The stage musical version of Ghost, is scheduled to open at London’s Piccadilly Theatre on June 22 and is booking initially until January 28 so that holiday period theatre breaks to see Ghost can be booked well in advance. This is going to be a very popular show for all sorts of theatre goers including hen party theatre breaks, romantic theatre breaks and anniversaries. Directed by multi-award-winning Matthew Warchus, Ghost will feature music by Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) and Glen Ballard, writer of Michael Jackson’s hit Man in the Mirror. The production will be designed by Rob Howell, and will feature extraordinary, magical stage effects by Paul Kieve, illusionist for the hit film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Bruce Joel Rubin has adapted his Oscar-winning screenplay for the stage show which will also feature the unforgettable Righteous Brothers song, Unchained Melody, which featured in the film’s iconic love scene at a potter’s wheel. A story about the power of love, Ghost revolves around a man called Sam, trapped as a ghost between this world and the next. He tries to communicate with girlfriend Molly through a phoney psychic, Oda Mae Brown, in the hope of saving her from his murderer. Richard Fleeshman, recently seen on the London stage playing Warner Huntington III opposite Sheridan Smith in Legally Blonde The Musical, will play Sam in the stage musical. Fleeshman is best known on television for his roles in Coronation Street, in which he played Craig Harris for four years and, more recently, Debbie Horsfield’s All the Small Things for the BBC. Caissie Levy will play Molly. She has most recently been seen on stage on Broadway and in the West End in the leading role of Sheila in the New York Public Theatre Cameron Mackintosh production of Hair. Levy made her Broadway debut as Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, a role she recreated on tour in the US. She went on to play Maureen Johnson in the US tour of Rent and in 2008 starred as the green witch Elphaba in the Los Angeles production of Wicked. Sharon D Clarke, who will play Oda Mae Brown, has most recently been seen on stage in the West End as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre. She has played Mama Morton in Chicago at London’s Adelphi and Killer Queen in We Will Rock You at the Dominion. Ghost, the highest grossing film in the UK in 1990, was directed by Jerry Zucker.
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I posted to ghostlondon.com
The Musical version of Ghost, London Theatre Breaks
http://ghostlondon.com/31/the-musical-version-of-ghost-london-theatre-breaks/
- Tags:
- west end
- uk
- Hairspray
- Cameron Mackintosh
- musical
- Sheridan Smith
- music
- piccadilly
- BBC
- Ghost London
- ghost
- piccadilly theatre
- Dave Stewart
- Eurythmics
- Richard Fleeshman
- Sharon D Clarke
- unchained melody
- bruce joel rubin
- Glen Ballard
- Coronation Street
- craig harris
- Harry Potter
- Jerry Zucker
- Mae Brown
- Mama Morton
- Matthew Warchus
- maureen johnson
- oda mae brown
- paul kieve
- Penny Pingleton
- prisoner of azkaban
- Rob Howell
- stage effects
March 25 2011, 7:13am | Comments »
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I posted to wizardofozlondon.co.uk
The Scarecrow – Paul Keating
http://wizardofozlondon.co.uk/261/the-scarecrow-paul-keating/
Paul Keating cast as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz There’s a very strong rumour that Paul Keating has been cast as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. It’s lent total credibility by tweets from Paul Keating himself:
So Who is Paul Keating? Well, Paul Keating has a distinguished stage career already. He was Tommy in the West End production of Pete Townshend’s musical in 1996 gaining an Olivier award nomination. Paul has also appeared in * Lost in Yonkers (1992/3) at the Novello Theatre * Assassins at the New End Theatre. * Escape from Pterodactyl Island at the Pleasance Theatre * La Cava (2000) at the Piccadilly Theatre and Victoria Palace Theatre . * Closer to Heaven, a musical by the Pet Shop Boys and Jonathan Harvey, receiving a second Olivier award. * The Rose and the Ring at the Hen and Chickens Theatre (2001/2) * Full Monty at the Prince of Wales Theatre . * Don Carlos by Frederick Schiller at The Crucible Theatre Sheffield and Gielgud Theatre, London. * Gladiator Games by Tanika Gupta at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. * Little Shop of Horrors at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Duke of York’s Theatre and Ambassadors Theatre. * Blowing Whistles, alongside Stuart Laing and newcomer Daniel Finn. * Tick… tick… BOOM! at the Duchess Theatre. Here’s a trailer video from the little Shop of Horrors in which Paul Keating starred opposite Sheridan Smith who is currently in Legally Blonde
- Tags:
- London
- Sheridan Smith
- wizard of oz
- Scarecrow
- The WIzard of Oz
- Paul Keating Scarecrow
- Paul Keating
- PaulKeating
October 27 2010, 7:09am | Comments »
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I posted to usefulwiki.com
Over the Rainbow Programme 2
http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/over-the-rainbow-programme-2.html
The search for Dorothy The BBC show Over the Rainbow quickly narrowed the field from 20 hopeful Dorothys down to 10 this week. I watched the show with Andy, my co-writer here and author of the Wizard of Oz London blog. The girls worked in 5 groups of 4 and each group faced the judges twice. The groups each sang a pop song and then met with some of our favourite West End leading ladies to work on a show song. First I’ll go through my impressions of how they got on and then I’ll share some video of the show and tell you what I thought of each of the final 10 potential Dorothys. Tamzin Outhwaite – Sweet Charity Song:If They Could See Me Now It was hard to focus on the group whilst they were with Tamzin, the camera undoubtedly loves her. She gave them some good advice and some of this group worked really well. It’s such a classic song in a way this group had an easier time than some. Having said that I was impressed. Dorothy might just be in this group. After the group sang ALW made Tamzin blush by saying how fabulous he thought she is in Sweet Charity. Sheridan Smith – Legally Blond Song: Legally Blond Sheridan Smith was funny and helpful and I thought her group would do well. Legally Blond isn’t an easy song, and though the group were OK they were a bit stiff. A couple of them still might be Dorothy. Kerry Ellis – We Will Rock You Song: Somebody to Love Despite excellent advice from Kerry this group didn’t do very well. They found the rock number tricky. Although they did their best it was obvious that some of them struggled with the rock format. Ruthie Henshall – Chicago Song: All That Jazz Ruthie was divine, of course. Full of good advice she guided them through their song. It is a deceptively easy song that relies heavily on good timing and they made quite a success of it. Her group were also probably the best dancers. Dorothy might be in this group. Mel C – Blood Brothers Song: Tell Me It’s Not True This group were totally in awe of meeting a Spice Girl but she soon put them at their ease. She told her group to keep their song ’small’, they did. It’s a sad and difficult song and the best I can say is that it was OK. One of them forgot what the song was about and kept grinning. Understandable given the pressure but not good. Having said all that one member of this group really caught my eye as a potential Dorothy The final 10 +1 The format is that the judges picked their 10 with the ‘help’ of ALW. Click here to view the embedded video. So the final 10 are…. Danielle Hope, 17, from Manchester I quite like Danielle. I think she’ll do well but I’m not sure she’s right for Dorothy. Amy Diamond, 22, from Cheshire Oh dear. I’m sure she’s got a great voice and is talented but er, she’s too grown up to be Dorothy. She’s a woman and she will have to be an amazing actress to make me believe she is a child. Lauren Samuels, 22, from London Again, lovely and talented but not maybe not Dorothy. I might be wrong and I would like to see more of her. Bronte Barbe, 18, from Cheshire She’s definitely got some sort of charisma, nice voice but I’m just not sure. Need to see more of her. Jenny Douglas, 18, from Scotland Not bad at all, she stood out in what was not that strong a group. I’m not sure what her dancing is like and we’re told they need a Dorothy that can dance as well as sing. Steph Fearon, 21, from London Good voice, tended to be a little bit too R&B sometimes. She’s a possible I think if they really are looking for a different Dorothy. Dani Rayner, 16, from Cheshire Youngest in the competition Dani really could be Dorothy. AWL likes her, she’s got a great voice and she seems to be a good actress. I was impressed. Sophie Evans, 17, from Wales As Andy (my co-writer and Wizard of Oz London blog) said “She’s Welsh, of course she can sing” . He’s right and I think she can act a bit too. I’d like her to do well but I’m not sure about the dancing … Stephanie Davis, 17, from Merseyside Very pretty, she’d make a charming Dorothy. I’d like to see more of her acting though. Jessica Robinson, 18, from Middlesborough Great face, something of the Liza Minnelli there. Little bit gawky and awkward in the pop song but she was totally at home in her show tune. She could be Dorothy.. And the wild card….. I wonder who you think should make it through? Then the other 10 sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow so the public could decide who they wanted to bring back: Click here to view the embedded video. Personally I liked Sarah but I think they are all really talented and, though they may not be Dorothy, we haven’t seen the last of any of them. Of course we’re in the world of social media now so you can follow the remaining Dorothys’ adventures on twitter - @overtherainbow or on Facebook and catch up on any shows you miss on the Over the Rainbow Youtube channel or on iPlayer. If you just want a quick catch-up I think Andy will be doing that on the Wizard of Oz London blog So who do you think will be Dorothy? a
- Tags:
- we will rock you
- west end
- blood brothers
- chicago
- Sheridan Smith
- Kerry Ellis
- Ruthie Henshall
- wizard of oz
- Dorothy
- dorothys
- mel c
- Rent
- spice girl
- sweet charity
- rainbow
- cheshire
- blond
April 1 2010, 10:05am | Comments »
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I posted to usefulwiki.com
Legally Blond Cast Announced.
http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/legally-blond-cast-announced.html
Legally Blonde - the musical
Legally Blonde is finally making its way onto the west End after over a year of rumours and uncertainty. Legally Blonde Cast List The cast will include SHERIDAN SMITH - (Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) will play college sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods As Yet Unannounced - her co-star Bruiser the Chihuahua DUNCAN JAMES (Chicago,and member of Blue)will play Warner, who dumps her for someone with a brain. ALEX GAUMOND -(Guys and Dolls, We Will Rock You)will play Emmett College sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods is a spoilt Californian blonde who isn’t used to the N word (No). Her bored self righteous boyfriend, Warner, dumps her, supposedly for “someone serious”. Elle decides to fight back, figuring that money and looks can buy her whatever she desires. She gets out the credit card, discovers that she can just sort of hit the books, and that will get her to Harvard Law School! It’s a fairy tale for the Paris Hilton generation. It’s all about anyone being able to achieve intellectually and I know (with my educator’s hat on) I probably ought to approve of that. Sadly I fear it really says “Ha, clever! I could do that if I was bothered. It’s nothing special cos you can’t just decide to be blond and pretty!” Do I sound bitter? LOL It’s just not aimed at me I suppose! Based on the movie of the same name, Legally Blonde the Musical is a Broadway hit. It was created by a top creative team, led by Tony Award-winning director and Olivier nominated choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray). Legally Blonde - the video The tag line - The verdict .This much fun shouldn’t be legal! says it all really. A little piece of pink froth to hopefully amuse and entertain. I just can’t resist this youtube of the first act in under 5 minutes - enjoy!
** Book Legally Blonde Theatre Breaks **
Related Posts:Legally Blonde in LondonMel B in Legally Blonde?Five to keep - my desert island showsOriginal Cast Recordings of MusicalsPriscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical - London 2009a Legally Blond Cast Announced.
- Tags:
- Theatre Breaks
- west end
- musical
- Legally Blonde
- DUNCAN JAMES
- Jerry Mitchell
- Sheridan Smith
- Tony Award-winning
April 24 2009, 6:50am | Comments »
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