London Theatre Breaks

West End Theatre Stars in Official Love146 Flash Mob - Can you see me?

2011-05-20T05:23:00.001-07:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

Can you see Rachel Tucker and other London West End theatre stars in the flashmob?

Article: Chicago closes at London's Cambridge Theatre 27 Aug 2011

2011-05-20T04:20:00.001-07:00

Chicago closes at London's Cambridge Theatre 27 Aug 2011
http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/news/my11/chicago20116066.htm

Chicago, will close at the Cambridge Theatre on 27 Aug 2011, to make way for the RSC production of Matilda The Musical.
The show may transfer to another West End venue: A press statement says, “We are hopeful that Chicago’s record breaking 14-year run in the West End will continue.”

(via Instapaper)

If Chicago does find another London West End theatre then it will be a good opportunity to give the show a well overdue makeover.

Andy Roberts

http://distributedresearch.net/blog

Line up at this year’s West End LIVE

2011-05-20T02:38:00.001-07:00

Here's some of the line up for this year's West End Live which is at Trafalgar Square instead of Leicester Square this time. I'm pretty certain new musicals Ghost the musical and Rock of Aages will be there too.

Line up at this year’s West End LIVE
http://blog.musicaltheatrenews.com/2011/05/line-up-at-this-years-west-end-live.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fwckr+%28Musical+Theatre+News%29

The full line up of shows taking part includes Crazy For You, The Lion King, The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde The Musical, Love Never Dies, Mamma Mia!, Million Dollar Quartet, Potted Potter, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, ZooNation’s Some Like It Hip Hop, Stomp, Thriller Live and War Horse.

(via Instapaper)

Andy Roberts

http://distributedresearch.net/blog

Cheap Theatre Tickets

2011-03-31T09:13:00.001-07:00

Cheap Theatre Tickets

Chicago - April Show of the Month!

This bittersweet tale of murder, corruption and greed! Aspiring actress Roxie Hart won’t let anything get in the way of her career, even a little matter like murder! After a celebrity lawyer agrees to take on her case, Roxie prepares to razzle-dazzle in the courtroom.

Book now to see Chicago and sit in a Top Price for only £30.75

Valid on Mon- Fri performances, until 30/04/2011 exlcuding 22 - 29/04/11

Legally Blonde

The award winning show, based on the 2001 hit film, currently stars Denise Van Outen and teaches the audience the all important Bend & Snap! Catchy, fun and full of colour.

Book now to the criminally fun Legally Blonde this month in a Top Price seat for only £42.50 & Upper Circle seats for £20.25

Valid on Mon- Thu performances, until 23/10/11

The Lion King - Free Meal Offer!

Disney's The Lion King brings Africa to London, with some of the best costumes, sets and music in the West End.

Book now to see The Lion King and benefit from paying NO BOOKING FEE and have the option to add a FREE MEAL at Sophie's Steakhouse, opposite the theatre.

Theatre Royal Haymarket Theatre Breaks in London

2011-03-31T04:06:00.001-07:00

Theatre Royal Haymarket Theatre Breaks in London, a photo by AndyRob on Flickr.

What's on at The Theatre Royal Haymarket this month? Well I'll go and look up the theatre breaks wiki at www.theatrebreaks.co/wiki

http://www.theatrebreaks.co/wiki/Haymarket_Theatre

tells me the current show is Flare Path

http://www.theatrebreaks.co/wiki/Flare_Path

Love Never Dies New Raoul, Christine and Meg

2011-02-18T01:24:00.001-08:00

From the 5th March 2011, Love Never Dies gets a new Raoul in the form of David Thaxton taking over the role from Joseph Millsom.

David Thaxton

Sierra Boggess is also leaving the cast, to head for Broadway where the former Christine will star in Master Class with Tyne Daly.

The role of Christine in Love Never Dies will be taken over by the current Christine’s understudy, Celia Graham.

Other changes are that Celia Graham (who is currently Christine’s understudy) will take over the role from Sierra Boggess who is heading to Broadway to star in Master Class with Tyne Daly.

Ramin Karimloo stays on as The Phantom extending his contract for an undsiclosed period, but he’ll be one of the few Love Never Dies originators since Summer Strallen is also leaving to go on a tour of Top Hat the Musical with Tom Chambers.

Haley Flaherty (Rocky Horror Show, Mamma Mia, Follies, Grease, Chicago, Saturday Night Fever) is taking over as the new Meg Giry.
Tags: Broadway, Celia Graham, Christine, David Thaxton, Haley Flaherty, Joseph Millsom, Love Never Dies, Meg Giry, phantom, Ramin, Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Summer Strallen, Tom Chambers, understudy

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Love Never Dies, Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

via loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Love Never Dies New Raoul, Christine and Meg

2011-02-18T01:23:00.001-08:00

From the 5th March 2011, Love Never Dies gets a new Raoul in the form of David Thaxton taking over the role from Joseph Millsom.

David Thaxton

Sierra Boggess is also leaving the cast, to head for Broadway where the former Christine will star in Master Class with Tyne Daly.

The role of Christine in Love Never Dies will be taken over by the current Christine’s understudy, Celia Graham.

Other changes are that Celia Graham (who is currently Christine’s understudy) will take over the role from Sierra Boggess who is heading to Broadway to star in Master Class with Tyne Daly.

Ramin Karimloo stays on as The Phantom extending his contract for an undsiclosed period, but he’ll be one of the few Love Never Dies originators since Summer Strallen is also leaving to go on a tour of Top Hat the Musical with Tom Chambers.

Haley Flaherty (Rocky Horror Show, Mamma Mia, Follies, Grease, Chicago, Saturday Night Fever) is taking over as the new Meg Giry.
Tags: Broadway, Celia Graham, Christine, David Thaxton, Haley Flaherty, Joseph Millsom, Love Never Dies, Meg Giry, phantom, Ramin, Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Summer Strallen, Tom Chambers, understudy

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Love Never Dies, Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

via loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Priscilla Queen of the desert

2011-02-17T08:28:00.001-08:00

Priscilla Queen of the desert
Originally uploaded by AndyRob

Priscilla Queen of the desert is still playing at the Palace theatre in London

Priscilla

Priscilla Queen of the Desert arrived in London in March 2009 after being a huge hit in Melbourne, Australia. More than just a musical performance, an evening at the theatre with Priscilla is an all round experience never to be forgotten.

*
o Book Priscilla Queen of the Desert Theatre breaks **

Booking right through until at least January 7th 2012

Read more: http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/category/priscilla
[edit] Priscilla Casting News

Ray Meagher, the Australian actor best known for playing Alf Stewart in long-running soap opera Home And Away, is swapping Summer Bay for the West End this autumn as he joins the cast of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical from 30 September.

Home and Away’s Alf Stewart, aka Australian actor Ray Meagher, has joined the London cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert this week at the Palace Theatre.

Ray plays ocker mechanic Bob who falls for Bernadette, one of the three Sydney drag queens who go bush across Australia in the fun show based on the hit movie.

Ray has already played the role of Bob in the Sydney run of the show, and will play London for a strictly limited time.

Other cast in the long-running show include The Bill’s Ben Richards as Tick, Oliver Thornton as Adam and Don Gallagher as Berndaette.

Read more: http://theatrebreaks.co/wiki/Priscilla_Queen_of_the_Desert#ixzz1EEacgXnS

Betty Blue Eyes

2011-02-13T12:13:00.001-08:00

Betty Blue Eyes

Posted by admin on 13/2/11 • Categorized as Betty Blue Eyes

Betty Blue Eyes

Betty Blues Eyes is based on Alan Bennett’s screenplay A Private Function.

Previews start at the Novello Theatre on 19th March 2011 and the show opens on 14th April. It is currently booking until 22nd October 2011.

The cast is led by Reece Shearsmith playing the hen-pecked chiropodist Gilbert Chilvers and Sarah Lancashire as his wife. Ann Emery who played Billy’s gran in the musical Billy Elliott is playing Mother Dear with David Bamber (Swaby), Jack Edwards (Allardyce), Mark Meadows (Lockwood) and Adrian Scarborough (Wormold).

They will be joined by cast members Ian Conningham, Claire Machin, Kirsty Hoiles, Annalisa Rossi, Rachael Archer, Laura Medforth, Andy Mace, Gemma Wardle, James Barron, Dan Burton, Neil Ditt, Chris Howell, Hollie Taylor, Howard Jones, Holly Dale Spencer, Veronica Hay and Rebecca Louis.

Written by Alan Bennett, adapted by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, with a score by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

The company also includes David Bamber as Swaby, Jack Edwards as Allardyce, Ann Emery as Mother Dear, Mark Meadows as Lockwood and Adrian Scarborough as Wormold, directed by Richard Eyre.

Tagged as: Adrian Scarborough, Alan Bennett, Alan Bennettâ, Andy Mace, Ann Emery, Annalisa Rossi, Anthony Drewe, Betty Blue, Betty Blues, Chris Howell, Claire Machin, Dan Burton, Daniel Lipman, David Bamber, Gemma Wardle, George Stiles, Gilbert Chilvers, Hollie Taylor, Holly Dale Spencer, Howard Jones, Ian Conningham, Jack Edwards, James Barron, Kirsty Hoiles, Laura Medforth, Mark Meadows, Neil Ditt, novello theatre, Private Function, Rachael Archer, Rebecca Louis, Reece Shearsmith, Richard Eyre, Ron Cowen, Sarah Lancashire, Veronica Hay

via usefulwiki.com

Les Misreables

2011-02-09T05:25:00.001-08:00

If you missed the first broadcast of the special concert marking the 25th anniversary tour of Les Miserables, then you can hear it this Friday (11th February) on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night at 20:00.

Performers include John Owen-Jones, Gareth Gates and Jacinta Whyte who are accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Mike Dixon.

Australia Love Never Dies Cast

2011-02-02T05:16:00.001-08:00

After a great opening in London, an acclaimed first year and a partial redesign and rewrite, Love Never Dies takes its first step away from the Adelphi Theatre soon as the Australian production opens in Melbourne in June 2011.

Love Never Dies Australian Cast

Love Never Dies Australia Cast

The Australian Christine is to be played by a previous Christine from The Phantom Of The Opera. Anna O’Byrne has already played the part to great acclaim in an Australian tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Anna is an award-winning classically trained singer, and has performed as Polly Peachum in The Threepenny Opera and appeared in works by Mozart, Puccini and Ibert for The Victorian Opera, Victorian College of the Arts and Victorian Youth Opera.

The Phantom in the new Australian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies is being played by Ben Lewis.

Ben’s previous stage credits include the original Australian cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical, Sir Galahad in the original Australian cast of Monty Python’s Spamalot, two-seasons as Count Carl-Magnus in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Urinetown with Sydney Theatre Company and Polites in The Odyssey for Black Swan and the Malthouse.

Performances begin in Melbourne on May 29th 2011 at the Regent Theatre.
Tags: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Anna O'Byrne, Australia, Ben Lewis, Christine, Love Never Dies, Melbourne, musical, Phantom of the Opera, the phantom of the opera

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 at 5:30 am and is filed under Love Never Dies, Phantom of the Opera. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

via loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Australia Love Never Dies Cast

2011-02-02T05:14:00.001-08:00

After a great opening in London, an acclaimed first year and a partial redesign and rewrite, Love Never Dies takes its first step away from the Adelphi Theatre soon as the Australian production opens in Melbourne in June 2011.

Love Never Dies Australian Cast

Love Never Dies Australia Cast

The Australian Christine is to be played by a previous Christine from The Phantom Of The Opera. Anna O’Byrne has already played the part to great acclaim in an Australian tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Anna is an award-winning classically trained singer, and has performed as Polly Peachum in The Threepenny Opera and appeared in works by Mozart, Puccini and Ibert for The Victorian Opera, Victorian College of the Arts and Victorian Youth Opera.

The Phantom in the new Australian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies is being played by Ben Lewis.

Ben’s previous stage credits include the original Australian cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical, Sir Galahad in the original Australian cast of Monty Python’s Spamalot, two-seasons as Count Carl-Magnus in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Urinetown with Sydney Theatre Company and Polites in The Odyssey for Black Swan and the Malthouse.

Performances begin in Melbourne on May 29th 2011 at the Regent Theatre.
Tags: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Anna O'Byrne, Australia, Ben Lewis, Christine, Love Never Dies, Melbourne, musical, Phantom of the Opera, the phantom of the opera

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 at 5:30 am and is filed under Love Never Dies, Phantom of the Opera. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

via loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Andrew talks The Wizard of Oz

2011-01-31T02:42:00.001-08:00

via wizardofozlondon.co.uk

Theatre Breaks to see Wicked

2010-12-02T00:25:00.001-08:00

Theatre Breaks

Wicked Theatre Breaks after February 2011

December 1, 2010 at 3:10 PM

Good news for Rachel Tuckers fans, if you want to book theatre breaks to see Wicked after February 7th 2011, Rachel Tucker will still be Elphaba.

The London production of Wicked is pleased to announce its entire new company to begin performances on Feb. 7:

The new cast will star Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond), Zoë Rainey (Nessarose), Ben Stott (Boq), Nikki Davis- Jones (Standby Elphaba), Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda), Gemma Atkins, Alex Louize Bird, Andrew Bryant, Gareth Chart, Joe Colasanti, Nicholas Collier, Aileen Donohoe, Emma Green, Antony Hansen, Jacqueline Hughes, Daniel Jones, Jasmine Kerr, Sophie Linder-Lee, Saori Oda, Sean Parkins, Soeli Parry, Michelle Pentecost, Paul Saunders, Charlotte Scott, Niall Sheehy, Tommy Sherlock, Thomas Sutcliffe, Sam Taylor, Jennifer Tierney, Hannah Toy and Matt Turner.

Love Story London Theatre Breaks

2010-11-07T06:07:00.001-08:00

Love Story

Posted by Linda on 06/11/10 • Categorized as Love Story

Love Story, the new musical based on the iconic 1970 film and book, opens at the Duchess Theatre in the West End after a sell-out season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Originally booked for only 10 weeks the show has already extended and is now booking previews from 27 November 2010 through to April 30th 2011.
Love story is a romantic, heart warming and heart rending story of love and loss. It certainly captured Michael Ball’s heart as he is co-producing this ‘chamber musical’. He says:

I saw Love Story in Chichester and immediately fell in love with this enchanting new British musical. The production is inspired by Erich Segal’s best-selling iconic novel, also one of the most romantic films of all time and is scored by the Emmy and BAFTA award winning composer Howard Goodall. This combined with the moving and witty lyrics by Stephen Clark and a fabulous cast add up to a wonderful evening at the theatre that is a bittersweet celebration of love and life. I’m so thrilled to be part of the team that is bringing you this critically acclaimed production. See you at the Duchess Theatre soon.

The production has music by Howard Goodall (The Hired Man, Days of Hope, Two Cities), a book by Stephen Clark and lyrics by Goodall and Clark. The 90-minute piece is a co-production with Chichester Festival, where it premiered in June to critical and audience acclaim.
You can get a taste of the show from this behind the scenes video:

Will it extend again and can it be even more successful than the last Chichester transfer Spring Awakening? I’m not sure but I think it has a good chance. Wouldn’t it be great, though to see new money and talent backing a really original musical? Rather than yet another film adaptation. What do you think?

Tagged as: chichester festival theatre, duchess theatre, erich segal, howard goodall, love story, romantic films, west End

Love Story

2010-11-06T17:03:00.001-07:00

Love Story

Posted by Linda on 06/11/10 • Categorized as Love Story

Love Story, the new musical based on the iconic 1970 film and book, opens at the Duchess Theatre in the West End after a sell-out season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Originally booked for only 10 weeks the show has already extended and is now booking previews from 27 November 2010 through to April 30th 2011.
Love story is a romantic, heart warming and heart rending story of love and loss. It certainly captured Michael Ball’s heart as he is co-producing this ‘chamber musical’. He says:

I saw Love Story in Chichester and immediately fell in love with this enchanting new British musical. The production is inspired by Erich Segal’s best-selling iconic novel, also one of the most romantic films of all time and is scored by the Emmy and BAFTA award winning composer Howard Goodall. This combined with the moving and witty lyrics by Stephen Clark and a fabulous cast add up to a wonderful evening at the theatre that is a bittersweet celebration of love and life. I’m so thrilled to be part of the team that is bringing you this critically acclaimed production. See you at the Duchess Theatre soon.

The production has music by Howard Goodall (The Hired Man, Days of Hope, Two Cities), a book by Stephen Clark and lyrics by Goodall and Clark. The 90-minute piece is a co-production with Chichester Festival, where it premiered in June to critical and audience acclaim.
You can get a taste of the show from this behind the scenes video:

Will it extend again and can it be even more successful than the last Chichester transfer Spring Awakening? I’m not sure but I think it has a good chance. Wouldn’t it be great, though to see new money and talent backing a really original musical? Rather than yet another film adaptation. What do you think?

Tagged as: chichester festival theatre, duchess theatre, erich segal, howard goodall, love story, romantic films, west End

via usefulwiki.com

We Will Rock You Tickets

2010-10-23T04:00:00.001-07:00

somenthing cool
Originally uploaded by Shining_Diamonds

We Will Rock You Tickets

We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre in London

Time capsule October 8th-22nd 2009

2010-10-15T02:01:00.001-07:00

October 8^th to October 22^nd, 2009
A selection of your my interesting photos from one year ago.

Stanley Holloway Blue Plaque Albany Road E12

Taken October 14, 2009 at 11:05 am

Stage Door Theatre Breaks in London

Taken October 16, 2009 at 12:45 pm

Prick Up Your Ears Theatre Breaks in London

Taken October 16, 2009 at 12:39 pm

Breakfast At Tiffany's Theatre Breaks in London

Taken October 16, 2009 at 12:41 pm

Phantom Of The Opera Theatre Breaks in London

Taken October 16, 2009 at 12:43 pm

Musical Theatre News: Love Never Dies Australian premiere in Melbourne in May 2011

2010-10-12T09:25:00.001-07:00

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies will have its Australian premiere in Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in May 2011.
Lloyd Webber said the Australian production will have its own unique stamp, produced by his Asia Pacific representative Tim McFarlane and directed by Melbourne’s Simon Phillips with a new design by Sydney based Gabriela Tylesova.
Nationwide auditions will begin on Monday October 25th - the same day tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster.
Ramin Karimloo who is playing the Phantom in Love Never Dies at London's Adelphi Theatre recently announced that he will be leaving the show next year (no date yet fixed) to join the show when it opens in Toronto which is meant to be the pre-Broadway stop over. Maybe he'll now be heading for Melbourne?

via wwwmusicaltheatrenews.blogspot.com

Part speculation, but I doubt if Ramin Karimloo is doing the Autralian opening so soon before being committed to the Toronto production of Love Never Dies

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Ramin Karimloo Pictures from Love Never Dies

2010-10-12T02:41:00.001-07:00

Love Never Dies is an excellent choice for London Theatre Breaks

via loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Love Never Dies Tickets Competition!

2010-10-08T06:24:00.001-07:00

We have some free tickets for Love Never Dies to give to you as a prize!

Are you free on Saturday night, 9th October? If so you can enter the competition here on the Love Never Dies blog and stand a very good chance of winning a pair of top price tickets for the Saturday Night performance at the Adelphi Theatre on London, with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess – I’ve seen it and it’s by far the best show in London for the present, with beautiful music, spectacle, and set design. You’ll love it whether you’ve already seen Phantom of The Opera or not, makes no difference.

The top price tickets to this hugely popular musical theatre show have been kindly provided by TheatreBreaks.com

To enter the competition all you have to do is leave a comment here on this blog, saying why you’d like to see Love Never Dies on Saturday. You can post it either on this competition post below, or anywhere else on the blog within the next 23 hours starting from now, Friday 8th October at midday.

At 11.00am on Saturday, tomorrow, the day of the show, the winner will be chosen, notified by email by Saturday afternoon and two Love Never Dies tickets will be arranged to be collected from the box office with the lucky winners’ names on them!

Leave a Comment

via loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Love Never Dies Tickets Competition

2010-10-08T06:23:00.001-07:00

If you are very quick and can make it to London’s West End for Saturday 9th October 2010 you could very well win two free tickets to see Love Never Dies at the Adelphi.

There’s a quick fire competition over on the Love Never Dies blog to win two top price tickets and all you have to do is leave a comment.

Love Never Dies continues the story of the Phantom of The Opera with Raoul, Christine and the Phantom ten years later set in Coney Island, New York around 1910. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s big musical has been running in London since February 2010 and is due to open in Australia and Toronto soon, then eventually Broadway, New York.

Easily one of the best big musicals in London, Love Never Dies is a feast for eyes and the ears from the start and keeps your interest right the way through with some very clever changes of tone and scene.

To win two tickets urgently, you’ll need to go over to the Love Never Dies blog right away and leave a comment saying why you’d like to see the show on Saturday.

Here’s the link again:

http://loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Good luck!

via usefulwiki.com

London Theatre Breaks

2010-10-05T05:52:00.001-07:00

London Theatre Breaks

The current Musicals for theatre breaks in London

We have collated some useful facts, tips and information about London theatre breaks, starting with the most popular current West End musicals:

Avenue Q	Billy Elliot	Blood Brothers	Chicago
Dirty Dancing	Dreamboats And Petticoats	Flashdance	Grease
The Jersey Boys	Love Never Dies	Legally Blonde	Les Miserables
The Lion King	Mamma Mia	Oliver	Phantom of the Opera
Priscilla Queen of the Desert	Sister Act	Stomp	Sweet Charity
Thriller Live	We Will Rock You	Wicked

And these are the biggest current plays for London Theatre breaks

The 39 Steps	Birdsong	The Country Girl	Deathtrap
Ghost Stories	The Mousetrap	Onassis
War Horse	When We Are Married	Yes Prime Minister

Posted via email from London Theatre Breaks

Cabaret Season at Lauderdale House

2010-10-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Lauderdale House on Highgate Hill is launching the 20th season of London's longest running West End style cabaret season.

The shows are all on a Sunday at 4.30 pm and run from 10th October to 5th December:

10th October: Jon-Paul Hevey (Les Miserables, Blood Brothers, Marguerite). Supported by Emma Lumsden

17th October: Rosalie Craig (Aspects Of Love, The Lord Of The Rings). Supported by Damian Robinson

24th October: Hadley Fraser (Les Miserables, The Far Pavilions, The Fantasticks). Supported by Ashleigh Jones

7th November: Margaret Preece (The Sound of Music, The Phantom of the Opera: La Carlotta on stage and over-dubbing for Minnie Driver in the film). Supported by Alex Wadham

14th November: Tiffany Graves (Sweet Charity, Chicago, Shout, Cats, Follies). Supported by Reed Sinclair

2ist November: Alex Gaumond (Legally Blonde, Desperately Seeking Susan, Sunday In The Park With George). Supported by Hayley Emma Otway

5th December: Christmas Cabaret Ding Dong - Christmas afternoon of topical songs, mince pies, mulled wine and fun.

Tickets at: www.lauderdalehouse.co.uk

Stunning Love Never Dies Photos

2010-10-03T03:26:00.001-07:00

These really are high quality pictures close up of the Love Never Dies cast on the stage at the Adelphi, I think and with a creative commons license too.

via loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

taken by Estefania y Arantxa Álvarez:

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Friday Theatre Breaks and Plays

2010-10-03T02:05:00.001-07:00

Two special notices for London Theatre Breaks, with news of a particularly good opportunity for London Theatre Breaks at Weekends and a roundup of some promising plays in the West End.

Theatre Breaks

Friday Night Theatre Breaks Offer

October 2, 2010 at 5:01 PM

After another cold and dreary Friday night with nothing on the telly I couldn’t help but think wouldn’t it be lovely to be off to see a show in London instead?
Well, Show and Stay think so too. They’ve got a really good new offer, just for Friday nights. They are calling it their Friday Night Club. You can choose from some of the most popular musicals in London and get a 3* hotel room as well for just £69 per person! Wow!

Shows in the offer:

There are a limited selection of shows in the offer but there’s bound to be something here that you might enjoy. It includes a last chance to see Oliver! the perfect show for this time of year, so that would probably be my pick of the bunch either that or join in the celebrations for Les Miz’s 25th anniversay.

We Will Rock You

Billy Elliot

Blood Brothers

Chicago

Dreamboats and Petticoats

Phantom of the Opera

Les Miserables

Oliver!

Wicked

Hotels

Some of the hotels are a bit further out than you might think of being ideal for theatre breaks. This can be a good thing though if you are going by car. They are outside the congestion charge and won’t charge exorbitant parking fees. Use public transport to get you into and out of central London and leave the car safely at the hotel.
If you are going by train then for an extra £10 per person you can upgrade to something 4* and be nearer the theatres.

Things to do on the Saturday

Friday night shows are a great idea at this time of year as you can spend Saturday morning doing a bit of shopping in town. The London shops are full of lovely clothes for the new season so why not indulge yourself?
Maybe even pop down to Hamleys and get ahead with the present buying!
Attractions like The London Eye are much quieter now than they were in the summer and you can usually add them on to your theatre break when you book.

Selling Fast

I think it is a great offer and these special prices mean that these breaks will sell quite fast. If you want one check now if your choice is available. The offer has only just become available so you have a really good chance of getting a bargain!
Here’s the link again so you can check your choice of show and dates:

Autum Theatre Breaks to see Plays

September 25, 2010 at 4:20 PM

Top Plays for Theatre breaks

There are some excellent plays coming to the London stage in the next few weeks, well worth planning theatre breaks to see. Here are just some of those that look particularly good.

Blood and Gifts – National Theatre
” a hideously topical docudrama about the origins from 1981-91 of the present war in Afghanistan.” – full of insights into what is happening now in that troubled place this should be fascinating.
Passion – Donmar
Stephen Sondheim’s rather gothic story based on an Italian film has fewer songs than you might expect and a rather magnificent male chorus. Argentine actress Elena Roger is highly praised.
Krapp’s Last Tape – The Duchess Theatre.
Gambon and Beckett. Not much more to say except perhaps don’t forget to turn off your mobile!
Tribes – Royal Court,
Nina Raine’s new play revolves around Billy, who is profoundly deaf and his family. “a fascinating dissection of belonging, family and the limitations of communication”
Hamlet- The Olivier,
Rory Kinnear is directed by Nicholas Hytner. Should be well worth seeing what Kinnear makes of the morose Dane.
Yes, Prime Minister – The Gielgud
They are all there and yet not quite as we remember them in this up dated production, transferred from the Chichester Festival.
Birdsong – The Comedy Theatre
Sebastian Faulk’s 1993 World War I best-selling novel is in safe hands here adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and directed by Trevor Nunn
The Donmar takes over Trafalgar Studios, beginning with a play about devastation in New Orleans, “Lower Ninth,” continuing with the story of a jazz great, “Novecento” and then Cocteau’s “Les Parents Terribles”
“Onassis: The Play” by Martin Sherman, starring Robert Lindsay as the naughty Greek millionaire.

Carrie Sutton cast in The Wizard of Oz

2010-10-01T08:16:00.001-07:00

Actress Carrie Sutton has been cast in The Wizard of Oz with a contract up until early 2012 according to The Scunthorpe Telegraph .

“I’m looking forward to working with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the first time and Michael Crawford who is playing the wizard. The London Palladium feels like my second home. The Wizard of Oz will be my third performance here and I have a contract until early 2012.”

Carrie Sutton is currently in Sister Act and has been working with Sheila Hancock and Whoopi Goldberg at The London Palladium, the exact same theatre where The Wizard of Oz will open in 2011. She has also been in Cabaret, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Imagine This.

Carrie has done a lot of chorus work and understudying lead roles so far in her career but what will be her role in The Wizard of Oz? If Hannah Waddigham is confirmed as the WIcked Witch then would probably leave Carrie the role of Glinda, the Good Witch.

Carrie Sutton is in Sister Act at the London Palladium

Share and Enjoy:

via wizardofozlondon.co.uk

The Hackney Empire - London.

2010-09-28T02:05:00.001-07:00

via flickr.com

Picture by Jim Linwood in the London Theatre Breaks pool

London Theatre Breaks What's On West End

2010-09-26T04:54:00.001-07:00

Included here on the London Theatre breaks posterous is a hand post from the Usefulwiki theatre blog which lists in a nice clean box the current West End Shows. Only the musicals are listed, and the big west end ones at that so if you are looking for a serious play without music, or a comedy, or a fringe theater musical then you would need to look up one of our other posts such as the one about Theatre Breaks to see Plays on the magazine. After the What's On Now guide, there's a short list of musicals that are coming soon, and that's the exciting pat to watch if you have already seen quite a few London musicals. Ghost is teh one that Linda is keeping an eye on, and it still seems like an age before we get to see Danielle Hope in Dorothy, but coming soon is Love Story which Michael Ball has had a hand in so that could well be worth an autumnal evening in Theatreland.

London Theatre Breaks

What’s On In The West End – Musicals

September 25, 2010 at 12:02 PM

What’s On Now In The West End

We thought it might be useful to provide a quick reference of musicals in alphabetical order to help show what’s on in the West End as we go into the winter season. Starting with just the top musicals for London theatre breaks

Avenue Q	Billy Elliot	Blood Brothers	Chicago
Dirty Dancing	Dreamboats And Petticoats	Flashdance	Grease
The Jersey Boys	Love Never Dies	Legally Blonde	Les Miserables
The Lion King	Mamma Mia	Oliver	Phantom of the Opera
Priscilla Queen of the Desert	Sister Act	Stomp	Sweet Charity
Thriller Live	We Will Rock You	Wicked

Last Chance to see:

Avenue Q finishes on October 30th 2010 then embarks on a UK tour.

Sister Act also finishes on October 30th 2010

Sweet Charity closes on November 6th 2010

Oliver! finishes 8th January 2011

Grease with Lauren Samuels closes on 30 April 2011

What’s on Soon in the West End:

There are lots of short run plays and comedy acts coming up but these are the confirmed musicals in the pipeline:

Love Story A new musical version for the stage produced by Michael Ball, opens Saturday, 27 November 2010

Shrek The Musical Replaces Oliver! at the New London Theatre January 2011

The Wizard of Oz – with Danielle Hope as Dorothy and Michael Crawford as The Wizard opens March 1st 2011

Ghost the Musical a stage adaptation of the sensational film opening in July 2011

Viva Forever A brand new musical story using the songs of the Spice Girls opening in 2012

What's on in the West End

What’s On In The West End – Musicals was originally posted at London Theatre Breaks blog

It's interesting to see which musicals are ending isn't it? Farewell to Oliver then, after what seems like a short run but was in fact at least average for the West End I think. Sweet Charity was great, and it's a shame the Whoopi Goldberg run in Sister Act couldn't have been extended but I suppose they need the theatre to start all the changes to the stage in time for Wizard of Oz. As for Avenue Q, well I don't realy have an opinion worth sharing on that one. Enjoy your London Theatre Breaks!

A Tour of Coney Island

2010-09-24T09:52:00.001-07:00

Coney Island, New York is the setting for Love Never Dies

The Coney Island chapter

We started the tour exactly where the second chapter of The Wonder City begins, and Justin filled us in:

The Coney Island you see now is physically very different from the one our main characters were looking at back then. A lot has changed, whether by the wrecking ball or fire. Coney Island today has been whittled down from America’s playland (think the Disney World of the 19th and early 20th centuries) to its lowest common denominator: a beach and a carnival spirit that still refuses to die.

Justin interlaced the sites, stories, and history of Coney Island with plot details of The Wonder City alongside a packet of charming draft illustrations by Courtney.

September 24 2010 | Comments (View)

via blog.kickstarter.com

Coney Island as it was in the time that Love Never Die is set in. A lot has changed in New York island since then.

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Theatre Breaks in London for 2011

2010-09-24T07:36:00.001-07:00

Two Shows for Theatre Breaks In London 2011

I’m going to suggest two shows that I think will be very popular for theatre breaks in London by the end of 2011. The first has already been mentioned in passing at the end of the previous post about New Season Theatre Breaks in London and that show is The Wizard of Oz. The new musical of The Wizard of Oz just has so many things going for it that it’s hard to see how it can fail. The first thing is the timeless popularity of the film and the book and all of the amateur and professional adaptations of the Wizard of Oz that have been produced over the years. Building on a heritage such as this is unadventurous, sure but it gives the venture a head a shoulders start. The next cunning ploy was to use a TV casting show to gain loads of pre-publicity and to guarantee that you already have a star who the public adores! That star is Danielle Hope and she shone through with a wonderful natural talent in all departments despite being up against a host of really high quality competitors. In fact the Dorothy who came a close second, Sophie Evans is set to play Dorothy as understudy every Tuesday, so it’s two TV selected Dorothy stars for the price of one. Well, it would be for the price of two if you wanted to book theatre breaks in London to see both of them, but you know what I mean. Just being an Andrew Lloyd Webber production is another huge factor in the show’s favour, but this is more than that since it’s the reunion of the formidable music and lyrics team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber no less. Tim Rice is writing the lyrics for about four new songs including one for, wait for it….. Michael Crawford.

Casting Michael Crawford as the Wizard has to be the piece de la resistance but there could well be more. Who will be the Tin Man, Scarecrow or the cowardly Lion?

Ghost London Theatre Breaks

Ghost London Musical

The second show is one you may not have heard of yet, but rest assured you will have done by 2011. It’s Ghost the Musical, an adaptation of Ghost the movie, but with a solid rock music soundtrack supplied by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. Another film to stage adaptation, Ghost London is sure to be a hot ticket in 2011.

Dates for Ghost And Wizard of Oz Theatre Breaks in London

Theatre breaks in London to see The Wizard of Oz can be booked for dates from March 2011 while Ghost will arrive in London for theatre breaks from June 2011 after a run in the Manchester Opera House first.

via theatrebreaksinlondon.co.uk

Two good choices for London Theatre Breaks in 2011 but I just get the feeling one of the outsiders might possibly come in from behind and garner even more interest and theatre breaks sales than these two giants of the musical theatre world.

9/13 Deathtrap London Theatre Breaks

2010-09-13T00:02:00.001-07:00

London Theatre Breaks

Deathtrap

September 12, 2010 at 3:04 PM

Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre

Deathtrap The Play

Yesterday I wrote a glowing review for the revival of Ira Lewin’s comedy thriller Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre. But when I read it back, I thought how unexciting it was compared to the play! So I thought maybe I’d do something a little different. Instead of a written review, here’s a quick audioboo file in which I talk about the play, it’s less than 5 minutes long, and a bit more interesting perhaps?

** book Deathtrap Theatre Breaks **

Deathtrap The Play – wiki

Deathtrap was originally posted at London Theatre Breaks blog

War Horse at the New London Theatre

2010-09-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

Nice review of War Horse at the New London Theatre

War Horse at the New London Theatre

New Season Theatre Breaks In London

2010-09-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

New Season Theatre Breaks In London: "

The first of a new season of plays and musicals for theatre breaks in London opened last night at the Noel Coward theatre in London’s St Martin’s Lane. The play is called “Deathtrap” and it’s a revival of a comedy thriller that was hugely successful on Broadway in the 1970s and 1980s. Later in the autumn there will quite a few new plays being staged in and around London’s West End and there are some remarkable events on the musicals scene as well. For example, you may have heard that Whoopi Goldberg was sadly forced to abandon Sister Act recently due ultimately to a bereavement. Well she’s back for five nights later in October, so if you’ve always fancied seeing Whoopi live on the West End Stage then you could organise theatre breaks in London around those dates. Hang on, I’ll go get them for you … “Goldberg, who left the musical after learning that her mother had fallen ill in the US, will star in five shows between October 22 and October 25 at the London Palladium. After those dates, the theatre will be dark in preparation for The Wizard of Oz.

The Noel Coward Theatre in London

Deathtrap Comedy Thriller!

2010-09-06T02:06:00.001-07:00

Comedy Thriller!
Originally uploaded by jainaj

Another Saturday and another trip to the theatre. This weekend I was off to see Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre. Brilliant play - some good jumps and laughs throughout!

Love Never Dies

2010-09-05T11:29:00.001-07:00

Love Never Dies Musical CD Q & A

Q For all us singers out there, are there any good backing track CDs with all the songs from Love Never Dies we can sing along to? Having seen the fantastic musical theatre show in London I came away just buzzing with al the music and songs and I'd love to be able to add my own vocals with a little bit of guidance.

A With love never dies to re-record the love never dies CD with all the changes and a DVD of the show made with the original cast. it would mean that a lot of work needed to be done again. So I don't think we are likely to see a Love Never Dies the musical original cast CD any time soon.

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Sister Act

2010-09-01T01:02:00.001-07:00

Musical culture
Originally uploaded by jainaj

One of the Flickr group members went to see Sister Act at the London Palladium, hoping to see Whoopi Goldberg as the Mother Superior, however she had to cancel, which was all very sad, but it was still a very good show.

We Will Rock You theatre breaks

2010-08-23T04:23:00.001-07:00

We Will Rock You
Originally uploaded by Hilary_JW

Good time to book We Will Rock You theatre breaks in London for the main show while the touring production is also out and about. We don't know how long exactly the Dominion Theatre in Tottenham Court Road is going to carry on as the home venue for We Will Rock You but it's a big theatre and the Queen rock musical has been playing there for over ten years already. That's a heck of a long run for a West End musical. I like the way different stars come and go but the show goes on forever. For example, we saw Rachel Tucker as Meat and she was great in that role, and according to the forum she was brilliant in We Will Rock You on the nights she got to play Scaramouche as well, and then went on to play Elphaba in Wicked where she's a huge hit. If you see the touring version of WWRY by the way, you get to see Jenny one of the Dorothy contenders from Over The Rainbow. And the best of luck to her too.

We Will Rock You Theatre Breaks

Love Never Dies Reviews

2010-08-20T03:31:00.001-07:00

There are plenty of Love Never Dies reviews out there, and more than a few are tainted by the negativity of the "phans" who just can't let go of their ove for teh original Phantom Of The Opera enough to cope with a sequel. It's a shame, and rather silly in my opinion. One writer recently explained that they nearly passed up an opportunity to see the new production by Andrew Lloyd Webber's continuation of the Phantom of the Opera, called Love Never Dies.

I allowed my cynisicm to get the better of me, thinking that there is no way that you can continue the magic of a classic. How wrong I was.

So luckily this person had an open enough mind to at least see the show, and allow themselves to be captivated by it. But how many others have missed the chance to appreciate Raol, Christine and The Phantom in a new setting?

As it turned out, it has been one of the best productions for a long time. It is so refreshing to hear a new totally new original musical score that isn't a rehashing of something else. Well OK, there are some tunes of Webber's that may have had an outing in one or two of his less popular shows before , but that is the artist's privelidge. And he includes a classic rock opera signature into his musical composition which some may roll their eyes at, but it is something that is uniquely Webber that I adore. He has been credited with bringing Opera to the masses.

Love Never Dies isn't one of the cheapest tickets in London's West End but you can definitely see the money up there on the stage. There are at least 30 cast members, with lots of costumes and special effects to keep you impressed.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Love Never Dies + Phantom Ultimate Package

2010-08-16T05:02:00.001-07:00

See the entire Phantom saga unfold and take in the sights of London with this two day package ideal for theatre-lovers.

via show-and-stay.co.uk

Ultimate Phantom Package

This is a really good package if you've ever dreamed of doing the ultimate - seeing both Love Never Dies AND the Phantom of The Opera in one indulgent London trip.

What's included

* Two nights at the 4-star Copthorne Tara Hotel
* Breakfast buffet
* Tickets for The Phantom of the Opera
* Tickets for Love Never Dies
* Champagne fight on the London Eye
* Dinner at Christopher's Restaurant

See what I mean? Do the whole thing Phantom / Love Never Dies thing in one intense weekend or maybe take it as a midweek break

Ultimate Phantom Package

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Hair the American tribal Love rock musical

2010-04-26T04:34:00.001-07:00

Hair the american tribal rock musical
Originally uploaded by AndyRob

Hair the American tribal Love rock musical

Sweet Charity London Theatre Breaks

2010-04-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

Sweet Charity will previews at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on April 23rd 2010 after a sell out run at the Mernier Chocolate Factory. At the moment the show is booking through to January 2011.
The show has been a big hit with audiences and critics alike. Tamzin Outhwaite’s outstanding performance in the title role has even been remarked on by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Sweet Charity will make a brilliant treat for theatre breaks fans. We follow Charity Hope Valentine as she travels a bumpy path in pursuit of love. Charity is a paradox, a scheming innocent, a dreamer who always gives her heart and her trust to the wrong man. She still travels hopefully and despite all her misadventures, or perhaps because of them, she still captures the audience’s heart along the way.
Sweet Charity has some favourite show stopping musical numbers that you will know the words to including If They Could See Me Now, (Hey) Big Spender! and The Rhythm of Life and some less familiar numbers that deserve to be better known.
The jazz dance style of the show is classic Fosse with those now familiar elements of bowler hatted dancers with lots of shoulder rolls, knees, elbows, and wrists bent at unlikely angles. Expect syncopated rhythms, lots of toe tapping, finger clicking and pelvic thrusts. This is the original that shows like Chicago built their dance style on. And this production really does it justice!

History of the Show

Sweet Charity is based on Federico Fellini’s screenplay for Nights of Cabiria. The show was choreographed and conceived by Bob Fosse, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and book by Neil Simon. The original production directed by Fosse opened on January 29, 1966 on Broadway at the Palace Theatre, and ran for 608 performances. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards the show only won for Fosse’s choreography.
The 1969 film version of Sweet Charity (which I love!) was also directed and choreographed by Fosse. It starred Shirley MacLaine as Charity Hope Valentine and until recently I thought hers was the definitive Charity. Tamzin Outhwaite does a brilliant job of making the part and especially If They Could See Me Now her own.

Sweet Charity Theatre Breaks

Chicago London for Valentines Day Theatre Breaks

2010-01-19T06:49:00.001-08:00

Chicago London for Valentines Day Theatre Breaks

Posted by Linda on 19/1/10 • Categorized as Chicago, Theatre breaks

Ruthie Rocks in Chicago

Want to earn some extra brownie points with your significant other? How about a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend in London with tickets for a great show and a night in a charming hotel? It costs less than you might think!

Chicago makes a great choice for Valentine’s Day theatre breaks. It’s such a fun, sexy show with moments of real romance and just enough raunchiness to keep everyone in that special mood! I just happen to know that a couple of the theatre break agencies still have tickets so get them while you still can!

Ruthie Henshall Plays Roxy in Chicago London

One of the best reasons to see Chicago at the moment, is that West End superstar Ruthie Henshall is playing Roxy. She’s played the part when the show opened and it’s lovely to see her back on the West End stage. She’s doing a strictly limited run and it will finish on February 28th.

The performance is just stunning have a listen to this:

Chicago London Facts and Figures

Chicago is the longest running Broadway musical on the West End. In London it has played to an audience of over 4.5 million people and more than 4,000 performances. The musical transferred from the Adelphi Theatre to the Cambridge Theatre in April last year.

After it opened almost 10 years ago at the Adelphi Theatre the show won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ and the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for ‘Best Musical’.

Based on a play by Maurine Dallas Watkins with a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. The music is by John Kander and the lyrics by Fred Ebb. The West End production is staged by the original Broadway creative team.

How to get there

Cambridge Theatre is on Earlham Street, London, WC2 9HU It’s in the area near Covent Garden now known as Seven Dials. Don’t try to get there via Covent Garden tube as it’s currently partially closed! Walk from Tottenham Court Rd, if you have to use the tube, or Charing Cross station if you can get a train.

Theatre Breaks - Covent Garden

Alternatively try to make sure you get a hotel within easy walking distance of the Covent Garden area. Actually that’s good advice anyway as the area is great .

There are lots of yummy shops to browse, a Sunday Market, cafes and restaurants to have a leisurely lunch, it’s one of my favourite areas of London. There is always lots going on in the area and you can just wander round or be amused by the constantly changing street performances.

That makes it the perfect romantic area for a Sunday stroll after your hotel breakfast and before you catch your train home.

Check Availability for Chicago London Theatre Breaks

** Chicago London Theatre Breaks via Show And Stay **

Related posts:
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Chicago – New Roxy announced Michelle Williams is Chicago’s new Roxy Michelle Williams (ex-Destiny’s Child)...

Chicago – Jerry Springer to play Flynn Jerry Springer will join the West End cast of Chicago...

Weekend Theatre Breaks in London Weekend theatre breaks in London are a good way...

Free Hotel Offer with London Theatre Breaks London Theatre Breaks Bargains London Theatre Breaks just got a...

Tagged as: adelphi, adelphi theatre, broadway, cambridge theatre, Chicago, laurence olivier, london, london facts, London theatre, London Theatre Breaks, roxy, Ruthie Henshall, seven dials, Theatre breaks, tottenham court rd, train, Valentine, valentine s day, weekend, west End

via usefulwiki.com

Chicago London for Valentines Day Theatre Breaks

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Wicked Welcomes Rachel Tucker

2010-01-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

Wicked Welcomes Rachel Tucker: "

Wicked is continuing to build after its most successful year ever and is bringing in not one but two new witches! Current witches Alexia Khadime (Elphaba) and Dianne Pilkington (Glinda) leave the show on a record breaking high note and will play their final performances on Saturday 27 March 2010. Bound to be a very emotional evening!

(If you want tickets for this one you must act fast – Click through to see if there are Wicked theatre breaks available for Alexia and Diane’s final performance. By the way there’s a Free Hotel Offer on weekday Wicked Theatre Breaks until the end of March)

Wicked

Rachel Tucker as Elphaba

I’m a big fan of Rachel Tucker. I thought she had a great voice when she was in I’d Do Anything and I absolutely loved her in We Will Rock You. She was playing Meat the night I saw her but I believe she made a great success of the lead role, Scaramouche, on the few occasions she got to play it. Rachel will join Wicked as the new Elphaba and I can’t wait to hear her sing “Defying Gravity”. The voice and the song should combine beautifully and give us yet another interpretation of a great standard. So as one Nancy (Jodie) bows out the West End will see another graduate of the I’d Do Anything programme take centre stage. Perhaps this will convince the critics that reality casting shows do actually uncover worthwhile talent. Don’t hold your breath!

Like Kerry Ellis, a previous much loved Elphaba, Rachel will bring her own loyal fan base to the show and no doubt to this post. Hi all

Oz Trivia – Rachel is no stranger to Oz having played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre.

Louise Dearman as Glinda

Louise joins the cast of Wicked as Glinda. She’s been widely acclaimed in her lead role in the touring production of Evita. It will be interesting to see what she makes of the role of Glinda and how she stamps her own personality on it. Louise’s voice is described by her agents as: pure, melting soprano voice, with a surprisingly strong belt.

Having listened to a sample I have to agree, lovely! But don’t just rely on my judgment have a listen for yourself:

Book Wicked Theatre Breaks

Alexia Khadime in Wicked Theatre Breaks

New Wicked Cast but Without Desmond Barrit

Wicked Theatre Breaks – the new cast

London Shows and Hotel Deals

2010-01-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

London Shows and Hotel Deals: "

About London shows and hotel deals

London shows and hotel deals are usually offered as a package by the theatre break agencies, some of them will let you add in train tickets (usually at a considerable discount). You can also add a variety of extras including pre-theatre meals, sight seeing trips and entrance to many of the major London tourist attractions.

London Shows

You can choose from a huge number of London shows including first class musicals, serious plays, side-splitting comedies. If none of these take your fancy you can opt for ballets, operas and even concerts. Three of the most consistently popular London shows in the last year have all been musicals.

Wicked (London) has had a spectacular year with record box office takings. The story of what happened before Dorothy got to Oz goes from strength to strength and looks set to continue its run at the Apollo indefinitely.

Oliver has had an amazing first year and continues to be popular. If you want to see Jodie Prenger (I’d Do anything winner) as Nancy you need to go before the end of March. Those of you who wait for the summer will also get a treat as ex-Wicked star Kerry Ellis moves into the role of Nancy. Fagin is currently being played by Griff Rhys Jones.

We Will Rock You is a great show for rockers of all ages. The show is full of energy and the music of Queen meshes beautifully with Ben Elton’s witty plot line. I just loved We Will Rock you. It is a wonderful ‘feel good’ evening and a perfect and popular choice of show.

Hotel Deals

Show and Stay have a great hotel deal on at the moment. They are offering a free one night hotel stay in selected 3* hotels when you buy your tickets for a choice of 13 shows. The deal is available for Mondays to Thursdays only and runs until March 31st.

London shows and hotel deals are available all year round but special offers like this one are limited and tend to get snapped up fairly quickly. If you want to be sure of getting the show and dates you want you will need to act fast. With prices starting from only £45 per person and limited availability this offer will not hang around. Check now to see if your dates and show are available.

** Free Hotel Offer with London Shows and Hotel Deals **

Hotel and theatre deals

Never Forget London Hotel Deals

Billy Elliot – London Hotel offer

Theatre Breaks in London

2010-01-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

Theatre Breaks in London: "

Theatre Breaks in London with a top class night out in one of London's classic theatres. This hubpage is not about any particular London theatre nor does it review one of the many West End musicals or plays...

"

It's a brief introduction to the idea behind bundling several things together and calling it a London Theatre break.

Weekend Theatre Breaks in London

2010-01-07T05:38:00.001-08:00

Weekend Theatre Breaks in London

Posted by on 1/06/10 • Categorized as theatrebreaksinlondon

Weekend theatre breaks in London are becoming a very popular way of visiting the UK capital. A weekend theatre break usually consists of two nights in a London hotel and tickets to see a West End show.

Usually you arrive in London on Friday evening. You either choose to see your show straight away on the Friday evening or book your show for Saturday night. If you choose to see your show on Friday you might worry about getting a pre-theatre meal. However most of the restaurants in the West End offer pre-theatre menus which are served from 5:30 giving you lots of time to get to your show.

I prefer to book the show for Saturday evening if at all possible. It gives you Friday night to relax, explore a little and have an unrushed evening meal. Then a little gentle sight-seeing and maybe shopping on the Saturday. I like to have a really English treat, afternoon tea, somewhere like Fortnum and Masons. This needs to be booked in advanced. Some of theatre break agencies will let you book when you book this when your break and even offer a discount. Afternoon tea is really a small meal not just a snack so it should see you through everything but the longest shows. After the show, most end between 10pm and 10:30pm, you can easily find somewhere to have a spot of supper. I am very fond of La Tasca which does fresh, tasty Spanish tapas until quite late on Saturdays. It is great for sharing and you can order as much or as little as you want. The it is back to your hotel for a nightcap and to relax. This is when you will be really glad you chose a central London hotel, somewhere within walking distance of the theatre is ideal. This is so much pleasanter than dealing with the tube, black cabs or rickshaws.

After theatre tapas?

If you are an early riser and you’ve travelled fairly light Sunday morning can be a great time for sight-seeing in London. The city is amazingly quiet on Sunday mornings and you can see busy areas like Westminster without having to deal with the crowds.

Tagged as: Afternoon Tea, Black Cabs, Central London Hotel, Crowds, Early Riser, Fortnum And Masons, Fortum, Friday Evening, Great Time, La Tasca, London Weekend, Masons, Menues, Nightcap, Saturday Evening, Saturdays, Sight Seeing In London, Snack, Spanish Tapas, Sunday Morning, Sunday Mornings, Theatre Breaks In London, Walking Distance, Weekend Theatre Breaks In London, West End Show

Theatre breaks in London blog talking about weekends.
Mine start on Thursdays and end on Friday.

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Theatre Breaks in London | Theatre Breaks Magazine

2010-01-07T05:35:00.001-08:00

Why Theatre breaks in London

Theatre breaks in London are an excellent way of having a short holiday in the capital. You can combine a show with sight-seeing and a little shopping and turn a couple of days into a real mini-break.

When you are choosing your main show you need to decide whether you want to see a musical, a play or even an opera or ballet. There is lots of choice in the West End and you can be sure of finding something just right for you.

Choose Your Show

Many people have no clear idea of which show they want to see and are more fixed on what is available for their chosen dates. That’s a perfectly good starting point and most of the theatre breaks companies will let you search their site by date not just by show. If you are still not sure what you fancy then this is a brief guide:

If you like the classics then go for Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver! or Love Never Dies, which is the sequel to Phantom.

If you prefer something lighter then try Mamma Mia, Hairspray or the unexpected hit of the moment Legally Blonde.

Those of you who like a bit more rock in your musicals might enjoy We Will Rock You, Jersey Boys or maybe Grease.

Finally if you want something a little more steamy there are Dirty Dancing and Chicago.

There are usually at least twenty big shows on offer in the West End so there should be something for everyone.

One Night or Two

Once you have chosen your show and hotel you will often see that it is easy and very reasonably priced to add an extra night. This is a great idea if your budget can run to it as it lifts your theatre break from a quick trip into a mini-holiday . It opens lots of opportunities for other things to do in London.

I’ve included a few ideas for what to do with the extra time:

See more shows

theatre breaks in London

If you have only got a limited time in London and you are a big theatre fan you might even want to see more than one show. The best way to do this is to book your main show as part of your theatre break package, see the show on your first night and then the following morning pop down to Leicester Square and look for the official discount ticket booth. You want the official one in the middle of the square.

There are others but that is where you get the best deal. They have a large digital display of all the discount tickets available for that day and if you are early enough you can often get a real bargain, especially for weekday matinees. I usually like to book a blockbuster musical as my main show and see either a comedy or a serious play on the following afternoon. Try to choose something you would happily pay full price for and then you will really feel you have got a bargain. There are often tickets for Blood Brothers or 39 Steps matinees at good prices and these are both excellent shows.

Sightseeing

You might want to cram in a little sightseeing in London and that can be quite hard work. London is a busy working city and quite spread out to get around on foot. Luckily there are several other ways of seeing the sites. My favorite way of seeing London is a river cruise but open top bus trips are good fun too. If you are feeling adventurous you can even try the Duck which is an amphibious truck that combines both a road and river trip. You can book bus trips, river trips and even the Duck at the same time as you book your theatre breaks package and usually get quite a good discount.

Other Attractions

The Southbank including the National Theatre

London’s famous street Markets

Dennis Severs House

21 top attractions to add to theatre breaks in London

Tags: ballet, London, london theatre, London Theatre Breaks, musicals, theatre breaks, theatre breaks in london, things to do in london, west end

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 10:48 am and is filed under Theatre Breaks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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London Weekend Breaks By Rail | London Theatre Breaks

2009-12-24T04:40:00.000-08:00

London Weekend Breaks By Rail 2010

Watch out for the network rail weekend engineering works on Sundays but apart from that, go for it.

London Weekend Breaks By Rail | London Theatre Breaks

The clever thing to do is arrive on Friday and then try to fit in a two show theatre break.

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2009-12-22T09:36:00.001-08:00

I posted to loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Ramin Karimloo CD

http://www.loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk/ramin-karimloo/ramin-karimloo-cd

Ramin Karimloo, star of The Phantom of the Opera and next year’s world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom sequel Love Never Dies, along with I’d Do Anything’s Sarah Lark, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?’s Abi Finley and other musical stars have recorded the September released concept album for BLUEBIRD, a passionate new musical set on the homefront during the Second World War. Normally priced £13.99, the 24-track CD, produced by Escape Records, comes with 12-page souvenir booklet.

Bluebird is a passionate new musical, set during World War Two and charts the story of ordinary people living in extraordinary times. It tells the heartbreaking story of Roberta Jones (Sarah Lark) as she comes to terms with her husband Pete (Stephen Weller) going off to war. Roberta, a nurse, soon meets the charismatic U.S. serviceman Ben (Ramin Karimloo) and a friendship grows, much to the disapproval of best friend, Jane (Abi Finely). Ramin Karimloo remarked: It was great to help out a new and up and coming British composer. (Gareth Peters) He has put his heart and soul into this project. I think he’s done a great job and was honored to be asked to take part in it and also have a song written for me. It was also a lot of fun to go back to singing with a rockier sound.

Technorati Tags: Andrew LLoyd Webber, bluebird, british composer, musical, musical stars, Ramin Karimloo, Roberta Jones, Sarah Lark, souvenir booklet, Stephen Weller

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40 Minutes ago | Comments »

I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk

Oliver! London

http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/oliver-london/

Today I’m looking at Oliver! the hit West end musical, as I continuing my series for the magazine of my top 5 classic shows. These are the shows that I think everyone could enjoy whatever their musical taste, and I feel that should definitely hold true for Oliver! London today is still in some ways related to the brutal city that Dickens portrays, but Oliver’s magic comes from more than just the story. It is the heart, passion and spectacle of the production that keeps Oliver! London’s own popular choice for musical theatre breaks. Oliver! London Theatre At It’s Best I think Oliver! is a great choice for a theatre break. The elements of an emotional story from the master storyteller, a superb cast and wonderful songs we all already know and love is hard to beat. Add in some delightful urchins, a backdrop of semi-familiar London sights and you have got a real treat! The Story, Oliver! London musical The musical version of Oliver! is not quite as bleak a vision as that of the book. Fagin is transformed and although still a rogue he does have moments of being almost lovable. We are treated to some marvelous set pieces like the scene in the orphanage and of course Fagin’s Den with his band of ragamuffins. What happens to Nancy is still a shock but in the end good triumphs over evil and we all have the feeling we’ve just enjoyed a wonderfully satisfying meal with all the trimmings. The Cast of Oliver!

Oliver London We all followed the story of Jodie Prenger as she fought her way through each round of I’d Do Anything but few of us realised what a great Nancy she would actually be. Since the show started back in December 2008 Jodie has consistently given stunning performances. She has provided the chore around which a number of Olivers and Fagins have been able to weave their own interpretations of Dickens’s heart-breaking story. Without a totally believable, warm and lovable Nancy the whole story would fall flat. Jodie has filled that role with a passion. Soon, though, Jodie is moving on and the next few months will give us our last chance to see her in the role. That alone would be enough to make this a ‘must see’ show but the exciting news is that the wonderful Kerry Ellis is going to take over in the role. Kerry has a very different quality to her voice and I think she will give us a much more waif like Nancy. In some ways her fragility with that inner steel that she showed so well in her performances as Elphaba (Wicked) will be much closer to Dickens’s vision. It’s going to be an interesting transfer and one that will definitely be worth seeing. The newest member of the cast at the moment is Griff Rhys Jones who has just taken over as Fagin. He will be in the show for at least the next 6 months and seems to be relishing the part of the wily, old scoundrel. Jones has a good strong voice and plenty of West End experience having won a double Olivier award for his roles in Charlie’s Aunt and An Absolute Turkey Also new in the current cast is Stephen Hartley, though he is far from new to the role of Bill Sikes. He played Sikes in the Palladium production of Oliver in the 1990s. Physically he is closer to Dickens’s description of Sikes than the role is sometimes played and none the worse for that. The Music I think I’ll just let the music speak for itself!

Hotels for Oliver! London Theatre Breaks As Oliver! plays at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane I’d go for a central hotel, somewhere like the 4* Strand Palace would be ideal. It is definitely a bit of affordable luxury and is close to the theatre and to the shops, restaurants and bars of Covent Garden. If you are on a slightly tighter budget the 3* St Giles Hotel is only 1/2 a mile away and is jolly nice. So there you have it, a quick guide to Oliver! London, one of my top 5 choices for theatre breaks. You can click through to read more about Oliver! London.

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December 17 2009, 12:42pm | Comments »

I posted to usefulwiki.com

London Theatre Packages

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/london-theatre-packages.html

London theatre packages come in a variety of shapes and sizes but they all have one thing in common. They make delightful gifts! Choosing presents for loved ones is never easy and when it’s for a much loved Mum and Dad it can be really hard. What can you get the couple who have everything? A giant food hamper perhaps? Well, maybe, but it’s just food. Might be, dare I say it, a little dull? After all your Mum is just going to add it to that already overstocked pantry and freezer and while your Dad might enjoy the bottle of malt whisky it doesn’t really show much thought does it? London theatre packages are much more interesting and entertaining. First of all you get the fun of choosing what show you think they’ll enjoy. I’ve got some more advice about that in a minute. Then you can pick them a nice hotel, maybe throw in a pre-theatre dinner, and book their train journey as well. If there are a few of you sharing the expense you could add in an extra night and maybe one of those river cruises with dinner if it’s an extra special occasion. By now you are probably thinking this is going to cost a fortune but theatre break packages for London are really quite good value at the moment. You can get weeknight tickets for Les Miserables and one night in a 3* London hotel for under £100 at the moment. Adding an extra night only adds around £35 each! Dinner is around £15 – 20 per person. All very affordable really. And just think of the brownie points on Christmas morning! London Theatre Packages Choosing a show

So how do you choose what they’d like to see? Sometimes it is obvious and easy to just choose their favourite show. If your parents are not quite so predictable I’d start with their music collection if I were you. Here’s some tips: Lots of classical stuff, some light opera, SuBo’s new CD = Les Miserables or just possibly Phantom of the Opera. If you are feeling adventurous book for Love Never Dies so they can brag to their friends about being the first to see it! Not much after 1965, except maybe some Shawadiwadi. Your Dad goes a bit funny when anyone mentions Olivia Newton John – they are going to love either Jersey Boys or Grease! Your Dad’s rock collection is rivaled only by your Mum’s passion for Freddie Mercury – has to be We Will Rock You Your Mum knows all the words to Dancing Queen and still has all her signed photos of Bjorn. Your Dad liked the film – Mamma Mia of course

I expect you get the idea by now. You could always surprise them and choose tickets to Chicago (still the sexiest show in town) or even Dirty Dancing. They’d have a great time at either whatever their musical taste. That’s the thing really. All the shows that are on in London are worth seeing. Oh and it’s not just musicals, you can get London theatre packages to see plays, opera and even ballets! a

Related posts:London Weekend Breaks By RailFriday Theatre Breaks with Dinner and HotelWeekend Theatre Breaks in London

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December 16 2009, 2:43pm | Comments »

I posted to flickr.com

A night at the theatre

Barbara Campelli has added a photo to the pool:

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December 15 2009, 1:47am | Comments »

I posted to theatreinlondon.blogspot.com

Billy Elliot London

http://theatreinlondon.blogspot.com/2009/12/billy-elliot-london.html

One show to see in 2010 is going to have to be Billy Elliot LondonI think it's going to be a year when some of these issues about individual aspiration, about community solidarity, the clash of loyalties between ideals and obligations, family and class, wil all be back on the agenda. Besides, Billy Elliot London is a great musical which has stood the test of time already, and even become a big hit over the Atlantic in New York of all places.

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musical

Billy Elliot Londontheatre

December 14 2009, 12:46pm | Comments »

I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk

Billy Elliot London

http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/billy-elliot-london/

I thought I’d do a series for the magazine of my top 5 classic shows that I think everyone should see. I’m going to start with Billy Elliot and try to explain exactly why Billy Elliot (London) remains one of the best choices for theatre breaks.

Billy Elliot London Billy Elliot -London Billy Elliot the musical started in London in 2005 at the Victoria Palace Theatre. It was based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot with a book by Lee Hall (who wrote the original screen play) and music by Sir Elton John. The film was a hard act to follow. Everyone remembered Julie Walters as the ballet teacher and Gary Lewis as Billy’s coal mining father and it was tricky to see how Billy could ever become a musical. Despite any worries the show was an instant hit with both the public and the critics and it has remained so ever since. The Story of Billy and of the Miner’s Strike Billy Elliot is a young boy who develops a passion for ballet growing up in Co Durham in the early 80s at the time of the miners’ strike. It’s quite strange to see a time I vividly remember portrayed on the stage and they do play slightly with the chronology of events. You really don’t need to know the history of the miners strike to appreciate the show. Your emotions and sympathies are guided through the passage of the story and in some ways knowing too much about the real events of the time can get in the way. It is interesting to note that two of the best loved musicals on in London at the moment both have their origins in Northern working class sensibilities (Billy and Blood Brothers). Both shows focus on the warmth and humour of the North but neither shies away from some fairly grim aspects. The musical show tells the human story of Billy and his family with great compassion and clarity. I’m not going to go into the plot in great depth here as there may be some people (from Mars?) who don’t already know the story. Surfice it to say the story is moving and entertaining. The Music The music is stunning. Elton John was definitely on top form when he wrote this and it’s really hard to pick out one or two numbers to share with you. So I decided to go for this medley to give you a flavour of the show:

The Billys The role of Billy Elliot is hugely demanding of young actors. Billy has to be between 9 and 13 years old, 5′ or less, a terrific dancer and have a beautiful unbroken voice. To find one boy like that would not be easy but the role is actually shared between at least 3 or 4 Billys. This allows the boys to work within the UK legislation regarding child actors. Whilst there are several children in West End shows at the moment few carry the weight of the show in the same way that the child who plays Billy must. Typically the boys who have play Billy are aged around 12 and have usually been dancing for at least 3 years before auditioning for the show. Often they will have studied ballet, tap, jazz and comtemporany dance, competed in several competitions before they eventually audition for Billy. Auditions for the show go on continuously and successful applicants move to London live in Billy Elliot House. There they continue with their normal school studies in addition to working on their singing and dancing. Hotels for Billy Elliot Billy is not in the main area of the West End but in Victoria, near to the Apollo (Wicked). You can either decide you want to stay somewhere closer to the shops or look for a hotel that’s handy for the theatre. I’m quite fond of the area round Victoria so I’d probably opt for a hotel near the theatre if it was just overnight. There are lots of nice little places to eat, there’s St James’s Park if you fancy a walk, you are not far from the river and Tate Britain if you feel like some art. Actually the restaurant in Tate Britain is lovely for lunch, a little pricey but very pleasant! Victoria is also very convenient for public transport and at weekends buses provide a surprisingly good way of getting round the city. I’m not a huge fan of the tube and London buses do give a chance to see where you are going! My first choice would be the 4* Crown Palace London St James. It’s a lovely hotel, usually offers a full English breakfast in with the price and is handy both for the theatre and for St James’s Park. It’s less that 1/4 of a mile from the theatre and offers a bit of surprisingly affordable luxury. Keep in mind that a more central 3* hotel could end up costing more per person and often does not include a substantial English breakfast. Seats at Billy Elliot London When you book with some agencies they will give you quite a wide range of seating options. It is often the case that you get what you pay for with these deals, lowest cost seats will be further away from the action. Having said that it would be very unusual for the theatre break package companies to offer tickets with a restricted view without telling you in advance. Other agencies offer a choice of top seats ( in the stalls or dress circle) or best available seats (stalls, dress circle, or upper circle). The upper circle is know as the grand circle in the Victoria. The Victoria is an old theatre and my recommended seats are undoubtedly those in the middle of the stalls as they offer the most leg room, a good view and good value for money. So there you go, a quick guide to Billy Elliot (London), an ever popular choice for theatre breaks. You can click through to read more about Billy Elliot (London)

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December 14 2009, 7:21am | Comments »

I posted to theatreinlondon.blogspot.com

Priscilla? Queen? Desert?

http://theatreinlondon.blogspot.com/2009/12/priscilla-queen-desert.html

Priscilla? Queen? Desert?: "Ever wondered how Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical came into being? The show is based on the 1994 film, starring Terence Stamp, which was written and directed by Stephan Elliot. The film attacked the mythology of the heterosexual outback male, the ‘good ‘ocher’, like Crocodile Dundee. It showed these straight, white, Australian men to be heavy drinkers suspicious of anything they don’t understand, violent, rude and vulgar. Their definitions of masculinity constrained and rigid. In the film the desert landscape provides an amazing, extremely natural backdrop to the artificiality of the drag queens. One of the most powerful moments of the film shows the main characters, in full drag, climbing up King’s Canyon.Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical brings the same basic story to the West End stage. But what happens to it without backdrop of the Australian desert and does it matter in the end?Priscilla?The Priscilla of the title isn’t a cast member as such but she is definitely becomes a character in the show. She is in fact a purpose-built VW bus. But this is a VW like no other you’ve ever seen before!priscilla queen desert5 little known facts about the amazing bus at the heart of the story. Not just any old VW bus Priscilla forms an integral part of the stage set for the show.Priscilla is a highly technical piece of set design with an onboard computer and she cost over $1 million Australian dollars to build.She is 8 meters long and weighs almost 6 tons and she sits on a ring revolveShe has a fully retractable side wall panelShe has 3 internal hydraulic liftsShe can shakeLike any great disco setting she changes colour, thanks to 100s of LED lights in her panelling.Like many VW busses Priscilla can be temperamental and her computer gave the show’s producers a few headaches during pre-views. By the way, did you spot the divas up above the bus? Read on to discover more about their role in the story…Queen?Although we all know that the bus is supposed to be the queen of the show she’s got some serious competition from the other stars of the show. Jason Donovan plays Tick who’s alter ego is drag queen Mitzi Del Bra. Tick agrees to travel to Alice Springs, in the heart of the Australian outback to do a show and invites outrageous fellow drag queen Adam, Felicia (Oliver Thornton) and recently bereaved, transsexual Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) to join him. They travel in a beat up, old VW bus which Adam christens Priscilla. Along the way they collect Bob, the mechanic, meet a variety of Australian characters (mostly in bars, see above!) and eventually reach Alice Springs where Tick is reconciled with his 8-year-old son Benjamin. Some find love, others understanding and all emerge stronger and better able to cope. It’s hard to say who is ‘queen’ of the London production but Tony Sheldon’s performance as Bernadette takes some beating.Click here to view the embedded video.Then there are those queens of disco, the Divas.The Divas are 3 first class singers who have been added to the stage show to get over the problem of miming. At several points in the show the three drag artistes mime as part of their stage shows, just like real drag acts would. To avoid the danger of the audience feeling the show was anything other than 100% live the idea of the 3 divas, described by Stephan Elliott the film’s writer/director, as ‘desert drag goddesses’, was born. The 3 divas sing and their songs are lip-synched simultaneously by the leads. The divas have to have amazingly strong disco voices that will stand up to the power of songs like I Will Survive and Downtown. Not only that they have to deliver these show-stopping songs whilst while suspended high above the stage, supported by harnesses that run right across their abdominal muscles. It is quite incredible that they are able to belt out these powerful anthems in such a precarious position! Being suspended causes another problem for the divas. Any wild movements and the whole set will start to swing. All their actions while they are up there have to be concentrated on their arms from the elbow to the fingertips. The divas in London are currently played by Zoe Birkett, Kate Gillespie and Emma Lindars. Desert?Priscilla Queen desertThe staging of the show is supposed to evoke the Australian desert. This is mostly done with atmospheric lighting but it can’t really compete with the reality of the film. And why should it? This is a stage musical after all and we are there more for the music and the spectacle than any deep meaningful insights. The desert and the feeling of heat was such a big part of the original film because the outback has special cultural significance to Australians. This is perhaps less true for a UK audience and anyway we’re far to busy bopping along to some disco classics to worry too much about anything deep and meaningful! Bring on the dancing cup cakes I say .So there you have it, Priscilla, queen, desert, at the end of the day what matters most seems to be the celebration of the human spirit, love, energy and excitement of disco rather than anything too deep.aRelated posts:Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – London 2009Priscilla Queen of the DesertPriscilla Queen of the Desert Theatre Breaks"

December 13 2009, 3:55pm | Comments »

I posted to usefulwiki.com

Priscilla? Queen? Desert?

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/priscilla-queen-desert.html

Ever wondered how Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical came into being? The show is based on the 1994 film, starring Terence Stamp, which was written and directed by Stephan Elliot. The film attacked the mythology of the heterosexual outback male, the ‘good ‘ocher’, like Crocodile Dundee. It showed these straight, white, Australian men to be heavy drinkers suspicious of anything they don’t understand, violent, rude and vulgar. Their definitions of masculinity constrained and rigid. In the film the desert landscape provides an amazing, extremely natural backdrop to the artificiality of the drag queens. One of the most powerful moments of the film shows the main characters, in full drag, climbing up King’s Canyon. Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical brings the same basic story to the West End stage. But what happens to it without backdrop of the Australian desert and does it matter in the end? Priscilla? The Priscilla of the title isn’t a cast member as such but she is definitely becomes a character in the show. She is in fact a purpose-built VW bus. But this is a VW like no other you’ve ever seen before! priscilla queen desert 5 little known facts about the amazing bus at the heart of the story. Not just any old VW bus Priscilla forms an integral part of the stage set for the show. Priscilla is a highly technical piece of set design with an onboard computer and she cost over $1 million Australian dollars to build.

She is 8 meters long and weighs almost 6 tons and she sits on a ring revolve She has a fully retractable side wall panel She has 3 internal hydraulic lifts She can shake Like any great disco setting she changes colour, thanks to 100s of LED lights in her panelling.

Like many VW busses Priscilla can be temperamental and her computer gave the show’s producers a few headaches during pre-views. By the way, did you spot the divas up above the bus? Read on to discover more about their role in the story… Queen? Although we all know that the bus is supposed to be the queen of the show she’s got some serious competition from the other stars of the show. Jason Donovan plays Tick who’s alter ego is drag queen Mitzi Del Bra. Tick agrees to travel to Alice Springs, in the heart of the Australian outback to do a show and invites outrageous fellow drag queen Adam, Felicia (Oliver Thornton) and recently bereaved, transsexual Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) to join him. They travel in a beat up, old VW bus which Adam christens Priscilla. Along the way they collect Bob, the mechanic, meet a variety of Australian characters (mostly in bars, see above!) and eventually reach Alice Springs where Tick is reconciled with his 8-year-old son Benjamin. Some find love, others understanding and all emerge stronger and better able to cope. It’s hard to say who is ‘queen’ of the London production but Tony Sheldon’s performance as Bernadette takes some beating. Click here to view the embedded video. Then there are those queens of disco, the Divas.The Divas are 3 first class singers who have been added to the stage show to get over the problem of miming. At several points in the show the three drag artistes mime as part of their stage shows, just like real drag acts would. To avoid the danger of the audience feeling the show was anything other than 100% live the idea of the 3 divas, described by Stephan Elliott the film’s writer/director, as ‘desert drag goddesses’, was born. The 3 divas sing and their songs are lip-synched simultaneously by the leads. The divas have to have amazingly strong disco voices that will stand up to the power of songs like I Will Survive and Downtown. Not only that they have to deliver these show-stopping songs whilst while suspended high above the stage, supported by harnesses that run right across their abdominal muscles. It is quite incredible that they are able to belt out these powerful anthems in such a precarious position! Being suspended causes another problem for the divas. Any wild movements and the whole set will start to swing. All their actions while they are up there have to be concentrated on their arms from the elbow to the fingertips. The divas in London are currently played by Zoe Birkett, Kate Gillespie and Emma Lindars. Desert? Priscilla Queen desert The staging of the show is supposed to evoke the Australian desert. This is mostly done with atmospheric lighting but it can’t really compete with the reality of the film. And why should it? This is a stage musical after all and we are there more for the music and the spectacle than any deep meaningful insights. The desert and the feeling of heat was such a big part of the original film because the outback has special cultural significance to Australians. This is perhaps less true for a UK audience and anyway we’re far to busy bopping along to some disco classics to worry too much about anything deep and meaningful! Bring on the dancing cup cakes I say . So there you have it, Priscilla, queen, desert, at the end of the day what matters most seems to be the celebration of the human spirit, love, energy and excitement of disco rather than anything too deep. a

Related posts:Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – London 2009Priscilla Queen of the DesertPriscilla Queen of the Desert Theatre Breaks

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December 13 2009, 12:43pm | Comments »

I posted to theatreinlondon.blogspot.com

Breaks in London

http://theatreinlondon.blogspot.com/2009/12/breaks-in-london.html

Just a heads up that there's a new post over on the Theatre breaks in London blogBreaks in LondonNot necessarily theatre breaks but any information about planning breaks in London could come in handy for the theatre breaks as well.

December 13 2009, 9:45am | Comments »

I posted to cityescapes.eu

Wizard of Oz London

http://cityescapes.eu/theatrebreaks/wizard-of-oz-london/

The Wizard of Oz, one of the most well known musicals ever because of the famous MGM film starring Judy Garland, is coming to London in 2010. Yes, our old friends the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow will be following the yellow brick with a Dorothy chosen by another TV casting show called “Over The Rainbow” or possibly also “The Wizard of Oz” depending who you believe. The Wizard of Oz London

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Dorothy

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Scarecrow

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December 12 2009, 2:28pm | Comments »

I posted to usefulwiki.com

Weekend Theatre Breaks in London

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/weekend-theatre-breaks-in-london.html

Weekend theatre breaks in London Weekend theatre breaks in London are a good way to fit in a mini holiday. You may not be able to afford the time or money for a full blown break but a weekend in London with a show can be enough to make you feel that you have actually had a holiday. It is all down to very careful planning. Choose your travel times You have to choose your travel times with care so that you make the most of your weekend. If you decide to travel by rail you need to watch out for any planned engineering works that could add frustration especially to your return journey. These are often planned for Sundays so if you can take an extra day and travel back on Monday you can avoid the problem all together. Hotels often offer an extra night for a very reasonable amount and you get an extra day in London. See below for more about Sundays in the city. It would be a shame to spoil your relaxed mood with a disrupted homeward journey. Luckily you can easily check using the trainline.com and find out if there is any work planned for your chosen dates. If there is then it might be best to re-think your dates or travel to London by car. How many days are there in a weekend? Friday If you travel on Friday and return on Monday you can have 3 nights and 2 full days in London. This is ideal if you can manage it as for just 1 extra day off work you can turn a weekend into a mini-break. Travel on Friday afternoon and you can arrive at your hotel, freshen up and go out for a nice meal, or an evening’s entertainment. Saturday Then you have all day Saturday for shopping, galleries or what ever takes your fancy. After an early (5:30-6:30 ish) pre-theatre meal you can get to the theatre in plenty of time, pick up your tickets from the box office, have a relaxing drink and be settled ready for the performance. Most shows finish around 10 – 10:30pm so after the show you will have time for a stroll round the West End, a light supper, a nightcap somewhere or even a club if that’s what takes your fancy. Then make your way back to your hotel, which, if you were wise when you were booking, will be only a short walk away. Sunday London is a different place on a Sunday. The tourist ‘traps’ are less busy, especially in the morning. London isn’t a city that wakes up early on Sundays so if you are an early bird you can see the sights before most people are even awake. London is famous for its street markets and these are great fun on a Sunday morning. Try Covent Garden’s Jubilee Market or, if you are feeling adventurous, try Brick Lane or Columbia Rd Flower Market. There’s lots of street food available and most of it is very good, so lunch won’t be a problem. After lunch you’ve got the luxury of a relaxing afternoon ahead of you. If you are into art you might try having a look at Tate Modern and if you are really energetic why not take the Tate to Tate ferry that runs between that and Tate Britain? Or just have a stroll along the Southbank. There’s usually something going on and it’s a great spot for people watching. If the weather is not so good there is lots of indoor entertainment too, maybe even visit the TKTS booth in Leicester Square and fit in an extra show! More shows are doing matinees on Sundays so it is definitely worth checking. You could even just find a good pub and settle in. Fullers pubs are quite traditional, have very nice real ale and are famous for their pies. If you are near Covent Garden you could try a real Cornish pub, complete with pasties and Cornish beer. Monday morning After the rush hour, and a good breakfast, you check out of your hotel for a leisurely journey home. So you can see how weekend theatre breaks in London really can work for you as a mini holiday if you plan them carefully. a

Related posts:London Weekend Breaks By RailFree Hotel Offer with London Theatre BreaksDirty Dancing Theatre Breaks

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December 9 2009, 8:32am | Comments »

I posted to theatreinlondon.blogspot.com

Oliver theatre breaks

http://theatreinlondon.blogspot.com/2009/12/oliver-theatre-breaks.html

I was thinking that Oliver Theatre breaks for the New Year would make a not shabby at all present for Jenny and the girls. Why not?Oliver! theatre breaksGriff Rhys Jones takes over from Omid Djalili as Fagin from Dec 14th 2009. Kerry Ellis (Wicked, We Will Rock You) is lined up to take over from Jodie Prenger as Nancy in the current West End production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

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Theatre Breaks

Oliver

Oliver Theatre breaks

December 9 2009, 7:56am | Comments »

I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk

West End Breaks

http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/west-end-breaks/

West End Breaks – a great way to see London West End breaks are a great way to really get to know the glitziest area of London. Staying in the West End for a few days gives you a chance to see the capital and really get familiar with one small part of the metropolis. London can seem a bit overwhelming when you have to whiz about on the tube. Staying in one area where everything is within walking distance really helps you to connect with the city and start to feel comfortable with it. Things to do in the West End See a show, or even two. West End breaks - The Mousetrap The West End has some of the best shows and theatres in the world. Everything from the quintessentially English Mousetrap to the Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof can be found within a few minutes walk. If you are booking a West End break to see one show why not try fitting in a matinee of another as well? You can get half price tickets for many matinees actually on the day at the Official Ticket Booth on Leicester Square. Do not be seduced by deals at the other so called discount booths as these are often overpriced once you add in booking fees etc. If you do not feel like another show you could even check out the latest films in Leicester Square. If you are lucky you might happen on some stars attending the latest world premier! Shop till you drop Shopping during a West End break is easy and fun. You are within walking distance of Covent Garden where ther’s a wonderful selection of interesting little shops, the Apple Market (which is full of crafts and antiques) and The Jubilee which is a fascinating market. On Mondays, Antiques; from Tuesday-Friday clothing and household goods, and on Saturday and Sunday arts and crafts. Venture a little further and you find one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe in Oxford St, Bond St and Piccadilly Circus. There you will find all the high end fashion and major shops you might want. Where the West End really scores though is with little unique shops in Seven Dials and Carnaby St which will intrigue and tempt you in to look at and buy things you didn’t even know you needed. Eat the world Food on a West End break is very easy to organise. You might want to book your pre-theatre dinner when you book your break. Most companies offer good deals on early dinners and restuarants are used to making sure you have had your meal with plenty of time to spare for what is usually a short walk to the theatre. It is so much more relaxing than trailing across London after you’ve eaten and worrying about getting to the show on time. The West End has lots of restaurants and they are always changing. You can eat in just about any style you fancy from Classic French to Japanese and just about everything in between. In Covent Garden you can even get a real Cornish pastie and a pint of genuine Cornish beer if that is what you fancy. Check the menu boards outside if you are worried about the prices but most places are fairly reasonable. London’s reputation for being expensive really is not deserved and prices compare very favourably with tourist traps like the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. For real food bargains head for Soho and explore China Town. It is just a short walk but a world away. West End breaks are a great way to get to know London and I hope this little introduction will help you to see that London is definitely worth getting to know.

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London

theatres

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December 8 2009, 12:33pm | Comments »

I posted to usefulwiki.com

London Weekend Breaks By Rail

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/london-weekend-breaks-by-rail.html

Are you looking for more information about London weekend breaks by rail? That’s actually a very good starting point because you’ve already made the best decision as far as transport goes for arriving in London. Go by train and you’ll not have to be worrying about things like car parking, how to pay the congestion charge or long motor way traffic jams holding up coach journeys. The fast inter city trains are also the quickest way to get from most UK cities into one of the central London mainline stations. London Breaks by Rail - Express Routes Weekend breaks can be for a West-end theatre show on any Friday, Saturday or Sunday night combined with a hotel stay of one night or more, including the show date. The most popular break tends to be a one-nighter including the big Saturday night out, but getting away early on a Friday makes a lot of sense too. Traveling on a Friday and Saturday gives a clear run through but Sundays can be fine for getting home too, depending on which rail line takes you back. All I’m saying is, check for regular Sunday engineering works if the service that relays between your city and London is one that may be prone to scheduled maintenance on a Sunday. Longer Weekend Breaks If your weekend break means going home on a Saturday of course, the traditional weekend has only just begun but then again I’ve noticed that for some people around here, the weekend definitely starts to ramp up on a Thursday night! London can be a very pleasant play to stay on a Sunday with less of a hurried atmosphere but still plenty of things to see and do so staying on for the whole weekend and then booking to get back on a Monday during the daytime can make for an extremely satisfying London weekend rail break, more like a mini holiday really. You could even make it a three or four night stay with the weekend theatre trip included, especially worthwhile if you have a long distance rail journey from one of the smaller rail networks that lie beyond the core inter city services. London Shows for Weekend Theatre Breaks One of the advantages with buying a theatre breaks package is that you can get good tickets for any of the more popular shows, even on a busy Friday or Saturday night. I tried to get an impulse ticket from the famous half price ticket booth the other day and after a lot of waiting around I came away without making a purchase. That was because the shows on offer didn’t include two that I was most interested in, and because the prices offered are not anything like half price at all. So supposing you’ve always wanted to grab a friend and go and see Hairspray, Dirty Dancing or Sister Act on a Saturday night but couldn’t find any available tickets except from the disreputable touts and so-called discount kiosks, well the answer is to do just a little bit of forward planning and organise a weekend break in London for just a few weeks down the line, then you can get on with life knowing there’s a fantastic treat in store for you to look forward to. London weekend breaks by rail are also perfect for really special occasions such as a big anniversary or celebration. Never mind seeing Les Miserables from the back of the upper circle, with theatre breaks packages it’s often possible to get best available seats with a competitive price guarantee, because the tour agents buy blocks of tickets way in advance and can therefore hold the best seats open for people who are booking the whole London weekend theatre package thing with the hotel stay and return rail tickets included. This is just one suggestion, but supposing you were a big fan of the Phantom of The Opera having seen it many years ago, and fancied repeating the experience in today’s West End. This gives you two possible shows for London Weekend breaks by rail because the new show with the Phantom opens in March 2010 and it’s going to be one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biggest shows ever, called “Love Never Dies“. By booking the rail tickets well in advance in combination with London weekend breaks, (that’s the show and hotel stay), you get the full discount on the rail tickets which can mean as much as a 70% saving off the regular return saver. If it appears as if the only shows on in London are the big musicals then that’s certainly not the case. There are always a number of serious plays also on in the West end, usually for shorter

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Billy Elliot London

2009-12-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

One show to see in 2010 is going to have to be Billy Elliot London
I think it's going to be a year when some of these issues about individual aspiration, about community solidarity, the clash of loyalties between ideals and obligations, family and class, wil all be back on the agenda. Besides, Billy Elliot London is a great musical which has stood the test of time already, and even become a big hit over the Atlantic in New York of all places.

Priscilla? Queen? Desert?

2009-12-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Priscilla? Queen? Desert?: "

Ever wondered how Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical came into being?

The show is based on the 1994 film, starring Terence Stamp, which was written and directed by Stephan Elliot. The film attacked the mythology of the heterosexual outback male, the ‘good ‘ocher’, like Crocodile Dundee. It showed these straight, white, Australian men to be heavy drinkers suspicious of anything they don’t understand, violent, rude and vulgar. Their definitions of masculinity constrained and rigid. In the film the desert landscape provides an amazing, extremely natural backdrop to the artificiality of the drag queens. One of the most powerful moments of the film shows the main characters, in full drag, climbing up King’s Canyon.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical brings the same basic story to the West End stage. But what happens to it without backdrop of the Australian desert and does it matter in the end?

Priscilla?

The Priscilla of the title isn’t a cast member as such but she is definitely becomes a character in the show. She is in fact a purpose-built VW bus. But this is a VW like no other you’ve ever seen before!

priscilla queen desert

5 little known facts about the amazing bus at the heart of the story.

Not just any old VW bus Priscilla forms an integral part of the stage set for the show.

Priscilla is a highly technical piece of set design with an onboard computer and she cost over $1 million Australian dollars to build.

She is 8 meters long and weighs almost 6 tons and she sits on a ring revolve

She has a fully retractable side wall panel

She has 3 internal hydraulic lifts

She can shake

Like any great disco setting she changes colour, thanks to 100s of LED lights in her panelling.

Like many VW busses Priscilla can be temperamental and her computer gave the show’s producers a few headaches during pre-views. By the way, did you spot the divas up above the bus? Read on to discover more about their role in the story…

Queen?

Although we all know that the bus is supposed to be the queen of the show she’s got some serious competition from the other stars of the show. Jason Donovan plays Tick who’s alter ego is drag queen Mitzi Del Bra. Tick agrees to travel to Alice Springs, in the heart of the Australian outback to do a show and invites outrageous fellow drag queen Adam, Felicia (Oliver Thornton) and recently bereaved, transsexual Bernadette (Tony Sheldon) to join him. They travel in a beat up, old VW bus which Adam christens Priscilla. Along the way they collect Bob, the mechanic, meet a variety of Australian characters (mostly in bars, see above!) and eventually reach Alice Springs where Tick is reconciled with his 8-year-old son Benjamin. Some find love, others understanding and all emerge stronger and better able to cope. It’s hard to say who is ‘queen’ of the London production but Tony Sheldon’s performance as Bernadette takes some beating.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Then there are those queens of disco, the Divas.The Divas are 3 first class singers who have been added to the stage show to get over the problem of miming. At several points in the show the three drag artistes mime as part of their stage shows, just like real drag acts would. To avoid the danger of the audience feeling the show was anything other than 100% live the idea of the 3 divas, described by Stephan Elliott the film’s writer/director, as ‘desert drag goddesses’, was born. The 3 divas sing and their songs are lip-synched simultaneously by the leads. The divas have to have amazingly strong disco voices that will stand up to the power of songs like I Will Survive and Downtown.

Not only that they have to deliver these show-stopping songs whilst while suspended high above the stage, supported by harnesses that run right across their abdominal muscles. It is quite incredible that they are able to belt out these powerful anthems in such a precarious position! Being suspended causes another problem for the divas. Any wild movements and the whole set will start to swing. All their actions while they are up there have to be concentrated on their arms from the elbow to the fingertips. The divas in London are currently played by Zoe Birkett, Kate Gillespie and Emma Lindars.

Desert?

Priscilla Queen desert

The staging of the show is supposed to evoke the Australian desert. This is mostly done with atmospheric lighting but it can’t really compete with the reality of the film. And why should it? This is a stage musical after all and we are there more for the music and the spectacle than any deep meaningful insights. The desert and the feeling of heat was such a big part of the original film because the outback has special cultural significance to Australians. This is perhaps less true for a UK audience and anyway we’re far to busy bopping along to some disco classics to worry too much about anything deep and meaningful! Bring on the dancing cup cakes I say .

So there you have it, Priscilla, queen, desert, at the end of the day what matters most seems to be the celebration of the human spirit, love, energy and excitement of disco rather than anything too deep.

Breaks in London

2009-12-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

Just a heads up that there's a new post over on the Theatre breaks in London blog

Breaks in London

Not necessarily theatre breaks but any information about planning breaks in London could come in handy for the theatre breaks as well.

Oliver theatre breaks

2009-12-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

I was thinking that Oliver Theatre breaks for the New Year would make a not shabby at all present for Jenny and the girls. Why not?

Oliver! theatre breaks

Griff Rhys Jones takes over from Omid Djalili as Fagin from Dec 14th 2009.

Kerry Ellis (Wicked, We Will Rock You) is lined up to take over from Jodie Prenger as Nancy in the current West End production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Love Never Dies - planning their First Night

2009-11-19T09:50:00.001-08:00

Over on the Love Never Dies blog they're talking about planning the First Night with all the theatrical complications involved:

Despite the Opening Night of Love Never Dies being over four months away, planning is already well underway for what should be one of the biggest nights in the West End next year.

Microsoft Excel whimpers under the weight of the exclusive First Night list. Filling a 1400 seat auditorium with invited guests, allocating seats and distributing tickets and keeping the right people happy is a logistical nightmare – one which we won’t wake up from for many weeks to come! From the First Night list to the First Night party – everything needs to be perfect. It is one of our jobs to organise the logistical and technical aspects of the evening, ensuring that the chilled champagne is flowing, the food is arriving out of the kitchens hot and everyone is having a great evening.

Meanwhile, final preparations are being made for the start of rehearsals in January, rehearsal rooms are being kitted out, actors are being measured for costumes, sets are being constructed, lighting and sound equipment lists are being finalised and the marketing team are preparing for the next wave of advertising and promotional events. The production office is busy interviewing and appointing staff for the various backstage departments – stage management, wardrobe, wigs, sound, automation, stage crew, lighting and follow spots.

Everything is on course for our first preview on February 20^th…

Keep checking the website for further updates.

via loveneverdies.com

I'm not so interested to hear about the first night party but it's good to hear that the February first preview date is still on course. Somehow this pointless little blog post does serve to make it all seem a bit more realistic.

Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks

reBlog from wizardofozlondon.co.uk: The Wizard of Oz is coming to London

2009-11-18T04:56:00.001-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

I found this fascinating quote today:

Yes, The Wizard of Oz is coming to London and the person to play part of Dorothy will be chosen by another reality TV style competition with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the TV audience making the final decision.wizardofozlondon.co.uk, The Wizard of Oz is coming to London, Nov 2009

You should read the whole article.

Theatre Breaks Wiki

2009-11-13T15:05:00.001-08:00

Seemed like a good idea to link to the Theatre Breaks Wiki which is a growing reosurce for all kinds of information and interesting articles about theatre breaks in London, keeping the shows and theatres up to date.

Newest pages are for

Hair

Legally Blonde

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

and there's a list of all the top London musicals and plays of course.

Theatre breaks are short holidays in London which combine best seat theatre tickets with a central hotel stay, usually three or fours star. It's a great way to see one of the big shows because you don't have to worry about traveling home afterwards, and everything is all paid for in one go - with discount rail fares from anywhere in the UK, and extras such as the London Eye flight or river trip on the Thames.

The Theatre Breaks Wiki here is used to maintain up to date information about the shows available for London theatre breaks, the Hotels and anything else that can help to build the best time in London's West End theatreland.

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Theatre Breaks Wiki

2009-11-13T15:04:00.001-08:00

Newest pages are for

Hair

Legally Blonde

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

and there's a list of all the top London musicals and plays of course.

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

theatre Breaks

2009-10-20T03:33:00.001-07:00

via youtube.com

Theatre Breaks first video play in which two characters in search of a weekend consider the possibilities of taking a theatre break to London with a show, hotel and train deal.

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Love Never Dies roundup

2009-10-20T03:03:00.001-07:00

Love Never Dies

Summer Strallen in Love Never Dies « London Theatre

Summer Strallen in Love Never Dies. October 18, 2009 — andyroberts. Summer Strallen is set to play Meg Giry in Love Never Dies when the London version of the new musical opens in March 2010. Summer Strallen is no stranger to London's West End
London Theatre - http://londontheatreblog.wordpress.com/

Posted via email from Love Never Dies

Theatre Breaks to see Love Never Dies

2009-09-23T04:24:00.000-07:00

Love Never Dies is the title of a new musical which has been written as a sequel to The Phantom of The Opera. 'Phantom' has been (and still is) a West End and Broadway phenomenon, running continuously at Her Majesty's Theatre, London since 1986.

During that time many people have been to see the spectacular musical over and over again but soon it will be possible to relive Phantom of The Opera theatre breaks in London without seeing the same show. The new musical called Love Never Dies, and set in New York is due to open in London and other cities imminently. Phantom of the Opera theatre breaks have been the upmarket choice for hundreds of thousands of couples wanting a special night out with spectacular effects, operetta style music, a full orchestra and a short theatre break in London never to forget.

The Masked Phantom himself sent out an email which read -

“Ladies and Gentlemen, At 11 o’clock on the eighth day of October 2009, I will be making an announcement of global importance. Should my commands be ignored, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur. Amor Numquam Moritur. Your Obedient Servant, The Phantom”

Love Never Dies the musical is set in 1907, ten years after the conclusion of the original Phantom Of The Opera story. The Phantom himself escaped to New York in the US with Madame and Meg Giry. There he worked as a magician and entertainer on Coney Island. He builds a new opera house and convinces Christine Daae, now a huge star in her own right, to sing for him once again.

Love Never Dies the musical has lyrics by Glenn Slater, is directed by Jack O'Brien and designed by Bob Crowley, with choreography by Jerry Mitchell and lighting by Paule Constable.

The launch day announcement on October 8th is expected to confirm rumours that the Love Never Dies will have a world premiere opening at London's Adelphi Theatre in March 2010, following lengthy previews. Casting is expected to include Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, American Sierra Boggess as Christine, and Summer Strallen as Meg Giry. Well those are the rumours, but with rehearsals well under way at a big location outside of London, it's also just possible that the opening of Love Never Dies will be brought foreward in time for the December January peak theatre season.

London transfer for RSC Twelfth Night

2009-09-03T08:13:00.001-07:00

Latest News: London transfer for RSC Twelfth Night

First published: 03 Sep 2009
The capital’s theatregoers will be able to enjoy Richard Wilson’s Royal Shakespeare Company debut when Twelfth Night, which opens in Stratford in October, transfers to the Duke of York’s theatre for a Christmas season.
The Bard’s popular comedy of confused identity and entangled love lives runs in London from 19 December until 27 February and also stars James Fleet, Nancy Carroll, Jo Stone-Fewings, Sam Alexander, Alexandra Gilbreath, Richard McCabe, Pamela Nomvete, Simeon Moore and Miltos Yerolemou.
Wilson, most famous for his long-running role as the curmudgeonly Victor Meldrew in BBC sitcom One Foot In The Grave, is to play tormented steward Malvolio in the Gregory Doran-directed production. Also prolific as a director and supporter of new writing, Wilson’s casting comes as something of a shock as he has, in the past, expressed a dislike of Shakespeare, claiming in an interview with The Independent that: “I just don't have the intellectual capacity for Shakespeare... So I would rather not bother.”
Another performer easily recognisable to sitcom fans, Fleet, who played the dappy Hugo in The Vicar Of Dibley, returns to the RSC, for whom he has worked extensively, to play the foolish Sir Andrew Aguecheek. The piece also marks returns for Carroll and Gilbreath, who played opposite each other in Doran’s 2000 production of As You Like It.
The tale of Twelfth Night follows twins separated by a shipwreck who find themselves caught up in a web of love. Viola (Carroll) disguises herself as a boy to enter the service of Orsino (Stone-Fewings), whom she loves, but soon finds herself taking his words of affection to Olivia (Gilbreath), who has no time for Orsino, but falls, instead, for the disguised Viola. Meanwhile Olivia’s puritanical steward Malvolio finds himself persecuted by a band of drunken revellers.
Twelfth Night has been one of London’s most revived Shakespearean plays in recent years, with three productions since the summer of 2008, when Janie Dee and Clive Rowe starred at the Open Air theatre. In September 2008, Filter staged a version, which had previously been seen as part of the RSC’s Complete Works Festival, at the Tricycle theatre, while last Christmas Michael Grandage directed the Donmar West End production at the Wyndham’s theatre. The Donmar production starred Derek Jacobi in the role of Malvolio, for which he won the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.
MA

via officiallondontheatre.co.uk

Shakespeare always does well in London's West End and 12th night is one of the most popular plays.

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Carrie’s War tickets for one shilling

2009-08-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

The stage adaptation of Nina Bawden’s wartime drama Carrie’s War will commemorate the anniversary of the start of World War Two on 3 September by offering tickets to that evening’s performance for just one shilling, or five New Pence.

Michael Gambon in Alan Bennett Play

2009-08-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sir Michael Gambon will star in Alan Bennett's New Play "the Habit of Art" at the Lyttelton theatre.

Theatre Breaks to Priscilla Queen of the Desert and West End Live

2009-06-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical continues to be a popular show for London Theatre Breaks and I'm not sure this video from West End Live really does the show justice but it does give a flab=vour of the outrageous costumes and catchy tunes.

video by theatre breaks

Wicked at West End Live 2009 Theatre breaks

2009-06-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

Alexia Khadime from the London cast of Wicked performs the Wizard and I at West End Live 2009 video by theatre breaks

Theatre Breaks in the Springtime

2009-04-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

Springtime weather is almost perfect for theatre breaks in London.

The days are fine outdoors with little chance of too much rain and the theatres themselves are comfortablly acclimatised.

Lighter evenings make London theatre breaks attractive too.

Enjoy London Theatre

2009-02-22T05:21:00.001-08:00

Enjoy London Theatre
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Enjoy is a play by Alan Bennett, one of theatre’s greatest observers of the English way of life.

Written in 1980, it's set in his home town of Leeds where an ageing couple are living in the city’s last back-to-back. With the demolition of the area in progress, Wilf and Connie are soon to be re-housed in a brand new maisonette with a waste disposal unit and non-slip vinyl flooring! When a sociologist comes to observe them in their daily life, normality takes a decidedly atypical turn…

With its cast of fifteen extraordinary characters and a stunning visual denouement, Enjoy is an absolute theatrical treat.

Alan Bennett has been a household name for more than forty years. His numerous plays include The History Boys, one of the biggest theatrical sensations of recent years, Habeas Corpus, Forty Years On, Single Spies, The Madness of George III, Talking Heads and The Lady in the Van.

Three Days of Rain - London Theatre

2009-02-04T10:43:00.001-08:00

Three Days of Rain - London Theatre
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Three Days of Rain - London Theatre

Hotel and Theatre breaks Ticket Deals

2009-01-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

There are some great offers out for hotel and theatre ticket deals at this time of year. If you avoid Friday and Saturday evening performances, and keep with the months of January, February and March for example you can get a cheap theatre deal which equates to a free hotel offer. In other words, you only pay for the top theatre tickets.
Most of the top shows are involved too.

Book a break for two people between now and 26 March 2009 and you can stay in three star London hotel for free, or even upgrade to a four star hotel for just £10 extra.

London Show Ticket Face Value You Pay (including FREE 3* Hotel)

Billy Elliot £60 pp £60 pp
Blood Brothers £52.50 pp £52.50 pp
Buddy £56 pp £56 pp
Carousel £61 pp £61 pp
Chicago £55 pp £55 pp
Grease £53.50 pp £53.50 pp
Hairspray £62.50 pp £67.50 pp †
Joseph £44.75 pp £49.75 pp †
The Sound of Music £53.50 pp £53.50 pp
We Will Rock You £55 pp £60 pp†
Wicked £60 pp £60 pp
Zorro £55 pp £55 pp

There's never been a better time for booking theatre breaks in London

Blood Brothers Theatre Breaks

2008-11-20T08:32:00.001-08:00

Blood Brothers Theatre Breaks in London for Liverpudlians.

We Will Rock You Theatre Breaks

2008-11-17T06:22:00.000-08:00

Go For It - We Will Rock You Theatre Breaks

We Will Rock You is not like any other musical, it's a full blown Rock Opera with a large colourful cast, proper story with comedy, drama and pathos, and turns into a real rock concert as well.

Look out for Galilleo, Scaramouche, Meat, Killer Queen and the rest at We Will Rock You Theatre Breaks

Mamma Mia Theatre Breaks in London

2008-11-11T01:23:00.001-08:00

Talking about Mamma Mia Theatre Breaks, and just to be clear I mean the stage musical that's been going for ten years, not the film although the film is great too.

So this is a top feel good musical with fantastic choreography and of course no lack of toe tapping singalong tunes thanks to the 22 Abba songs incorporated into the story.

Mamma Mia theatre breaks transport you to a sunny Greek island instead of London!

Grease Theatre Breaks

2008-11-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

Grease is the word for Grease Theatre breaks if you happen to like that sort of thing and lots of us do like that kind of thing!

It's all about the songs, and the schoolyard banter, and the pink ladies and the T-birds. Get out the old leather jacket and stroll on down, never mind the decade. Grease theatre breaks include top tickets, cool Hotel rooms in central London and maybe the return rail fare as well so you can get back to Margate, Harrogate, Neath, Exeter and Portsmouth the next day, or even the day after that.

Billy Elliot Theatre Breaks

2008-10-30T01:31:00.001-07:00

Billy Elliot - Victoria Palace
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Victoria is the place for Billy Elliot Theatre Breaks in London with the lovely Victoria Palace theatre right opposite the station and plenty of good hotels nearby in the Belgrave area.

Billy Elliot is set during the miners strike of the 1980s and tells the tale of hope and optimism for Billy's dancing career during a time in which some communities were bitterly divided.

Just around the corner from the theatre from the larger Apollo theatre for Wicked

Enjoy Billy Elliot theatre breaks with top tickets and hotel stay and maybe discount train fares with London attractions included too.

Come Dancing video clips

2008-10-28T04:40:00.001-07:00

For all those Ray Davies fans overseas who couldn't make it to Stratford here are some great little video clips from Ray Davies Come Dancing musical at Theatre Royal Stratford.

Come Dancing makes a great evening out and it's extended until November 8th so there may still be a few table seats left.

Dirty Dancing Theatre Breaks

2008-10-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner" has become the in-quote for fans of Dirty Dancing Theatre breaks reliving the magic of Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre in the Strand, London and having the time of their lives.

Dirty Dancing Theatre breaks

With Theatre Breaks you can choose from a selection of London hotels to build a perfect ticket & hotel package with advance train tickets too.

Ray Davies on Come Dancing

2008-09-21T04:38:00.001-07:00

Ray Davies writer, composer, performer talks about his new musical Come Dancing at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East.
Not particularly a Kinks fan, I went to see the show on Friday and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. There are some great songs and the young cast are full of energy and enthusiasm which produces an enchanting atmosphere for recounting a very human story.

Top theatre breaks deals

2008-08-22T06:32:00.001-07:00

Mamma Mia, ticket & 3* hotel from £89.00pp
Available until 25th April
Based on a book by Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia! is an original musical telling the emotional story of a mother and daughter set on the eve of the daughter's wedding.

Dirty Dancing, ticket & 3* hotel from £127.00pp
Available until 30th April
The Academy Award winning film, Dirty Dancing is considered to be one of the greatest dance movies ever made, launching the careers of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

Jersey Boys, ticket & 3* hotel from £127.00pp
Available until 25th April
A smash hit on Broadway, the musical Jersey Boys tells the story of how four blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop bands of the 1960s.

The Lion King, ticket & 3* hotel from £86.00pp
Available until 29th March. Disney's marvellous musical The Lion King about the young Prince Simba, his father King Musafa and evil Uncle Scar.

Theatre Royal Drury lane

2008-08-13T07:26:00.001-07:00

Theatre Royal Drury lane
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

look there's a Frencgh and Saunders special on at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Calling it "still alive" preempts comments such as "Oh I didn't know they were still going". An extra something that could be added on to a London theatre break perhaps.

Theatre Breaks in London

2008-07-01T16:08:00.001-07:00

Top shows and four star hotels for theatre breaks in London

The Lion King

2008-06-20T05:15:00.001-07:00

The Lion King

usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/category/lion-king

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap

2008-06-19T13:59:00.001-07:00

running since 1952!
Originally uploaded by BB B

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap has been running in London since 1952! Now at St Martins Theatre.

Marguerite at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

2008-06-12T04:36:00.001-07:00

Marguerite the musical

Pygmalion at the Old Vic

2008-05-31T09:28:00.001-07:00

Pygmalion at the Old Vic
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Orange Tree Theatre

2008-05-26T08:19:00.001-07:00

Orange Tree Theatre
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

The Orange Tree Theatre is located in Richmond, West London near the river Thames.

Planet Hollywood

2008-05-06T04:54:00.001-07:00

PlanetHollywood
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

The Planet Hollywood restaurant is included with a river trip to make up one of the London Attractions that can be added to Theatre Breaks.

God of Carnage

2008-04-16T16:38:00.001-07:00

God of Carnage
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

God of Carnage at the Geilgud theatre starring Ralph Fiennes and Tamsin Greig

Jump

2008-04-16T16:34:00.001-07:00

Jump
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Jump

Theatre London Breaks Street Map

2008-04-04T01:42:00.001-07:00

TheatreLondonBreaksStreetMap.JPG
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Photograph of the useful streetmap map for London breaks with all the theatres and street names. Handy for plotting a route from hotel to theatre duringtheatre breaks

Random

2008-03-25T07:21:00.001-07:00

hg10 003
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Davis

Debbie Tucker Green has a poet's feel for rhythm, a keen ear for urban patois, and the knack of telling a story elliptically, with vivid flecks of detail. All these talents are to the fore in her new 50-minute piece, Random at Royal Court, London

Comedy Theatre

2008-02-24T15:24:00.001-08:00

Comedy Theatre
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Jersey Boys comes to Prince Edward Theatre

2008-02-23T16:05:00.001-08:00

Prince Edward Theatre

Originally uploaded by LindaH Jersey Boys the musical comes to Prince Edward Theatre.

** book Jersey Boys theatre breaks **

The Vortex at the apollo theatre

2008-02-22T23:54:00.001-08:00

apollo theatre
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

The Vortex by Noel Coward returns to London with Felicity Kendal

Theatre Royal Haymarket

2008-02-17T13:22:00.001-08:00

Theatre Royale Haymarket
Originally uploaded by randz

Showing The Last Confession in August, now The Sea

Dirty Dancing theatre breaks

2008-02-15T05:43:00.001-08:00

Dirty Dancing theatre breaks
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Dirty Dancing Theatre Breaks

Dirty Dancing posters hep to promote the show all over London on the trains and tubes at present, and a lot of theatre fans caome in from all over the country to relive the film as a West End experience with all the moves performed live on stage.

"Book now for the time of your life"

Aldwych Theatre

Hairspray theatre breaks

2008-02-15T05:40:00.001-08:00

Hairspray theatre breaks
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Hairspray poster for Theatre breaks in London and show tickets.

Advertisements on railway stations and buses help to keep Londoners aware of which shows are on in the west end but Hairspray and other musicals particularly attract visitors on hairspray theatre breaks which is great because then you can see a bit more of London and really make the most of it.

Michael Ball is spectacular

Hairspray the musical with everything

now booking hairspray theatre breaks until April 2009

The Playhouse

2008-02-10T08:10:00.001-08:00

The Playhouse
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Down by the embankment, at the back of Cahring Cross station. The Playhouse specialises in short run serious plays.

We will rock you at the Dominion

2008-01-29T02:23:00.001-08:00

We will rock you at the Dominion
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Freddy Mercury in front of the old Dominion theatre still showing the musical tribute show by Ben Elton

Jersey Boys

2008-01-29T02:15:00.001-08:00

Jersey Boys
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Jersey Boys Replaces Mary Poppins, but have they got their demographics right for current West End audiences?

London Theatre Breaks

West End Theatre Stars in Official Love146 Flash Mob - Can you see me?

Article: Chicago closes at London's Cambridge Theatre 27 Aug 2011

Line up at this year’s West End LIVE

Cheap Theatre Tickets

Theatre Royal Haymarket Theatre Breaks in London

Love Never Dies New Raoul, Christine and Meg

Love Never Dies New Raoul, Christine and Meg

Priscilla Queen of the desert

Betty Blue Eyes

Betty Blue Eyes

Betty Blue Eyes

Les Misreables

Australia Love Never Dies Cast

Love Never Dies Australian Cast

Australia Love Never Dies Cast

Love Never Dies Australian Cast

Andrew talks The Wizard of Oz

Theatre Breaks to see Wicked

Love Story London Theatre Breaks

Love Story

Love Story

Love Story

We Will Rock You Tickets

Time capsule October 8th-22nd 2009

Musical Theatre News: Love Never Dies Australian premiere in Melbourne in May 2011

Ramin Karimloo Pictures from Love Never Dies

Love Never Dies Tickets Competition!

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Love Never Dies Tickets Competition

London Theatre Breaks

London Theatre Breaks

The current Musicals for theatre breaks in London

And these are the biggest current plays for London Theatre breaks

Cabaret Season at Lauderdale House

Stunning Love Never Dies Photos

Friday Theatre Breaks and Plays

Shows in the offer:

Hotels

Things to do on the Saturday

Selling Fast

Top Plays for Theatre breaks

Carrie Sutton cast in The Wizard of Oz

The Hackney Empire - London.

London Theatre Breaks What's On West End

What’s On Now In The West End

Last Chance to see:

What’s on *Soon* in the West End:

A Tour of Coney Island

Theatre Breaks in London for 2011

Two Shows for Theatre Breaks In London 2011

Ghost London Theatre Breaks

Dates for Ghost And Wizard of Oz Theatre Breaks in London

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Deathtrap The Play

War Horse at the New London Theatre

New Season Theatre Breaks In London

Deathtrap Comedy Thriller!

Love Never Dies

Sister Act

We Will Rock You theatre breaks

Love Never Dies Reviews

Love Never Dies + Phantom Ultimate Package

Hair the American tribal Love rock musical

Sweet Charity London Theatre Breaks

History of the Show

Sweet Charity Theatre Breaks

Chicago London for Valentines Day Theatre Breaks

Chicago London for Valentines Day Theatre Breaks

Ruthie Henshall Plays Roxy in Chicago London

Chicago London Facts and Figures

How to get there

Check Availability for Chicago London Theatre Breaks

** Chicago London Theatre Breaks via Show And Stay **

Wicked Welcomes Rachel Tucker

Rachel Tucker as Elphaba

Louise Dearman as Glinda

Book Wicked Theatre Breaks

London Shows and Hotel Deals

About London shows and hotel deals

What’s on Soon in the West End:

Chicago London Theatre Breaks via Show And Stay