sister-act | Theatre Breaks

I posted to usefulwiki.com

Over the Rainbow – the judges

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/over-the-rainbow-the-judges.html

The search for Dorothy Over the Rainbow continues Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search for Dorothy this Easter weekend. By Sunday night we will know which girl will go home and definitely not be Dorothy. While we wait for that result I thought I’d take a look at the panel of judges, tell you a bit more about each of them and explain why they are uniquely qualified to help choose Dorothy. Charlotte Church I suppose most of us know who Charlotte Church is, or at least think we do. After all some of us remember her first TV appearance with Richard and Judy. On that occasion she was a child with an amazing voice who sang Pie Jesu down a phone line because her aunt had rung in to Good Morning. Charlotte Church We watched her grow up and for a while turn into a bit of a wild child. Well, she’s moved on somewhat since that. Although she doesn’t have any musical theatre experience there is a lot she could teach the Dorothies. She’s a very good technical singer with a deep understanding of how voices work. She also seems to be quite good at explaining to the girls which aspects of their singing they need to work on. John Partridge John Partridge We all know John Partridge best these days from his soap career as a member of the EastEnders cast but he has a long history in musical theatre. John was a member of the touring cast of Cats in 1988 at the tender age of 17 so he understands some of what the younger Dorothies are going to face. Then much later he starred in the West End production of Cats first as Rum Tum Tugger and later as Mukustrap. He also played Rum Tum Tugger in the film. John has also played lead roles in Starlight Express, Miss Saigon and Rent. He’s bringing this depth of musical theatre experience to the panel and giving the girls quite detailed feedback on their performances. Sheila Hancock Sheila Hancock What to say about a trouper like Sheila Hanock? She’s a gifted and intelligent actress who also sings. She has an impressive depth of knowledge and experience in the theatre. Her list of theatrical credits would take up the whole page! An alumnus of Joan Littlewood’s famous Theatre Workshop, Sheila has been treading the West End stage since 1958. She’s currently appearing in Sister Act as the Mother Superior and still enthralling audiences. The best thing about her in this context though is that she can and does clearly and precisely tell the girls how to improve their performances. Dorothies or Dorothys? I’m torn. Should it be ‘Dorothies‘ or ‘Dorothys’. I’ve checked and that august organ the BBC uses Dorothys. I was always taught that proper nouns (names etc.) that ended in ‘y’ took ’s’ for their plural form. but my co-writer here, and editor, Andy prefers Dorothies. Which of us is correct? Do you know? a
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April 4 2010, 5:45am | Comments »
I posted to wizardofozlondon.co.uk

Friday Over The Rainbow – The search for Dorothy Begins

http://wizardofozlondon.co.uk/26/friday-over-the-rainbow-the-search-for-dorothy-begins/

Over The Rainbow Begins on Friday! The long awaited casting show “Over The Rainbow” actually begins on BBC 1 this Friday, March 26th 2010. So if you enjoyed following the previous casting shows “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?”, “Any Dream Will Do” and “I’d Do Anything” then Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest is not to be missed. Lord Lloyd Webber teams up once again with the same TV host Graham Norton in search of the best Dorothy to star in the upcoming Wizard of Oz London stage musical. Over The Rainbow Judges Talented hopefuls, bursting to wear Judy Garland’s famous red shoes on the West End stage will battle it out to impress the Over The Rainbow judges, who have been confirmed as follows:

Cardiff’s favourite Singer Charlotte Church EastEnders stars John Partridge Legendary actress Sheila Hancock, from Sister Act Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber himself.

Over the Rainbow Judges
March 22 2010, 7:58am | Comments »
I posted to theatrebreaksltb.co.uk

London Theatre Break

http://theatrebreaksltb.co.uk/225/london-theatre-break/

London Theatre Break I’m just running through a few options here for a London theatre break. It’s going to be fun and I’m getting excited already at the thought of going back up to the West End for what seems like the first time in ages. The last time we went to see a big musical was around this time last year when we went on a short London theatre break to see Oliver. Jodie Prenger was great and Fagin was good too, I think we caught the show at a good time after they’d all relaxed into their parts and before the Fagins kept changing. Still you can’t blame any of these people for whom the London stage is perhaps not their main sphere of activity for not wanting to carry on and do really long runs. It was definitely the singing and classic song that made the show so I think that makes up my mind which genre I’d like to book up this time around. Musical London Theatre Break Much as I do appreciate a bit of Shakespeare , Oscar Wilde, Pinter or Beckett if I’m going to splash out on the whole London theatre break thing with a posh hotel, meal out and everything like that then I like to know with absolute certainty that I’m going to laugh and cry and dance in my seat, and come away with several great chorus lines ringing in my ears so once again it’s going to be a Musical London theatre break this year. Now there would appear to be about 25 musicals on offer in theatreland at present so that doesn’t really narrow down the choice of show very much does it? I’ll list them down, then cross off the ones that aren’t really my cup of tea shall I? Avenue Q, Billy Elliot, Blood Brothers, Chicago, Dirty Dancing, Dreamboats And Petticoats, Grease, Hairspray, The Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde, Les Miserables, Lion King, Mamma Mia, Oliver, Phantom of the Opera, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Sister Act, Stomp, Thriller Live, We Will Rock You, Wicked So what does that look like? Well obviously we can cross out Oliver as we saw that one last year. Out of the rest, I think it’s got to be either Phantom or Grease. Different ends of the spectrum in some ways, but we know some of the songs from Phantom after hearing the CD whereas Grease is a musical we could perform half of by heart without any mugging up at all! OK, we plumped for Phantom of the Opera, and if it comes up to expectations then we might just go and see Love Never Dies for next year’s London theatre break, or even earlier if some of my investments come through in time. Next we need to choose a Hotel and dates. That’s the slightly precarious part because it all depends on availabiity. Choice of Hotel for a London Theatre Break I like to be near the City of London, which is a bit further east from the West End but only a short cab ride away, but I’m going to be flexible and if something comes up in Holborn, Westminster or the Strand that’ll be fine for a weekend London theatre break. We are lucky enough to be able to take Mondays or Thursday off too though, or any day really, so access to the City next day would be convenient, if I can get away with it. Right, I’m off to check the online theatre breaks booking sites now, wish me luck! This was a guest post by a reader from London Theatre Break who wishes to remain anonymous
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December 13 2009, 12:31pm | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

London Weekend Breaks By Rail

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/london-weekend-breaks-by-rail.html

Are you looking for more information about London weekend breaks by rail? That’s actually a very good starting point because you’ve already made the best decision as far as transport goes for arriving in London. Go by train and you’ll not have to be worrying about things like car parking, how to pay the congestion charge or long motor way traffic jams holding up coach journeys. The fast inter city trains are also the quickest way to get from most UK cities into one of the central London mainline stations. London Breaks by Rail - Express Routes Weekend breaks can be for a West-end theatre show on any Friday, Saturday or Sunday night combined with a hotel stay of one night or more, including the show date. The most popular break tends to be a one-nighter including the big Saturday night out, but getting away early on a Friday makes a lot of sense too. Traveling on a Friday and Saturday gives a clear run through but Sundays can be fine for getting home too, depending on which rail line takes you back. All I’m saying is, check for regular Sunday engineering works if the service that relays between your city and London is one that may be prone to scheduled maintenance on a Sunday. Longer Weekend Breaks If your weekend break means going home on a Saturday of course, the traditional weekend has only just begun but then again I’ve noticed that for some people around here, the weekend definitely starts to ramp up on a Thursday night! London can be a very pleasant play to stay on a Sunday with less of a hurried atmosphere but still plenty of things to see and do so staying on for the whole weekend and then booking to get back on a Monday during the daytime can make for an extremely satisfying London weekend rail break, more like a mini holiday really. You could even make it a three or four night stay with the weekend theatre trip included, especially worthwhile if you have a long distance rail journey from one of the smaller rail networks that lie beyond the core inter city services. London Shows for Weekend Theatre Breaks One of the advantages with buying a theatre breaks package is that you can get good tickets for any of the more popular shows, even on a busy Friday or Saturday night. I tried to get an impulse ticket from the famous half price ticket booth the other day and after a lot of waiting around I came away without making a purchase. That was because the shows on offer didn’t include two that I was most interested in, and because the prices offered are not anything like half price at all. So supposing you’ve always wanted to grab a friend and go and see Hairspray, Dirty Dancing or Sister Act on a Saturday night but couldn’t find any available tickets except from the disreputable touts and so-called discount kiosks, well the answer is to do just a little bit of forward planning and organise a weekend break in London for just a few weeks down the line, then you can get on with life knowing there’s a fantastic treat in store for you to look forward to. London weekend breaks by rail are also perfect for really special occasions such as a big anniversary or celebration. Never mind seeing Les Miserables from the back of the upper circle, with theatre breaks packages it’s often possible to get best available seats with a competitive price guarantee, because the tour agents buy blocks of tickets way in advance and can therefore hold the best seats open for people who are booking the whole London weekend theatre package thing with the hotel stay and return rail tickets included. This is just one suggestion, but supposing you were a big fan of the Phantom of The Opera having seen it many years ago, and fancied repeating the experience in today’s West End. This gives you two possible shows for London Weekend breaks by rail because the new show with the Phantom opens in March 2010 and it’s going to be one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biggest shows ever, called “Love Never Dies“. By booking the rail tickets well in advance in combination with London weekend breaks, (that’s the show and hotel stay), you get the full discount on the rail tickets which can mean as much as a 70% saving off the regular return saver. If it appears as if the only shows on in London are the big musicals then that’s certainly not the case. There are always a number of serious plays also on in the West end, usually for shorter runs but not always, and these are also available for London weekend breaks by rail. In 2010 there will be more Shakespeare, Pinter and Becket as well as modern American playwrights, and some comedy plays too. So you’ve decided very sensibly to opt for London weekend breaks by rail, thought about which show you’d both like to see, and maybe opted for a Friday night or Saturday theatre ticket depending which suits you best and considered the best time and day for homewards travel. All that’s left is to balance the convenience of a central London hotel with the economy of staying a little further out, but there is always a good selection of options available when booking London weekend theatre breaks. Now let me see, what else is there to worry about? a

Related posts:Theatre breaks with discount railWeekend Breaks with BasilFriday Theatre Breaks with Dinner and Hotel
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December 8 2009, 6:31am | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

West End Stars to Light Up London

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/west-end-stars-to-light-up-london.html

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

Related posts:TV stars + West End Musicals= Hits?Jodie Prenger at West End LiveYet Another Nancy (YAN) gets a West End Role
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October 30 2009, 5:53am | Comments »
I posted to loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk

Love Never Dies – A Difficult Birth

http://www.loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk/love-never-dies/love-never-dies-a-difficult-birth

Love Never Dies – Lengthy Birth Process Love Never Dies, the Phantom Sequel is on it’s way now, with a firm announcement being made on October 8th 2009. But this new musical hasn’t just arrived onto the London musical theatre scene from nowhere, it has had a lengthy and difficult incubuation period. Phantom of Manhatten – the Novel on which Love Never Dies is based Frederick Forsyth's The Phantom of Manhatten Phantom of The Opera fans have discussed the possibility of a sequel since 1997, twelve years ago when Frederick Forsyth the author of “Day of The Jackal” and “The Odessa File” published his novel The Phantom of Manhattan with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s approval. Yes, it is a little surprising that the Phantom of The Opera sequel and novel upon which Love Never Dies is based was written by Forsyth. He explained at the time it was intended as a departure from his usual genre. “I had done mercenaries, assassins, Nazis, murderers, terrorists, special forces soldiers, fighter pilots, you name it, and I got to think, could I actually write about the human heart?”

The Phantom of Manhatten however, did not achieve the same success as Frederick Forsyth’s other novels, so he returned to writing modern day thrillers. Stage adaptation for Love Never Dies Plans to adapt the Phantom of Manhatten were shelved for a while after the book was poorly received, but ten years later in March 2007, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that plans for a stage sequel would be going ahead, and that it would be set in New York. How much of the plot for the new book for Love Never Dies falls back on Forsyth’s original novel remains to be seen as the musical approaches its first previews. What followed the 2007 announcement was a series of unlikely events which supposedly involved several creative writers and composers being hired and fired, entire musical scores being dumped and something about a cat and a piano which has been kept very secret. Forsyth himself was supposed to be collaborating, but first he was in and then he was out. Ben Elton’s script for Love Never Dies Ben Elton writer for Love Never Dies Then it was announced that Ben Elton has written the new Love Never Dies playscript, which is a brilliant move by Lloyd Webber, after the magnificent success of We Will Rock You which was also written by Ben Elton. Ben Elton first collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on The Beautiful Game in 2000, writing the book and lyrics (Lloyd Webber wrote the music). The Beautiful Game won the London Critics Circle Award for best new musical. Elton went on to write a number of compilation shows featuring popular songs taken from the back catalogues of pop/rock artists. The first of these was the musical We Will Rock You with music by the rock band Queen. This was successful in London and won the 2003 Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best New Musical. It has since opened in the US, Australia, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Canada. Tonight’s the Night, based on the songs of Rod Stewart, opened in November 2003. Love Never Dies Lyrics Interestingly, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s old collaborator Tim Rice was approached to write lyrics for Love Never Dies, but that job eventually went to Glenn Slater who also wrote the lyrics to the new London musical Sister Act. Love Never Dies Alternate Titles As well as the name from the novel The Phantom of Manhatten, and obvious ideas such as “Phantom 2″ , “Phantom of The Opera Returns” etc, rejected names for the Love Never Dies project included The Phantom of Coney Island and Phantom: Once Upon Another Time, but that was never more than a working title really and in September 2008 Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber announced the name Love Never Dies at his birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London.

Technorati Tags: Andrew LLoyd Webber, Ben Elton, book, Frederick Korsyth, Love Never Dies, lyrics, Phantom of Manhatten, playscipt, script, sister act, Tim Rice, we will rock you
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September 28 2009, 5:11am | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

Jodie Prenger at West End Live

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/jodie-prenger-at-west-end-live.html

Well it’s Saturday night and West End Live is half way through. There were some great shows on today in Leicester Square all to promote the West End and provide some free entertainment for the London crowd at the same time. Highlights sp far have been a good three song set from a big cast from We Will Rock You , always a high energy show, the lovely duet from The King And I and this performance from Jodie Prenger as Nancy from Oliver! who sang as if she thought she needed to win I’d do Anything all over again! Click here to view the embedded video. If you keep an eye on the Theatre Breaks youtube stream you’ll catch a glimpse of Patina Miller and sisters from Sister Act and also Jerry Springer in Chicago!

Related Posts:West End Live 2009 - latest confirmed showsOliver - Jodie Prenger wins I'd Do AnythingOliver! I'd Do AnythingOliver - Jodie gets two extra performances on a Saturday!Gone With the Wind - the costumesa Jodie Prenger at West End Live
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June 20 2009, 3:04pm | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

West End Live 2009 Running Order

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/west-end-live-2009-running-order.html

West End Live 2009 Saturday 20th June 11.05 Hairspray 11.15 Been So Long 11.30 Wicked 11.40 Dirty Dancing 11.55 The King and I 12.05 Oliver! 12.15 Sister Act 12.25 We Will Rock You 12.45 Priscilla Queen of the Desert 12.50 Chicago 13.10 Jersey Boys 13.30 Thriller Live 13.50 Forbidden Broadway 14.05 The Sylvia Young Theatre School 14.25 The South Bank Centre presents ‘Tom Tom Crew’ 14.45 Little Big Club 15.10 So Jest End 15.25 Avenue Q 15.45 Zanna Don’t 16.05 The London Gay Men’s Chorus 16.30 Too Close to the Sun 16.50 Faithless Bitches 17.05 The KB Fusionnaires 17.45 La Cage Aux Folles 17.55 Stomp West End Live Sunday 21st June 12.00 Stomp 12.15 Little Big Club 12.35 West End Kids 12.55 Jersey Boys 13.15 Thriller Live 13.35 Noise Ensemble 13.55 Zanna Don’t 14.10 Honk! 14.20 SOLT – Competition 14.25 Royal Albert Hall presents ‘The Red Stripe Band’ 15.05 Chinatown Arts Space Presents ‘TheBathroomGirl’ 15.25 Bar Rumba presents ‘Salsateca’ 15.40 Players Theatre presents ‘Victorian Music Hall’ 15.55 National Youth Music Theatre 16.10 Lord Mayor of Westminster’s West End LIVE presentations 16.20 Octave8 presents ‘Yot.K’ 16.50 Dover Street Restaurant and Jazz Bar presents ‘The Blues Engineers’ 17.25 Ain’t Nothin But Blues Bar present the ‘West Western Bluesonics’

Related Posts:West End Live 2008 - running orderWest End Live 2009 - latest confirmed showsWest End LIVE 2008 - Theatre stars in Leicester SquareBrief Encounter - new dates announcedWest End Live 2009a West End Live 2009 Running Order
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June 17 2009, 5:28pm | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

West End Live 2009 - latest confirmed shows

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/west-end-live-2009-latest-confirmed-shows.html

West End Live Quick Update Latest confirmed shows according to the official web site include: Avenue Q, Been So Long, La Cage Aux Folles, Carousel, Chicago, Dirty Dancing, Hairspray, Jersey Boys, Oliver!, Priscilla Queen of The Desert, Sister Act, Stomp, Thriller Live, Too Close To The Sun, We Will Rock You, Wicked OOh I can’t wait! It was great last year but this looks even better! Be there: Leicester Square on the weekend of the 20th and 21st of June 2009!

Related Posts:West End Live 2009Priscilla Queen of the Desert Cast - Zoe BirkettTheatre Breaks Unaffected by SnowWest End LIVE 2008 - Theatre stars in Leicester SquareWest End Live 2008 - running ordera West End Live 2009 - latest confirmed shows
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May 30 2009, 12:52pm | Comments »
I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk

West End Guide - Theatres Summer 2009

http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/west-end-guide-theatres-summer-2009/

Your West End Guide to What’s On Where Summer 2009 West End Guide shows and theatres May09 When you are thinking about shows for theatre breaks you can use our West End Guide to What’s on Where to get an idea of the size of the theatres. This can be very useful when you are looking for a show but you aren’t really sure what you want to see. Bigger productions like Sister Act or Wicked are in the largest theatres where as something like Stomp, although it’s still great fun, isn’t in quite such a spectacular setting. Of course size isn’t everything when it comes to theatres. Phantom of the Opera and Les Miz are both in smaller, older theatres but the theatres are quite grand and their productions are still full of spectacle.
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May 26 2009, 12:08pm | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

West End Live 2009

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/west-end-live-2009.html

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.

Related Posts:Gareth Gates as Joseph - Close Every DoorAbseiling Nuns for Sister ActWest End LIVE 2008 - Theatre stars in Leicester SquareWest End Live 2008 - running orderJersey Boys Livea West End Live 2009
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May 25 2009, 9:20am | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

Abseiling Nuns for Sister Act

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/abseiling-nuns-for-sister-act.html

Sister Act Stunt Nuns What a stunt! Londoners report a small number of stunt nuns seen abseiling from the roof of the London Palladium today, evidenty a publicity stunt to help get the word out about the new show Sister Act the Musical. Sister Act opens on June 2, with previews from May 7 - why that’s tomorrow! The abseiling stunt follows on from a “Nun Run” staged in London on Sunday 3rd May

Related Posts:Gareth Gates as Joseph - Close Every DoorSister Act The Musical - Making WhoopiSister Act Cast AnnouncedSister Act and Magic PrizesSister Act The Musical - Video Previewa Abseiling Nuns for Sister Act
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May 6 2009, 7:33am | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

Sister Act and Magic Prizes

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/sister-act-and-magic-prizes.html

Sister Act producer Whoopie Goldberg has teamed up with radio station Magic 105.4 to help promote Sister Act. The radio station will run “Drive Time with Angie Greaves and Whoopi Goldberg” from the 22 of April and run until previews for Sister Act start on the 2nd of May. Magic will run both on-air and online promotions Whoopi herself will introduce an interactive radio promotion on Angie Greaves’ Drive Time show. The promotion will take the form of a competition. The ACM Gospel Choir (as seen on Jonathan Ross) performing a capella versions of songs from the Magic drive time playlist. Then listeners will be asked a series of questions based on the songs. Prizes will include VIP tickets to a performance of Sister Act. Sister Act - Whoopi with Angela

Related Posts:Sister Act Cast AnnouncedSister Act The Musical - Making WhoopiSister Act The Musical - Video PreviewPopular posts on London Theatre Breaks from Mar 2009A Little Night Music - West End Transfera Sister Act and Magic Prizes
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April 18 2009, 6:53am | Comments »
I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk

London Breaks for Spring and Summer 2009

http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/london-breaks-for-spring-and-summer-2009/

London Breaks this Spring Spring is a super time of year for a London break. The city is just warming up, the parks are full of spring flowers and the weather is mostly pretty good. Obviously you are not guaranteed sunshine but you are a lot less likely to get rained on than you are further north or west in the UK. This means you can really enjoy the sights of London without the city heat or the summer crowds. St James Park in March Days can be warm and sunny but the evenings can be quite chilly. So pack a light coat and maybe a pashmina for coming back from the theatre. You probably won’t need an umbrella. Three top shows to see on your spring London break I’m going to suggest three shows that could be good choices for your London break this spring

Priscilla - A new show but not a new production. It’s been going for several weeks now, so it’s pretty slick. It’s getting good reviews, the music is great (think 70’s disco standards We Will Rock You - still great and still packing them in. But there are persistent rumours of the show closing. Definitely worth seeing or seeing again! Hairspray - if you can act quickly you’ll be able to see Michael Ball before he leaves the production in June. I’m sure Billy Conley will make a great Edna but Michael has made the role his own and has to be worth seeing.

London Breaks this Summer London breaks in the summer can be great too. The city is generally a couple of degrees warmer than the rest of the UK and this is even more the case in summer. The city buildings hold the heat so a hot day can mean it doesn’t cool down all that much in the evening either. This makes strolling round the West End after the show soaking up the atmosphere very pleasant. Do the London thing and buy yourself some bottled water for use during the day. Use it to keep your cool, especially if you go on the tube. I also use Evian spray sometimes if it gets very sticky. Great for cooling off!

Dress in cool fabrics for the theatre as they can be quite hot, even if air-conditioned. Some of the theatres are ‘air-cooled’ rather than air conditioned. This means that the front stalls are coolest seats in Summer. Avoid the highest circle and the back rows as these are the biggest heat-traps. This won’t be an issue if you are buying your theatre break through a theatre breaks agency that guarantees you the best available seats. Anyway it’s the perfect excuse to buy that little black linen dress you’ve been eying up! A cashmere shawl or cardigan is all you’ll need on top. 3 Top Shows to see on your summer London break These 3 shows would be good choices for London breaks this summer: Sister Act - very new, not even open as I write, Sister Act should have settled down by the summer. It’s looking all set to be a hit show. Phantom of the Opera - a long running classic but still looking good. See the original production this summer before the sequel comes out in the Autumn. Jersey Boys - good fun, high energy, a feel-good show. Jersey Boys has quickly become a real favourite. They’ve just released a new batch of tickets for the summer so you should be able to get the dates you want. London Breaks at other times of year London breaks in autumn and winter have their own advantages but I’ll save them for another post later.
- Tags:
- London
- London breaks
- Jersey Boys
- west end
- Hairspray
- Sister Act
- summer
- shows
- sights of london
- st james park
April 14 2009, 5:38am | Comments »
I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk

March 2009 Theatre News Roundup

http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/march-2009-theatre-news-roundup/

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.
- Tags:
- news
- London
- Jersey Boys
- west end
- Oliver
- Sister Act
- Whoopi Goldberg
- gielgud theatre
- jonathon ross
- lyric theatre
- noel coward theatre
- palladium
- theatre news
- yusuf islam
April 13 2009, 5:11am | Comments »
I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk

West End Guide - Theatreland

http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/west-end-guide-theatreland/

West End Guide - where is “Theatreland”? In the heart of the West End of London is an area sometimes called ‘Theatreland’. Traditionally it is bordered by The Strand to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, and Kingsway to the east. Important streets with theatres include :

Drury Lane, Shaftesbury Avenue, The Strand.

The area contains around forty of London’s largest theatres.They tend to show mostly musicals, with a few classics, new plays,and comedy performances. West End Guide to the Theatres .

Most of the theatres were built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. All of them are privately owned. All of the older theatres have great architectural character and range in style from the grand neo-classical to the very ornate rococo. They usually have luxurious, detailed interior design and decoration, with lots of gold and plush. Occasionally the older theatres have limited leg room and restricted views from some parts of the theatre. Tickets for these areas are usually sold cheaper and are not usually offered as part of theatre breaks. Audience facilities such as bars and toilets are often much smaller than in modern theatres. The buildings are all listed and this can make it hard to make improvements. However several theatres have introduced modern comforts such as air conditioning and new sound systems. The Largest Theatres in The West End The largest theatres in the West End seat over 2,000 theatre-goers.

The Palladium - currently about to show Sister Act - 2286 seats The Apollo, Vcctoria - Wicked - 2208 The Theatre Royal - Oliver!- 2196 seats The Dominion - We Will Rock You - 2163 seats The Lyceum - Lion King - 2100 seats I’ll be posting more soon on our West End Guide
- Tags:
- London
- theatres
- west end
- theatreland
- Musicals
- Oliver
- Drury Lane
- apollo
- wicked
- Sister Act
- West End Guide
- palladium
- dominion
- shaftesbury avenue
- theatre goers
April 11 2009, 11:21am | Comments »
I posted to usefulwiki.com

Sister Act The Musical - Video Preview

http://usefulwiki.com/londontheatre/sisteractthemusical-videopreviews.html

Sister Act the Musical is building up momentum for the opening in May this year and here’s a preview in the form of a press release video with Alan Menken performing a medley of fabulous songs from the new Sister Act stage show.

Patina Miller who plays Delores shows off her amazing R&B voice. Who else can’t wait until May? ** Sister Act Theatre Breaks tickets **

Related Posts:Sister Act Cast AnnouncedSister Act The Musical - Making WhoopiCome Dancing Video ClipsGone With the Wind - previewsZorro - opening delayeda Sister Act The Musical - Video Preview
- Tags:
- press
- SisterAct
- Patina Miller
- Alan Menken
- previews
- Sister Act
- Sister Act the Musical
- video
March 8 2009, 1:04pm | Comments »

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