Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman will be  leaving Ghost the Musical in London’s West End on 12th January 2012 in order to help transfer the show to Broadway in the USA. The lead roles in Ghost, London will then be taken by Siobhan Dillon and Mark Evans, as from  the 13th January 2012. Ghost London Full Cast List The full new cast list for Ghost in London from 13th January 2012 is as follows:

Siobhan Dillon as Molly Jensen Mark Evans as Sam Wheat Sharon D Clarke as Oda Mae Brown Andrew Langtree as Carl Bruner Ivan de Freitas as Willie Lopez Adebayo Bolaji as the Subway Ghost Mark White as the Hospital Ghost Lisa Davina Phillip as Clara Jenny Fitzpatrick as Louise

The rest of the cast are  Jaygann Ayeh, Paul Ayres, Darren Carnall, Samuel Edwards, Rebecca Giacopazzi, Emily Hawgood, Louise Lawson, Rochelle Neil, Michael Peters, Laura Selwood, Yemie Sonuga, Spencer Stafford, Philippa Stefani, Jez Unwin, Sally Whitehead and Mark Willshire.

It’s now official that Sierra Boggess will be in Rebecca The Musical on Broadway! Sierra Boggess Sierra Boggess who originated the role of Christine Daae in Love Never Dies, and has been workshopping the Broadway version of  the European production of Rebecca, has been confirmed to play the lead female role –  which isn’t Rebecca herself, that character is dead from the start of the story. Sierra’s role will be the heroine dubbed as “I” in the new musical adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. De Winter’s second wife. Rebecca The Musical with Sierra Boggess “I” in Rebecca “I” is what we call the story’s main protagonist and narrator, because we never learn her given name. A shy, self-conscious young woman from a lower-middle class background, she begins the novel as a paid companion to Mrs. Van Hopper, a wealthy American woman. In Monte Carlo, she meets and marries the older, wealthy Maxim de Winter, and becomes “Mrs. De Winter,” mistress of Manderley. Rebecca The Musical Dates Rebecca The Musical  has booked the Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway for a run beginning on March 27, 2012. Jointly directed by Michael Blakemore and Francesca Zambello, the production will open on April 22nd 2012. Sierra made her Broadway debut creating the lead role of Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Rebecca will be  It will be a reunion for Sierra and her The Little Mermaid director, Francesca Zambello. Sierra Boggess on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/sierra_boggess

Great news that Sierra Boggess from Love Never Dies is to star in Rebecca the musical on Broadway http://rebeccamusical.co.uk/38/sierra-boggess-to-star-in-rebecca/

Love Never Dies star and London West End diva Sierra Boggess recently left the UK  and headed back to New York to take part in a reading for Rebecca the Musical which is due to open there later this year. The latest production plans call for a REBECCA premiere on Broadway in the Fall of 2011.

Rebecca the Musical

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.

I would like to recommend Christopher Caggiano’s blog Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals to our readers here on Theatre Breaks Magazine. Much of the blog is about musical theatre rather than specifically about Broadway or the West End. If you love musicals or just have a passing interest you will always find something worth reading.

Christopher is based in Boston. He started out as a writer and journalist and later became a teacher at the Boston Conservatory of Music. He teaches courses in musical-theater history and the neuro-psychology of music. Don’t be put off though, the blog is not at all academic. If you love musicals and you don’t know his blog, you really should. It is one of the most influential theatre blogs online, but a far better reason is that it is always beautifully written and very readable. Have a good look round especially at the archives and pages. See if you agree with his list of The 100 Greatest Musicals of All Time or his list of The Most Beautiful Theatre Songs Ever. This post is part of Theatre Blogger Week.

Love Never Dies London Extension While waiting to see what’s happening with the planned transfer of Love Never Dies to Broadway, the show in London has announced an extension with booking now available for tickets until March 2011. Love Never Dies had been announced for a Broadway opening this spring with London leads Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo transferring to the Neil Simon Theatre, currently showing a Beatles Tribute show. But US reports say the British musical’s arrival this season is now very unlikely, so perhaps this freed up the stars to extend the London production. Love Never Dies with a new set and production has been mooted for Australia and then Toronto, before Broadway now. It seemed that some of the key people working on the Broadway production have defected to another show entirely, such is the musical theatre business! Neil Simon Theatre - not for Love Never Dies

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

Hair Theatre Breaks – time travel to a land that never was….. Hair is back in the West End and we can travel back in time for a theatre break to that heady, hairy place that was the Summer of Love. We’ve all heard the cliche that if you remember the 60s you weren’t there, well, the new production of the 60s hit musical Hair takes us back to one version of that time of flower power, beads and illicit substances. Hair theatre breaks Last Tuesday night we had the chance to see the lively new Broadway production of Hair. I was really looking forward to the show as it’s been on my wish list ever since I heard it was coming (More about  Hair). Of course, this cast of bright energetic young Americans weren’t even born when Hair arrived in London for the first time. (I worry that just possibly neither were some of their parents – moving swiftly on!) For them Hair is a period piece from a time as exotic and unfamiliar as the 1920s. I’m old enough to remember the 60s, or to be more precise, I was trying to re-create them for most of the early 70s. At first tiny details that weren’t ‘quite’ right jarred slightly. A few minutes in though I suddenly realised that being ‘right’ really didn’t matter. I was watching a wonderful, energetic interpretation of a kind of fairy tale. We weren’t in the 60s at all. We were in Neverland with a group of Lost Boys, Peter Pan (Burger) and the rest of the cast. So I stopped worrying about historical accuracy and relaxed into a most enjoyable evening of music, dance and humour.

The music of the show is wonderful, from the iconic start of The Age of Aquarius via Good Morning Starshine to the final auditorium wide singing of Let the Sun Shine in we are swept along by a succession of  huge hits and tiny masterpieces like Frank Mills. If you can’t get to London to see the show buy the album on Amazon – you won’t regret it!

Who Will Enjoy Hair? Looking round the audience, and we got a better look at them than you usually do as a huge number of people made it onstage for the final song, Hair seems to appeal to all ages. There were a few aging ex-hippies (you know who you are!) but just about every age from 14 or so up was represented. Hair does of course famously have full frontal (actually rather tasteful and touching) nudity, references to drug use and quite explicit (and not at all tasteful, but fun!) sexual references. You might think twice about taking your younger children or your aging aunt. On second thoughts aging aunts are an unpredictable bunch and can have quite interesting pasts! Hair theatre breaks Book Hair Theatre Breaks

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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 ** a

Related posts:Theatre Breaks in London – Chicago Chicago – New Roxy announced Chicago – Jerry Springer to play Flynn

Jerry Springer will join the West End cast of Chicago in June. He will play the role of Billy Flynn for a six weeks. Springer is originally from London and best known for presenting the The Jerry Springer Show. He will join the cast at the Cambridge Theatre from Monday, June 1 until July 11. Jerry Springer replaces Ian Kelsey as Billy Flynn. Aoife Mulholland andTiffany Graves will continue in their roles as Roxy Hart and Velma Kelly. Chicago is the longest-running Broadway musical in the West End and has been on for 11 years now. A policy of regular and interesting cast changes has helped to ensure the continuing popularity of London’s sexiest musical.

Related Posts:Chicago- Now Booking To February 2009Theatre Breaks in London - ChicagoSuzanne Shaw from Dancing on Ice to star in ChicagoLong running shows in LondonChicago - Who's the next Roxie?a Chicago - Jerry Springer to play Flynn

Super badger with wings has added a photo to the pool:

The gigantic hording (a sign of our times!) around the Gielgud Theatre (corner of Shaftesbury Ave and Rupert St junction) for Equus by Peter Shaffer.

Walking along Shaftesbury Ave, coming from Piccadilly tube, you just can't miss it! A great sight for a London commuter!

The hoarding portrays a fantastic image of Dan Radcliffe's torso graphically mastered into a horse's head - clever!

Dan Radcliffe, Richard Griffthis and Jenny Agutter in this tale of youth and experience. Absolutely 5 star. This play is by far the most outstanding piece of work I've seen in ages. Dan you're the man!