Open auditions will be held for the upcoming West End production of Broadway hit musical Motown.

The show, which follows the career of producer and songwriter Berry Gordy and the creation of Motown Records, opens at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 11 February 2016.

Auditions will take place at the London Welsh Centre (157-163 Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X 8UE) on 7 July, with registration from 10am until 1pm, and will give people the opportunity to play the “iconic artists of Motown” in the show.

Featuring hits including “My Girl,” “What’s Going On,” “Dancing in the Street,” “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, the show premiered on Broadway in 2013.

Motown is currently booking until 22 October 2016. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, it has music supervision by Ethan Popp, co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Bryan Cook, dance arrangements by Zane Mark and music direction by Gareth Weedon.

The award-winning West End production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes, will mark its second anniversary tonight with a gala performance and party for cast, crew and special guests.

Jonathan Slinger (Willy Wonka) and Zachary Loonie (one of the four talented young actors who plays Charlie Bucket) will lead the cast in tonight’s birthday performance, before attending the show’s birthday party.

A new trailer for the show is available to view at https://youtu.be/1vfeqaI0g0Q.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has quickly become one of the West End’s most popular and successful stage musicals. It won two Olivier awards in April 2014, and has broken records at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where it has been seen by over 1,400,000 people since it opened in June 2013. It is currently taking bookings until 4 June 2016.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is directed by Sam Mendes. Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig, set and costume designs by Mark Thompson and choreography by Peter Darling.

The Official Cast Recording album is available on Sony Records, on CD and download.

This world premiere musical is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Langley Park Productions.

Full cast: Jonathan Slinger, Barry James, Ross Dawes, Josefina Gabrielle, Jasna Ivir, Paul J. Medford, Lara Denning, Derek Hagen, Roni Page, Myra Sands, Kraig Thornber, Joe Allen, Meg Astin, Joel Baylis, Andy Brady, Simon Campbell, Georgia Carling, Andrew Carthy, Collette Coleman, Dan Cooke, Divine Cresswell, Billy Cullum, Connor Dowling, Kelly Edwards, Gemma Fuller, Kate Graham, Sam Lathwood, Lucinda Lawrence, Mark Oxtoby, Matthew Rowland, Rebecca Seale, Steven Serlin, Gregory Sims, Robert Tregoning, Tara Verloop, Michelle White, Mark Williamson.

The after-show party will take place at Sway Bar Holborn.

www.CharlieandtheChocolateFactory.com
Box Office: 0844 858 8877
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5JF
Booking until 4 June 2016

 

Battersea Arts Centre is partnering with the company behind the regeneration of Battersea Power Station to create a “cultural resource” at the development.

Housed in Circus West, the first phase of the £6 billion development, the Village Hall will provide a “cultural resource for existing and future local residents and the arts community in Wandsworth and beyond”.

BAC, which recently suffered a devastating fire at its home in the former Battersea Town Hall, will host a series of workshops with residents to create a programme of “activities, services and performances” in the Village Hall.

David Jubb, artistic director, said: “Together we aim to create an open invitation for people to enjoy an exciting new cultural space that links to the dynamic cultural life of the borough and London. I think this venture demonstrates the value of culture for our communities, old and new.”

As well as the Village Hall, Battersea Power Station will host an array of cultural events at a range of spaces across the 42-acre site. These include the riverfront park, the Boiler House (a 2,000 person venue within the Power Station) and the restored Control Room.

Dave Twohig, head of design at the development, said: “By partnering with such an established organisation the Battersea Power Station team knows that the arts provision in the Battersea area can be strengthened and Battersea Power Station welcomes any approaches from other groups who want to become part of the growing artistic community.”

Part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015
MIXTAPE
Bite-sized comedy inspired by music

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL PREVIEW
Date: Friday 24 July, 7.30pm
Venue: Live Theatre, Newcastle
Tickets: £8 full price, £6 concession
Box office: 0191 232 1232
Internet: www.live.org.uk

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
Dates: Thursday 6 to Sunday 30 August, 10.20pm
Venue: Belly Laughs, at Underbelly Cowgate (venue 61)
Tickets: £11 – £7 full price, £10 – £7 concession
Box office: 0844 545 8252
Internet: www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk
Mixtape is altering the comedy circuit with their unusual bite-sized sketches inspired by music. Part theatre show and part music quiz Mixtape is the perfect night out for comedy, theatre, music and pub quiz fans.

 

After a succession of sell-out shows at Live Theatre in Newcastle, and a successful festival tour in 2014 (to the Secret Garden Party, Hijack and Larmer Tree Festival), Mixtape are proud to announce their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut bringing their unique brand of comedy to the Underbelly (venue 61) from 6 to 30 August.

 

The performers, called Mixtapers, take songs and using only the song’s lyrics create mini comedy sketches. At the Fringe they’ll be presenting a selection of shows inspired by different music genres in the Underbelly’s Belly Laugh space at 10.20pm every night. The themes include The 80’s, Brit Pop, Girl Bands vs. Boy Bands, Solo Stars and Rock ‘n’ Roll Jukebox.

 

The rules? Only the lyrics from the song can be used to form the script and the running time of the sketch must not be longer than the track that inspired it. The lyrics can be reordered and repeated in any way that the Mixtape writers choose, but no additional words can be used to form the plays script (bar the occasional improvised ad-lib).

Audiences can play along and every night they have the chance of winning the highly coveted Golden Mixtape if they manage to correctly guess the songs and bands or solo artists that inspired each short sketch. The players with the most correct answers will walk away with that evening’s Golden Mixtape trophy. Plus, for the Fringe, they will also be awarding a limited edition purple Mixtape (a colour inspired by the Underbelly) for the best musically inspired costume. The team or player with the best outfit will win the Mixtape costume contest and receive this limited edition cassette tape.

Conceived by theatre director and writer Melanie Rashbrooke, Mixtape is a fun night of theatrical madness written and performed by some of the most exciting writers and theatre makers around. In addition to the sketches written by Melanie each Mixtape also features a selection of sketches written by guest writers. For the Fringe these include Traverse 50 writer Alison Carr (Fat Alice, Traverse), Lee Mattinson (who won the Royal Exchange’s inaugural Hodgkiss Award in 2014) and Nina Berry (Rendezvous, Live Theatre).

On Friday 24 July Mixtape will preview a selection of their favourite Edinburgh Fringe sketches at Live Theatre in Newcastle. This is a chance to see some of their Edinburgh sketches first, before they head to the Underbelly for the summer.

 

Tickets for Mixtape at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are from £7 and can be booked online at www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk and www.edfringe.com or via phone on 0844 545 8252.

 

Tickets for the Live Theatre preview are £8 full price and £6 for concessions and can be booked online at www.live.org.uk or via phone on 0191 232 1232.

 

Follow updates on Twitter @ukmixtape or on Facebook at /mixtapetheatre

New Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell (Ottoline and the Orange Cat, Goth Girl) will be the headline guest when the hugely popular travelling story circus STORYSTOCK returns to the Bush Theatre this autumn half term. STORYSTOCK is a festival of storytelling for children aged 3-11 and their families.

STORYSTOCK launched at the Bush Theatre in autumn 2013, and the 2014 festival attracted nearly 2,500 visitors.

This year’s STORYSTOCK will again take place over three days – 28th, 29thand 30thOctober.

Confirmed speakers include Chris Riddell (Goth Girl), Judith Kerr (The Tiger Who Came to Tea), Sophy Henn (Where Bear?), Sarah McIntyre, Philip Reeve (Oliver & The Seawigs), Abie Longstaff (FairyTale Hairdresser), Trish Cooke (So Much), Lucy Coats (Beasts of Olympus), John Dougherty (Stinkbomb & Ketchupface), Ed Vere (Mr Big), Kristina Stephenson (Sir Charlie Stinkysocks) and Tamara McFarlane(Amazing Esme and the Sweetshop Circus).

There will also be live literature shows including I Believe in Unicorns, The Harry Potter Show, The Lamb Who Lost His Jump, The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet, The Molly Maybe Show, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hip Hop Shakespeare Show, Atticus the Storyteller’s Myth Marathon, and Storystew.

STORYSTOCK workshops include creative coding, creative writing, animation and comic drawing, poetry and letter-writing.

There will be storytelling for children aged 0-4 throughout all three days in the garden story tent with visits from Blue Kangaroo and all the fairy tale characters. There will also be a storytelling celebration of the 150thanniversary of Alice in Wonderland with Alice and her friends.

New this year there will be story events for grown-ups in the evenings with events such as Pushy Parents v The Idle Parent with Toby Young and Tom Hodgkinson, calmer parenting guru Noel Janis-Norton and Parents v Children – a fun new concept in dispute resolution for families!

STORYSTOCK is sponsored by angels & urchins magazine in partnership with the Bush Theatre.

 

Storystock                                                                                    Listings

Bush Theatre

7 Uxbridge Road, London, W12 8LJ

Box Office: 020 8743 5050 / bushtheatre.co.uk

Tickets go on sale at 12pm on 20 July.

Keep up to date with the latest news at storystock.co.uk or follow the festival on twitter @StoryStockFest

 

BLOOMBERG SUMMER AT THE ROUNDHOUSE
UTOPIA  

RUSSELL BRAND & MR. GEE JOIN THE LINE-UP OF LIVE EVENTS AT UTOPIA

The Roundhouse has today announced that Russell Brand is to present a one-off evening event on Wednesday 5 August at their major new installation Utopia, created by Penny Woolcock with designs by Block9. Comedian, actor and author, Brand will be joined by poet Mr. Gee and other special guests to respond to the themes and provocations of Woolcock’s piece from the housing crisis, gentrification, the distribution of wealth to the widening gap of inequality. This live event accompanies the series of ‘Live Lates’ which celebrate and elaborate on the themes of the installation in the Main Space from August 4 – 23. The full line-up of events can be seen here, for all other events in the series the installation will remain open simultaneously.

Alongside the installation, the Roundhouse will become a daily destination where members of the public can enjoy the sunshine at North London’s very own ‘seaside’ resort, Camden Beach, presented by Stoli Vodka. On the terrace, Camden’s biggest outdoor space, there will be 150 tonnes of the finest sand, deckchairs, beach huts, ping-pong, live music, some of the best food pop-ups in the city and the chance to enjoy Stoli’s drink of the summer, the Stoli Lemonade.

***

#RHUtopia

AN EVENING WITH RUSSELL BRAND
Plus Mr Gee & Guests
WEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST, 8PM
Tickets £20
Please note for this event the installation will be closed.

BOOKING
Roundhouse Members priority booking opens Thursday 25 June midday.  Find out more about Roundhouse Memberships.Public booking opens Friday 26 June, 10am.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

 

THE WORLD’S OLDEST STORY, THE WORLD’S ORIGINAL ROCK MUSICAL

 

GLENN CARTER REPRISES ROLE AS JESUS, MUSICAL THEATRE STAR TIM ROGERS AS JUDAS ISCARIOT

X FACTOR FINALIST RACHEL ADEDEJI AS MARY MAGDALENE

 

The explosive new production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ground-breaking rock opera, is set to open in Leeds next month.

Jesus Christ Superstar exploded onto the musical scene in 1971. Stunning audiences, it changed the face of musical theatre forever. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera tells the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.

Leading performer Glenn Carter returns as Jesus, a role he has played in the West End, on Broadway and on film.  His extensive musical theatre credits include leading roles in Whistle Down the Wind, Les Misérables, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell and Merrily We Roll Along.

Australian star Tim Rogers made his UK stage debut 15 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. Tim’s musical theatre credits include The Man in Whistle Down the Wind (UK Tour and West End), West Side Story, Jersey Boys, The Full Monty, Aspects of Love and the title role in Jekyll & Hyde at the Union Theatre. Most recently he starred in Carousel at the Arcola Theatre London.

X Factor finalist Rachel Adedeji plays Mary Magdalene direct from the UK and European tour of Thriller Live. The cast also includes David Burilin, Alistair Lee, Ed Handoll, Andy Barke, Tim Oxbrow, Richard J Hunt, Johnathan Tweedie, Cellen Chugg Jones, Michael Ward and Lizzie Ottley.

As compelling today as it was at its inception over 40 years ago, Jesus Christ Superstar features some of musical theatre’s most legendary songs from I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Everything’s Alright,Gethsemane and Superstar.

Jesus Christ Superstar is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 6^th to Saturday 11^th July.

 

Tickets are available priced from £18.50 to £40.

 

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

 

BATHTIME HAS NEVER BEEN SO MUCH FUN

Rubba-Dubba-Giggle, Rubba-Dubba-Laugh, there’s magic to be found in the Big Red Bath at Darlington Civic Theatre on Sunday 12 July.

It’s the end of a busy day and it is almost time for bed, and Ben and Bella are in the bath.

Splish! Splosh! Splash! Bubbles burst and bubbles rise and a frothy feast of animals jump right in to join in the fun. Come join the fun on a bubbly, barmy bath time adventure around the world and home again celebrating all things bath time.

Adapted from Julia Jarman’s popular children’s picture book, this quirky, vibrant and humorous tale for 2 to 5 year olds features music by We Were Evergreen, an alternative indie-electro-pop trio who bring a blend of folk melodies, electro beats and vocal harmonies.

Big Red Bath is an exciting collaboration between Full House Theatre and Half Moon that will appeal to families as it blends music, song and humorous character-based performances in a unique new take on this well-loved book.

Big Red Bath is at Darlington Civic Theatre on Sunday 12 July. Tickets are £7.50 for Adults, £5.50 for Children.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has today released production images for Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull,which is currently playing at the iconic theatre for a limited run until 11 July.

Celebrated as one of the most important plays of the nineteenth century, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre commissioned this new version by Torben Betts to mark the 120th Anniversary of Chekhov’s original play.

Janie Dee stars as Irina Arkadina, with Sabrina Bartlett as Nina and Matthew Tennyson as Konstantin. They are joined by Tara D’Arquian as Natasha, Lisa Diveney as Masha, Tom Greaves as Yakov, Colin Hoult as Simon Medviedenko, Fraser James as Ilia Shamraev, Lisa Palfrey as Paulina Andreevna, Ian Redford as Peter Sorin, Alex Robertson as Boris Trigorin and Danny Webb as Eugene Dorn.

Directed by Matthew Dunster and with set design by Jon Bausor, The Seagull has Movement Direction by Charlotte Broom, Lighting Design by Philip Gladwell, Sound Design by Christopher Shutt and casting by Julia Horan and Lotte Hines.

As guests assemble at a country house for the staging of an avant-garde open air play, artistic temperaments ignite a more entertaining drama behind the scenes, with romantic jealousies, self-doubt and the ruthless pursuit of happiness confusing lives, loves and literature.

Following on from J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan and The Seagull at Regent’s Park Open Theatre will be Seven Brides for Seven Brothers which will see director Rachel Kavanaugh reunite the creative team behind the theatre’s award-winning production of The Sound of Music. Lord of the Flies will then bring this year’s season to a close from 3 – 12 September before embarking on a nationwide tour.

FULL SEASON LISTINGS INFORMATION

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre 2015 season:

Box Office: 0844 826 4242
Online Bookings: www.openairtheatre.com

The Seagull

By Anton Chekhov
In a new version by Torben Betts
Directed by Matthew Dunster
19 June – 11 July 2015
Press night: 24 June (7.45pm)
Performances: Mon – Sat (7.45pm); matinees Thurs & Sat (2.15pm)

Tickets

The Seagull
£25 – £48.50
(Premium Seats £60, including best seat, programme and glass of wine)

 

 

Star of the show, Lorna Luft to undergo major surgery for breast cancer

The highly-acclaimed UK Tour of Judy – The Songbook of Judy Garland will end earlier than scheduled, in Brighton on July 11, due to the star of the show, Lorna Luft’s imminent treatment for breast cancer.

Lorna was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and finished her last treatment of chemotherapy in 2013. She has been clear for the last two years. Sadly, it has now returned.

Lorna has now been advised by her medical team that she requires further treatment and extensive surgery. Consequently, Lorna will be returning to her home in the USA to undergo the necessary medical procedures.

Producer David King, of Spirit Productions who brought Lorna to the U.K. for the tour said today; “I am shocked and saddened by this news. Lorna is an incredible performer, and she lights up the stage at every performance. We wish her a full recovery from her surgery and hope and pray that her breast cancer will be gone forever.”

This means the Darlington Civic Theatre leg of the tour, Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 July, will no longer take place.

Anyone who has booked tickets for Judy – The Songbook of Judy Garland at Darlington Civic

Theatre will be offered a ticket swap for the production of Puttin’ On The Ritz which runs from Sunday

11 to Tuesday 13 October. Puttin’ On The Ritz is currently touring the UK and will star Strictly Come Dancing favourites Anya Garnis and Robin Windsor when it comes to Darlington. For every ticket swap, Puttin on the Ritz will pledge £5 to a major Breast Cancer Charity.

Everyone who has booked tickets for Judy – The Songbook of Judy Garland will be contacted personally by Darlington Civic Theatre with full details of how to arrange a ticket swap or alternatively receive a full refund.