Madagascar the Musical casting announcement

SELLADOOR FAMILY AND HARTSHORN – HOOK 

PRESENT

Go wild as Matt Terry – Winner of 2016’s X-Factor is announced to play Alex The Lion in the brand-new stage adaptation of Madagascar – The Musical opening at New Wimbledon Theatre on 16 July prior to a UK Tour.

Since winning X-Factor, Matt has been non-stop. He’s been recording music all over the world including Miami, LA and Scandinavia. After a top 3 hit with Ed Sheeran penned winner’s single When Christmas Comes Around, he released his debut album ‘Trouble’ in November 2017. His first single from the album, Sucker For You has had nearly 60 million streams on Spotify. After Sucker For You, Matt went back to his Spanish childhood by featuring on Enrique Iglesias’s smash single, Subeme La Radio alongside Sean Paul.

Matt tells us; ‘I am so excited to be making my acting debut in the brand-new production, Madagascar – The Musical. It’s a childhood memory for all of us! I can’t wait to be playing the lead role of Alex and bringing him to life. Expect incredible costume, set and cast. And the music is immense! It will be an awesome night for everyone to enjoy. See you all there.’

Matt will be joined by cast including Antoine Murray-Straughan,Timmika Ramsay, Jamie Lee-Morgan, Shane McDaid, Laura Johnson, Jessica Niles, Victoria Boden, Matthew Pennington and Darren John.

Based on the smash DreamWorks animated motion picture, Madagascar – The Musical  follows all of your favourite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien’s Madagascar.

Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York’s Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends – Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo – have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape – with the help of some prodigious penguins – to explore the world.

This wacky adventure for the whole family is brought to life by Selladoor Family, the producers behind James And The Giant Peach, Seussical and The Owl And The Pussycat and Hartshorn – Hook, producers of the Olivier Award winning RotterdamMurder Ballad, Urinetown and American Idiot . Madagascar – The Musical is directed by award winning Kirk Jameson with choreography from Fabian Aloise. Designed by Tom Rogers, with Lighting design by Howard Hudson, Sound Design by Chris Whybrow, Musical Supervision from Mark Crossland and Puppet Direction from Emma Brunton.

Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hip Hippo and those hilarious, plotting penguins as they bound onto stage in the musical adventure of a lifetime. Filled with outlandish characters, adventure galore and an upbeat score, you’ll have no choice but to “Move It, Move It!”

For tour and booking details visit www.madagascarthemusical.co.uk  and find us at @MadUKTour

Channing Tatum Presents Magic Mike Live in London

CHANNING TATUM’S MAGIC MIKE LIVE

COMES TO LONDON

MAGIC MIKE LIVE TO OPEN AT THE HIPPODROME CASINO ON WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2018

PREVIEWING FROM SATURDAY 10 NOVEMBER

One year after its acclaimed launch in Las Vegas, Channing Tatum is bringing a brand new production of Magic Mike Live to the Hippodrome Casino in London’s Leicester Square.  Conceived and co-directed by Tatum, Magic Mike Live is a large-scale, live production show based on the hit films Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, which will open in The Theatre at the Hippodrome Casino on Wednesday 28 November 2018, following previews from 10 November.

The Theatre at the Hippodrome Casino is being transformed into a magical, intimate, 325-seat performance space for Magic Mike Live.  From the bespoke entrance off Cranbourn Street, to the specially curated lounge and bar experience, to the cast of world-class performers, Magic Mike Live is a complete evening of unparalleled entertainment for guests aged 18 and up.  They will enter Magic Mike’s mythical Club Domina and marvel as a group of extraordinary artists perform a 360-degree dance and acrobatic spectacular in front of, behind, and above them.  Sexy dance routines intertwined with one-of-a-kind acts, will be presented by a diverse cast of performers from around the world for this hot new production.

“In so many ways Magic Mike Live is a perfect fit for us,” said Simon Thomas, CEO of The Hippodrome Casino.  “Since 1900, the venue has been delighting, shocking and reinventing the way London and its visitors are entertained. This is yet another example of how the Hippodrome resolutely refuses to stand still. As we prepare to close our theatre for a three-month, multi-million pound refurbishment, my senior management and our 730 employees look forward to joining all of London in giving Channing Tatum, the incredibly talented performers and his world-class production team, the warmest welcome the capital can muster.”

The show has been hailed as “the modern strip show we deserve” by USA Today and celebrated as “the show that has everything you could ever want” by Glamour UK.

Magic Mike Live in London is co-directed by Channing Tatum and Alison Faulk, with Teresa Espinosa as associate director, and choreographed by Alison Faulk, Teresa Espinosa and Luke Broadlick.  The Executive Producer is Vincent Marini with General Management by David Ian Productions. The production designer is Rachel O’Toole, with scenic design by Rob Bissinger and Anita LaScala (Arda Studio), costume design by Marina Toybina, lighting design by Philip Gladwell and video design by Luke Halls.  Musical supervisor is Jack Rayner, with sound design by Nick Kourtides.  Dreya Weber is aerial choreographer & aerial apparatus designer.  Production management is by Simon Gooding and Matt Jones and casting is by Jason Styres CSA.

Magic Mike Live is produced in London by Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, Greg Jacobs, Peter Kiernan, Steven Soderbergh, Nick Wechsler and United Talent Agency in association with Warner Bros., Vincent Marini, The Hippodrome Casino, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, TSG Entertainment & Ashley DeSimone, Richard Winkler, and The Creative House.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Magic Mike Live

The Theatre at the Hippodrome Casino

Cranbourn Street

Leicester Square

London WC2H 7JH

Website:  www.magicmikelondon.com

Twitter:  @MagicMikeLDN

Facebook:  @MagicMikeLDN

Instagram:  @MagicMikeLiveLDN

Box Office:  0844 453 9091

Performances:  Tuesday to Sunday 7.30pm and Thursday to Sunday 10.00pm

Ticket Prices:  from £29.00 including booking fees

Current Booking Period:  to Sunday 28 April 2019

Running Time:  approximately 90 minutes

Magic Mike Live guests must be at least 18 years to attend – appropriate photo ID will be requested on arrival at the venue – gambleaware.org

The List Festival Party

The List Festival Party, London

Thursday 31 May 2018

The List (www.list.co.uk), which publishes information on events and entertainment in the UK but also everything to do with Edinburgh Festival (1 – 27th August),  held its summer party last night to formally launch its programme of events .

Hosted by the List’s own Ross Foley and introduced by Anthony Alderson, Director of Pleasance, as the evening  “where everyone comes but no-one remembers”; it provided a brief snapshot of the entertainment to be discovered amongst the vast array of talent available in Edinburgh each August.

First up was Jess Robinson who will be performing at Assembly. Her vocal mimicry in the form of song wowed the crowd with what she calls ‘musical revelations’, mismatching artists with songs you would never expect to hear leave their mouth. A great range and powerful performance was also provided by the ‘7ft Ginger Beard GLAMONSTER’ Gingzilla. Her own strapline provides you enough of a glimpse into this performance! Fantastic voice. Assembly: 60 theatre acts, 60 comedy shows and cabaret.  Highlights include: Maureen Lipman sharing tales of her life, Max and Ivan’s Prom Night and theatre from Simon Callow.

From Gilded Balloon was Luisa Omielan: Politics for Bitches. A riotious, quickfire avalanche of ranting on socio-political issues. She certainly left me wanting for more. Gilded Balloon acts include Cabaret and Children’s shows, but is prolifically filled with comedy splendour, including Dylan Moran and Jack Docherty.
From Pleasance was Koko Brown, a spoken word artist who uses a loop station to weave sounds as a  base to her outpourings focusing on race, gender, mental health and identity. Also Showstopper! a group performing improvised musicals based on audience suggestions. Other highlights from Pleasance to come are: Cirque Berserk! adrenaline-filled circus daredevil performances, and Mr. Swallow and the Vanishing Elephant.
Newsrevue provided your Fringe staple of political satire in the form of song – quirky, witty and great fun. They will be performing at Underbelly, along with Helen Lederer, Su Pollard and an absolute raft of dance, circus, music and comedy.

Consent Review

The Harold Pinter Theatre, London – until 11 August 2018

Reviewed by Sharon MacDonald-Armitage

4.5****

There is a rather uncomfortable voyeuristic feeling to the opening of Nina Raine’s Consent. What appears to be an almost perfect upper middle class scene of new parents, barrister Ed (Stephen Campbell Moore) and wife Kitty (Claudie Blakley) as they share the joy of their new born child with their friends and barristers Jake (Adam James) and Rachel (Sian Clifford), however, there is an impending feeling that something is not quite right.

Through the inability to decide in what direction a sofa should face these first world problems take a backseat when Ed discusses the rape case he is prosecuting against fellow barrister and friend Tim (Lee Ingleby)  who is desperate to be in a relationship, like his friends and as such the butt of many of Ed and Jakes jokes. Once Tim is matched up with over exuberant actress Zara (Clare Foster) there appears to be a somewhat perfect symmetry to these harmonious couple’s lives.

The seriousness of the rape is played down as Ed flippantly banters on about the working class woman who had drunk too much and didn’t behave in the manner he expected a rape victim to behave and did she really not give consent? This is exacerbated by him taking on the victim’s accent and mimicking her as if to detach him from the seriousness of the intellectual and legalise discussion and play down the impending court case.  Coupled with clear tension between Jake and Rachel there is an undercurrent of friction about to come to a head, but from what direction is yet to be seen.

Raine highlights issues of marriage, relationships and betrayal and how the perspective of one person’s view of consent is very different when the tables are turned. Roger Michell’s direction allows for the actors to explore. There is a sharp realisation of how the legal profession work and how the “technicalities” leave victims crushed. Heather Craney is superb as the rape victim and transforms from strong and bewildered to devastated and ruined on finding her story shattered in court. Ed uses her own history of depression against her, whilst her alleged rapist doesn’t have his previous sexual misdemeanours even mentioned. This leaves a rather uncomfortable seat squirming feeling, with the audience who once felt the need to laugh at Ed’s ridiculing of her but now have empathy with her situation.

The cyclical structure of the play sees the tables turned on the main characters forcing the audience to think carefully about relationships and how despite trauma nothing much changes

What a detailed observer of human nature Nina Raine is, this is an intellectual and challenging piece of superb theatre and should not be missed

TICKETS FOR LES MISÉRABLES AT THE PALACE THEATRE ON SALE NEXT WEEK

TICKETS FOR CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S PRODUCTION OF LES MISÉRABLES AT THE PALACE THEATRE MANCHESTER GO ON SALE NEXT WEEK

Following weeks of anticipation, general sale tickets for Cameron Mackintosh’s highly-acclaimed Broadway production of the Boublil and Schönberg musical Les Misérables, will be available to book from Tuesday 5thJune 2018, ahead of the show’s run at the Palace Theatre Manchester from 19 February – 30 March 2019.

Bookings can be made by telephone, online or in person at the Palace Theatre Box Office, which will be opening early for the event at 10am. Tickets for the musical are set to be sought-after, with the exciting announcement last month that the West End’s current Jean Valjean Killian Donnelly will be playing the role in the show’s UK tour. 

Prior to his run in Les Misérables, he played the role of Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway, a role he originated at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End in 2015, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award.

Since Cameron Mackintosh first conceived this new production of Les Misérables to celebrate the shows 25th anniversary in 2009, it has taken the world by storm. Modern audiences have embraced this production as Les Mis for the 21st century as it plays to packed houses all over the world in many languages. It also inspired the hugely successful movie version starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne.

 

This brilliant new staging has scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, and has been seen in North America, South America, Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Spain, France, Manila, Singapore, Dubai and Broadway.

Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Boublil and Schönberg’s magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the songs, ‘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.  Seen by over 120 million people worldwide in 45 countries and in 22 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Misérables is written 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, additional material by James Fenton and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original Les Misérables orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and additional orchestrations by Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.

The production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo with costumes by Andreane Neofitou and additional costumes by Christine Rowland, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt, projections by Fifty-Nine Productions and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Graham Hurman.

 

Tickets can be booked by telephone, online or in person at the Palace Theatre Box Office, Oxford Street, Manchester. For more information, or to book, visit www.atgtickets.com/Manchester or call 0844 871 3019.