Hilary_JW has added a photo to the pool:
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I posted to flickr.com
Mamma Mia
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fray101/4725289490/in/pool-473288@N25
June 22 2010, 1:51pm | Comments »
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I posted to theatrebreaksinlondon.co.uk
The Proclaimers – the musical
http://theatrebreaksinlondon.co.uk/80/the-proclaimers-the-musical/
Sunshine on Leith the Proclaimers musical is back! It first appeared at Dundee Rep in 2007 and then toured. The show was very well received. Billy Boyd, (the only recorded Scots Hobbit, he played Pippin in the Lord of the Rings films!), will join a tour of Dundee Rep’s revival of its award-winning musical, Sunshine on Leith, opening on August 31. Based around the songs of the Proclaimers the show was written by Stephen Greenhorn. According to the Stage: Glasgow-born Boyd will star as Davy, a squaddie returning to Leith with his best pal after they have experienced one too-many tours of Afghanistan. The Rep’s artistic director James Brinning will direct, with musical direction by Hilary Brooks and design by Neil Warmington.
After opening in Dundee on August 31 the production will tour Scotland and Ireland to October 23. Dates have been booked in England until November 27 with further dates to be announced. Will the Proclaimer’s musical make it to London? I certainly hope so. I’m a fan of their song writing skills and I think they’ve better credentials than many who’ve found their way onto the London scene recently. As Bernard Logan said in his 2007 review: Sunshine on Leith Abba, Queen, Madness … the Proclaimers?! Well, why not? Dundee Rep’s much-hyped new ‘jukebox musical’ lets others discover what we devotees have long argued: that the Reid brothers are the best songwriters in Britain. The uninitiated will still enjoy a show that hijacks the band’s music to tell the story of two squaddies returning to Leith from Iraq. But I love the Proclaimers so much, my heart wears NHS specs, and to me, this is absolute bliss.
- Tags:
- Theatre Breaks
- jukebox
- ABBA
- revival
- Artistic Director
- Billy Boyd
- Bliss
- Devotees
- Director James
- Dundee Rep
- London Scene
- Lord Of The Rings Films
- Musical Direction
- Proclaimers
- Scots
- Songwriters
- Squaddies
- Stephen Greenhorn
- Sunshine On Leith
- Warmington
- Writing Skills
May 21 2010, 8:41am | Comments »
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I posted to theatrebreaksinlondon.co.uk
Kylie – the musical?
http://theatrebreaksinlondon.co.uk/73/kylie-the-musical/
Kylie Minogue, the pocket-sized pop diva yesterday confirmed that there will be a musical of her greatest hits. What’s more it is likely to be coming to the West End. In an interview in the Daily Mail she says: “It’s definitely happening. We’ve brought a scriptwriter in and are working on a few synopses now. “And the critics … music critics are one thing but theatre critics are something else. I suppose if it doesn’t work then that’s it — it’s a closed book. I need to get through this album launch first, and then I’m probably touring, but we’ll get to it after that. It’s early days but it’s very exciting.” Kylie is writing the production with her stylist William Baker. It will be based on her back catalogue of hits and she hopes it will be rather like Abba’s Mamma Mia! She’ll need quite a strong story line for that to work out! So rather than tell the story of Kylie’s own rise to fame it will tell another tale. I think it’s a shame that more performers haven’t learned the lesson of Jersey Boys. I’d be quite interested to see the story of her rise to mega stardom told against the backdrop of her greatest hits.
- Tags:
- Jersey Boys
- west end
- mamma
- ABBA
- West End Theatre
- Back Catalogue
- Backdrop
- Daily Mail
- Greatest Hits
- Kylie
- Kylie Minogue
- Music Critics
- Pop Diva
- Scriptwriter
- Shame
- Stardom
- Stylist
- Synopses
- Theatre Critics
- William Baker
May 20 2010, 1:12pm | Comments »
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I posted to usefulwiki.com
Mamma Mia Theatre Breaks
http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/mamma-mia-theatre-breaks.html
Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia, the Abba musical, is 11 years old this month and it has become a firm favourite for theatre breaks. We went along to see the show recently and I can really see why it remains so popular. It was a terrific night out, full of fun, laughter and good music. We came out of the theatre surprised to find ourselves back in London, always a good sign. Mamma Mia – it’s not the film Well, we’ve all seen and enjoyed the film of Mamma Mia and the show transports us to that magical Greek island. This is done partly with a deceptively simple set and lighting effects but mostly it’s the acting and the music that transports us. The show follows a slightly different tack to the film and concentrates a little bit more on the younger members of the cast. In the film Sophie (the daughter) and Sky (her fiance) are quite minor characters in many ways. On stage this changes and some of the most memorable songs are performed by these two. It’s Abba but not as we know it. The music is undoubtedly Abba and you do find that you tend to know all the words. The difference is that the songs have been transformed into musical theatre and suddenly you can hear the strength of the melodies and the power of the words. I’ve never been fond of Abba but I enjoyed the show immensely. For Abba fans, and there were quite a few of them there, it is total bliss. The show is timeless and ageless I was worried that the show might have dated but I shouldn’t have been. It still seems as fresh, fun and charming as it did when it opened. If you are old enough to remember Abba the first time around, you’ll love it even if you wouldn’t have been seen dead listening to something so ‘uncool’ at the time! The costumes are fun, especially the Donnna and the Dynamites, Abba at it’s most kitsch ! The ensemble’s costumes in the hen night scene did find me occasionally wondering if I could revive some old 70’s favourites before common sense took over
But what really impressed me was the age range of people enjoying the show. Sitting next to me was an Indian lady who had brought her grandchildren, two delightful little girls (ages 6 and 8). They all loved the show and Grandma joined in with many of the songs! There were lots of children at the performance I went to and they were all very well behaved, perhaps because what was going on on stage really caught their attention. Even on a Monday night the cast were full of energy and fizz. They created a real party atmosphere and by the end of the evening everyone was on their feet singing, clapping and dancing along.a
- Tags:
- mamma mia
- theatre breaks in london
- Musicals
- mamma
- ABBA
- abba fans
- abba musical
- hen night
- transports
- words
- tack
- donnna
- kitsch
- fiance
April 25 2010, 10:25am | Comments »
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