugely-anticipated new West End production of Hello, Dolly! starring Imelda Staunton, which was due to begin performances at the Adelphi Theatre in London on Tuesday 11 August 2020 for a 30-week season, has been indefinitely postponed.

Producers said today that new season details and all further information will be announced at a later date. Ticket holders do not need to do anything. The point of purchase will be in touch soon about refunds.

Michael Harrison and David Ian commented:

“Whilst we are naturally disappointed that we aren’t able to stage the show this summer, we are completely committed to Hello, Dolly! Dominic Cooke’s new production is set to have a cast of 34 and an orchestra of 18 musicians. This, coupled with Rae Smith’s stunning new designs, means we do not want to compromise the length of run, so postponing until the time is right and schedules permit is the best option. But plans are already underway for the new season which we will announce as soon as we can. Dolly will most certainly be back where she belongs.”

With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman (La Cage aux Folles, Mack and Mabel, Mame) and book by Michael Stewart (42nd Street, Mack and Mabel, Barnum), Hello, Dolly! is one of the most iconic musicals of all time. Herman’s timeless score includes ‘Put On Your Sunday Clothes’, ‘Ribbons Down My Back’, ‘Before the Parade Passes By’, ‘Elegance’, ‘It Only Takes a Moment’ and of course, ‘Hello, Dolly!’.

Multi Olivier and BAFTA Award-winning Imelda Staunton is cast to play meddlesome socialite turned matchmaker Dolly Levi, as she travels to Yonkers, New York to find a match for the miserly, unmarried ‘half-a-millionaire’ Horace Vandergelder. But everything changes when she decides that the next match she needs to make is for herself.

This production of Hello, Dolly! reunites Staunton with director Dominic Cooke, after their success with the critically acclaimed National Theatre production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies.

It also reunites Staunton with producers Michael Harrison and David Ian. Their production of Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre was awarded the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, and for which Imelda also won the Olivier Award for Best Actress In A Musical for her acclaimed portrayal of Momma Rose.

We would just like to send our love and support to everyone during this difficult time. The closing of theatres and their shows is devastating.Letâs hope we'll be back where we belong very soon.Take care of each other â¤ï¸ #hellodolly pic.twitter.com/Fy27AU5FoX
— â¤ï¸ HELLO, DOLLY! â¤ï¸ (@hellodollyLDN) March 23, 2020

Re-routing impossible: The Phantom of the Opera's UK tour, starring Killian Donnelly, is cancelled

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Oh how we do wish they were somehow here again... Killian Donnelly and Holly-Anne Hull only had 13 performances as the Phantom and Christine, and sadly they won't get any more as the remainder of the 14-month UK and Ireland tour of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has now been cancelled. Here’s the full statement from producers.

It is with great sadness that due to the current state of complete shutdown of the British theatre by the Government because of Covid-19, Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group must announce that their new UK and Ireland Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, which had only played its opening date prior to a 14-month tour, will not re-open.

The great uncertainty around the duration of social distancing requirements and the perilous financial situation in which many regional theatres find themselves have conspired to make re-routing an entire major tour like Phantom impossible for some time as so many existing tours are needing to reschedule.

The production opened at Curve, Leicester at the beginning of March. Subsequent runs in Manchester and Dublin have already been cancelled. Following these dates, the tour was due to play Birmingham, Edinburgh, Sunderland, Cardiff, Plymouth, Southampton and Bradford.

Whilst it is heartbreaking for us as producers as well as for our wonderful cast, orchestra and crew who had all worked so hard to create this truly spectacular but tragically short-lived reinvented staging of the original production, we are determined that the disappearance of the Phantom from the British regional stage will not be forever and that, when theatre is back thrilling audiences again, the “Music of the Night” will soar once more from the orchestra pit.

Ticket holders will be contacted directly by their venue/point of sale in due course and we appreciate their patience in this unprecedented time.

Find someone who looks at you the way I look at @OfficialALW ð¤What an absolute dream I am living in. pic.twitter.com/JYSBWlxAdK
— ð·ðððð¢-ð°ððð ð·ððð â¼ (@HollyAnneHull) March 7, 2020

My heart is absolutely broken.Playing Christine is all I have ever dreamed of and I canât believe it even happened to be honest! Iâm so grateful for my 13 shows! â¤ï¸I have made friends for life and met the most beautiful people and I cannot wait to FINALLY âcome out for a drinkâ pic.twitter.com/nIHoT2hBbm
— ð·ðððð¢-ð°ððð ð·ððð â¼ (@HollyAnneHull) May 27, 2020

Nothing to cheer about: Bring It On postpones until 2021 with four other Selladoor tours

Thu, 28 May 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Bring It On The Musical, starring Amber Davies and Olympian Louis Smith, was meant to spend Christmas at London's Southbank Centre as part of a UK-wide tour. It has now been postponed until 2021, along with four other Selladoor musicals.

Selladoor Worldwide has announced that it will suspend its 2020 touring productions – shifting the majority of shows to start in 2021. Major productions including Footloose, We Will Rock You, Madagascar the Musical, 9 to 5 the Musical and Bring It On will be postponed as a result of Covid-19.

The company - who are behind productions such as Fame, Avenue Q and American Idiot, and operators of regional theatres in North Devon and Cambridgeshire - have confirmed they will temporarily close their offices during July and August to maximise government support during a period of extended inactivity.

Selladoor venues will extend the temporary closure of their venues until November with The Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple, The Landmark Ilfracombe and New Theatre Peterborough planning to reopen pre-pantomime season.

CEO David Hutchinson says:

“It’s with a heavy heart that we’ve taken the decision to postpone the majority of our productions into 2021 both in the UK and internationally. It’s taken our production team, creatives and partners years to put these productions together and we were so excited to share them with audiences this year. However, the uncertainty on when theatres will reopen, how and when we can develop audiences for our work and clarity on best practises for touring in a Covid world – we feel the odds are against us delivering shows in 2020.”

“With over 100 members of Selladoor staff to consider across our productions and venues operation, the priority at this uncertain time is to maximise our runway for relaunch and maintain as much resilience as we can to keep people within the business. At this juncture, pausing during the summer and maximising the support available is vital in sustaining a long period of inactivity. We are currently burning through our cash reserve at a very fast rate and it’s not sustainable for our organisation who are mainly reliant on box office.”

Selladoor has confirmed the following production postponements:

Footloose the Musical, due to open in April 2020 at Wimbledon New Theatre will now open at the earliest in Zurich Maag Music Hall November 2020 – with UK dates commencing from January 2021
We Will Rock You, due to open in August 2020 in Cape Town Artscape Theatre, South Africa will now open in February 2021 at the Solaire Resort Manila, Philippines
Madagascar the Musical, due to open in August 2020 at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand will now open Autumn 2021
Bring It On the Musical, due to open June 2020 at the Birmingham Hippodrome is planning to open Autumn 2021
9 to 5 UK Tour, due to open May 2020 at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre is planning to open Spring 2021

That's 5⃣ major @sell_a_door musicals that are now being postponed until 2021 in response to #coronacrisisuk:@FootlooseTour@bringitonuktour@famemusicaluk@madUKtour @wwrytourukHow many @StageFaves performers & other creatives & crew does that affect?

Tune in: The Shows Must Go On screens stellar American television broadcast of Hairspray Live!

Wed, 27 May 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Good morning, Baltimore! Ahead of the London stage revival starring Michael Ball, due at the London Coliseum later this year (fingers crossed), you can catch Hairspray Live! on lockdown musicals channel The Shows Must Go On this weekend...

After last week’s airing of The Sound of Music Live, free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On continues its theatre lockdown schedule with another ‘live’ television broadcast of a Broadway musical, the Emmy Award-winning star-studded version of Hairspray Live, which aired on American’s NBC channel in 2016.

For 48 hours only in the UK from 7pm this Friday 29 May 2020, fans can watch the show for free – essential week recommended.

Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, with music by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Hairspray Live! takes place in 1962 Baltimore. Plump teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream is to dance on “The Corny Collins Show,” a local TV programme.

When, against all odds, Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colourful array of characters, including the resident dreamboat, Link; the ambitious mean girl, Amber; an African-American boy she meets in detention, Seaweed; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, the owner of a local record store. Tracy’s mother is the indomitable Edna, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-white the show.

The cast includes Maddie Baillio (Tracy Turnblad), Dove Cameron (Amber von Tussle), Kristin Chenoweth (Velma von Tussle), Garrett Clayton (Link Larkin), Billy Eichner (Rob Barker), Harvey Fierstein (Edna Turnblad), Ariana Grande (Penny Pingleton), Sean Hayes (Mr Pinky), Derek Hough (Corny Collins), Jennifer Hudson (Motormouth Maybelle), Andrea Martin (Prudy Pingleton), Rosie O’Donnell (Health Ed Teacher), Martin Short (Wilbur Turnblad), Ephraim Sykes (Seaweed J Stubbs), Paul Vogt (Mr Spritzer) and Shahadi Wright Joseph (Little Inez).

Hairspray Live! features a new teleplay by Harvey Fierstein. It’s directed by Alex Rudzinksi and Kenny Leon, choreographed by Jerry Mitchell and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, executive producers for all of NBC’s popular live musicals.

The first six screenings showcased a series of Andrew Lloyd Webber works – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall, By Jeeves and Cats (starring Elaine Paige) – which was followed by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music.

Meet the cast

Tune in: The Shows Must Go On continues with The Sound of Music. Watch the trailer here

Thu, 21 May 2020 13:00:00 +0000

UPDATED 22 June 2020: The Sound of Music returns to The Shows Must Go On for 48 hours from 7pm on Friday 26 June 2020. From 8pm that night, the Rodgers and Hammerstein organisation, teaming up with Time Out London and Time Out New York will host a live watch party on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #SoundOfMusic.

We were worried after Andrew Lloyd Webber signed off, but The Shows Must Go On free musical theatre lockdown viewing will continue on YouTube. Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is next up. Watch the trailer, plus Lloyd Webber's reflection on the series, here...

After six weeks, free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On has concluded its series of Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musicals on the small screen. However, the lockdown line-up will continue this week with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music.

For 48 hours only in the UK from 7pm this Friday 22 May 2020, fans can watch the show for free – essential week recommended.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, based on Maria von Trapp’s memoir about the family of singers during the Nazi occupation of Austria, premiered on Broadway in 1959 and was immortalised in the 1965 film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

This live American television special, which first aired in 2013, starred Carrie Underwood as novice nun-turned-nanny Maria and Stephen Moyer as Captain von Trapp in a cast that also featured Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti and Christan Borle.

The Sound of Music‘s many well-known songs include “My Favorite Things”, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”, “Edelweiss”, “Do-Re-Mi”, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”, “So Long, Farewell” and the title song.

The first six screenings have showcased the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall, By Jeeves and Cats (starring Elaine Paige).

The Sound of Music trailer

A message from Andrew Lloyd Webber

After 6â£ weeks, @OfficialALW says #TheShowsMustGoOn @YouTube streams of his work has ended. It raised $500k for @TheActorsFund.'I hope you realise theatre is always going to be there. It will come back,' he says. But what next during #lockdown? #SF #STpic.twitter.com/64OyhiX0aZ
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) May 18, 2020

It won't be in Trafalgar Square, but a virtual version of West End Live will take place in June

Tue, 19 May 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Something to look forward to during theatre lockdown: WEST END LIVE is going virtual next month. Which musicals would you most like to see showcased?

This year's West End Live, the world's largest outdoor theatre festival, held each summer in London's Trafalgar Square, was cancelled in March after the UK went into coronavirus lockdown. Organisers have now announced that a virtual version will go ahead.

Working with the event’s sponsor Sky, every Thursday for six weeks from 21 May, a variety of West End musicals will be showcased on Sky, with stars performing from their homes and asking viewers’ questions.

All of these resulting videos will be available for free on the Society of London Theatre social media channels on over the weekend of the festival’s scheduled dates, Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June 2020.

As for the live event, on 23 March 2020, Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre said:

“When the coronavirus pandemic lifts and London revives, West End LIVE will have an even more important role to play as a curtain-raiser to the best of our fantastic West End. We look forward to being back bigger and better than ever before.”

The Virtual West End Live is part of the Society of London Theatres (SOLT)’s ongoing online efforts to keep theatregoing relevant during lockdown. There are also free acting and directing workshops for 11- to 14-year-olds, with National Youth Theatre, 60-minute live-streamed classes on Shakespeare, comedy and other genres, a ‘theatre fix’ portal for online productions and, for those in the industry, the Theatre Means Business portal for webinars and other digital learning resources.

Tune in: Beverley Knight performs Leave a Light On farewell online concert on 26 May

Mon, 18 May 2020 09:00:00 +0000

After ten weeks, 72 virtual shows and over £30,000 raised for musical theatre performers during lockdown, the hugely successful #LeaveALightOn online concert series will come to a close next Friday 26 May 2020 with Beverley Knight.

Leave a Light On, the online concert series launched by Lambert Jackson Productions and The Theatre Café shortly after the coronavirus theatre lockdown began in London, will draw to a close on Friday 29 May 2020 at 6.30pm with a finale concert by Beverley Knight.

During lockdown since mid-March, Leave a Light On has become one of the biggest paid-for sources of theatrical entertainment in the country. By the end of the ten-week series, 72 artists will have performed 45-minute concerts from their homes, and by selling tickets to view at an average price of £7.50, over £30,000 will have been raised for those performers.

Other performers featured in the final fortnight include Miracle Chance, Katie Rowley Jones, Dave Willetts, Jarneia Richard-Noel, Adam Bailey, Scott Hunter, Joel Harper-Jackson and David O’Reilly.

Producers Jamie Lambert and Eliza Jackson said today:

“Theatre is the lifeblood of the UK. We have always believed this, and we are grateful to have worked with The Theatre Café to bring entertainment to households around the UK and the world in a way that has supported so many artists. We have been so moved by the responses from both the performers who wanted to be involved and the audience members who have supported the shows.

“It hasn’t been without difficulty – creating a streaming platform of this size during a lockdown isn’t easy, and we’d like to thank our amazing team at Gininet and all of the teams and the press who have supported this endeavour.

“We feel it’s a fitting end to the series to have Beverley Knight as the closing show, and we are going to continue working to see how we can play our part to help keep theatre alive for the foreseeable future.”

Lambert Jackson Productions and The Theatre Café have expressed gratitude to the artists involved for working hard to put on a wide variety of shows, and also the audiences who purchased tickets to keep theatre alive during “one of the most difficult and unprecedented times in history”.

And for the final week w/c #BankHolidayMonday 25 May, the #StageFaves joining @Beverleyknight in the #LeaveALightOn spotlight are:⭐ @JoelHarperJacks⭐ @AdamDavidBailey & @shhscotthunter ⭐ @davidoreilly25#GetSocial

After 101 Dalmatians, Open Air postpones Carousel - & the rest of this summer - until 2021

Wed, 13 May 2020 09:00:00 +0000

The Open Air Theatre has announced its third musical cancellation this year. Carousel follows news about 101 Dalmatians and its transfer of Evita to the Barbican, along with the postponement of its entire summer season until 2021.

Following announcements in March and April of first 101 Dalmatians and then Romeo and Juliet, the Open Air Theatre has today announced that their entire 2020 season in Regent's Park, which also includes a major revival of classic Rodger and Hammerstein musical Carousel, has now been postponed until 2021 in the face of the continuing coronavirus crisis.

It is the first time that renowned outdoor venue has been unable to stage any of its much-loved summer programme in nearly 60 years.

Next year’s summer season will now open on Saturday 15 May 2021 with the new musical 101 Dalmatians, followed by Romeo and Juliet and concluding with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. MoreOutdoor events will include Jimmy Carr’s, Terribly Funny, Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year LIVE, Luisa Omielan’s God is a Woman and the Luna Cinema screenings of Pretty Woman and The Shining. During August 2021, the theatre will also host Dragons and Mythical Beasts.

Artistic Director Timothy Sheader said:

“Whilst obviously unavoidable, it is incredibly sad that we are unable to open our theatre this summer for the first time since 1961. Our thoughts are with all those who were due to work with us this summer and our loyal audience. We are so grateful for the messages of support we have received over the past weeks and I am delighted that we have been able to reschedule all of our productions in 2021.

“We are a charity which receives no public subsidy and so ticket sales in the summer months provide the vast majority of our income. Through creative programming, shrewd financial management and the backing of an ambitious audience always up for the thrilling, yet unpredictable, nature of open-air theatre, we have built a successful and resilient business which has allowed us to weather this loss of an entire season.

“However, with another whole year until we are able to welcome audiences again, if our audiences are able to do so, I would be very grateful if they would consider supporting us in one of three ways:

Buy tickets now for our 2021 season;
Join our Annual Membership scheme and benefit from discounts and special events; or
Make a one-off donation, helping us re-build our resilience fund as quickly as possible.

“This support really is much appreciated by all of us at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and we look forward to seeing everyone again in a sunnier 2021.”

AD Timothy Sheader says thru 'creative programming, shrewd financial management & the backing of an ambitious audience', @OpenAirTheatre has the resilience to 'weather this loss of an entire season'.Full #quote ⤵️. Still, donations + other support welcomed! #theatrelockdown #ST pic.twitter.com/O3v2mTxmt0
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) May 11, 2020

Tune in: Cats is next up on Andrew Lloyd Webber's lockdown streaming line-up. Watch Elaine Paige singing 'Memory'

Tue, 12 May 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Never mind the panned 2019 big-screen release. True feline fans know that the 1998 recording of CATS, featuring Elaine Paige reprising her role as Grizabella, is where's it's really at. And it's next up on Andrew Lloyd Webber's free lockdown line-up - though only for 24 hours.

The lockdown streaming schedule for Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On will continue this Friday with a broadcast of his global blockbuster Cats. This film version of the stage musical was released straight to video in 1998/9, as opposed to the recent Hollywood feature film.

For 24 hours only in the UK (not the usual 48) from 7pm this Friday 15 May 2020, fans can watch the show for free – Friday evening/Saturday matinee viewing recommended.

Lloyd Webber‘s sung-through musical Cats, based on TS Eliot‘s 1939 poetry collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, tells the story of a tribe of “Jellicle” cats who gather one night to decide which of them should ascend to the “Heavyside Layer” and a new life.

The blockbuster stage version, produced by Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Trevor Nunn, premiered at the West End’s New London Theatre (now renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre after the show’s choreographer) in 1981 before transferring to Broadway in 1982 and other productions across the globe. 'Memory', sung by Grizabella in the show, became an instant worldwide hit.

This 1998 filmed version features Elaine Paige as Grizabella (reprising the role she created onstage after Judi Dench was injured during rehearsals), John Partridge as Rum Tum Tugger, Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy and Sir John Mills as Gus.

Previous screenings have included Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall and By Jeeves. Further productions are to be announced.

Do you remember 'Memory'?

Elaine Paige created the role of Grizabella onstage and made the show's most-famous song her own.

Lockdown extends: West End theatres will remain closed until at least 28 June 2020

Thu, 07 May 2020 10:00:00 +0000

When will be able to see our fave West End musicals again? The rolling cancellations continue as the National Theatre artistic director Rufus Norris and Nimax Theatres' owner Nica Burns warn that many theatres may not survive...

The latest statement from the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) – on behalf of the major commercial West End theatre operators – was issued this week, confirming that theatres will remain closed until 28 June 2020, with updates on subsequent cancellations issued on a rolling basis.

Here’s the full statement:

“London’s West End looks forward to welcoming audiences back into theatres as soon as performances can safely resume. To give our customers some clarity, we have been cancelling performances across the West End on a rolling basis, in line with the latest advice from the Government. We are now extending those cancellations until Sunday 28 June 2020.

“This does not mean theatres will reopen on 29 June; if further cancellations are necessary they will continue to be announced on a rolling basis. Different theatres and productions are likely to reopen at different times.

“We are grateful to customers for the patience they are showing during this challenging time for our industry. With 300,000 people visiting West End theatres in a normal week, it’s a major undertaking to process refunds, exchanges and credit notes, particularly when many staff are working remotely. Please rest assured that we are all working as quickly as we can and we appreciate the on-going support of our audiences.”

How many theatres wonât survive #coronacrisisuk? âIf no govt support, most of them,â says @NationalTheatre AD Rufus Norris.@NimaxTheatresâ Nica Burns says S Korean safeguards could work but not distancing. Your thoughts/fears?@itvlondon @RagsMartel pic.twitter.com/g6MwKu8l2b
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) May 7, 2020

Not ready to Move On? Sunday in the Park with George cancels its London season 'until further notice'

Thu, 07 May 2020 09:00:00 +0000

How gutted are you? As the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) confirms that all West End performances are now cancelled until at least 28 June 2020, the Broadway transfer of Sondheim's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, due to run 11 June to 5 September 2020 at the Savoy Theatre, has postponed its season until some point in 2021.

The highly anticipated Broadway transfer of Sunday in the Park with George, starring Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Tony® Award winner Annaleigh Ashford, has postponed its season in the West End until further notice, following the temporary closure of theatreland due to the coronavirus crisis.

Presented by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Riva Marker and Jeanine Tesori in association with New York City Center, this celebrated production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer-winning masterpiece, directed by Sarna Lapine, will rebook performances at the Savoy Theatre, London next year, with specific dates and details to be confirmed in due course.

Current ticket holders for the postponed 2020 engagement of Sunday In The Park With George will be contacted shortly by their ticket provider with regard to priority access to the future engagement.

This revival of Sondheim’s 1984 musical began at New York City Center in 2016, it then transferred in 2017 for a sold-out limited season at Hudson Theater on Broadway, where it was met with universal critical and public acclaim.

Sunday in the Park with George follows French painter Georges Seurat (Jake Gyllenhaal) in the months leading up to the completion of his most famous painting – A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Consumed by his need to “finish the hat”, Seurat alienates the French bourgeoisie, spurns his fellow artists, and neglects his lover Dot (Annaleigh Ashford), not realising that his actions will reverberate for the next 100 years.

On Sunday 26 April 2020, stars Annaleigh Ashford and Jake Gyllenhaal took part in an all-star concert to celebrate the 90th birthday of Stephen Sondheim which was streamed live on Broadway.com. The concert also raised money for the arts charity, ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), which seeks to helps underserved communities in the US access the performing arts. It raised over 260,000 dollars and the concert received over 1 million views in just 24 hours. The 2017 Broadway Cast Recording featuring Gyllenhaal and Ashford is available to buy, download and stream now.

Quotes

Jake Gyllenhaal said:

“We are, of course, disappointed to postpone our upcoming season, but know that safety is a top priority and science must lead the way. London’s West End is incredibly special to me, and it will be an absolute honour to return to the stage so we can eventually share Sunday In The Park With George with audiences in 2021.”

Annaleigh Ashford said: “As we all do our part to make the world a safe place for ourselves and our neighbours, it is with a heavy heart that this production of Sunday In The Park With George is postponed. I believe at the end of this storm, we will be together again in “our perfect park” on a beautiful Sunday. ”

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim write: “We are happy that despite having to postpone the imminent production of Sunday In The Park With George, London audiences will eventually get to see Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford reprising their wonderful performances alongside a terrific British company.”

Meanwhile, here's a #lockdown sampler of #JakeGyllenhaal & #AnnaleighAshford singing @SundayWestEnd for @broadwaycom's online concert celebrating #StephenSondheim's 90th bday last week. When will we #MoveOn from #theatrelockdown? #Sondheim90Concert #SF pic.twitter.com/5owDoFfiku
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) May 5, 2020

Tune in: Andrew Lloyd Webber & Alan Ayckbourn’s By Jeeves streams this week. Watch extracts

Tue, 05 May 2020 09:30:00 +0000

It was last in the West End more than twenty years ago so this may be the first opportunity for many to see Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn's sole collaboration. Their musical comedy BY JEEVES, inspired by PG Wodehouse's classic Jeeves and Wooster stories, streams for 48 hours for free on YouTube from this Friday 8 May 2020. Watch two of the show's songs here...

The lockdown streaming schedule for Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On will continue this Friday with a broadcast of By Jeeves, his musical comedy collaboration with Alan Ayckbourn, inspired by the stories of PG Wodehouse.

For 48 hours from 7pm this Friday 8 May 2020, fans can watch the show for free – more essential weekend viewing.

By Jeeves follows one of the adventures of the hapless Bertie Wooster (played by American actor John Scherer), a young gentleman about town with a penchant for getting himself into personal difficulties, particularly with women. It is inevitably left to his unflappable manservant Jeeves (played by Martin Jarvis) to provide tidy and elegant rescues and guide Bertie through the improvised chaos.

By Jeeves, originally titled simply Jeeves, premiered at the West End’s Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1975 but flopped, running for just one month. Lloyd Webber and Ayckbourn revisited it, substantially revising and renaming it, in 1996, when it opened at Ayckbourn’s Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough and then transferred to the West End, with a cast led by Steven Pacey and Malcolm Sinclair as Bertie and Jeeves.

This filmed version was recorded in Canada in 2001, before the musical’s brief Broadway premiere season. Songs include Banjo Boy, Wooster Will Entertain You, Travel Hopefully, The Hallo Song, It’s a Pig!, What You Have You Got To Say, Jeeves? and the title number.

Previous screenings have included Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies and Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Further productions are to be announced.

Watch songs from the show

Here are two of the kookier numbers from By Jeeves: enjoy It's a Pig! and Banjo Boy.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th birthday concert is next up on The Shows Must Go On channel. Watch the highlights here

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 09:45:00 +0000

Another weekend must-watch for musical theatre fans. The latest broadcast on the lockdown line-up for The Shows Must Go On freeview YouTube channel is the star-studded 50th birthday concert for composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall.

The lockdown streaming schedule for Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On will continue this Friday with a broadcast of the star-studded concert held at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1998 to celebrate the composer’s 50th birthday.

For 48 hours from 7pm this Friday 1 May 2020, fans can watch the show for free – more essential weekend viewing.

In this large-scale concert, recorded live on 7 April 1998, stars including Sarah Brightman, Michael Ball, Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, Elaine Paige, Donny Osmond, Kiri Te Kanawa and Boyzone paid tribute to Lloyd Webber and his musicals.

Highlights include Glenn Close singing from Sunset Boulevard, Elaine Paige singing Memory from Cats, Sarah Brightman singing from The Phantom of the Opera, Donny Osmond singing from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Antonia Banderas singing from Evita (having appeared in the film version with Madonna) and Boyzone singing No Matter What from Whistle Down the Wind, a number one hit for the band at the height of their 1990s’ popularity.

Previous screenings have included Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies. Further productions are to be announced.

Watch concert highlights

Watch Dreamgirls’ new Effie White, Nicole Raquel Dennis, get to grips with her new role

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:00:00 +0000

She got to perform 'And I Am Telling You' with Jennifer Hudson on The Voice... and soon Nicole Raquel Dennis will get a chance to sing all of Effie White's songs every night as she is cast to lead Dreamgirls' first-ever UK tour. Watch her in action here.

Nicole Raquel Dennis will play the role of Effie White in the first-ever UK tour of Dreamgirls. Dependent on government guidelines around coronavirus, the production will launch from Bristol Hippodrome on 12 September 2020.

A finalist on ITV’s The Voice in 2019, Nicole wowed viewers and judges at her blind audition, performing Dreamgirls mega-hit ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ alongside team mentor Jennifer Hudson. Hudson won an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) for her portrayal of Effie White in the 2006 Oscar-winning motion picture adaptation of Dreamgirls, which also starred Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx.

Before opening in the UK Tour of Dreamgirls, Nicole remains in the original West End company of Dear Evan Hansen (Nöel Coward Theatre) in which she plays the role of Alana Beck. Nicole’s other London stage credits include The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre), Waitress (Adelphi Theatre) and the West End production of Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre).

This sensational, multi-award-winning new production of Dreamgirls had its critically acclaimed West End premiere in December 2016 at London’s Savoy Theatre, 35 years on from opening on Broadway. The UK tour will begin this autumn and visit Bristol, Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Sunderland, Hull, Nottingham, Liverpool, Norwich, Canterbury and Leeds. Further venues and dates are to be announced.

Nicole Raquel Dennis said:

“I am so thrilled that I can finally speak about something I’ve been holding onto for the LONGEST time! I will be playing Effie White in the first-ever UK tour of Dreamgirls. Also, I cannot wait to be back with my Dear Evan Hansen Fam on the stage at the Noel Coward once theatres reopen and so thrilled that following that, I will be going on tour in this mammoth role! Effie has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and now I will get to share her with audiences around the UK. To say I’m excited is an understatement.”

Producer Sonia Friedman said: “We are delighted to be able to announce that having wowed viewers on ITV’s The Voice, as well as audiences in the West End, the incredibly gifted Nicole Dennis will be re-joining the Dreamgirls family to play Effie White on tour throughout the UK. The multi-award-winning Broadway classic Dreamgirls is an empowering and hugely entertaining story of hope, redemption, sisterhood, and resilience with an uplifting and extraordinary score of now-classic hit songs from the golden era of American soul, R&B, and disco. It is a shining example of the best of American musical theatre, and the escapism that we will all need soon.”

Nicole Raquel Dennis will play the role of Effie White in the Dreamgirls UK tour at certain performances with further casting to be announced soon.

This award-winning production is directed and choreographed by Olivier and Tony Award-winning Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Mean Girls, Disney’s Aladdin and Something Rotten!), with Set and Costume Design by Tim Hatley, Lighting Design by Hugh Vanstone, Sound Design by Richard Brooker, Hair Design by Josh Marquette and Music Supervision by Nick Finlow.

She is changing

Here's Nicole getting to grips with her dream role care of one of Effie's signature songs, "I Am Changing".

Dreamgirls in lockdown

And speaking of Dreamgirls, have you seen what many of the original West End cast members - including previous Effie, Amber Riley - have been up to in lockdown? This is a "One Night Only" as you've never seen it before.

Here's a BIG treat. The original cast of @Dreamgirls_UK with a #LockdownLive version of #OneNightOnly. Inc composer Henry Krieger, @OlivierAwards winner @MsAmberPRiley + @Ibinabo_Jack_ @Lee_seee @misskimmye @joeaaronreid & co! Full ð¥: https://t.co/uTZEhS0N61 @StageFaves #SF pic.twitter.com/1hmFaMVwT2
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) April 19, 2020

Whoopi will be back... with a year's delay: Sister Act reschedules London run for 2021

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Sadly, it's getting to be a habit announcing coronavirus postponements and cancellations. SISTER ACT, including the much-anticipated return of Whoopi Goldberg to the role of Deloris Van Cartier, has been delayed a year until next summer.

Due to current government guidelines resulting in a delay to the production, the producers of Sister Act have announced that performances in London and on tour have now been rescheduled.

Sister Act was due to open at Curve, Leicester this month with a London run at the Eventim Apollo from 21 July 2020 to 30 August 2020. The London run is now rescheduled to open 20 July 2021 at the Eventim Apollo, where it will play until 29 August 2021, with a press night on 27 July 2021.

Current ticketholders for the London run have been moved into the same seats for equivalent performances by day of week for the 2021 run. Patrons will be able to use their current ticket for performances next year. Performance times remain unchanged.

The Eventim Apollo Box Office and tickets agents will be in touch with patrons in the next 14 days. If you are a ticketholder you do not need to do anything. Your point of purchase will be in touch with you to confirm the new date for your booking.

All the latest tour news, along with full details of future productions, will be announced in the coming weeks and ticketholders for the tour will be contacted by the venue they purchased tickets from. Casting for the tour will be announced soon.

In London, the show will star the previously announced Whoopi Goldberg as ‘Deloris Van Cartier’ and Jennifer Saunders as ‘Mother Superior’. Further casting for the London run will be announced soon.

Whoopi Goldberg, who is also one of the producers of Sister Act, said:

“We are thrilled with the overwhelming support from people all over the world who have been buying tickets for Sister Act. We are all disappointed not to be able to do the show this summer, but Jennifer and I can’t wait to see you all next year.”

Goldberg plays Deloris Van Cartier for the first time on stage having played the part in the hugely successful films Sister Act and Sister Act 2 – Back in the Habit. Based on the iconic movie, Sister Act is a sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music tells the hilarious story of the disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she won’t be found – a convent! Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.

Sister Act has direction by Bill Buckhurst, choreography by Alistair David, Set and Costume Design by Morgan Large, Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell, Sound Design by Tom Marshall and Musical Supervision by Stephen Brooker. Casting is by Stuart Burt.

.@sisteractsocial, which was to due to open this month at @CurveLeicester before transferring to @EventimApollo, has been postponed till 2021. It will now run same dates - 20 Jul-29 Aug - next year.Stars @WhoopiGoldberg & @ferrifrump send this message to audiences. #ST #SF pic.twitter.com/T7XBeIhQ8A
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) April 24, 2020

Downloaded yet? You can watch the stellar Les Miserables staged concert & raise funds for Covid charities

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Tickets to the star-studded special staged concert of Les Miserables were like gold-dust last year when the West End's longest-running musical moved temporarily to the Gielgud Theatre while its home at the Queen's Theatre was refurbished. Now's your chance to see it - or see it again... and help out those suffering during coronavirus...

Cameron Mackintosh has announced the debut of the hugely successful Les Misérables –The Staged Concert on digital download in the UK and Australia, which will also raise much-needed funds for performers, musicians and the NHS.

For every digital download (RRP £9.99), The Mackintosh Foundation will separately donate £5.00 to be shared amongst the charity Acting for Others, the Musicians Union Coronavirus Hardship Fund and Captain Tom Moore’s Walk for the NHS fund. In addition, Mackintosh has launched the fundraising today by donating £100,000 from his Foundation. Anyone who purchases the download will also have the opportunity to donate.

Mackintosh said:

“I am delighted that UPHE Content Group is releasing Les Misérables -The Staged Concert as a digital download at this time of crisis as it also allows my Foundation to help raise much-needed funds for particular charities that are under such pressure at the moment. Alongside the concert, we will also be releasing a specially created mini-documentary Bringing It Home which includes footage of the stars at their homes talking about their experiences both of live theatre and the show plus never seen before backstage footage that wonderfully captures the humour, camaraderie and thrill of performing to live audiences in these hauntingly beautiful and exciting historic buildings.

“In these extraordinary times, we hope that fans and everyone who loves the theatre will be reminded of how special a theatrical experience can be, going to the very heart of our British culture, which make our nation so special and unique. I am exceptionally proud of everyone involved in the making of the Concert and very much hope my Foundation will be able to help a raise a considerable amount of money for these deserving charities.”

The spectacular sell-out staging of this legendary concert, with a company of over 65, ran last year at the intimate Gielgud Theatre while the home of Les Misérables at the re-named Sondheim Theatre was undergoing major refurbishments in time for a thrillingly acclaimed re-opening that took place in December last year. Plans are in place for Les Misérables to re-open in the West End in the Autumn once the Government lockdown has ended and the social distancing regulations relaxed, continuing its world record-breaking 35-year run.

The cast for the concert stars Michael Ball as Javert, Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Matt Lucas as Thénardier, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine, Rob Houchen as Marius, Bradley Jaden as Enjolras, Katy Secombe as Madame Thénardier, Shan Ako as Éponine, Lily Kerhoas as Cosette and John Owen-Jones, who also played Jean Valjean at certain performances.

The Company also includes Rosanna Bates, Adam Bayjou, Ciarán Bowling, Oliver Brenin, Earl Carpenter, Vinny Coyle, Samantha Dorsey, Tamsin Dowsett, Nicola Espallardo, Celia Graham, Holly-Anne Hull, Oliver Jackson, Christopher Jacobsen, Gavin James, Will Jennings, Ciaran Joyce, Katie Kerr, Sarah Lark, Joanna Loxton, Craig Mather, Stephen Matthews, James Nicholson, Rosa O’Reilly, Claire Parrish, Sophie Reeves, Grainne Renihan, Leo Roberts, Niall Sheehy, Raymond Walsh, Gemma Wardle and Andrew York.

Les Misérables’ legendary score includes numerous classics including I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own, Stars, Bring Him Home, Do You Hear the People Sing?, One Day More, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Master Of The House and many more.

Les Misérables, produced on stage and screen by Cameron Mackintosh, is conceived by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel with additional material by James Fenton and adaptation by Trevor Nunn andJohn Caird.

Tune in: Phantom sequel Love Never Dies is next up on Andrew Lloyd Webber's lockdown streaming line-up

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Another must-watch for musical theatre fans. The latest broadcast on Andrew Lloyd Webber's lockdown The Shows Must Go On freeview YouTube channel is the award-winning Australian production of The Phantom of the Opera sequel Love Never Dies.

Hot on the heels of last week’s streaming of the 25th-anniversary production of The Phantom of the Opera, the streaming schedule for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On, will continue this Friday with a broadcast of its sequel Love Never Dies.

For 48 hours from 7pm this Friday 24 April 2020, fans can watch the show for free – essential weekend viewing.

Love Never Dies had its world premiere at London’s Adelphi Theatre in 2010. The broadcast is of the revised 2011/2 Australian production that was mounted in Melbourne and Sydney, starring Ben Lewis as the Phantom and Anna O’Byrne as Christine.

Love Never Dies continues the story of The Phantom of the Opera… featuring one of Lloyd Webber’s finest musical scores performed by a 21-piece orchestra, a cast of 36, over 300 costumes and a set illuminated by over 5000 dazzling light bulbs.

The year is 1907. It is ten years after his disappearance from the Paris Opera House and the Phantom has escaped to a new life in New York where he lives amongst the screaming joy rides and freak-shows of Coney Island.

In this new electrically-charged world, he has finally found a place for his music to soar. All that is missing is his love – Christine Daaé.

Now one of the world’s finest sopranos, Christine is struggling in an ailing marriage to Raoul. So, it is with excitement she accepts an invitation to travel to New York and perform at a renowned opera house. In a final bid to win back her love, the Phantom lures Christine, her husband, and their young son Gustave from Manhattan, to the glittering and glorious world of Coney Island… not knowing what is in store for them….

The production is directed by Simon Phillips, with set and costume designs by Gabriela Tylesova and choreography by Graeme Murphy. Love Never Dies was the winner of three of Australia’s prestigious Helpmann Awards for Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design and Best Lighting Design.

Screen-to-stage musical Local Hero's summer season at the Old Vic is postponed

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Another Theatreland casualty of the coronavirus outbreak, this summer's London premiere of LOCAL HERO has been cancelled at the Old Vic Theatre.

As lockdown continues, the Old Vic Theatre has postponed its London premiere of screen-to-stage musical Local Hero. Based on the 1983 Scottish film, Local Hero had its world premiere last spring at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre and was due to run at the Old Vic from 18 June to 27 August 2020.

A re-envisioning of the hit 1983 film of the same name, Local Hero is adapted by the Lyceum’s artistic director David Greig and Bill Forsyth, the critically acclaimed Scottish filmmaker and writer whose work also includes Gregory’s Girl and Comfort and Joy.

It tells the story of an American oil company representative who is sent to the fictional village of Furness on the west coast of Scotland to purchase the town and surrounding property for his company. It has musical composition by legendary Dire Straits guitarist and singer Mark Knopfler, who wrote the original score, and features new music alongside favourites from the film.

Government restrictions permitting, the next production at the Old Vic will be the return for a fourth year of A Christmas Carol, with a planned festive season from 21 November 2020 to 16 January 2021. In a lengthy statement released explaining the steps taken during lockdown to safeguard the Old’ Vic’s future, artistic director Matthew Warchus asks audiences to buy tickets in a spirit of optimism and in support of the theatre which will “without question” need to launch “a critical and major fundraising campaign if we are to continue” in future.

Speaking about the musical's cancelled summer season, Matthew Warchus said:

"I’d like to convey our great sadness at being forced to postpone this summer’s production of the uplifting new musical Local Hero. This beautiful, heartwarming and politically resonant adaptation of the hit film was a huge success with critics and audiences following its world premiere with our partners The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh last year. The brilliant creative team and wonderful cast were all about to dive into rehearsals in the next few weeks. We very much hope you will get to see this production before too long."

.@oldvictheatre has indefinitely postponed musical #LocalHero, which was due to open in London 18 Jun after last year's premiere at Edinburgh's @lyceumtheatre. The theatre still aims to secure new dates for #4000Miles, which was fully rehearsed when #lockdown began. #ST #SF pic.twitter.com/jdrCh3SkRZ
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) April 16, 2020

Tune in: The Phantom of the Opera is next up on Andrew Lloyd Webber's lockdown streaming line-up

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Another must-watch for musical theatre fans. Andrew Lloyd Webber is giving you an unmissable opportunity to see the spectacular 25th-anniversary Royal Albert Hall staging of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA for free... for 24 hours only!

Following the success of initial lockdown broadcasts of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar, the streaming schedule for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s free-to-view YouTube Channel The Shows Must Go On, will continue this Friday with a broadcast of his blockbuster hit The Phantom of the Opera.

From 7pm this Friday 17 April 2020, fans can watch for free – though this week’s offer will only be available for 24 hours in the UK so Friday night or Saturday matinee viewing is advised.

The Phantom of the Opera, first opened at London’s Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1986, is the West End’s second-longest-running musical (after Les Miserables). It opened in 1988 in New York, where it continues to run and is the longest-running show in Broadway history

Friday’s screening will be of the special 25th-anniversary version filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011 and starring Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as his ingenue Christine Daae.

In celebration of the show’s milestone birthday, Cameron Mackintosh produced this unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before. Inspired by the original staging by Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne, this lavish, fully-staged production set in the sumptuous Victorian splendour of London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall features a cast and orchestra of over 200, plus some very special guest appearances, including original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.

And we're all standing by for 'disaster' musical By Jeeves to air!

Crazy Little Thing: We Will Rock You announces new tour dates for 2021

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Bring on the champions. Queen wanted to give musical theatre fans something to look forward to so scrambled quickly to reschedule We Will Rock You's 2020 tour, which had been due to start next month, for early 2021, with several new dates added.

Following the closure of all UK theatres during the coronavirus crisis, the 2020 UK tour of Queen & Ben Elton’s We Will Rock You has been rescheduled for early 2021, playing many of the original 2020 dates and several additional venues too.

The tour was originally due to open at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre this September. It will now kick off in Cardiff on 18 January 2021 and will then play in Milton Keynes, Southend, Stoke, Bristol, Wimbledon, Bournemouth, Ipswich, Bromley, York, Newcastle, Northampton, Peterborough, Norwich, Reading, Liverpool, Birmingham and Southsea – with more dates to follow.

.@QueenWillRock's @DrBrianMay & #RogerTaylor + #WeWillRockYou's writer-director #BenElton say they're delighted to be able to remount the @wwryglobal tour so quickly & hope to 'make us feel like Champions again'. 'Live theatre will win in the end!' #coronavirus #quote #ST #SF pic.twitter.com/K4luTaQ6yL
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) April 7, 2020

The producers of We Will Rock You did not want to disappoint fans who had bought tickets, so they have been working hard to reschedule as many of the shows as possible giving people something to look forward to in these unsettling times. Details of how to exchange tickets will follow in the coming weeks.

Queen’s Roger Taylor said: “This is great news, I’m so pleased to see the show on the road again.”

Ben Elton agreed: “I was so pleased to get the great news that We Will Rock You is to be remounted next year after being forced to close mid-tour and I hope Queen’s incredible music can help to make us feel like Champions again.”

Tune in: Kander & Ebb's Curtains, starring Jason Manford, streams online to raise money for charity

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Another lockdown must-watch for musical theatre fans takes place on Tuesday 14 April 2020. And the producers of CURTAINS are inviting fans to get involved too with their own #ShowPeople videos. Get filming!

The UK producers of Kander and Ebb’s Tony Award-winning musical CURTAINS are delighted to announce a live stream on Tuesday 14 April at 7.15pm with all profits going to Funds For Freelancers.

In response to the current situation, Paul Taylor-Mills (Artistic Director of The Turbine Theatre), Helen Clarkson, Sasha Regan and Sita McIntosh have created a crowdfunding campaign through The Turbine Theatre to help those in the theatre industry on zero-hour contracts. The producers of CURTAINS are working alongside them to help raise monies with a live online stream of their critically acclaimed production.

The UK tour of CURTAINS opened in Bromley on 4 October 2019 and visited cities across the UK before a limited run in London’s West End at Wyndham’s Theatre over Christmas.

The producers of the musical said:

“We are very proud of our show, the cast, crew and everybody involved in the production, and we are delighted to be able to share it with audiences who were unable to see it, particularly ticket holders in Leicester, High Wycombe, Wolverhampton and Southampton. We hope this filmed performance can help raise monies for Paul’s brilliant initiative and help those that are in urgent need whilst providing entertainment to families across the globe at these unprecedented times."

Get involved

From 7.15pm on Tuesday, producers will stream inspiring video messages and they are calling for all theatre fans to get involved. If you would like your video message to be included, please film a message saying why you love theatre and what first gave you the theatre bug and send your submissions to submissions@curtainsmusical.com using the hashtag #SHOWPEOPLE.

The online stream of the show will start at 7.30pm and costs £7.50. All profits will go to Fund For Freelancers. For tickets and more information, go to Curtainslive.com.

A quick (more recent) theatre #ThrowbackThursday of my own: here's @JasonManford discussing his role in @MusicalCurtains, from the #WestEnd premiere of Kander & Ebb's comedy this past Dec.If you missed the show in town or on its #coronavirus curtailed tour, good news... #ST #SF pic.twitter.com/GwgtmbD7u8
— Terri Paddock (@TerriPaddock) April 9, 2020