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Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) and Musical Theatre Network (MTN) have announced that their first national showcase of new musical theatre,BEAM:2016 is open for submissions.

BEAM:2016 is taking place at the Park Theatre, London on 8th and 9th March 2016, and will encourage and develop musical theatre across the UK, identifying and supporting innovation, connecting practitioners and finding champions for original work.

The work to be included in BEAM:2016 will be found through an innovative series of pitching days. MMD and MTN will travel across the UK seeking out the artists making musical theatre today. At key producing venues from Scotland, England and Wales, the two companies hope to discover writers, as well as highlight the brilliant work being done by more established practitioners.

The first of these pitching days is taking place on 16th October 2015 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, with other opportunities happening throughout October and November. Writers interested in applying for a pitching slot should check out http://www.mercurymusicals.com/what-we-do/beam-2016 or
http://www.musicaltheatrenetwork.com/what-we-do/beam2016/ for more information.

Caroline Routh, Executive Producer of MTN said “BEAM is going to provide an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to find those artists from all around the UK who are making new and innovative musical theatre, and we are thrilled that our showcase will help to contribute to their development and to the future of this artform.”

MTN and MMD will be tracking their progress across the country with videos and blogs as they meet different artists and venues. Follow them on Twitter via #FollowtheBeam

Further information:
BEAM:2016 is to be a two day event held at the Park Theatre, London on 8th-9th March 2016. The Park Theatre (winner of The Stage Best Fringe Venue of the Year 2015) have said: “As a non subsidised off West End theatre we’re acutely aware of how important it is to develop and nurture new work, and we’re thrilled to be hosting BEAM:2016 thereby supporting a number of exciting emerging theatre makers in the field of musical theatre.” Jez Bond | Artistic Director, Park Theatre

The showcase itself combines live pitches and book-in-hand presentations of new work from artists and venues around the UK. There will also be panel discussions, provocations, networking, installations/digital displays and two Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Masterclasses. The first Masterclass will be a practical demonstration and discussion by leading industry figures on ‘Originating New Work’. The second will centre around the practicalities of workshops, industry showcases and backers auditions.

BEAM is a joint collaboration between MTN and MMD and is a key part of both organisations’ mission to support the development of new musical theatre. MMD is a not-for-profit membership organization that is dedicated to nurturing new musical theatre writing. Our membership of over 400 bookwriters, lyricists and librettist have access to a range of development and showcasing initiatives including seminars, masterclasses and professional residencies designed to further their craft and career. We actively seek out commissions, build professional networks and are ambassadors on behalf of all our members. MMD aim is to support and represent the writers who are shaping the future of British musical theatre. To find out more about MMD go to www.mercurymusicals.com

Musical Theatre Network is a membership organisation with a mission to create the environment that allows new musical theatre to flourish. Founded in 2005 it has grown into an organisation that has attracted members from across the industry, including independent producers, directors and writers as well as regional and major commercial producing companies. In 2012 it joined the Arts Council England National Portfolio (in partnership with MMD) and is one of only three organisations supporting the development of new musical theatre to be supported in this way. MTN runs a year round programme of development and networking events, an annual conference and an Awards scheme in Edinburgh focused on broadening the conversation about what musical theatre can be.

Over 140,000 new tickets are released for sale today (14th August 2015) for the critically acclaimed five-star West End production of Bend It Like Beckham The Musical, now booking at the Phoenix Theatre to 20th February 2016.

Also announced today is that the original cast album is now available to buy on digital platforms including iTunes and Amazon mp3. This will be followed on 11th September 2015 with the release of the CD by Sony Classical, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Recorded over several performances at the Phoenix Theatre to capture the excitement of a live performance, with music and lyrics by Howard Goodall and Charles Hart, the Bend It Like Beckham original cast album features seventeen tracks from the show including Girl Perfect, Heer, Bend It, People Like Us, UB2 and Glorious.

The cast is led by Natalie Dew who plays football crazy Jess with Lauren Samuels as Jules, a player with the Harriers, a local women’s football team, and Jamie Campbell Bower as their coach Joe. Sophie-Louise Dann plays the role of Paula with Jamal Andréas as Jess’ good friend Tony. Preeya Kalidas plays Pinky, Jess’ sister, with Tony Jayawardena and Natasha Jayetileke as her parents, Mr and Mrs Bhamra.

Sohm Kapila, Buckso Dhillon-Woolley and Harveen Mann play Aunties, Irvine Iqbal and Karl Seth play Uncles, with Sejal Keshwala, Serina Mathew and Sharan Phull as Cousins. Rakesh Boury, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall, Tom Millen, Daniel Bolton play footballers, with Teetu played by Raj Bajaj. The Harriers are played by Michelle Bishop, Lisa Bridge, Chloe Chambers, Genesis Lynea,

Kayleigh McKnight, Leanne Pinder, Kirstie Skivington and Danielle Young. Rekha Sawhney and Shahid Khan are the production’s Indian Heritage Singers.

Bend It Like Beckham The Musical is a celebratory fusion of culture, music, emotions and fun, bursting with warmth, humour and heart. Jess needs extra time. She is facing the most important decision of her life: live up to family expectations of university, career and marriage, or follow in the footsteps of her hero David Beckham. When the talented teenager is spotted playing football in Southall, a world of unexpected opportunities opens up before her. But as her sister’s traditional Indian wedding approaches, can she keep her family happy and still follow her dreams?

With lyrics by Charles Hart, music by Howard Goodall the original cast album of Bend It Like Beckham The Musical also features Rail Gaddi music by Kuljit Bhamra, Sadaa Charhdi Kalaa and Sacheh Bahd Shah Punjabi texts by Gurinder Chadha. Orchestrations by Howard Goodall and Kuljit Bhamra, electronic rhythm sequences are programmed by Howard Goodall and musical direction is by Nigel Lilley. Live sound (theatre) is designed by Richard Brooker, assisted by Ross Portway. Live sound (theatre) is mixed by Roisine Mamdani, assisted by Michaela O’Brien. The album is mixed and engineered by Gary Thomas, assisted by Joshua Thomas at Vale Audio Facilities and mastered by Ben Turner. The live album Creative Producer and Editor is Howard Goodall and the Executive Producer is Tris Penna.

Directed by Gurinder Chadha, with original music by Howard Goodall and lyrics by Charles Hart, Bend It Like Beckham The Musical has a new book by Paul Mayeda Berges & Gurinder Chadha; choreography and musical staging by Aletta Collins; set design by Miriam Buether; costume design by Katrina Lindsay; lighting design by Neil Austin; sound design by Richard Brooker; musical direction by Nigel Lilley and orchestrations by Howard Goodall & Kuljit Bhamra.

Bend It Like Beckham The Musical is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Deepak Nayar Productions, Bend It Films, Fischer & Vaswani Productions, Tanya Link Productions & Zeilinger Productions, Lost Marbles & Two Way Split, Delman Jacobson, DOIT Media & Entertainment (India) and Reliance Entertainment.

The hit comedy musical show that exposes the latest gossip and celebrates the hits and flops of Theatreland is back for a limited run at Waterloo East Theatre 24th November to 6th December 2015.

Jest End is London’s answer to Forbidden Broadway and has been going from strength to strength since the birth of the show at Jermyn Street Theatre 2007.

Home grown and created by British composer Garry Lake ( Composer/Lyricist of Social Media Musical ‘LIKE ME’ ) Jest End continues to provide London audiences with a fresh up to date comedy, one that is proving to be a smash hit for musical theatre fans of all ages.

With a theatrical tongue placed firmly in the cheek of the West End, Jest End will take on the latest and most popular musicals in this fantastic new production, including; WICKED, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, MATILDA, LES MISERABLES, BILLY ELLIOT, GUYS AND DOLLS, SUNNY AFTERNOON, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, JERSEY BOYS, AND MANY MANY MORE.

Lake will continue to direct, accompanied by Choreographer and long term creative companion Rebecca Howell, as well as Musical Director James Doughty.

The latest cast of Jesters is yet to be announced, but with the track record of the show attracting some of the finest voices in the West End including; Louise Dearman & Rachel Tucker, it’s a given that Lake will not disappoint.

So, if you’re stuck to make a decision on what show to take in, why not visit Waterloo East Theatre and watch them all at once.

Jest End
Waterloo East Theatre
Tuesday 24th November to Sunday 6th December 2015
http://www.waterlooeast.co.uk/

 

The producers of the forthcoming UK tour of Terence Rattigan’s FLARE PATH, directed by Justin Audibert, have announced the full cast, headed by the previously announced Leon Ockenden as Peter Kyle, Olivia Hallinan as Patricia Graham and Philip Franks as Squadron Leader Swanson.

They will be joined by Adam Best as Flying Officer Count Skriczevinsky, James Cooney as Percy, Simon Darwen as Sergeant Miller (Dusty), Stephanie Jacob as Mrs Oakes, Shvorne Marks as Mrs Miller (Maudie), Siobhan O’Kelly as Countess Skriczevinsky (Doris), William Reay as Corporal Jones (Wiggy), Holly Smith as Maid and Alastair Whatley as Flight Lieutenant Graham (Teddy).

FLARE PATH is produced on tour by Alastair Whatley for The Original Theatre Company and Anne-Marie Woodley and Jon Woodley for Birdsong Productions Ltd.
Official website: www.flarepaththetour.com Twitter: @flarepathtour Facebook: @flarepaththetour

 

 

Flare Path 2015 TOUR SCHEDULE
18 – 29 August Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne
1 – 5 September Richmond Theatre
7 – 12 September Theatre Royal, Bath
15 – 19 September Festival Theatre, Malvern
22 – 26 September Exeter Northcott Theatre
28 September – 3 October Cambridge Arts Theatre
5 – 10 October Salisbury Playhouse
12 – 17 October Theatre Royal Winchester
19 – 24 October The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
3 – 7 November The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
10 – 14 November Liverpool Playhouse
16-21 November The Palace Theatre, Southend
23 – 28 November Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford

PW Productions present

The Woman In Black

Adapted by Stephen MALLATRATT                                               

from the novel by Susan HILL                                                     

 

A father and son pairing started this week in The Woman In Black, one of the most exciting, gripping and successful theatre events ever performed, now in its 26th year in the West End in a production revisited by original director Robin Herford.

Christopher Godwin plays Arthur Kipps and Tom Godwin plays The Actor.

Christopher Godwin’s recent theatre credits include The Two Merchants of Modena (RSC), The Crucible (Old Vic), Versailles (Donmar Warehouse), This House (National Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The City Madam, Cardenio (all RSC), Henry IV Parts I and II (Shakespeare’s Globe) andThe Invisible Man (Menier Chocolate Factory). TV credits include The Hollow Crown, A Young Doctor’s Notebook, Lead Balloon and Waking the Dead.

Tom Godwin’s theatre credits include: Macbeth (Park Avenue Armory, New York); The Little Mermaid(Bristol Old Vic); To Kill A Mockingbird (Regents Park Open Air); Cinderella (Tobacco Factory at St James Theatre); Bingo (Young Vic); Taming Of The Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe), Get Santa! (Royal Court); The Crash Of The Elysium (Punchdrunk); Earthquakes In London (Headlong / National Theatre);ENRON (Headlong: Noel Coward Theatre West End, and Victory (Arcola). Television includes: The Hollow Crown, My Mad Fat Diary, Doctors, Family Tree, Psychoville, Holby City, Voyages Of Discovery, Grease Monkeys, Anchor Me, Sword of Honour. Film: About Time, Alice Through The Looking Glass and The Danish Girl

Unanimously acclaimed by the critics, The Woman In Black combines the power and intensity of live theatre with the cinematic quality of film noir.  More than seven million people have been transported into a terrifying world in an unremitting drama that has them literally jumping out of their seats.

The Woman In Black was first performed at the Theatre-By-The-Sea in Scarborough in 1987. The original production received rave reviews, paving the way for future productions throughout the country. It reached the West End in 1989 where it has been a major success ever since. Its success has subsequently reached a global level, having spread to the US, South America and through to the Tokyo theatre scene, and beyond.

A major motion picture version of The Woman In Black was released in February 2012, starring Daniel Radcliffe. It became the highest-grossing British horror film ever, taking more than $100 million worldwide

Listings information

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt

from the novel by Susan Hill

Directed by Robin Herford

Design by Michael Holt

Lighting by Kevin Sleep

Cast: Christopher and Tom Godwin

The Fortune Theatre

Russell Street

London WC2

Box Office 0844 871 7626

www.thewomaninblack.com

Booking until 16th December 2016

Prices

Stalls £47.50, £37.50
Dress Circle £47.50, £37.50
Upper Circle £27.50, £19.50

Performance times:

Tuesday – Saturday at 8pm

Tuesday & Thursday at 3pm, Saturday at 4pm

By guest reviewer – 12 year old Francesca Turton

 

On the 9th of August I went to see American Idiot at the Arts Theatre in London.
It was a musical play about the lives of three American teenage boys after 9/11 and how they feel they need to ‘do something’ and get out into the world.
Like ‘We Will Rock You’ built a story around Queen’s music, American idiot uses Green Day songs to create a story. The three boys, who were best friends, went on to lead totally different lives during the following year.
Some of the scenes concentrated on just one of the teenager’s life and sometimes it showed all three on different areas of the stage at the same time. This was very good because you could compare how they were living simultaneously.
There was a good mix of songs, from solo ballads, duets and whole cast rock numbers. Although my favourite Green Day song is still Boulevard of Broken Dreams, I particularly liked 21 Guns in the show as the 3 main girls sang it, including Amelia Lily (of X Factor fame). My mum loved Wake Me Up When September Ends.
One of the things I found interesting was the fact that the guitarists were on stage virtually all the time – and it was very funny when one of the main characters made reference to them.
For the final song, the three leads all sang and played acoustic guitar together which sounded really great, then as the song went on the whole cast joined in, also playing their guitars. I wonder how many of them played the guitar before they joined the show?
We didn’t buy a programme until after the show and were very surprised to see that we had been watching the understudies in some of the lead roles – we would never have known as they were absolutely brilliant. I even managed to get my photo taken with two of them as they left the theatre.
I enjoyed it greatly and would recommend it to anyone, especially Green Day fans, although there was a lot of swearing and adult themes in the show so I wouldn’t advise taking a young child to see it.

 

Full review at https://www.facebook.com/pages/TATT-Turton-at-the-Theatre/853875411371589

Casting has been announced for Southwark Playhouse’s upcoming UK première production of Xanadu.

The show, adapted from the cult 1980s movie starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, will run from 16 October to 21 November 2015.

Carly Anderson, who is currently appearing in Sunny Afternoon, will star as Kira, a Greek muse who descends from Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California, on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to open the first roller disco.

She’ll be joined by Samuel Edwards, currently playing Fiyero on the national tour of Wicked, as Sonny, alongside recent Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Alison Jiear as Melpomene.

The cast also features Lizzy Connolly as Calliope, Micha Richardson as Erato, Joel Burman as Terpsicore, Nicholas Duncan as Thalia and Emily McGougan as Euterpe.

Xanadu has a book by Douglas Carter Beane (The Little Dog Laughed) and music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar.

The Southwark Playhouse production is directed by Paul Warwick Griffin and designed by Morgan Large, with choreography by Nathan M Wright.

The score includes “Magic”, “Suddenly”, “I’m Alive”, “Evil Woman”, “All Over the World” and the iconic title song.

Xanadu originally opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway in 2007 where it ran for over 500 performances, winning the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Best Book. It was also nominated for four Tony Awards.

Showbiz veterans Des O’Connor and Jimmy Tarbuck will perform together on stage for the first time on 4 October at the London Palladium.

The performance is to raise funds for The Royal Variety Charity, formerly the Entertainment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund (EABF), which supports people in need who’ve worked in the entertainment industry.

Directed by comedian Kevin Bishop and featuring the Ray Monk Orchestra, the evening will see O’Connor and Tarbuck return to their “spiritual home”; both have appeared many times on the Palladium stage as solo entertainers.

Tarbuck said: “Being able to appear on stage at the Palladium alongside my dear friend Des O’Connor in aid of such a worthy charity will be both hugely enjoyable and exciting at the same time. We hope to give the audience a night to remember, full of laughter and celebrations.”

O’Connor added: “The Entertainment Artists’ Benevolent Fund has been doing such amazing work to help people in the entertainment business when they are facing hard times, and so I’m honoured to be able to support the charity and celebrate the change of name to The Royal Variety Charity.”

Producers by Laurie Mansfield, Giles Cooper and Chris Davis, the evening is part of the ongoing Sunday Night at the London Palladium series.

Disco Legend Dooby Duck to join the cast of Cinderella at Darlington Civic Theatre!

Darlington’s Civic Theatre’s pantomime will have a hugely entertaining disco sequence in the form of the loveable, if a little highly strung, Dooby Duck! Hatched in 1981, Dooby made his stage debut in pantomime alongside the late Les Dawson, which proved so popular it led to a Royal request to appear at the Children’s Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.

Dooby has travelled the world, together with his friends, appearing for several seasons at the Folie Russe in Loews Hotel, Monte Carlo and has had three series of his own for BBC TV; Dooby Duck’s Disco Bus, Dooby’s Duck Truck and Dooby Duck’s Euro Tour; as well as a series for NHK TV in Japan, where he appeared as a guest on a weekly Saturday night variety show. Hehas also made numerous television, theatre and cabaret appearances across the world.

Throughout the 90s Dooby took to pantomime like a duck to water, appearing at venues across the country, and now, thirty years on, he’s back providing some very unique entertainment at the Prince’s Ball!

Dooby Duck is just one of the thousand puppet creations created by Roger Stevenson Animations, Europe’s leading Marionette Company. The Company was started in 1963 by Roger Stevenson and has specialised in puppet entertainment for over 50 years. One of Roger’s first major projects was to make and animate The Ken Dodd Diddymen puppets for their many television and stage appearances in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Roger has appeared on six Royal Variety Shows and today his work can be regularly seen on TV, incorporated into cabaret and at holiday parks across the UK.

Dooby Duck and Friends will join the cast already announced; Britain’s Got Talent winners Ashleigh & Pudsey as Cinderella and her four legged friend, Coach Trip’s Brendan Sheerin as Baron Hardup and X Factor finalist Niki Evans as the Fairy Godmother in the enchantingly traditional family pantomime.

Cinderella runs at Darlington Civic Theatre from Saturday 5 December 2015 to Sunday 10 January 2016. For tickets and more information visit darlingtoncivic.co.uk or call 01325 486555.