West End season of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage must end 29th April as leads join UK Tour Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7AQ Until Saturday 29th April 2023 UK Tour May – November 2023
Having delighted audiences this spring at the Dominion Theatre, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Storyon Stage finishes its limited run on Saturday 29th April before heading out on a UK & Ireland tour, opening at the New Wimbledon Theatre on Thursday 25th May. Michael O’Reilly (West Side Story, Leicester Curve; Matthew Bourne’s Lord of the Flies, Theatre Royal Plymouth) and Kira Malou (Fame, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre; Penny on Mars, Disney Plus) will reprise their roles as Johnny and Baby on tour, with further cast to be announced.
Producer Karl Sydow says, I am thrilled about the success of the second Dominion Theatre season and to be going out on tour for the fifth time since 2011.
Exploding with heart-pounding music, breathtaking emotion and sensationally sexy dancing, this triumphant stage production, inspired by the wildly popular film, follows the iconic story of Baby and Johnny. Featuring the hit songs ‘Hungry Eyes’, ‘Hey! Baby’, ‘Do You Love Me?’ and the heart-stopping ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’.
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, written by Eleanor Bergstein, is directed by Federico Bellone (West Side Story, Milan; Sunset Boulevard, Milan) and choreographed by Austin Wilks (Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage, UK tour and Dominion Theatre).
The creative team are completed by Costume Designer Jennifer Irwin, Lighting Designer Valerio Tiberi, Sound Designer Chris Whybrow, Music Supervisor Conrad Helfrich and Supervising Musical Director Richard John.
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage is produced by Karl Sydow in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions.
Queens Theatre, Hornchurch – until 15th April 2023
Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton
4****
Set in the 1980’s, Sucker Punch is a brilliant display of what life was like for young black men, at a time of racial inequality, accentuated by riots such as Brixton. We see Leon (Shem Hamilton) and Troy (Christian Alifoe), two friends who have grown up in a boxing club, take two completely different paths that both lead to the same concluding event. Leon is coached by Charlie (Liam Smith), who is in the habit of getting his hopes up that one of his boxers is going to win him a title, and constantly being let down. When Leon is the boxer to finally do this, we see Charlie making the financial decisions with Leons money, which eventually ends up being their downfall.
We see both boys face racist remarks and actions, particularly from boxer Tommy (John Rogers), who is one of the boxers to leave Charlie to move on to better things. As a direct result of a riot that Leon and Troy get caught up in, and react differently to, Troy decides to follow the guidance of his mother and move overseas to another boxing club, coached by the obnoxious Ray (Ray Strasser-King). We also see the development of Leons relationship with Becky (Poppy Winter), Charlie’s daughter, and in one painful scene we see how Leon is forced to make the most difficult decision of his life, because Charlie can’t stand the idea of his daughter dating someone who isn’t white.
The ending of the play is extremely poignant as we see Leon trying to come to terms with his mistake of letting Charlie handle all of his money, despite his history of not being very good with it.
Overall, it is an amazing show, and the entire cast work brilliantly with one another to deliver such a great play. With absolutely fantastic performances by Shem Hamilton as Leon, Christian Alifoe as Troy, Liam Smith as Charlie, and Poppy Winter as Becky, this show is undeniably wonderful.
Reflections of an Indian Dancer was not only an insight into the personal lives and experiences of both the director, Balbir Singh and dancer Sooraj Subramaniam but it also brought to life some of the oldest dance traditions that are embedded within the dance culture of our modern world today. These two individuals have been fortunate to meet along the path of life, collaborate and share their knowledge and histories of their cultures based on ‘the collective’ and the communities that they have been a part of.
Throughout the performance we kept finding ourselves at ‘The Temple’ – a place that long ago, one would go to to find peace and solace and literally ‘find yourself’ at. In this place, you would be bathed in light, hear sounds that would attune you back into alignment and balance with the earth and all that is and a place where you could watch (and or take part in) dance performances. The dance was part of healing and a celebration of the joy of life. Everything becomes balanced in the dance; the moves to the left balanced with the moves to the right, masculine and feminine energies are in harmony. Then like petals, the body of the dancer unfolds and spins in flux. And this is what Sooraj performed for us. Watching or being part of this in a temple setting, with the light and the sounds, I can imagine could change a person in that it could help one recalibrate and feel more balanced. It was surely a wonderful experience to witness at the playhouse in Leeds.
Sooraj Subramaniam grew up in Malaysia where he trained in the classical dance styles of Bharatanatyam, Odissi and later ballet and contemporary dance and Kathak, which are all part of the performance and showcase his phenomenal talent as a dancer. Balbir Singh specialises in bringing different dance styles together to make exciting and engaging dance theatre and so it was a pleasure to see the work of these very talented individuals. Reflections of an Indian Dancer is a rich tapestry of dance that is made up of traditional and modern threads and thus creates a most beautiful piece of art, deep in wisdom, culture and precious life.
Winners announced for Olivier Awards 2023 with Mastercard
RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro triumphs with six awards including the Noël Coward Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play and the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director
Best Actress was awarded to Jodie Comer and Paul Mescal took home the Best Actor award
Standing At The Sky’s Edge won Mastercard Best New Musical
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Won Magic Radio Best Musical Revival
Other acting wins included Katie Brayben, Beverley Knight, Arthur Darvill, Will Keen, Zubin Varla and Anjana Vasan
Ceremony highlights to be broadcast tonight on ITV1 and ITVX at 10:15pm
The winners have been unveiled for this year’s Olivier Awards with Mastercard, British theatre’s biggest night, which took place this evening (Sunday 2 April) at the Royal Albert Hall in London, hosted by Hannah Waddingham.
The biggest winner of the night was the RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro, the theatre adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s 1989 coming-of-age anime film. The show won six of the nine categories it was nominated in, including the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director, awarded to Phelim McDermott, and the Noël Coward Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play. The productions other wins included Tony Gayle for d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design, Jessica Hun Hang Yun for the White Light Award for Best Lighting Design, Kimie Nakano for Best Costume Design and Tom Pye for the Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design.
Three productions from The Almeida Theatre triumphed on the night. Will Keen won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Patriots, and Tammy Faye garnered two acting awards – Katie Brayben for Best Actress in a Musical and Zubin Varla for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.
The final multi-winning show at the Almeida Theatre was Rebecca Frecknall’s revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. Paul Mescal won Best Actor for his portrayal of Stanley Kowalski and Best Actress in a Supporting Role was awarded to Anjana Vasan for playing Stella. The play also won the esteemed Cunard Best Revival award.
Best Actress went to Jodie Comer, for her performance in solo drama Prima Facie, which won the coveted Delta Air Lines Best New Play award. The filmed production was seen by hundreds of thousands of people, making it the highest-grossing Event Cinema ever released in the UK and Ireland.
This Olivier Awards was a year of firsts. The recipients of both the Best Actor and Best Actress categories, Paul and Jodie, were nominated for their West End debuts, and 16 of the 18 named winners were receiving their first ever Olivier Award.
Mastercard Best New Musical was awarded to Standing At The Sky’s Edge. Set in a council estate in Sheffield, where it debuted in 2019, the musical transferred to the National Theatre this year. Richard Hawley & Tom Deering also took home the award for Best Original Score or New Orchestrations for this production.
As well as performing twice in the ceremony, Beverley Knight picked up the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her performance as Emmeline Pankhurst in the musical retelling of her daughter Sylvia’s lesser-known story.
Elsewhere, Dickson Mbi won Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his choreography of Enowate, and Traplord by Ivan Michael Blackstock won Best New Dance Production. In the opera categories, Will Kentridge won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, for his conception and direction of Sibyl and the TAIT Award for Best New Opera Production went to Alcina. Both productions were staged at the Royal Opera House.
For the second year in a row, the Bush Theatre was home to the winner of Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre (representing smaller London venues). The winning show was The P Word, the tale of two very different gay Pakistani men navigating modern Britain.
Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show, which sees beloved animated character Duggee brought to life, won Best Family Show.
The ceremony celebrated Sir Derek Jacobi, who was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to theatre throughout his career.
The star-studded Olivier Awards ceremony featured performances from all the Mastercard Best New Musical nominees – The Band’s Visit, Standing At The Sky’s Edge, Sylvia and Tammy Faye. There were also performances from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and Sister Act, both nominated for Magic Radio Best Musical Revival.
Disney’s Newsies, whose choreographer Matt Cole won the Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer, and multi-Olivier winner The Book Of Mormon (celebrating 10 years in the West End) also performed.
The show culminated in a tribute to Special Award recipient Dame Arlene Phillips, with a performance from Grease The Musical – a production she famously choreographed.
The Olivier Awards continues its partnership with ITV, which broadcasts the ceremony tonight at 10:15pm on ITV1 and ITVX. The full ceremony was also broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall on Magic Radio. Outside the UK, the Olivier Awards was live on YouTube.
The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester – until 29th April 2023
Review by Rebecca Hampson
4****
Based on the original play by the incredible Tennessee Williams, this modern take on the classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof wows at the Royal Exchange Theatre.
Set in the summer in Mississippi, we experience the suffocating house in which Maggie grapples with her failing marriage. I took my best friend and Tennessee Williams number one fan with me to review this play and her initial response: “I think I just watched my new favourite version of Cat” and I would have to say I agreed with her.
Ntombizodwa Ndlovu was the most incredible Maggie. From the staging, vocals and costume she accompanied everything Maggie was about and delivered every line with such conviction. As an audience member I found myself feeling such empathy for Maggie as she tries so desperately to save the relationship with her husband Brick, played by Bayo Gbadamosi.
The Greek chorus style singing of Rihanna’s ‘B***h better have my money’ was one of my favourite moments in the show and added a new and yet still relevant moment to the play.
I also enjoyed the multi role from both Danielle Henry who played Mae and Daniel Ward who played Gooper. As well as their primary roles they became Gooper and Mae’s children which I found highly amusing.
This was an incredible modern take on the much loved classic and I highly recommend for anyone who loves Tennessee Williams.
Watford Palace Theatre – until Saturday 8th April 2023
Reviewed by Julia Spargo
4****
The Lost Words and The Lost Spells by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris are a lament to children’s lost connections to nature and a reaction to the subsequent removal of words for nature being removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary.
Like the books, this new musical celebrates the natural world and is beautiful in its simplicity; a small cast, almost no costume changes and a magical set; the light of a large moon presiding over a muted stage. The instruments, played by the cast throughout, are already on set when the audience arrives and remain so, deftly incorporated into scenes; a cello becoming the trunk of an old oak.
Jay, a schoolgirl (played beautifully by Miriam Nyarko), moves to a new area and becomes so overwhelmed on her first day of a new school she forgets her own name. She finds a book of spells which takes her into a wild world where she is shown how to bin-dive by Fox (Alex Wingfield), the magic of a dandelion clock by Hare (Toby De Salis), takes part in a conker competition, refereed by Woodpecker (the mischievous Lucy Yates, whose drum solos are a highlight) and is shown the beauty of the sea by a grey seal. The set is used to great effect; grey scarves are used to create waves of the sea. A puppet of a barn owl is raised across the stage, silhouetted by the moon and creating a sense of magic.
I enjoyed the references to land access and the right to roam, when Jay is shown how to enter “forbidden” areas of nature with swagger by Hare. The highlight for me was Mary Erskine and Wil Dollard’s music. A saxophone mimics the cry of the fox and the drums represent the sounds of a woodpecker looking for food. Fox shows Jay around the bins of restaurants to a jazz number, the grey seal sings about the beauty of oceans to a sea shanty, and the commanding Jackdaw preens to a cabaret number.
Children will be spellbound by the magic of the set and the catchy tunes, and adults will be reminded of the innocence of their childhoods. All will be reminded of the beauty of the natural world, and hopefully inspired to protect it. A delight.
Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond – until 22nd April 2023
Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton
5*****
‘You Bury Me’, brilliantly written by Ahlam, has left me absolutely speechless. There is not a single combination of words that could accurately describe how fantastic this play is.
Set in Cairo, Egypt, with scenes ranging from 1997 to 2015, ‘You Bury Me’ tells the story of six individuals whose lives are intertwined. The main focus of this play is the revolution of 2011, and how this affects these six individuals and their relationships with one another and with the city. We have revolutionary blogger and journalist Osman (Tarrick Benham), his rebellious half-sister Maya (Yasemin Özdemir), her friend from high school, the permanently nervous Lina (Eleanor Nawal), Osman’s friend Rafik (Nezar Alderazi), who moves in with Osman after his parents have thrown him out after catching him with a boy, Alia (Hanna Khogali) whose father and uncles are police officers, and her boyfriend Tamer (Moe Bar-El), who is a Christian. We watch as these characters navigate life in a city that is metaphorically, and later literally, burning to the ground under the rule of a Tyrant. When blogging in support of the revolution, having the app Grindr downloaded on your phone, losing your virginity accidentally before marriage, being the one to accidentally take said virginity, or kissing another girl are all things that are potentially dangerous if witnessed by the wrong person, these characters are living in fear of going missing. Everybody should be able to relate to at least one of these experiences, whether it’s figuring out your sexuality as a teenager, sneaking around with a partner, or having and expressing strong political beliefs, and yet the circumstances make it so that these relatable experiences are also completely unique to these characters. I particularly enjoyed the ending of the play, where the audience feels a sense of impending doom that something bad is going to happen to each of the characters as they battle with trying to escape their inevitable fates.
This incredibly powerful play is spectacular, and it would be a huge mistake to miss it. It is no wonder that it won the women’s prize for playwriting in 2020.
The hit production TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL which is based on the life of legendary artist Tina Turner and produced in association with Tina Turner herself, today (31 March 2023) announces that booking is extending to 11 February 2024 as the show celebrates 5 years in the West End.
The critically acclaimed production of TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL received its world premiere in April 2018 in London and subsequently broke all Box Office records at the Aldwych Theatre.
Discover the heart and soul behind the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll at TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL, the undeniable mega hit in London’s West End. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, experience Tina Turner’s triumphant story live on stage as this exhilarating celebration reveals the woman that dared to dream fiercely, shatter barriers, and conquer the world—against all odds.
In March 2023, the German production opened at the Stage Apollo Theater in Stuttgart following a successful run in Hamburg which opened in 2019. The North America tours continues following the 12 Tony Awards nominated production on Broadway and productions at the Beatrix Theater, Utrecht and the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid.
Produced by Stage Entertainment and Ghostlight Records and featuring the original London cast, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL: Original Cast Recording is also available worldwide on CD, both online and in stores. The CD features a 20-page booklet, which includes liner notes, synopsis, and production and studio photography. The album was recorded in February 2019 at Angel Studios and RAK Studios, produced by the show’s Music Supervisor Nicholas Skilbeck and Kurt Deutsch, and co-produced by Tom Kelly. To download or stream the album, or order the CD http://www.ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/riverdeep-tinaturnermusical
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is choreographed by Anthony van Laast, with set and costume designs by Mark Thompson, musical supervision by Nicholas Skilbeck, lighting by Bruno Poet,sound by Nevin Steinberg, projection design by Jeff Sugg and orchestrations by Ethan Popp.
TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is produced in the West End by Stage Entertainment, Joop van den Ende and Tali Pelman, in association with Tina Turner.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Theatre: Aldwych Theatre, Aldwych, London WC2B 4DF
Dates: now booking to 11 February 2024
Performances:Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm and Sunday at 3pm
Cast announced for the world premiere of DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?
created by James Taylor and Julian Woolford directed by Julian Woolford
180-date UK tour launches at Bedford Corn Exchange, Thursday 18 May
Robbie Capaldi, Courtney Winston, Georgia Jackson Ellen Whitehed, Nick Howard-Brown
The cast is today revealed for the world premiere of ‘Do You Believe in Ghosts?’.
Robbie Capaldi was Malcolm in ’Sh!tfaced Shakespeare: Macbeth’, Tybalt/Lord Capulet in ‘Sh!tfaced Shakepseare: Romeo and Juliet’, Lysander in ‘Sh!tfaced Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and Bassanio in ‘Sh!tfaced Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice’. On TV he will be see in June in the upcoming Marvel Studios series, ’Secret Invasion’.
Courtney Winston was most recently in ‘Small Island’ at the National Theatre. On TV he was Jamaal in ‘Top Boy’.
Georgia Jackson recently played Stick Lady Love in ‘Stick Man’ at Leeds Playhouse. She also appeared in the Ramps on the Moon/Leeds Playhouse production of ‘Oliver Twist’, and was Boot in the immersive “Monopoly Lifesized’ in London.
Ellen Whitehed was recently in ‘Romeo & Juliet’ at dlr Mill Theatre, Dundrum. Her other roles include Niam in the musical ‘TÍR NA NÓG’ and Boo Who in’ Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (UK tour).
Nick Howard-Brown has just be completed filming on the film of ‘Hamlet’ starring Ian McKellen, having appeared in the stage version at Theatre Royal Windsor. He was also in ‘The Cherry Orchard’ in the same Ian McKellen season. He was also in ‘The Gunpowder Plot: Immersive Experience’ at the Tower of London.
Do YOU believe in ghosts? And are YOU feeling brave?
‘Do You Believe in Ghosts?’ (West End premiere at London’s Adelphi Theatre on Halloween, October 31 with more West End dates to be announced), has enough chills and shocks to convince even the most die hard sceptic!
Packed with stories of things that go bump in the night – or the day – and things that just don’t add up, ‘Do You Believe in Ghosts?’ is unlike any other ghost story you may have seen or experienced before in a theatre.
Producer James Taylor, who co-created ‘Do You Believe in Ghosts?’ with award-winning writer and director Julian Woolford, said: “Every theatre has at least one ghost – including the Adelphi. In ‘Do You Believe in Ghosts?’ we promise to raise the hairs on your arms and send chills down the back of your neck. . . Join us for a dark night… we dare you!”
‘Do You Believe in Ghosts?’ is part of a major West End season of 8 shows at the Adelphi produced by producers Entertainers, including:
The world premiere of The Makings of a Murderer on Tuesday 18 April, Sweet Caroline The Ultimate Tribute to Neil Diamond (Tuesday 6 June), Lost in Music (Tuesday 13 June), Fast Love – A Tribute to George Michael (Tuesday 20 June), 80s Live! (Tuesday 18 July), Legend – The Music of Bob Marley (Tuesday 19 September) An Evening of Burlesque (Tuesday 10 October).
Julian Woolford (co-creator /director) Julian Woolford is an award-winning writer and director. His plays and musicals have been performed around the world. Among his works are ‘The Devil’s Advocate (Netherlands tour); ‘Liberace, Live From Heaven’, (Leicester Square Theatre, Edinburgh, New Zealand tour); ‘The Teddy Bear’s Picnic’ (National tour); ‘The Wind In The Willows’ (Sevenoaks Playhouse, Taunton Brewhouse); ‘The Railway Children’ (Sevenoaks Playhouse, Taunton Brewhouse and more than 50 productions worldwide). Julian provided the new book for Lionel Bart’s ‘Twang!!’(GSA and Union Theatre); ‘BlueBirds’ (Cochrane Theatre, Kenneth More Theatre and Above The Stag); ‘Beautiful Young Man’ (Pride Encore Benefit Season, New York);. His musical ‘Oh Carol!’ won the Covent Garden Festival Search for a New Musical and his first play ‘The Oedipus Complex’, premiered at Bristol New Vic.
He is the author of the book ‘How Musicals Work’ (Nick Hern Books), which is the standard text book for musical theatre creation and writing, and of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘The Sound of Music’ (Routledge Fourth Wall) and is currently Head of Musical Theatre at GSA (University of Surrey). Previously he was Artistic Director of Sevenoaks Playhouse; Artistic Director of the Global Search for New Musicals at the International Festival of Musical Theatre Cardiff and Associate Director of the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.
His many directing credits in productions in the West End, any regional theatres, 7 national tours, and work in New York, Australia, Germany, Austria, Poland and the Lebanon. In 2015 he became the first person to direct a commercial musical in Egypt when he staged ‘The Sound of Music’ in Cairo.
James Taylor (co-creator/producer) James is a director of Essex-based producers Entertainers working alongside his father, Michael. James began his career as the 16-year-old resident DJ at West Ham United Football Club’s functions and parties. He moved to the US to pursue a modelling and acting career, playing the inventor Nikola Tesla in an Off-Broadway production of ‘Tesla’, and appearing in the TV series ‘Being Mary Jane’, in which he played the boyfriend of the lead Gabrielle Union. Returning to Britain, James teamed up with his father to produce ‘Fastlove’, a tribute to the then recently deceased George Michael. It has since sold a million tickets, is touring to 25 countries and became the company’s first show to play the West End, at the Lyric Theatre.
Entertainers (Producers) Entertainers have 20 years experience producing popular entertainment across the UK. Their new Canvey Island HQ, built since lockdown, houses all aspects of production from set building and maintenance to a recording studio and full-size rehearsal space and a fleet of 36 vehicles.
Entertainers stage more than 1,500 separate performances each year, selling over one million seats, with 25 lavish productions that include: ‘Lost in Music’, ‘Fastlove’, ‘The Magic of Motown’, ‘Cirque: The Greatest Show’, ‘Thank You for the Music’, ‘The Rocket Man’, ‘An Evening of Burlesque’, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’, ‘80s Live!’, ‘90s Live!’, ‘Radio Gaga’, ‘Sweet Caroline’, and ‘Islands in the Stream’,
New shows ‘Do You Believe in Ghosts?’ and ‘The Makings of a Murderer’ mark a move away from music to scripted theatrical productions, and they will both make their West End debut at the Adelphi Theatre in 2023.
LISTINGS INFO
Do You Believe in Ghosts? created by James Taylor and Julian Woolford
David Ian for Crossroads Live and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions are thrilled to announce that Samantha Womack will star as Dorothy Brock, alongside Michael Praed as Julian Marsh, Faye Tozer as Maggie Jones, Les Dennis as Bert Barry and Nicole-Lily Baisden as Peggy Sawyer in the UK tour of 42nd STREET.
The cast will be completed by Sam Lips as Billy Lawlor, with Erica-Jayne Alden, George Beet, Charlie Bishop, Kevin Brewis, Olly Christopher, Briana Craig, Jordan Crouch, Rhianna Dorris, Ashleigh Graham, Alyn Hawke, Aimee Hodnett, Connor Hughes, Deja Linton, Sarah-Marie Maxwell, Greta McKinnon, Ben Middleton, Benjamin Mundy, Anthony Ofoegbu and Jessica Wright.
Following its run at the Marlowe Theatre,Canterbury, the production will visit Leeds, Bristol, Plymouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Manchester, Southampton, Newcastle, Woking and Belfast. Current tour schedule below, with further dates to be announced. 42ndstreettour.com
Samantha Womack most recently starred as the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Her other credits include the role of Rachel in The Girl on the Train both in the West End and on tour, Morticia Addams in The Addams Family UK tour, Nellie Forbush in the Lincoln Center’s production of South Pacific at the Barbican and on tour, and Miss Adelaide in Michael Grandage’s production of Guys and Dolls alongside Patrick Swayze. Her screen credits include Ronni Mitchell in EastEnders, Mandy in Game On, the titular role in Imogen’s Face and The Kingsman franchise.
Michael Praed’s theatre credits include Tom Beauregard in Darker Shores at Theatre Royal Windsor and on tour, George in War of the Worlds at the Dominion Theatre, Alex in Aspects of Love at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Lawrence Jameson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dexter Haven in High Society and Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music all on UK tours. His television credits include the role of Frank Clayton in Emmerdale, Prince Michael in Dynasty and the titular role in Robin of Sherwood.
Faye Tozer is best known as a member of BRIT Award winning pop band Steps. Her theatrical credits include Singin’ In The Rain at Sadler’s Wells and on tour in the UK and Canada, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre, and touring productions of In The Spotlight, Over The Rainbow, Me And My Girl, Love Shack and Tell Me On A Sunday. Faye was also a runner-up in BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.
Les Dennis most recently starred as Grandad Trotter in Only Fools and Horses The Musical. His other West End credits include Wilbur in Hairspray opposite Michael Ball at the London Coliseum, Amos Hart in Chicago and Bill in Me and My Girl. His touring theatre credits include Art, Legally Blonde, High School Musical 2 and Uncle Fester in the musical comedy The Addams Family. His many TV credits include Michael Rodwell in Coronation Street and a fictional version of himself in Extras.
Nicole-Lily Baisden’s theatre credits include the role of Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon, both in the West End and on tour, and Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre and on tour.
Sam Lips’theatre credits include the role of Don Lockwood in Singin’ In The Rain and Scott Hastings in Strictly Ballroom, both in the UK and Canada. His Broadway credits Cats, Chicago, Pippin, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and The Cher Show.
This new production will be directed by Jonathan Church (Singin’ in the Rain, The Drifters Girl) with choreography and design by Olivier Award winners Bill Deamer and Rob Jones, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Ian Dickinson and Gareth Tucker, video design by Jon Driscoll, musical supervision by Jennifer Whyte and orchestrations by Larry Blank.
This iconic song-and-dance spectacular features a hit parade of toe-tapping songs, including the title number, “We’re In The Money”, “Lullaby of Broadway”, “Shuffle Off To Buffalo” and “I Only Have Eyes For You”. 42nd STREET is a timeless and inspiring showbiz fairy tale that combines breath-taking tap dance routines, backstage intrigue, classic romance and delightful comedy to dazzling effect.
Fresh off the bus from small-town America, young and beautiful Peggy Sawyer arrives in New York City dreaming of her name in lights. She quickly catches the eye of a big-time director and lands a spot in the chorus line of Broadway’s newest show…and when the leading lady gets injured, Peggy gets her shot at stardom.
42nd STREET is a larger-than-life, massively entertaining celebration of musicals and the irrepressible spirit of Broadway that’s guaranteed to lift anyone’s spirits.
42nd STREET has music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, and book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, based on the novel by Bradford Ropes. Original direction and dances were by Gower Champion. The show was originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick.
The use of all songs is by arrangement with Warner Bros. and EMI Publishing Ltd.
