Tell Me On A Sunday

Darlington Civic Theatre

It seems that popular culture has a peculiar preoccupation with young women going to New York to find a career, a husband and a happy-ever-after. In the theatre, Millie Dillmount upped-sticks from Salina, Kansas, to head for the Big Apple in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Lola Lamar bid farewell to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in favour of NYC in Copacabana. On film, Andy Sachs graduated from Northwestern University and landed a prestigious job with ‘Runway’, a fashion magazine based in New York, and, on television, Carrie Bradshaw arrived in ‘the city that never sleeps’, aged 21, and ended up writing a weekly sex column for The New York Star in Sex and the City.

Similarly, in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black hit musical, Tell Me On A Sunday, Laura is a Liverpudlian girl (although, originally, the character came from Muswell Hill) who has made New York her home. Brimming with optimism, she seeks success and love. But as she weaves her way through the maze of the city and her own anxieties, frustrations and heartaches, she begins to wonder whether she's been looking for love in all the wrong places.

 

Originally conceived for television, starring Marti Webb, the role has also been performed by some big names from the world of musical theatre, including Sarah Brightman, Lulu, Denise Van Outen, Faye Tozer and Patsy Palmer. This latest version has been tailored to suit the current incumbent, Claire Sweeney and there has even been a new song added, ‘Dreams Never Run On Time’.

 

Sweeney has a charm and charisma within her performance, is easy on the eye, and connects well with the audience. She delivers the musical numbers with emotional intelligence and beautiful enunciation and one feels that they are all heartfelt. Her strength lies in her ability as an actress rather than a singer, which enables her to sell a tune despite the fact that she is not a ‘belter’. The five-piece band, under the musical direction of Leigh Thompson, are bang-on and never miss a beat.

 

The set, designed by Janet Bird, effectively depicts Laura’s studio apartment with a lounge area to the fore and a kitchen and bedroom, slightly higher, further back. Girly props and satin sheets also contribute a feminine feel. The updated version now sees Laura armed with a pink laptop and the ‘Writing Home’ songs are now done via e-mail. These touches work nicely enough.

 

It is a rather large undertaking to expect one performer to keep an audience of around 1,000 people entertained, predominantly with song, for approximately 90 minutes. However, Claire Sweeney pulled it out of the bag and neither of the two 45 minute acts ever lost their momentum.

 

Steve Burbridge.

 

Runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until 11^th June, then tours to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Woking, Cardiff, Norwich, Malvern, Eastbourne and Aberdeen.

 

 

 

 

First introduced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2001, Hamlet The Musical has since been workshopped and developed by a number of different casts. The current ensemble, lead by a vibrant Jack Shalloo as Hamlet, is ingenious and irreverent. We all know how the story goes: The young Danish prince Hamlet is to avenge the death of his father but cannot bring himself to do the deed. His uncle Claudius marries his mother Gertrude to become king. Ophelia is in love with Hamlet but he rejects her and kills her father Polonius by accident which drives Ophelia mad. Hamlet has seen many adaptations but none is as hilarious as Alex Silverman’s, Timothy Knapman’s and Ed Jaspers’ version.

There is literally one joke a minute and one does not need to be a Shakespeare expert to enjoy the show although it helps to get some of the nuances such as the writing of the tombstone for “A.P. Yorick.” The comic timing is perfect and the show is packed with catching tunes such as It Is Rough To Be A Psychopath (Claudius).When Hamlet finally starts his most famous monologue To Be Or Not To Be is turned into a rock anthem making Hamlet an instant star. His revenge plot completely forgotten, he now concentrates on his music career. The Ghost is not pleased. Another highlight is the play within a play called Der Fledermaustrap - an opera medley covering everything from Verdi to Wagner and clearly inspired by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The set seems to have been cut right out of a fairy tale book (design by Diego Pitarch) and costumes are a great spoof of the musical genre (design by Mia Flodquist).

Mark Inscoe's  Claudius  would steal the show if the rest of the ensemble were not so outstanding. Virge Gilchrist is superb as Gertrude, the former “Queen of Hearts” who is drowning her sorrow over her loss in popularity in whatever poison she can find. Jess Robinson is wonderful as the Disney princess Ophelia in her pink dress and petticoat, frolicking about with the cute animals in the forest. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are puppets looking like American college students. Gabriel Vick is brilliant as Laertes who starts out as a passionate and jealous Spaniard in an open red silk shirt only to return as a Frenchman clobbering Hamlet with baguettes. Polonius resembles a Mafia godfather and is played by the charismatic actor David Burt who also portrays the Grave Digger and Fortinbras – a true Viking complete with skulls fastened to his costume who appears whenever the words “we need a real hero” are mentioned.

See this show, it is a great evening out!

The show runs until 28 May 2011 at the Richmond Theatre.

The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ

Booking:

·         Online - AmbassadorTickets.com

·         AmbassadorTickets - 0844 871 7615

·         Box Office - 0844 871 7651

·         Groups - 0844 871 7696 or Click here

·         Access bookings - 0844 871 7677

·         Typetalk - 18001 0871 297 5477 (textphone)

 

The Sound Of Music, currently playing at Glasgow's King's Theatre and starring Jason Donovan and Verity Rushworth, is a must-see musical!

Verity Rushworth is Maria Rainer, the disobedient but comical and well-meaning nun who is sent to be governess to the seven children of Captain Von Trapp (Jason Donovan). She makes more of a difference than she could have imagined in the household; which until she arrived, was run under the strict naval command of the Captain. There is comedy, romance and fear in this fabulous musical set under the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of Austria.

We all know the iconic Roger and Hammerstein songs in this production, and the cast sings the likes of 'Climb Every Mountain' and 'The Lonely Goatheard' perfectly. The operatic voice of  Marillyn Hill Smith as Mother Abbess is particularly impressive.

Verity Rushworth adds some extra comedy and youthfulness to the role of Maria, not seen in Julie Andrew's famous performance; and it works very well.

The set is extensive and opulent; reflecting the luxury of the Von Trapp residence, and the religious artifacts and imagery in the abbey.

This is an excellent production that more than lives up to expectations. 

 

The Von Trapp family arrived in Glasgow yesterday in the form of Jason Donovan, Verity Rushworth and a group of very talented children.

The UK leg of the new cast's tour began in the city last night and runs until 4th June before moving onto Leeds, then Nottingham and Newcastle.

Get your tickets for this iconic musical before you miss out!

NATIONWIDE AUDITIONS FOR THE COMPANY OF FIRST EVER UK TOUR OF DIRTY DANCING TO TAKE PLACE IN BIRMINGHAM,
CARDIFF AND EDINBURGH

 

 

The producers of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, one of the most successful musicals in West End history, are delighted to announce that they will be holding nationwide auditions to find outstanding performers to star in the first ever national tour of the production.

 

Dirty Dancing is the classic story of the iconic ‘Johnny Castle’ and idealistic ‘Baby Houseman’, played so memorably by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the 1987 movie. Since its announcement in November 2010, demand for tickets for the first ever UK tour for has been phenomenal, with sales already exceeding £10m for the first seven cities currently on sale, and many performances already sold out.

 

Auditions will be held as follows:

 

Tuesday 3 May          Birmingham

Hippodrome/ Dance Xchange Ltd
Birmingham Hippodrome, Thorp Street, Birmingham, B5 4TB

 

Wednesday 4 May                 Cardiff                       

THE GATE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE
Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW

 

Thursday 5 May         Edinburgh     

DANCEBASE

14-16 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU

 

For each of the venues:

Women: Sign-in begins at 7.45am. Sign-in/be in line no later than 7.30am

Men: Sign-in begins at 12.45pm. Sign-in/be in line no later than 12.30pm.

 

Women must wear dance shoes with a heel, and no baggy clothes. All auditionees should bring along a photo and CV stapled together, and artists of all ethnicities are encouraged to attend.

 

The producers of Dirty Dancing have said, “After five triumphant years in the West End, we are so pleased to be able to expand on the production’s success to date and take this iconic story to cities across the UK. The production demands performers of huge talent and passion, and we are really looking forward to drawing on the incredible quality of artists across the UK to fill these much loved roles and bring this classic love story to life.”

 

For further press information, please contact:

 

David Bloom - Target Live

T: 020 3372 0950
E: david.bloom@target-live.co.uk

 

Arabella Neville-Rolfe – Target Live

T: 0203 372 0961

E: arabella.neville-rolfe@target-live.co.uk

 

 

Tour Venues

 

Bristol – Bristol Hippodrome, Thursday 1^st September to Saturday 8^th October 2011

Glasgow – King’s Theatre, Wednesday 19^th October to Saturday 12^th November 2011

Manchester – Manchester Palace, Tuesday 22^nd November 2011 to Saturday 7^th January 2012

Dublin – Grand Canal Theatre, Tuesday 17^th January to Saturday 25^th February 2012

Aberdeen – His Majesty’s Theatre, Tuesday 6^th to Saturday 31^st March 2012

Southampton – Mayflower Theatre, Tuesday 3^rd to Saturday 28^th April 2012

Milton Keynes – Milton Keynes Theatre, Tuesday 1^st to Saturday 26^th May 2012

Leeds – Leeds Grand Theatre, Tuesday 29th May to Saturday 23^rd June 2012

Birmingham – Birmingham Hippodrome, Wednesday 4^th July – Saturday 25^th August 2012

Norwich – Norwich Theatre Royal, Tuesday 28^th August – Saturday 15^th September 2012

Sunderland – Sunderland Empire, Tuesday 18^th September – Saturday 6^th October 2012

Liverpool – Liverpool Empire, Tuesday 9^th October – Saturday 27^th October 2012

Cardiff – Wales Millennium Centre, Tuesday 6^th November – Saturday 1^st December 2012

Edinburgh – Edinburgh Playhouse, Tuesday 4 December 2012 – Saturday 12^th January 2013

 

 

www.dirtydancingontour.com

 

 

For the West End production, please contact:

Kate Etteridge/ Ali Castriotis - LD Communications

T: 0207 439 7222

E: kate.etteridge@ldcommunications.co.uk / ali@ldcommunications.co.uk

Much-loved musical Chess is currently on it's UK tour across the country.
The story is fundamentally about relationships; with the backdrop of a chess tournament and political to-ing and fro-ing. 
An American Freddie Trumper (James Fox) and a Russian Anatoly Sergievsky (Daniel Koek) are competing in the World Chess Championships in Italy; when Trumper's aide and lover Florence Vassy (Shona White) falls for his rival Sergievsky, and begins a relationship with him. Sergievsky is however married, and the production follows his relationship with Vassy and his wife as he continues to fight to keep his World Champion title in Bangkok.
Florence Vassy is very much the focus of the story, and it is her emotions and actions that drive the narrative and keep the audience engrossed.
This production of Chess, directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, is very much surrealist in its staging. It does seem very odd at times, and it is difficult for an audience to put as much importance in the outcome of a chess game as the story asks. It is very much the performance of Shona White however, that keeps this production's feet firmly in the human realm, and allows the audience to connect with the material.
Her performance of 'Nobody's On Nobody's Side' is outstanding. Her voice has a delicious warm tone, and its clarity and power rivals that of Elaine Paige. 
This production has a lot of sexual simulations and imagery. The male chess players gyratting  in bottomless chaps and horse's tails are not for the faint-hearted!
This show is definitely worth a visit. Watching Shona White in action is worth the ticket price alone.

Tues 5- Sat 9 April 2011
Tues - Sat eves 7.30pm
Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm
Tickets: £12 - £33.50 
Box Office: 08448 717 648 (bkg fee)
www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)
 

Put your imagination into overdrive!

Written by David Harrod and Peter Scott-Presland, who won a DORA for Dorothy’s Travels, this free musical adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde explores the gradations of sex and love between a variety of gay and lesbian characters.

La Ronde is set in a gay bar and in the bedrooms of various protagonists. A young boy – the Kid – enters the bar just as the patrons are told to finish their drinks and leave by the seemingly uncaring Barman. To his great surprise he finds men making out in the toilet and is told to take his business elsewhere. The Wolf is looking for game and the naïve boy is easy prey. He seduces the innocent and then kicks him out into the street.  In the next episode the Wolf is deserted by his lover, the Soldier, who thinks he can find more exciting sex on the internet. The scene where the Soldier is chatting up his future playmate is hilarious. The Fag is not at all into the rough role playing that the Soldier adores so much. They meet and the Fag later tells his friend, the Dyke, about his strange experience - before she starts a fight with the Barman-Singer for crooning a provocative song titled “We Don’t Serve Fish”. And the merry-go-round moves on.

The musical score is tuneful and exciting and supports the structure of the episodic play which explores many aspects of gay and some heterosexual sex and love. The cast is very good, led by an outstanding Simon Chilvers as the Kid, Randy Smartnick as the sweet and sensitive Fag, Joe Schefer as the Husband who has not really found himself yet and Bradley Clapson as the Barman and naughty singer Connie Linctus.  

The show is funny and satirical but it is also touching and thought provoking. Very good entertainment indeed!

7.30pm 15 March - 3 April
Tuesday – Saturday 7.45pm, Sundays 4pm

Suitable for over 18s only

Tickets: £ 12 / £ 10 (concessions)

BOX OFFICE: 020 7704 6665

The Rosemary Branch, 2 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DT

 

Inaugural concert for Aylesbury Waterside Theatre’s
new Orchestra in Association Oxford Philomusica

Oxford Philomusica celebrated its appointment as Orchestra in Association at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre with a delightful debut concert on Friday 11th March.  The acclaimed orchestra presented three musical masterpieces:  Rossini’s The Barber of Seville Overture,  Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Elgar’s much-loved Enigma Variations.

As part of this special evening, several local schools, including Aylesbury High School, The Mandeville School and Aylesbury Vale Academy took part in a pre-concert workshop, loosely based on the pieces played in the evening concert.  About 30 schoolchildren from Years 7 to 9 attended the final hour of the orchestra’s rehearsal from 5pm to 6pm in the main auditorium, followed by the hands-on workshop from 6.15pm to 7pm in the ‘Second Space’ at the Theatre in front of a VIP audience.  Through such projects the orchestra hopes to encourage young people to understand, enjoy and engage with classical music and develop the audiences of tomorrow.

The main concert opened with a gusto performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville Overture.  Next came Mendelssohn’s Violin concerto in E Minor, Op 64, which gave violin soloist Jennifer Pike the chance to excel.  Wearing a red Spanish style dress, Jennifer captivated the audience with her melancholic, dramatic performance as she effortlessly exposed the emotions of the piece and seemed to become one with her instrument.  Jennifer has emerged in recent seasons as one of the most gifted British artists and won the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year award in 2002.

After the High Sherrif of Bucks opened the second Act welcoming the association between the Waterside and the Oxford Philomusica, we were treated to an energetic and exhilarating performance of Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme for orchestra, Op 36. Popularly known as the Enigma Variations, this is one of the most famous and familiar works of the classical repertoire - particularly the intensely moving 9th Variation, Nimrod.  The work was born out of the composer’s musical improvisations in which he drew a musical portrait of friends for his wife to identify.  Elgar later dedicated it to ‘my friends pictured within’. 

Oxford Philomusica was conducted by its music director and founder, Marios Papadopoulos.  His passion and enthusiasm for the pieces shine through and in the Enigma Variations  I was fascinated to see his head of thick grey hair taking on a life of its own,  almost becoming another instrument!

Oxford Philomusica is a professional symphony orchestra serving the City of Oxford and the wider Thames Valley.  Thanks to its uncompromising artistic standards and consistently fine performances, Oxford Philomusica has rapidly developing a national and international profile.  In addition to a year-round programme of concerts in its home venue of Wren’s beautiful Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, the orchestra gives regular concerts in London plus regional and overseas tour dates. 

 Since its creation Oxford Philomusica has been firmly committed to education and community work, and this will form a form a significant part of its exciting new collaboration with the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.

Oxford Philomusica is also keen to support local charities and will be enthusiastically joining the Waterside Theatre in its support of the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, as a collection followed the concert.

For more details on the orchestra visit www.oxfordphil.com

Yvonne Delahaye