Well it looks like the worst case scenario, that in which Gaddafi sabotages the oil fields, may have been avoided. There’s still a strong danger of civil war within Tripoli as hard core loyalists and mercenaries defend a last ditch position. Meanwhile what’s the news from Tangiers and other places?

This article titled “Libya rebels isolate Gaddafi, seizing cities and oilfields” was written by Martin Chulov in Benghazi, for guardian.co.uk on Thursday 24th February 2011 17.29 UTC Opposition activists are increasing the pressure on Muammar Gaddafi’s ailing regime, shutting down oil exports and mobilising rebel groups in the west of the country as the revolution rapidly spreads. Gaddafi’s hold on power appears confined to parts of Tripoli and perhaps several regions in the centre of the country. Towns to the west of the capital have fallen and all of eastern Libya is firmly in opposition hands. In a rambling appeal for calm on state TV, Gaddafi blamed the revolt on al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and said the protesters were fuelled by Nescafe spiked with hallucinogenic drugs. In Benghazi, the country’s second city, basic order is returning to the streets after days of fierce fighting that resulted in the military defecting en masse. Virtually all government buildings were looted and wrecked. There are long lines outside closed banks as people try to resume normal life. Cars have returned to city streets but almost all shops remain closed and the internet is blocked. • Watch dramatic Libya video with commentary by Martin Chulov • Follow live reaction to Gadaffi’s latest statement • David Cameron apologises for delay in evacuating Britons Benghazi is now being run by a makeshift organising committee of judges, lawyers and other professionals who have sent out young people to direct traffic and restore basic order. One high court lawyer, Amal Bagaigis, said: “We started just as lawyers looking for our rights and now we are revolutionaries, and we don’t know how to manage. We want to have our own face. For 42 years we lived with this kind of barbarianism. We now want to live by ourselves.” The town of Misrata, about halfway between Benghazi and Tripoli, is reported to have fallen after days of violence. A resident, Abdul Basit Imzivig, told the Guardian that regime forces had fled overnight and the city was in opposition hands. All southern oilfields are in rebel control. Moustafa Raba’a, a mechanical engineer with the Sirte oil company, said pressure had been put on field and refinery managers to stop work and protect all foreign nationals working with them. “The order was put out to send a message to Gaddafi to stop the slaying of our people in Benghazi. We made a decision to deny him the privilege of exporting oil and gas to Europe.” He said the blockade had prevented 80,000 barrels a day being exported from the Dregga field alone. In Gaddafi’s latest broadcast, he spoke to state television by telephone without appearing in person, and his tone seemed more conciliatory. But it was peppered with bizarre references – he compared his authority to the British Queen and said of the protesters: “Their ages are 17. They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe.” Opposition to Gaddafi appears to have reached a critical mass, with his influence confined to parts of the capital and steadily shrinking. Tripoli remains in lockdown and there are reports of snipers. Irish-trained surgeon Heitham Gheriani, who was one of the revolution’s organisers in Benghazi, said: “Now the people realise the power they have. They started this protest peacefully and then the youths joined them. And when Gaddafi started killing them they rose up. But we honestly didn’t think it would happen so quickly.” A Turkish ferry has docked in Benghazi to evacuate a small number of Turkish nationals, and a British warship remains off the coast waiting for permission to approach Libyan shores. A second ship, the HMS York, has been stationed in Malta to help with the rescue effort. Tens of thousands of Egyptians are continuing to pour towards their home border along with a convoy of other foreign workers. Elsewhere in Libya forces loyal to Gaddafi are reported to have launched a counter-attack on anti-government militias controlling Misrata, 125 miles (200km) east of Tripoli. Several people were killed in fighting near the city’s airport. Lawyers and judges have said they control the city in an internet statement. With help from “honest” military officers they had removed agents of the “oppressive regime” in Misrata, the statement said. Another western town, Zuara, is reported to have fallen to opposition forces as the tide of rebellion advanced closer to Tripoli. Violence reached the town of Az-Zawiyah, 30 miles west of Tripoli. Al-Arabiya television said Gaddafi would address residents of the town. In Oman, the British prime minister David Cameron delivered an unequivocal apology for the failings that left British citizens stranded in Libya. Two chartered planes have now left Tripoli, and a Hercules landed in the Libyan capital. British officials are confident that all UK citizens at the airport have been flown out, though they expect more to turn up. The prime minister said British officials would be “sweeping up” any remaining British citizens who arrive at the airport, while HMS Cumberland has docked in Benghazi to pick up passengers there. The Ministry of Defence is assessing how to rescue between 100 and 150 British citizens working for oil companies in the desert.

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Here’s the link to the People Finder tool http://christchurch-2011.person-finder.appspot.com/ act of god

This article titled “New Zealand earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing at least 65 people” was written by Ben Quinn and Mark Tran, for guardian.co.uk on Tuesday 22nd February 2011 13.18 UTC At least 65 people have died and more than 100 are missing after a powerful earthquake struck the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch, collapsing buildings, burying vehicles under debris and sending rescuers scrambling to help people trapped under rubble. The 6.3-magnitude quake struck the country’s second largest city on a busy weekday afternoon. The mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker, has declared a state of emergency and ordered people to evacuate the city centre. “Make no mistake this is going to be a very black day for this shaken city,” he said. Power and water was cut and hundreds of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens blared throughout Christchurch in the aftermath of the quake, which was centred three miles from the city. The US Geological Survey said the tremor occurred at a depth of 2.5 miles.

After rushing to the city within hours of the quake, the prime minister of New Zealand, John Key, said the death toll was 65, and may rise. “It is just a scene of utter devastation. We may well be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day.” The spire of the city’s well-known stone cathedral toppled into a central square, while buildings collapsed in on themselves and streets were strewn with bricks and shattered concrete. The multi-storey Pyne Gould Guinness Building, housing more than 200 workers, has collapsed with an unknown number of people trapped inside. Television pictures showed rescuers, many of them office workers, dragging severely injured people from the rubble. Elsewhere, police said debris rained down on two buses, crushing them, while emergency workers were moving to rescue survivors trapped in other partially collapsed buildings across the city. New Zealand’s TV3 said 24 people were trapped on the 17th floor of the 19-storey Forsyth Barr office building, near the cathedral. The building was intact but a stairwell had collapsed, it said. Christchurch hospital had to deal with many injured residents. “We’ve had a lot of people at the emergency department … a significant number, a lot of major injuries,” said David Meates, the chief executive of the Canterbury health board. “They are largely crushes and cuts types of injuries and chest pain as well,” he said, adding some of the more seriously injured could be evacuated to other cities, where hospitals have been put on alert and prepared to accept casualties. All army medical staff have been mobilised, while several hundred troops were helping with the rescue, officials said. A woman trapped in one of the buildings said she was terrified and waiting for rescuers to reach her six hours after the quake. “I thought the best place was under the desk but the ceiling collapsed on top. I can’t move and I’m just terrified,” office worker Anne Voss told TV3 news. Emergency shelters had been set up in schools and at a racecourse, as night approached. Helicopters dumped giant buckets of water to try to douse a fire in one tall office building. A crane helped rescue workers trapped in another office block. “I was in the square right outside the cathedral – the whole front has fallen down and there were people running from there. There were people inside as well,” said John Gurr, a camera technician who was in the city centre when the quake hit. The city’s historic cathedral was one of the buildings that took significant damage, while cars were buried under rubble and roads buckled as the tremor opened fissures in the ground. “It is huge. We just don’t know if there are people under this rubble,” a priest standing outside the rubble of the damaged cathedral told Television New Zealand. Search and rescue teams are working through the night to look for survivors, the civil defence director, John Hamilton, said. “We have to be prepared to accept that it is going to be a heavy toll,” he said, adding that it was unclear how many people were trapped in buildings. “There could well be people who are stuck in buildings overnight. I can’t confirm, but I would expect that’s in all probability the case.” All airports and airspace in the country were shut down and all flights into, out of and around the country were put on hold immediately after the earthquake. Airways NZ, New Zealand’s national air traffic control organisation, is based in Christchurch. Local TV showed bodies being pulled out of rubble strewn around the city centre, though it was unclear whether any of them were alive. It was the second time in five months that the city has been struck by a major earthquake. Last September’s 7.1-magnitude earthquake was 30 miles west of Christchurch. About 100 people were treated at hospital with earthquake-related injuries then. Christchurch has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks since that earthquake, causing extensive damage and a handful of injuries, but no deaths. New Zealand, which sits between the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates, records on average more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which about 20 would normally top magnitude 5.0. Christchurch is home to about 350,000 people and is a tourist centre and gateway to the South Island.

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This episode of the Arab Spring or Region-Wide Revolution taking place in Libya is a terribly costly one in terms of casualties, but there are signs the people will win.

This article titled “Libya protests: ‘Now we’ve seen the blood our fears have gone’” was written by Angelique Chrisafis, for The Guardian on Monday 21st February 2011 21.33 UTC As determined demonstrators against Gaddafi headed to the vast, palm-tree fringed Green Square in central Tripoli on Monday, protesters talked of the gathering as the “new Tahrir Square”. Inspired by Egypt’s revolution, they vowed to sleep out in the centre of Libyan’s Mediterranean port capital there until “the job was done” and the Libyan dictator had fled. With the death toll estimated by Libyan rights groups to be more than 400 in five days, this seemed an almost impossibly dangerous challenge. But shocked by the scale of the violent repression of the protests, many felt they had nothing left to lose, according to exiled activists who described the scene. With phonelines cut off all day, the internet connection patchy, and no foreign journalists allowed in, a news blackout on the ground disorientated residents who couldn’t contact relatives. Reporters had to rely on accounts by human rights networks and exiled opposition activists. But within hours, reports began to filter through about the deafening sound of military aircraft targeting demonstrators in what opposition groups warned was a “massacre”. For the second night running, Gaddafi appeared to have deployed a shoot-to-kill policy to disperse the protests that had spread to the capital from the east of the country. At least three people were killed in Tajura on the Tripoli’s outskirts as military aircraft fired on protesters and bombed residential areas, according to one Libyan activist based in London who was in contact with Tripoli residents. Armed men in 4x4s were reportedly driving around the city amid sustained gun fire. One Libyan activist said: “Gaddafi may be implementing his son’s warning that if the Libyans don’t just abandon their protests and accept his rule again he would give them a bloodbath. Will the world accept such behaviour from a government towards its people?”. The mood in Tripoli and its residential suburbs was tense and chaotic, according to accounts from residents. Some described locals barricading themselves into neighbourhoods or staying inside, afraid of foreign mercenaries paid by Gaddafi to shoot to kill. Since Sunday, some police stations had been set alight, the building where the General People’s Congress, or parliament, meets was on fire on Monday morning, agencies reported. “We can’t trust anyone, there are armed mercenaries around us, ready to shoot us for no reason,” one family told French radio. Some Tunisians who had fled the city described a nightmare atmosphere in Tripoli where shots were heard through Sunday night and again on Monday afternoon and people wouldn’t leave their home for fear of clashes between pro-Gaddafi crowds and demonstrators. Ali Zeidan, a senior member of the Libyan League of Human Rights who is in Munich, pieced together the pattern of violence in the Libyan capital that began early on Monday. “Protesters gathered for very big street demonstrations. Then at 3am, forces came without any warning and started shooting live ammunition into the crowd. Some of the demonstrators ran, others fell. There were about 60 killed and around 130 injured. It wasn’t the police, it wasn’t the army, it was Gaddafi’s elite guard assisted by paid foreign African fighters,” he told the Guardian. “Then this morning Tripoli was eerily quiet. All shops, offices, pharmacies, banks were closed. It was as quiet as a Sunday in London 50 years ago.” He said all morning people had prepared for renewed protests on Monday evening in Green Square, with some people making the journey from outside Tripoli. “Libyans used to be afraid. But after they saw the blood, they aren’t afraid anymore, they are angry. “Everybody knows somebody who has been killed or injured, everyone is very angry. What Gaddafi’s son said made people furious, it’s as if the people can just be treated like trash. Now people don’t want to go back to what they had for the last 42 years [of Gaddafi's rule]. Now they feel no fear, if there are deaths people accept that we must carry on. Protesters will go to the centre again today and keep demonstrating until the job is done.” He added: “This is a new feeling for Libya: people look at their situation where there is no dignity for humans, no respect. The Libyan people are fed up, they are a patient, kind, quiet people, but now there’s a feeling that to the outside world they aren’t being respected as humans. There’s a very strong feeling among young people: what do we have to live for? There’s no life, no education, there’s no jobs, no sport, no internet, no entertainment. What do we have? Nothing.” One demonstrator posted an account to the Alive in Libya website, describing the attacks on the crowd: “Heavy fire, like it was a war. Until you can’t even hear or even see what’s happening. “The demonstrators scattered, and they suddenly brought in their gangs chanting ‘Fatih’ [One of Gaddafi's titles] and they re-entered the square. We took shelter in the neighbouring buildings for a while then retreated. There was also strikes by anti-aircraft missiles, we saw this in front of us. Those that I saw with my own eyes: two wounded, one shot in the head.” One young woman in Tripoli wrote by email to the Guardian: “The general sentiment here is mixed. One of hope, fear and excitement. Fear not of being hurt or shot but of the unknown. Hope for change. Excitement for what’s to come. There is a complete blackout of information. Nothing official, nothing confirmed. Who’s winning, how many are dead. Who’s still here? Who’s left running with their tail between their legs. The only source of information is that between each other.” In the east of Libya, where support for Gaddafi is traditionally weak, the city of Benghazi – where over 200 people are believed to have been killed in five days of violence – was said to have fallen to the protesters after police retreated. Residents were reported to be organising vigilante groups to protect themselves and distribute food. In Paris, the International Federation of Human Rights estimated the death toll at between 300 and 400 by Monday afternoon. The group also reported soldiers in the east had defected and several towns were in the hands of the opposition. Tunisians who had left Libya described to Agence France-Presse how the disturbances had now reached the west of the country. In Zaouia, 35 miles (60km) west of Tripoli, a Tunisian hairdresser described how police had abandoned the town on Sunday after days of confrontation between pro- Gaddafi groups and protesters. Shops were closed, buildings had been attacked and burned and people had stolen police cars. Souhayr Belhassen, head of the International Federation of Human Rights, said she had gathered accounts from Tunisians and others who had left Libya, describing how property belonging to Gaddafi had been attacked and police stations set alight. “The revolt is heading to the capital,” she said. She said senior figures including ambassadors and security forces, were abandoning Gaddafi. “They have jumped ship and the boat is sinking,” she said.

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I hate popcorn in cinemas too, the noise and the smell of it, but shooting people is wrong. I don’t know about Latvia but in London there are one or two cinemas or picture houses with no popcorn. The Barbican centre in one of them.

This article titled “Man shot dead in Latvian cinema for eating popcorn too loudly” was written by Catherine Shoard and agencies, for guardian.co.uk on Monday 21st February 2011 13.17 UTC A man has been shot dead at a cinema in Latvia after a fellow movie-goer objected to the volume at which he was eating his popcorn. The assailant, 27, reportedly had a brief argument with the man, aged 43, who was sitting next to him during a screening of Black Swan in the Forum cinema, one of the largest in the city of Riga.

When the credits rolled, the younger man pulled out a legally registered firearm and shot the other man dead. Other audience members then phoned for the police and an ambulance. The younger man – a graduate of the police academy who holds a doctorate in law from the University of Latvia – waited to be arrested.

The most recent incident of cinema rage in the UK was in 2009, when a teenager threw bleach over a woman who tried to quieten a group of youths during a screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Leeds.

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The price of world oil rose to its highest level since September 2008 yesterday, leaping of more than one dollar a barrel. The cause now is the forboding situation in Libya, a key member of Opec, where the Gaddafi family and supporters have adopted a belligerent stance towards the undeterred protests. The biggest fear amongst oil commodity speculators for even bigger price rises now is that the unrest may spread to Saudi Arabia.

This article titled “Oil price climbs on Libyan unrest” was written by Julia Kollewe, for guardian.co.uk on Monday 21st February 2011 13.50 UTC Oil prices leapt to a fresh two-and-a-half year high as violent clashes in Libya, a member of the oil cartel Opec, and other Middle Eastern countries fuelled fears of disruption to supplies. As the anti-government protests in Libya threaten to escalate, BP suspended preparations for exploratory drilling for oil and gas in western Libya. The company does not produce any oil or gas in the country but had been preparing an onshore rig to start drilling. BP chief executive Bob Dudley said today: “We are watching this very closely. Dependants [of company staff] have left the country. We are committed to doing business there, [but we are at a] very early stage in our business there.” One of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s sons warned the country could descend into civil war as the regime tried to halt the popular uprising with a bloody crackdown. Protests broke out in the capital Tripoli for the first time following days of unrest in Benghazi, the second largest city. Libya exports 1.1m barrels of oil a day. It was the world’s 12th-biggest oil exporter in 2009 and has proven oil reserves of 44bn barrels, the largest in Africa, according to the International Energy Agency. Brent crude for April delivery hit a new two-and-a-half year high of 4.60 a barrel, and later traded up .90 at 4.44. US crude for March delivery climbed by over to .42 a barrel. The price of gold, seen as a safe haven, soared to a seven-week high, while prices of silver and palladium hit historic highs on expectations of growing demand. Spot gold climbed to ,396.1 an ounce. The head of the Al-Suwayya tribe in eastern Libya threatened on Sunday to cut oil exports to western countries within 24 hours unless the authorities put an end to the “oppression of protesters”. There are also fears that the unrest in northern Africa and the Middle East, which has already ousted the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents, could spread to Saudi Arabia. “The oil market could easily jump another in the short term if the violence continues,” said David Cohen, director of Asian Economic Forecasting at Asian Economics.

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I wish I could tell you about South Pacific. Where it will actually be. The huge set. The enormous orchestra. The music, lovely beyond description. The waiting. The timeless repetitive waiting…. According to an article in the Guardian Harold Panter, head of the Ambassador Theatre Group said: “We are going to be bringing over the Lincoln Centre’s wonderful production of South Pacific – extraordinary moving piece of work, basically about men at war,” he says. Only with some nice songs? “Mr Hammerstein and Mr Rodgers knew a thing or two about creating wonderful music, yes, but the core of it is that it is about something. It is wrong to lump all musicals together.” Personally I can’t wait. I love South Pacific and grew up listening to it’s gorgeous melodies. Song like Bali’hi, Nothing Like a Dame, Happy Talk and I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair were part of the soundtrack of my childhood. However it seems there is a problem. If we are to see the lavish Lincoln Centre production complete with huge orchestra rather than the smaller touring production the show will need to go into one of the largest London theatres and none of them are free for the foreseeable future. While we wait you can at least enjoy the whole of a small screen version of the Lincoln Centre production courtesy of Youtube I’m off to wash my hair
Click here to view the embedded video. South Pacific comes to London was originally posted at London Theatre Breaks blog

Over on  the MusicalVerse blog, Jesse Owen has taken the initative to organise a “Theatre Blogger Week” which has some laudable aims and deserves to be supported by as many as possible of the growing band of theatre bloggers, and not just here in London. Before I explain more, the most important detail is probably the date: Theatre Blogger Week will run from the 25th – 29th October 2010 Aims: * to get more theatre bloggers commenting on each other’s blog posts * to unearth more theatre blogs which are out there. I’ve been blogging about Theatre breaks in London myself since 14th September 2007 when I published a short general article on my own Andy Roberts blog called “Theatre Breaks in London“  and then later joined forces with Linda to produce the London Theatre blog here, amongst other things. I was aware then, of one or two other theatre bloggers, mostly concentrating on reviews, and then started to notice some colourful characters who work in the West End starting up blogs, some of which continue, but hadn’t realised there might be enough out there now to form the basis of some kind of theatre blogging community. Now seems to be as good a time as any to try and pull it together a little bit, and that’s where the plan for a theatre blogger week comes into it. There’s also the people who take part in the regular theatre quiz on twitter via @westendupdates . The twitter hashtag for #theatrebloggerweek can be used to track blogger participants, and we have a Theatre Blogger Wiki page now, which should make it easy enough for anybody else to add their own theatre blog into the list of bloggers joining in. So if you are interested in following more theatre blogs, or starting one yourself, or have one to register on the list, keep an eye on developments on the Wiki page there and look out for new posts and comments about theater blogger week on the Musical Verse blog ( RSS ). That’s where Jesse will be unveiling further plans as we draw closer to October 25th.

When is Theatre Blogger Week? was originally posted at London Theatre Breaks blog

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

On Tuesday Nov 3rd 2009 many West End Musicals favourites will be helping light up the city as part of the switch on of London’s Christmas lights. At 3 main venues in the centre of London stars from major productions will be involved in the switch on. Sister Act – Oxford Circus It’s the 50th Anniversary of the Christmas lights in Oxford St and the Sister Act cast will be there in force to make sure the ceremony goes with a swing. The switch will be flicked by Jim Carey (no really, Truman himself!),  the girl group The Saturdays, Taio Cruz will also entertain the crowds. Sister Act Oliver! – Regent St Oliver! star Jodie Prenger and the London Community Gospel Choir will be at Regent St. Colin Firth (down girls!) will be doing the switch on. The Noisettes and  Daniel Merriweather will also be performing. Jodie Prenger as Nancy in Oliver Hairspray – St Paul’s Cathedral The cast of Hairspray will be at St Paul’s Cathedral, along with Spandau Ballet, Little Boots, St Paul’s Cathedral Choir and Bob Hoskins doing the honours. St Paul's Cathederal, London More stars will no doubt soon be announced and I’ll keep you posted here on the Theatre Breaks blog a

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I expect everyone has heard the sad news of the untimely death of Stephen Gately. Stephen Gately was probably best known as a leading member  of the boyband Boyzone. He went on to  star in the West End and in touring productions of several musicals. He took the lead in Bill Kenwright’s production of Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the New London Theatre in 2003. He later went on to play the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 2004. He’ll probably be best remembered for singing the lead vocals on “No Matter What,” a song taken from the score to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s  ill fated musical Whistle Down the Wind.

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Peter Townsend of The Who has written anther rock musical. This one isn’t about growing up but rather about growing old. The musical is called Floss and tells the story of an ageing pub rocker and relationship with his wife. Songs from the show will appear on the next Who album. Townsend is said to be in talks for a US opening in 2011. He says he wants to tackle the issues the Baby Boomers are facing as they realise they didn’t die before they got old. The music will reflect the anger and disillusionment of this newly retired generation. Meanwhile that other Townsend offering, Quadrophenia continues its UK tour.

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West End Live 2009 will take place on Saturday the 20th (11am to 6pm) and Sunday the 21st of June (12noon to 6pm). The venue will be Leicester Square. This is the 5th annual West End Live and promises to be even bigger and better than last year’s extravaganza. Although there’s no official running order or confirmations yet it seems likely we can expect to see performances from new shows like Priscilla and SIster Act as well as several of the more established favourites. As ever there will be some extracts from new off West End shows as well. As soon as I hear what the running order will be I’ll post it here so you can plan your trip to be sure of seeing favourites. I really want to see Sister Act! West End Live 2008 Last year’s West End Live was fantastic and well worth putting up with the crowds.

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Serious drama is the new black Writing in the Evening Standard Nicholas Hytner makes a ‘confident prediction’. He says: the hot tickets in London this summer will be for Shakespeare, Chekhov and Racine. He suggests there’s serious hunger amongst the theatre audience for more complex plays. He goes on to say: Over the next few months, sold out houses, a thousand strong, will discover again that honesty, intelligence and nobility of mind can be a crippling handicap (Hamlet). That the destruction of a decayed old order is necessary and absolutely heart-breaking (The Cherry Orchard). That obsessive love is an affliction that can turn a woman into a stalker (All’s Well That Ends Well) or prompt her to accuse an innocent young man of rape (Phedre) - but that in both cases the audience will stay with her, will not easily condemn, will not turn tabloid editor and cry witch. I can’t disagree with any of that. They are all productions that I’d love to see. Rich, complex, serious drama. And there is an audience for it. Those productions, in the main, sell out before most of that potential audience can even book seats. He’s not saying the West End musicals are dead. He’s being much more subtle than that. His point seems to be that the London theatre can both celebrate and satirise ‘pop culture’. I think he might be saying that we can have our ‘jukebox’, feel-good, musicals so long as they come with a suitable spoon full of self-awareness and make us think, as well as sing. It will become part of a London theatre that is thriving because it provides escape, because it both satirises and embraces a debased popular culture. But above all, because it is serious. And it turns out that serious is what the public wants. What do you want? I hate to point out the obvious but Nicholas Hytner is Director of the National Theatre. To an extent he has to believe serious drama is what the public wants. So it’s over to you, dear reader, what is it that you want? More serious drama? Or more fluff like Legally Blonde? (Oh and please, don’t try to persuade me it’s making a serious feminist point!)

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Good News for Othello with Lenny Henry One happy piece of London theatre news today is that Lenny Henry’s Othello is transferring to the London West End in September at the Trafalgar Studios. Lenny Henry is to bring his performance as Othello to London when the Northern Broadsides production transfers to Trafalgar Studio 1 from 1st September to 12th December 2009 with a press night on the 18th of September. Othello is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy plays.

This production started  at the West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds in February, and Lenny Henry received favourable reviews for his debut in the title role. Othello Reviews Michael Billington in The Guardian, not always the most positive of ctrtics,  praised the “simple dignity” of Lenny Henry’s Othello. Othello also stars Conrad Nelson as Iago, Jessica Harris as Desdemona, Richard Standing as Cassio, plus David Beckford, Matt Connor, Andy Cryer, Victoria Gee, Geoff Leesley, Chris Pearse, Simon Holland Roberts and Sara Poyzer. Shakespeare Theatre Breaks Shakespeare plays are perrenial favourites in London but usually only for relatively short runs compared to the big musicals so this production of Othello with the well known name of Lenny Henry will provide a unique opportunity for Shakespeare theatre breaks to London during the run up to Christmas 2009.

I’ve found a great new free way to listen to original cast recordings of lots of musicals on my computer. Right now I’m enjoying Zorro! Spotify is a legal way to listen to music online either for free (with occasional ads) or if you pay for premium it’s ad free. Spotify is sort of like radio on demand. It’s a streaming service so you can’t store the music on your computer or transfer it to an MP3 player but it’s good enough to listen to music whilst working on your computer. You can make up your own playlists and share them with friends. The service pays a small fee to access the songs legally so it’s perfectly ok to use. You have to download the software onto your computer but it’s really easy. Cast recordings on Spotify They are adding stuff all the time so it’s worthwhile searching. So far I’ve managed to find: Avenue Q Chicago (1997 version with Ruthie Henshall) Godspell Hairspray Les Miserables (several versions) Jersey Boys (Broadway Cast) Joseph (various) Mamma Mia! Phantom of the Opera (various cast recordings) Spring Awakening Zorro! They are lots more - so I hope you enjoy Spotify.

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We Will Rock You We Will Rock You - Original Cast Recording Next week’s Mail on Sunday is giving away a free CD. It has 10 classic Queen Tracks sung by the band, including Freddy Mercury. It also has 4 bonus tracks from the original London cast recording: Bonus tracks from the London cast recording of We Will Rock You

Somebody To Love (Live) I Want To Break Free (Live) A Kind Of Magic (Live) No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young) (Live)

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Connie Fisher Connie Fisher has cancelled her forthcoming UK tour due to throat surgery. Sadly Connie who won How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? to star in The Sound of Music is to have surgery on her vocal chords  to save her professional career. Connie,who is only 25 years old, has just been diagnosed with condition known as congenital fusion anomalies. This is a birth defect which is not uncommon in the general population but extremely rare in professional singers. According to walesonline.com a consultant ear nose and throat surgeon Jonathan Osborne, described the operation as “very delicate”. “I do not know of Connie’s personal medical details but I’ve performed similar operations on the vocal chords and this can be very difficult. The problem is caused by a web of tissue that crosses the gap between the two sides of the vocal chords. This can be removed but there is a chance of it reforming. “In severe cases if this tissue is left it can cause breathing difficulties but after surgery at least three months of voice rest is needed. I wish Connie well.” A spokesperson from Connie’s management team said: “Connie is obviously very disappointed and upset she will not be able to do the concert tour, but we wish her a full recovery. “Connie’s condition was diagnosed in March following a smaller operation but she was told last week she needed an urgent operation to have any chance to perform again. “Connie’s doctor has advised her that the situation she finds herself in has been with her from birth. Effectively how Connie Fisher has ended up having a singing career is nothing short of a miracle. “Connie is obviously very disappointed and upset she is not able to do the concert tour, but we wish her a full recovery.” Connie had on-going problems with her voice during her time as Maria in The Sound of Music which she finally left in February 2008. Her plan was to pursue a solo singing career and she was due to return to the role for a UK tour starting in July. We’d like to wish her a speedy recovery.

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Before starting the regular theatre news updates I thought I’d do a bit of a roundup of news from the previous month and the first half of April just so we know where we are starting from. And it’s been a busy month! War Horse War Horse, the sensational play with giant equine puppets arrived at the New London Theatre after an acclaimed run at the National. War Horse is based on the celebrated novel by Michael Morpurgo. The First World War is the backdrop for this exciting tale of bravery, and the extraordinary bond between a young recruit and his horse.

Sister Act News Patina Miller and the rest of the cast of Sister Act continue to build up the expectation for the Palladium’s new show. Whoopi Goldberg herself managed to overcome fear of air travel in order to appear on the Jonathon Ross show and other publicity appointments in London. Avenue Q - Theatre News is good! Avenue Q announced that it won;t be closed forever afaterall, but is due to reopen at the Gielgud Theatre on 1 June after a month-long break from the Noel Coward Theatre.

Spring Awakening The cast of Spring Awakening brought a refreshing new musical to the West End’s Novello Theatre after a successful run at the Hammersmith Lyric theatre. Previewing from March 21st this youthful, exhuberent but also dark musical play has had nothing but good reviews. Moonshadow - Theatre News not good One piece of bad news this month is that the Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens musical Moonshadow failed to find a West End theatre available for potential transfer and thus postponed opening at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton in July as originally planned. Jersey Boys Wins Olivier Awards The Jersey Boys musical goes from strength to strength coming top of the New Musical category amongst other awards at the 2009 Olivier Awards. Consolation for Zorro!, a great flamenco musical which closed this month was an award for Best Supporting Role in a Musicalwhich wentdeservedly to Lesli Margherita who was sensational in Zorro!. Emergency New Fagin for Oliver! In a surprise announcement, Russ Abbot was asked to return to the role of Fagin in Oliver for a couple of weeks in April. Rowan Atkinson was forced to pull out for three weeks to undergo minor surgery for a hernia. Russ Abbot played the role of Fagin in the 1997 production and also in a couple of touring productions. New Edna for Hairspray

Michael Ball has been a riot as the lead role in Hairspray for around two years so now a new Edna has been announced for July and it’s non other than Brian Conley whose West End theatre experience includes Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 2005.

Brian Conley will take over as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, currently running at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre, according today’s Daily Mail. Conley will take over from Michael Ball on July 27 2009. Michael Ball says that the show “has without doubt been one of the happiest and most fulfilling experiences of my professional life.”

Brian Conley started out at Pontin’s and used to be warm-up man for Terry Wogan, Noel Edmonds and Kenny Everett. Since then he’s gone on to have his own TV shows “Brian Conley: This Way Up” and “The Brian Conley Show,. He’s probably best known for presenting The National Lottery Show Live. His West End credits include ‘Me and My Girl’ where he took the lead role of Bill Snibson in the Adelphi Theatre production. More recently he played Caractacus Potts in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at the London Palladium in 2005.

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Wicked has a new Wicked Witch of the East, Natalie Anderson (best known for her appearances on ITV in The Royal) will take over the role in May. Natalie will play Nessarose, Elphaba’s a spoilt, wheelchair-bound, younger sister. Nessarose grows up to be the witch who’s flattened under Dorothy’s house in The Wizard of Oz. Natalie’s first lead role was in Alice In Wonderland at Bradford Playhouse, aged 12. She was working on a film called Freight when she was offered the Wicked role. “My agent rang saying I’d got an audition in London,” she said. “I went down and they asked me back next day. It happened so fast and because I was busy filming I had hardly any time to prepare. I was learning my lines on the train! I hadn’t even seen the show when I auditioned, but I’ve seen it since. It’s amazing.” Best known as Nurse Stella Davenport in The Royal,Natalie left the show last year.She launched her singing career after quite recently with the release of her debut album, Return to Me.

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