If you haven’t seen Rachel Tucker in Wicked yet then you must book Wicked theatre breaks soon, she’s fabulous. Here’s a video from West End Live last weekend which doesn’t do justice to the full theatre performance of Wicked by any means, but gives an idea of how talented a performer Rachel Tucker is.

Before landing the part of Elphaba in Wicked, Rachel Tucker has played both Meat and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You and before that was a finalist in the I’d Do Anything TV casting show to find a Nancy for Oliver. And here’s the backstage interview conducted by Keith Martin of Leicester Square TV with Rachel Tucker of Wicked herself:

In the interview, Rachel Tucker describes how Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Loosely based on the Wizard of Oz Wicked has a kind of twist to it. It’s the story of how the good witch and the bad witch became enemies, so Dorothy has nothing really to do with it. It’s an amazing moral story highly relevant to anybody who has ever been bullied or discriminated against just for being different.

Wicked Theatre Breaks with Rachel Tucker as Elphaba was originally posted at London Theatre Breaks blog

Oh noes! Not Jessica??! Jessica Robinson became the surprise second victim of the double knock out weekend yesterday on Over The Rainbow simply because the public voted her into the bottom two alongside of Danielle, who ought really to be the outright favourite to win. Given that dreadful choice, it was probably no choice at all that Danielle had to be saved but it still doesn’t seem right that Jessica should be out of the competition at this stage. When asked why she thought she had managed to avoid the bottom two so far, Jess put it down to her amazing fan base, but I’m afraid they let her down, just the once. Ah well, what else happened…? The mashup was a medley of songs, two from Fiddler on the roof and some pop songs.

Who catches your eye for most of the time when watching the group performances? If They Could See Me Now Tamsin Outhwaite returned to Over The Rainbow, this time to perform herself and show the girls exactly how it’s done.

Tamsin Outhwaite performs “If They Could See Me Now” from current West End smash hit musical Sweet Charity The Sing Off Danielle and Jessica were given an Andrew Lloyd Webber composition for the inevitable sing off, Take That Look Off Your Face from “Tell Me On A Sunday”

Goodbye Jessica Jessica seemed to be genuinely grateful for having the good fortune to last through the show as long as she had done, and I’m sure leaves us with the confidence that she has a bright career in musical theatre ahead of her,  (if not in Wizard Of Oz) as she sings Somewhere over The Rainbow and heads for flying moon.

The weekend of the 8th/9th May 2010 will mark a turning point for Over The Rainbow as two Dorothy contenders will be set to leave the show. One contestant will leave on Saturday and one on Sunday, leaving us with a final four. I think Sophie will have to go this time but I’m not sure whether Jenny or Steph will be the unfortunate companion on the flying moon. If there’s a sing off between three girls voted least popular by the public, Andrew LLoyd Webber will only be able to save one of them in the end, and if I believe he would have to save Danielle, Lauren or Jessica. What do you think?

Short breaks in London with a show are a great choice for mid-week or weekend holidays. Here are my top 3 recommendations for shows this coming Spring.  Couples who just want to see a show as part of a trip to London, perhaps as part of a special occasion have lots of choice when it comes to shows and things to do.  London is a great place for  short breaks and there is a lot for couples to do and see. There are all the art galleries, lots of classy shops and, of course, the sights of London. That’s the thing about the capital it’s still fun even if you’ve seen it all before. When you are choosing the show for your short break I’ve got three top recommendations for you at the moment. Choose Your Show Les Miserables In your position I’d go for Les Miserables as a first choice. Tickets have got a little bit trickier to get hold of due to the SuBo effect but the theatre break agencies still have plenty of availability. If you can be flexible about your dates and can travel mid-week there are some brilliant deals for Les Miz. Traveling mid-week also gives you a good choice of 3* and 4* hotels at very reasonable rates.  Les Miserables is one of the longest running shows but it still remains one of the best. People always seem to enjoy it and it still seems as fresh as it ever was. Dress Code: best frock or jeans, this is London – no one cares! Hair However if semi-classical score is not to your taste you could try revisiting the 60s and trying something brand new but re-cycled. Hair is coming to the West End in April and it’s going to be huge. This is the full Broadway revival production, all singing, all dancing, full of colour, life and energy, just like time traveling back to those days. They say if you remember the 60s you weren’t there but Hair is all that you might have missed and more. There is flower power, hippies and The Age of Aquarius, not to mention a bit of nudity and other, rather innocent naughtiness! Dress code: Afghan waistcoats, bell bottoms and patchouli (only kidding!). Though it might not be a bad choice of costume if you want to join in with the onstage party at the end of the show:

Jersey Boys Maybe  Jersey Boys is more your scene, sing along as you watch the story of Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons unfold. Walk Like a Man, Sherry Baby, and a host of other tunes you’ll enjoy discovering you still know all the words to are woven into the story of five young lads from New Jersey.
Dress code: Very snazzy Trilby hats available in the foyer of the theatre So there you are three top shows to choose from, all of them ideal to fit in with your short breaks in London with a show. a

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

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Choosing your dates for London breaks When it comes to choosing your dates for booking London breaks, I appreciate some can be more flexible than others. It all depends on what your visit is mainly for. Perhaps to mark a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary, in which case seeing a show on the big day may be important. Others will be happy to organise around the nearest weekend if a midweek break is out of the question because of weekday commitments. Or seeing a special show may be the whole purpose, booking a london break to get those sought after tickets. If a midweek London break is at all a possibility then it does have a lot going for it. Not only are the best show tickets more likely to be available than on a Saturday night, and the chances of picking up a better value hotel deal increased, but also I think the London life is just a tad more authentic when the city is doing it’s business day thing, with places such as the City of London almost deserted at weekends. Not only that but if you plan to do a little shopping thne places like Oxford Street are much easier to negotiate when the Saturday crowds are absent.

Midweek London Breaks on offer Several times a year there are special offers for Midweek London breaks with top musicals and these include a Monday to Thursday show and for some a Friday is a possibility as well. This reflects the fact that London hotels are in demand not just for business clients during the week but largely for tourists and visitors at weekends who outnumber the corporate residents, thus creating some spare capacity on weekdays. Of course Saturday night show tickets always sell out first as well, so midweek is the way to go if you can get away with it at all. London Breaks by Rail

Travel to London from the UK is often best by intercity fast train network. Even if you are the sort of person who goes everywhere by car, for a London break, this is really not a good place to bring one because of the traffic, the parking problems, the unforgiveness of London drivers and taxis for those who are unfamiliar with where they are going and worries over breaking the congestion charge regulations. Rail travel on the other hand should bring you to central London in a relatively relaxed and stress free frame of mind to enjoy the theatre. There are just a couple of tips I’d point out to help you plan London breaks by rail. * Rush hour - don’t arrive in London before 9.30am or depart for your return journey between 4.00pm and 7.00pm. This shouldn’t be a problem if you are coming a few hundred miles but could be an issue for those in the South East of England who try to spend the whole day in London as well as travelling. * Quiet Carriages - If you should be unfortunate enough to be seated next to a loud mobile phone user or families with DVD players on some routes then seeking out the designated Quiet Carriage will solve it, and they can also be less crowded. * First Class upgrades can be well worth the small premium, ( lookout for “Weekend First” deals) and you might get some sort of meal and and a newspaper thrown in. For best value rail tickets, booking in advance is the key and if you book rail tickets as part of a London break with show, hotel stay and any attractions as well you can save up to 40% on the rail component.