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FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR KAY MELLOR’S FAT FRIENDS THE MUSICAL

The first image of the Fat Friends The Musical family has been released today as full casting for Kay Mellor’snew musical is unveiled. Fat Friends The Musical will premiere at Leeds Grand Theatre this November.

Joining the previously announced cast, Natasha Hamilton (Atomic Kitten) will take on the role of Julia, Kevin Kennedy (Coronation Street) stars as Fergus, Yorkshire’s own Rachael Wooding (We Will Rock You) appears as Joanne, alongside Jonathan Halliwell (Let It Shine) as Paul and Chloe Hart (Hairspray) as Val. Yorkshire-born, Neil Hurst, will play Alan. Neil was one of 13 men shortlisted to audition for the role of the overweight ambulance driver following an open call for would-be ‘Alans’. Auditions were held at Leeds Grand Theatre on Friday 2^nd September.

As previously announced, the cast is completed by Jodie Prenger, Sam Bailey, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and ‘Yorkshire lass’, Natalie Anderson.

The award-winning TV drama has been adapted for the stage by its creator and one of the UK’s most prolific writers, Kay Mellor, whose extensive television credits include hit series Band of Gold, The Chase, The Syndicate and In the Club, and whose stage credits include A Passionate Woman.

Produced by Joshua Andrews and Adam Spiegel, with original music and songs composed by Nicholas Lloyd Webber, Fat Friends The Musical is packed full of warmth, life and weight loss. This brand-new stage show reunites our favourite foodie friends in an original musical bulging with hopes, humour and heart. Join the infamous group of loveable characters as they are put through their Zumba paces at their local branch of Super Slimmer’s by the lovelorn Lauren, whilst Kelly fantasises about fitting into the wedding dress of her dreams. Fat Friends – the Musical offers a generous serving of hilarious fun with a sprinkle of romance on top!

Fat Friends hit television screens in October 2000, following the lives of a group of overweight friends as they struggled with the absurdities of modern dieting. Running for five years on ITV, the show starred Alison Steadman, Gaynor Faye and Lisa Riley, and launched the careers of James Corden and Ruth Jones. Written by Kay Mellor, the show was nominated for multiple awards including the BAFTA for Best Drama Series.

Fat Friends The Musical is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 7^th Nov to Saturday 2^nd Dec 2017

Tickets are priced from £20 (RV) to £50

(prices include a £3 booking fee. Postage charge £1 where applicable)

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

PERFORMANCES NOW BEGIN 6 DECEMBER 2017

FOLLOWING MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION

OF VICTORIA PALACE THEATRE

FINAL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR WEST END PRODUCTION

HAMILTON will re-open the brand-new Victoria Palace Theatre with previews now beginning on 6 December 2017 rather than 21 November 2017 as originally announced.  Following a multi-million pound expansion and restoration to the listed building, the Victoria Palace Theatre will open two weeks later than previously announced, with the need to reschedule 16 performances.

Customers who have purchased tickets via official HAMILTON channels for the performances affected by the rescheduled previews will be contacted directly by Ticketmaster in order to be re-seated. All seats that were put on sale for the first booking period to June 2018 have now sold out, however, a large numbers of seats were held in reserve to be released at the time the building was nearing completion which will allow affected patrons to be re-seated early in the run with a minimum of inconvenience.  Once the reseating has been completed, the remaining tickets for this first booking period will be put on sale in October.

The official opening night will now take place on 21 December 2017.  HAMILTON is currently booking at the Victoria Palace Theatre to 30 June 2018, with a new booking period to be announced by the end of this year.

Cameron Mackintosh, owner of the Victoria Palace Theatre and Co-Producer of HAMILTONsaid:

“The massive redevelopment in Victoria by Land Securities and Transport For London gave me a once in a hundred years opportunity to expand and restore the Victoria Palace Theatre.  It has been an extraordinary undertaking, both thrilling and fraught, not only because of the complexity of putting what is practically a brand new building into the shell of a much loved historical masterpiece, but because it was also the ideal theatre for the most eagerly awaited American musical in decades ‘Hamilton’. 

The time constraints to access the land around the theatre to enable the rebuild and getting the show open to the public by the end of this year have been equally tight, not helped by the theatre being built over the huge King’s Scholars’ Pond Sewer, an active 200 year-old brick tunnel.

Added to the usual unhelpful problems that always happen when doing up old buildings, this has put pressure on the time needed to commission the entirely new services that have been installed at the theatre and obtain the necessary licences to reopen to the public.  We have therefore needed to take a pragmatic decision to reschedule the previews of ‘Hamilton’ to commence on December 6^th, two weeks later than originally planned.

I am, of course, sorry to amend the performance schedule but undertaking a private rebuilding project on this scale in Central London has no precedent.

Thanks to the phenomenal efforts of the amazing team (of hundreds!) working often around the clock to get the theatre ready, I look forward to welcoming our patrons to the newly constructed theatre where Frank Matcham’s masterpiece will be revealed in even greater splendour as a spectacular home for this landmark musical.”

Jeffrey Seller, Producer said:

“We are extremely sorry to disappoint patrons who we know expended time, effort, and valuable resources to purchase tickets for our first performances. But they will be given immediate priority so that they can be re-seated as early as possible. 

We have been looking forward to coming to London since the day after we opened in New York.  We chose the Victoria Palace Theatre because it will be the very best place to experience ‘Hamilton’.”

HAMILTON is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and helped shape the very foundations of the America we know today. The score blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway – the story of America then, as told by America now.

The West End cast comprises Christine Allado (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Rachelle Ann Go (Eliza Hamilton), Tarinn Callender (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Michael Jibson (King George), Rachel John (Angelica Schuyler), Jason Pennycooke (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Cleve September (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton), Giles Terera (Aaron Burr), Obioma Ugoala (George Washington) and Jamael Westman (Alexander Hamilton).  At certain performances, the role of Alexander Hamilton will be played by Ash Hunter.

They are joined by Jade Albertsen, Curtis Angus, Johnny Bishop, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Jack Butterworth, Jon-Scott Clark, Kelly Downing, Leslie Garcia Bowman, Lia Given,

Gregory Haney*, Leah Hill, Barney Hudson, Waylon Jacobs, Miriam-Teak Lee, Aaron Lee Lambert, Phoebe Liberty, Sifiso Mazibuko, Gabriel Mokake, Alexzandra Sarmiento, Marsha Songcome, Christopher Tendai and Lindsey Tierney. 

Full ticketing information can be found on the official website at hamiltonthemusical.co.uk where details of how to apply for the daily (£20) and weekly (£37.50) lottery tickets will be posted closer to performances beginning.  The producers of HAMILTON are determined to combat the unauthorised profiteering of third party resellers and ticket touts.  Delfont Mackintosh Theatres has pioneered for the West End a paperless ticket system for this production – HAMILTONPaperless Ticketing, powered by Ticketmaster.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.  HAMILTON’s creative team previously collaborated on the 2008 Tony Award ® Winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS.   HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg and hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe.

Winner of 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, HAMILTON first opened on Broadway in 2015 where it smashed box office records and continues its run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  A second US production opened in September 2016 at the PrivateBank Theatre in Chicago and earlier this year a third US production concluded a run at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco.   A US Tour has recently opened at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles and a second will begin in Seattle in February 2018.

HAMILTON is produced in London by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, The Public Theater and Cameron Mackintosh.

* Gregory Haney is appearing with the permission of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Dates:                                  From 6 December 2017

Currently booking to              30 June 2018

Theatre                                Victoria Palace Theatre, Victoria Street, London SW1E 5EA

Performances                       Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm

Running time                        2 hours and 45 mins including interval

Website                                www.hamiltonthemusical.co.uk

Social Media                          facebook.com/HamiltonWestEnd

twitter.com/HamiltonWestEnd

instagram.com/HamiltonWestEnd

                                           #HamiltonLDN

Antic Disposition presents: A Christmas Carol
Middle Temple Hall, Middle Temple Lane, London, EC4Y 9AT
Friday 22nd – Saturday 30th December 2017

Following three sell-out seasons in 2012, 2014 and 2015, Antic Disposition’s much-loved musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ festive classic A Christmas Carol returns to the spectacular Elizabethan setting of Middle Temple Hall this December.

A joyous celebration of the festive season, Antic Disposition’s A Christmas Carol combines the ghostly tale of miser Ebenezer Scrooge with a score of original songs inspired by the carols of a traditional Victorian Christmas. Newly expanded for 2017 for a talented company of actormusicians, the production has already been seen by over 7,000 people and is firmly established as one of London’s most magical Christmas treats.

A Christmas Carol will be performed in the highly atmospheric 16th-century Middle Temple Hall, a location well known to Dickens himself, who studied law at the ancient institution. Hidden away between Fleet Street and the River Thames, the stunning hall was completed in 1573 and remains virtually unchanged to this day. With its cobbled alleyways and gas-lit courtyards, a visit
to the Middle Temple is a journey into the London that Dickens himself knew, creating the perfect backdrop for this unique interpretation of his much-loved Christmas classic.

The historic hall will be decked for the occasion with boughs of holly, and mulled wine, mince pies and other traditional festive fare will be available to add to the Yuletide cheer.

Directors Ben Horslen and John Risebero comment, After a busy couple of years touring cathedrals around the country with our productions of Henry V and Richard III, we’re delighted to be returning to one of our very favourite venues, the beautiful Middle Temple Hall, for our fourth season of A Christmas Carol. Experiencing Dickens’ timeless tale in this amazing space is the perfect way to celebrate the festive season, and we look forward to sharing our production and raising a glass of mulled wine with audiences old and new.

Award-winning theatre company Antic Disposition, founded by director Ben Horslen and director/designer John Risebero, is best known for presenting innovative and visually striking productions of classic plays and stories in spectacular historic buildings. Past productions include The Comedy of Errors in Gray’s Inn Hall, Richard III and Romeo and Juliet in the ancient Temple Church, and Henry V, which recently toured twelve UK cathedrals marking the centenary of the First World War and Shakespeare400.

Based on the novella by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol has a book and lyrics by Ben Horslen and John Risebero, and music by Nick Barstow. A Christmas Carol is directed by Ben Horslen and John Risebero, who also designs. The cast is yet to be announced.

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – until 9 September.  Reviewed by Karen Millington Burnet

2**

We were really, really looking forward to seeing this version of Flash Dance. With my niece, who is four decades younger than myself, I really thought I could share the 80s with her… bright leotards, leg warmers and big bushy hair.

The music drowned what I think could have been great vocals from the two lead actors, Joanne Clifton and Ben Adams. Their voices were distorted and neither of us could understand a word of that was being said. Song after song…it became a bore.  Yes, we were sitting right opposite the speakers;  row J…but really, this was painful.

The energy was clear from the cast but on occasions the dancing was basic, repetitive and not to the standard I’d have expected from a world class ballroom dancer like Joanne.  At one point we thought she would do herself some damage…as she threw herself around like a demented bull. While Joanne played Alex well enough, at times she just tried too hard and ended up stomping around the stage.

Ben Adams came over well but, with the sound system, we really could not hear him very well.  With the music playing it was impossible and at times I felt the whole cast were shouting to be heard.  Nevertheless, we did warm to him…but maybe that was just his good looks!  The actor who did stand out was Rhodri Watkins. A great dancer; my niece felt he was the star.

The stage itself was a complicated set, and the actors had to move it themselves…which got in the way of the acting.  In some scenes, for example when Alex invited Ben back to her room, I thought it was a street scene.

The clothes were very eighties and Alex had great bushy, wild blond hair.

Sadly, I think the show could gave been great, but we were fighting the sound system and at times the dancing and choreography were just not good enough.

Twitter: @LaSoireeLive / Facebook: LaSoiree / Instagram: LaSoireeLive / You Tube: OfficialLaSoiree /
Website: La-Soiree.com / #LaSoiree

Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin present
LA SOIRÉE

ROLL UP, ROLL UP… LA SOIRÉE HITS THE WEST END!

• THE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING AND MUCH-LOVED LA SOIRÉE RETURNS THIS CHRISTMAS TO LONDON’S GLITTERING WEST END FROM 24 NOVEMBER  2017 – 3 FEBRUARY 2018
• THIS INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED, RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED MOTLEY CREW OF CABARET PERFORMERS ARE BEING LET LOOSE IN THE GRAND, RECENTLY REFURBISHED, SPARKLING ALDWYCH THEATRE. THE WEST END WON’T KNOW WHAT HIT IT!
• FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER CABARET FANS OF ALL AGES CAN ALSO ENJOYLA PETITE SOIRÉE, A FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHOW THAT PROMISES ALL THE EXCITEMENT WITH A LITTLE LESS OF THE SAUCE ON SATURDAYS AND DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
• A FULL LINE UP OF PERFORMERS WILL BE CONFIRMED SOON, FOLLOW US HERE WWW.LA-SOIREE.COM FOR UPDATES AND NOTICE
• TICKETS ARE ON SALE FROM 7 SEPTEMBER WITH AN EARLY BIRD OFFER UNTIL 15 NOVEMBER

“We love the fact that the powers that be have allowed us into the Aldwych Theatre to cause some trouble and bring our own brand of mischief to this grand theatre over the festive season.  La Soirée is a show that has come from the fringes. It celebrates performers that come from the fringes of the performing arts world across the globe. It’s joyous, celebratory, hilarious, cheeky, irreverent and at times quite saucy and slightly twisted.  Yet it’s been acknowledged at the highest level by the London establishment, with an Olivier Award, and now we’re playing on a West End stage.  Who could ever have imagined?  It’s a dream come true for all of us and the show is going to look amazing in this new space!  

Our new afternoon offspring, La Petite Soirée, will have the spirit of La Soirée running deep through its veins with a little less of the sauce! We look forward to welcoming new audiences with a brand new show suitable for everyone from 8 to 80.”  

Brett Haylock, Creative Producer of La Soirée.

The multi-award-winning and much-loved La Soirée, returns to its favourite city this Christmas from 24 November to 3 February 2018.

But who on earth has given them the keys to a proper West End Theatre?

This Christmas the phenomenal global hit will reside at the recently refurbished Aldwych Theatre.  Prepare to be captivated by the irresistible La Soirée as its motley crew of talented cabaret performers and circus sideshow misfits revel in their posh new surroundings.

Expect La Soirée’s heady cocktail of intimate cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety in a grander, plusher home.

This Christmas will also be the first time that La Soirée is offering La Petite Soirée, a family-friendly, fun and daring hour-long show for cabaret fans of all ages.  La Petite Soirée will play at 3pm on Saturdays and throughout the Christmas holidays.

A full line up of artists for La Soirée and La Petite Soirée to be announced soon.

La Soirée and La Petite Soirée are presented by Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin.

LISTINGS

Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin present
LA SOIRÉE
24 November 2017 – 3 February 2018
Press Night: Friday 1 December 2017

Aldwych Theatre
49 Aldwych, London WC2B 4DF
Box office: 0845 200 7981
www.nederlander.co.uk

La Soirée Performance Schedule
Monday – Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 6pm & 9pm

Tickets from £19.50

Early bird offer: £10 off all shows up to and including 7 December if you book by 15 November 2017.
Running Time is approximately 2 hours including interval

La Soirée may contain nudity and is recommended for ages 17+

La Petite Soirée Performance Schedule

Saturday – 3pm
Extra performances on 27, 28, 29, 30 December 2017 & 2 January 2018

Tickets from £15

Running Time is approximately 1 hour with no interval

La Petite Soirée family friendly performances are suitable for all ages

Experimental Experience presents the
UK Tour of Sex Worker’s Opera
Saturday 4th November – Saturday 2nd December 2017
Press Night: Thursday 23rd November 2017, Ovalhouse

What do you think of when you hear the words ‘Stripper’, ‘Escort’, ‘Pornstar’?
Originally devised in 2014, the award-winning Sex Worker’s Opera will tour the UK for the first time this autumn following a multitude of sell-out performances around the UK, Ireland and Greece. Comprised of 50% Sex Workers, this provocative show gives platform for sex workers – tired of being spoken for – to finally tell their own stories on their own terms.

Smashing together genres, Sex Worker’s Opera collides opera with hip-hop and incorporates sound art, projections and poetry to showcase an unflinchingly honest and upliftingly human insight into the lives of Sex Workers around the world.

Experimental Experience provides a platform to tell the unheard stories of Sex Workers from 17 countries across five continents, exploring a street worker giving marital advice, a webcam model and her ventriloquist dummy and a daughter making career choices in a male-dominated world.

Co-Director, Siobhan Knox, comments, Everyone has an opinion about sex work, even if it’s a joke or something they’ve heard on TV. Art and the media portray sex work in a very one dimensional way, it is either extremely glamorous or extremely tragic, and one of the messages of the show is that sex work is human, it is not good or bad it’s just complex.

Cast member (anonymous), comments, It has given me the chance to explore my happiness in my career as a sex worker, to heal all my pain, to make poetry with my life.

Slaps tropes round the face with a PVC glove (Time Out)

What every great opera should do. (Royal Opera House)

Theatre N16, 30 August – 16 September.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Having spent a lifetime watching Wales failing to qualify, getting fanatical about football was a mystery to me. Wrong shaped balls I’m afraid. Although I’ve always loved a good football film – never passed up an opportunity to shout “Give it to Gordon” at kids playing football. Then I spent time with the Scots Guards and was immersed in total Rangers mania. Mention the C word and you got an hour’s lecture about how superior Rangers were, and how Celtic were, in fact, “a sack of shi*te, Miss” – and that was from the 5-year olds in my Reception class.

Luckily, Deadline Day makes no mention of the offside rule or any other arcane mysteries, and is accessible and entertaining for football pundits and footballphobics alike. Apparently, there are transfer windows for selling and buying players every year and fans get excited and/or livid about the comings and goings and the vast amounts of money changing hands, and Deadline Day deals with events on the last day of the window.

Newcastle United player Danny and his agent Rachel need to get down South for a medical with Chelsea before he signs the new contract, and the airport is closed, so Trevor is hired to drive them. Trevor is a lifelong fan of United, and can’t understand why Danny would want to leave. Especially for Chelsea. Trevor has lots going on in his personal life, and news of Danny’s transfer adds to this pressure causing him to implode, putting Danny’s future in jeopardy. That’s about it plot wise, but writers John Hickman and Steve Robertson have managed to cram the nubs of every possible pub argument about football into just under an hour – players’ salaries, club loyalty, insensitive chairmen and owners, greedy agents, intrusive press, sexism and nostalgia for the good old days, they’re all in there. But instead of being a random parade of clichés, the characters’ arguments about all of this feel natural and authentic. And it’s full of brilliant Northern humour.

Danny isn’t the stereotypical thick ego with boots – he’s a fairly grounded, innocent kid who’s worked his way up through the club and takes care of his family after his father’s death. Tevye Mattheson, in his professional debut, keeps Danny likeable and frustrating in his indecision. His relationship with Rachel is well layered, with the power dynamics shifting as the play progresses. Victoria Gibson impresses as Rachel, full of fire and bravado, but allowing the true affection she feels for Danny to shine through. Mike Yeaman’s passionate performance as Trevor is remarkable, convincing as a lost and hopeless soul, and then spouting misogynistic bile that makes you want to jump up and slap him. The writers wisely counter this with a fantastically powerful speech from Rachel about surviving in the male-dominated world of football.

Set in a car, the actual set is just 3 chairs, but director James Callas Bell has the characters moving around and making eye contact, even sitting on the floor to listen sympathetically to each other’s stories, that amplifies their connection, but doesn’t lose the claustrophobic atmosphere. The action is interrupted by occasional sports broadcasts commenting and speculating on the day’s events that are a lovely contrast to the dark goings on in the car.

I suppose I should end with a host of football clichés, but the only time I take notice of Gary Lineker is in those crisp adverts. I’ll do my best…

Deadline Day is a fantastic, funny and intimate play about the beautiful game that is premiership material. And it’s MUCH more entertaining than watching Chelsea. Get your ticket now.

To celebrate the release of his highly anticipated fourth album, join Keith Jack on his Movie Nights tour, where he will be performing tracks from iconic movies; The Bodyguard, Dirty Dancing, Jailhouse Rock, Batman Forever plus so much more. 

Keith is best known for coming second in the BBC show Any Dream Will Do a decade ago. Since then, he has played several lead roles such as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Charlie in the new musical Only the Brave. He also played the role of Alistair in the UK premiere of Sincerely Mr Toad, then came the role of Ralph in HMS Pinafore, followed by Sparky in the hit musical Forever Plaid. Most recently, Keith has been touring on Saturday Night at the Movies with Joe McElderry.

AUSSIE STAR ADAM HILLS AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

Aussie favourite and star of Channel 4’s The Last Leg, Adam Hills, is bringing his critically acclaimed show Clown Heart to Leeds Grand Theatre for one night only on Sunday 22^nd October 2017. The show will be accompanied by a BSL interpreter.

Adam Hills has fast become one of the most popular comedians in the UK with 15 tours that have travelled internationally. His combination of positive, uplifting comedy and dynamic spontaneity has seen him receive numerous awards, glowing reviews and a legion of fans around the world.

As host of Channel 4’s ground-breaking The Last Leg, Adam won ‘Best Breakthrough Act’ and was nominated for ‘Best Entertainment Personality’ at the British Comedy Awards in 2013. The show itself won ‘Best Entertainment Programme’ at the 2015 Royal Television Society Awards and received another nomination in that category in 2016, while Adam himself was nominated for ‘Best Entertainment Performance’. 2017 has seen The Last Leg win ‘Best Entertainment Show’ at the Broadcast Awards, as well as gain a double nomination at the BAFTA’s and a nomination at this year’s NTA awards.

Other recent notable UK TV appearances include co-host of Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer alongside Alan Carr and Davina McCall in October 2016 and host of Celebrity Fifteen to One (Channel 4).

Adam Hills is at Leeds Grand Theatre on Sunday 22^nd October 2017

Tickets are priced at £25.00

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700