Destiny's Child star Michelle Williams will star as Roxie Hart in the West Ends Chicago from 13th July.
X-Factor star Diana Vickers will star in West End version of Jim Cartwright's THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE.
It is being confirmed that Sierra Bodgess (Ariel from the Little Mermaid) and Ramin Karimloo (London's current West End Phantom) will star as Christine and The Phantom in Love Never Dies, the sequel to the longest running show in Broadway history.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Thriller - Live! Launches Worldwide tour
Following the death of global icon Michael Jackson, the West End show which is based on his life will start on a 12-month worldwide tour starting in Munich, Germany. Additional dates have been confirmed for Barcelona, Cologne, Zurich, Vienna and Frankfurt, among others. The show will then extensively tour America for the next 12 months.
Thriller - Live will continue its record-breaking West End run. Recently a further 100,000 tickets went on sale as the West End production extended its run to Sunday January 3, 2010 - the first anniversary of its opening in the West End.
Thriller - Live will continue its record-breaking West End run. Recently a further 100,000 tickets went on sale as the West End production extended its run to Sunday January 3, 2010 - the first anniversary of its opening in the West End.
Jackson and Craig to star in Broadway play together!
Actors Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman are to star together on Broadway in a play about two Chicago policeman, it has been announced.
The Wolverine star and James Bond actor will appear in A Steady Rain, which recounts the story of a few days that changed the policemens' lives.
Jackman, 40, has appeared on the New York stage before, but Craig, 41, will be making his Broadway debut.
Previews begin on 10 September at the Schoenfeld Theatre.
Jackman won a Tony for his role in the Broadway musical The Boy From Oz in 2004. Craig has previously appeared on stage in London.
It is expected that the show will run for 12 weeks.
The Wolverine star and James Bond actor will appear in A Steady Rain, which recounts the story of a few days that changed the policemens' lives.
Jackman, 40, has appeared on the New York stage before, but Craig, 41, will be making his Broadway debut.
Previews begin on 10 September at the Schoenfeld Theatre.
Jackman won a Tony for his role in the Broadway musical The Boy From Oz in 2004. Craig has previously appeared on stage in London.
It is expected that the show will run for 12 weeks.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Broadway Grosses - Week Ending 21/06/09
The tourist season has well and truely begun! Broadway theatres were at 87% capacity this past week, the highest they have been in quite a long time! Indeed, 8 shows were sold out for the full week! Only 3 shows seen a decline in bums on seats - Mary Stewart (-4.2%), In the Heights (-2.9%) and 9 to 5 (-6.1%). The family shows are also doing much better with The Little Mermaid playing to 92% capacity this week, and Shrek the Musical taking nearly $1 million for the week. The highest grossing show on Broadway is Wicked, unsuprisingly. The show which has the highest average ticket yield, at $125 per ticket is Billy Elliott the Musical.
To see a full list of Broadway grosses from this week, click here.
To see a full list of Broadway grosses from this week, click here.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
West End Live!
Just a reminder to those of you who are planning to head to London this weekend! West End Live will be taking place in Leicester Square! It is a free event where the casts of hit shows such as Wicked, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia! and so many more put on a free showcase to showcase what is on in the West End at the minute. It's a free event so if you can get down there then it's def worth a look! I'm not going myself but hope to put videos and pics online within the next week! x
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
High School Musical @ The Liverpool Empire
You’d have had to be living under a rock for the past few years to not have heard of High School Musical – a brand which has spawned 3 hit films, a concert tour, an ice production and now a stage show.
Based on a Disney Channel original move of the same name, High School Musical’s story is a simple one. Basketball jock Troy Bolton meets Maths club geek Gabriella Montez and both discover that they have a mutual love of singing. Not cool for the kids of East High, who’s school rules means that students shouldn’t leave the security of their cliques. They eventually break free and win the leading roles in the schools talent show, making an enemy along the way in the form of drama queen Sharpay Evans.
After a small technical delay, the show started well enough, but seemed to lack some of the charisma of the film. The dialogue is weak and lost the attention of some of the younger children in the audience. It is further devalued when a lot of on stage distractions occur. One such example is a boy who is pretending to be an earthworm travelling across the stage. Whilst incredibly funny, it is impossible to pay attention to him and to the dialogue taking place. For the majority of the children the worm took preference.
The final twenty minutes of the second act show why High School Musical is such a phenomenon, and is where the show really finds its feet. The singing, the dancing and the energy dispel any memories from earlier parts of the show and the audience ate it up. This was what they came for and boy do they enjoy it! Particular highlights included “We’re all in this Together” and “Breaking Free”, both of which had the audience cheering and singing along.
The leads in Ashley Day as Troy and Claire-Marie Hall as Gabrielle are excellent, and credit must be given to them for remaining in character and not being distracted by a very enthusiastic audience. The rest of the cast were also very good, playing students from different peer groups very well. The high-octane choreography was outstanding, and everyone worked well with it.
The set is exceptional for a touring production – slick in its design and exuberant in colour. Set pieces move swiftly across the stage meaning that scene changes can occur in a matter of seconds – very important when being watched by over 1000 young children.
Whilst this show isn’t ground breaking in any way (think Grease without the filth), it does what it sets out to do very well. It has a good message that everyone doesn’t have to conform to succeed, it has an excellent cast and it has catchy songs which you’ll be humming for a good few hours after the show.
For many children across the region, this will be their first theatrical experience, and if they enjoyed it as much as they seemed to, then the future of the theatre is in very safe hands indeed.
Based on a Disney Channel original move of the same name, High School Musical’s story is a simple one. Basketball jock Troy Bolton meets Maths club geek Gabriella Montez and both discover that they have a mutual love of singing. Not cool for the kids of East High, who’s school rules means that students shouldn’t leave the security of their cliques. They eventually break free and win the leading roles in the schools talent show, making an enemy along the way in the form of drama queen Sharpay Evans.
After a small technical delay, the show started well enough, but seemed to lack some of the charisma of the film. The dialogue is weak and lost the attention of some of the younger children in the audience. It is further devalued when a lot of on stage distractions occur. One such example is a boy who is pretending to be an earthworm travelling across the stage. Whilst incredibly funny, it is impossible to pay attention to him and to the dialogue taking place. For the majority of the children the worm took preference.
The final twenty minutes of the second act show why High School Musical is such a phenomenon, and is where the show really finds its feet. The singing, the dancing and the energy dispel any memories from earlier parts of the show and the audience ate it up. This was what they came for and boy do they enjoy it! Particular highlights included “We’re all in this Together” and “Breaking Free”, both of which had the audience cheering and singing along.
The leads in Ashley Day as Troy and Claire-Marie Hall as Gabrielle are excellent, and credit must be given to them for remaining in character and not being distracted by a very enthusiastic audience. The rest of the cast were also very good, playing students from different peer groups very well. The high-octane choreography was outstanding, and everyone worked well with it.
The set is exceptional for a touring production – slick in its design and exuberant in colour. Set pieces move swiftly across the stage meaning that scene changes can occur in a matter of seconds – very important when being watched by over 1000 young children.
Whilst this show isn’t ground breaking in any way (think Grease without the filth), it does what it sets out to do very well. It has a good message that everyone doesn’t have to conform to succeed, it has an excellent cast and it has catchy songs which you’ll be humming for a good few hours after the show.
For many children across the region, this will be their first theatrical experience, and if they enjoyed it as much as they seemed to, then the future of the theatre is in very safe hands indeed.
7/10
High School Musical is at the Liverpool Empire until Saturday 13th June 2009
Broadway Grosses - Week Ending 7/06/09
The last week has been quite steady on Broadway in terms of the money generated ($19.7 million compared to last weeks $19.6 million) and in terms of the number of people going to see a show (78.9% of seats filled compared to last weeks 78.75% of seats filled. Some shows did much better than others however. August: Osage County has finally filled more than 50% of its seats for a full week! My friends visiting New York couldn't save Avenue Q from seeing a 5.9% drop in ticket sales. Joe Turners Come and Gone seen the biggest increase amongst any show - up 21.3%. Shrek the Musical seen an increase of 12.3%, at the expense of The Little Mermaid (-13.5%) and Mary Poppins (-8.1%). Most shows did remain quite steady.
For a full list of the Broadway Grosses this past week click here
For a full list of the Broadway Grosses this past week click here
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