Author: Aeron James

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Mark Cornell and Sienna Miller Present the ATG Summer Party

The ATG Summer Party at Kensington Palace Gardens hosted by Mark Cornell and Sienna Miller in aid of Sam Mendes and his Theatre Artists Fund. Photos by Dave Benett

Mark Cornell and Sienna Miller presented the Ambassador Theatre Group’s (ATG) Summer Party at Kensington Palace Gardens in support of Sam Mendes and his Theatre Artists Fund (TAF) with an auction that raised £90,000, hosted by Lord Harry Dalmeny, Chairman of Sotheby’s. The proceeds from the auction will contribute towards the next round of grants, which will open on Wednesday 8th September enabling the fund to reach more freelance theatre professionals during this early phase of the industry’s recovery from the pandemic.

The ATG Summer Party 2021 continues ATG’s ongoing work with charitable causes, and their passion to nurture and support the current and next generation of industry talent, which is at the heart of their ethos. 

Theatre Artists Fund was spearheaded by Sam Mendes and launched in July 2020 to provide emergency support for freelance theatre professionals across the UK in need of urgent and critical financial support due to the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the theatre sector. Through generous donations and public fundraising, Theatre Artists Fund has so far supported more than 7,200 industry workers affected by the crisis.

Sam Mendes at the ATG Summer Party at Kensington Palace Gardens Photo: Dave Bennett

Speaking after this evening’s auction, the Theatre Artists Fund’s founder Sam Mendes said “I am incredibly grateful to Mark Cornell and everyone at Ambassador Theatre Group for their support this evening in assisting us to raise more urgent money to go towards our fund. It’s down to the extraordinary work of everyone that has donated so far that we have now raised over £7.4 million and, with the ongoing support, we can reopen the grants again. We pledge to continue helping freelance theatre artists in these unprecedented situations while continuing to develop a new and permanent way to empower freelancers for the future.”

Mark Cornell, ATG’s Chief Executive Officer said “On behalf of everyone at ATG we are proud to have been working with Sam and Theatre Artists Fund for our Summer Party this year to raise money for such an important cause. It’s no secret that the theatre industry and far too many of its remarkable workers have been, and still are, impacted by the pandemic, so the grants from Theatre Artists Fund are crucial in helping change that, through sustaining freelancers until they can get back into employment. I would like to thank Theatre Artists Fund for joining forces with ATG for this event, and thank you to my fantastic co-presenter this evening, Sienna Miller and to Lord Harry Dalmeny for brilliantly hosting the auction.”

Sienna Miller added “It’s been such a joy to co-host the ATG Summer Party with Mark this evening, and to see the generosity of the guests helping raise invaluable money for Theatre Artists Fund during the auction. Theatre has always been a huge passion of mine, and I’ve been saddened to see the impact of the pandemic on so many talented workers within the industry. That’s why the work that Theatre Artists Fund have done, and continue to do is vital as the industry continues to recover, and I’m so glad that the money raised tonight will go towards helping the workers and freelancers, who are the lifeblood of the Theatre industry, get back to where they belong”

The ATG Summer Party in aid of Theatre Artists Fund at Kensington Palace Gardens, was attended by theatre industry figures and supporters who donated generously during the auction, bidding on items including a trip to the set of Sam Mendes’ new film Empire of Light starring Olivia Colmanand Michael Ward. A two-night stay at the iconic The Dorchester hotel, and two top-tier entry passes to the elusive Kit Kat Club, home to the highly anticipated production of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley. Two business-class return flights to New York, for the opening night of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, with an exclusive ‘meet and greet’ photo opportunity with Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, and a chance to step through the door of the red windmill and experience a first-class full-service hospitality package for ten at the spectacle that isMoulin Rouge! The Musical. 

All proceeds raised from the auction at the ATG Summer Party will go directly to Theatre Artists Fund, which is administered by the UK Theatre Association and the Society of London Theatre on behalf of the Theatre Development Trust (TDT).

In addition to the auction prizes, Providence Equity Partners, the owners of Ambassador Theatre Group, generously donated a further £25,000 to the fund to achieve a significant total of £90,000 raised for Theatre Artists Fund.

Guests in attendance at the ATG Summer Party included Aimee Atkinson, Alice Eve, Bay Garnett, Bertie Carvel, Caro Newling, Carrie Cracknell, Dame Harriet Walter and Guy Paul, Dame Pippa Harris, David Baddiel, David Hare and Nicole Farhi, Dominic West, Eddie andHannah Redmayne, Emma Squire CBE, George Osborne CH and Thea Rogers, Griff and Jo Rhys Hones, Helen George and Jack Ashton, Jane Horrocks and Esther Coles, Jenna Coleman, Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE, Julia Cheng and Dickson Mbi, Lady Antonia Fraser CH, DBE and Benji Fraser, Lia Williams and Angus Wright, Liza Sadovy, Louisa Parker Bowles, Lord Neil Mendoza, Mark Gatiss, Michael Landes, Neil Tennant, Nicolas Brown, Nima Telaghini, Omari Douglas, Phil Edgar-Jones, Rob Brydon, Ronni Ancona, Rupert Gavin, Rupert Goold, Sam Lister, Sam Mendes (Founder, Theatre Artists Fund) and Alison Balsom, Sienna Miller (Co-host) and Archie Keswick, Simon Curtis and Elizabeth McGovern, Susan Hampshire CBE, Sir Lenny Henry and Lisa Makin, Sir Nicholas Hytner, Tamara Rojo, Tom andSabrina Stoppard, Trevor Eve and Trevor Nunn.

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First Look News

What’s New Pussycat Musical Releases First Look at Cast and Rehearsals

Bronté Barbé and Dominic Andersen. Credit: Michael Wharley

The highly anticipated, brand new musical, What’s New Pussycat? has released exclusive first look images of Dominic Andersen as Tom Jones and Bronté Barbé as Mary Western as well as brand new studio footage of the cast performing three iconic hits from the show; It’s Not Unusual, Mama Told Me Not to Come and Without Love. 

It’s Not Unusual is performed by Dominic Andersen (Tom Jones) with chorus vocals from Bronté Barbé (Mary Western); Ashley Campbell (Mr Partridge); Rebekah Hinds (The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress); David Mairs-McKenzie (Ensemble); Lisa Mathieson (Ensemble); Fallon Mondlane (Ensemble); Naomi Katiyo (Ensemble); and Owen Saward (Ensemble). 

Bronté Barbé (Mary Western) and Dominic Andersen (Tom Jones). Credit Michael Wharley

Mama Told Me Not to Come is performed by Ashley Campbell; Owen Saward; David Mairs-McKenzie; Dominic Andersen; Rebekah Hinds; Bronté Barbé; Lisa Mathieson; and Naomi Katiyo, and Without Love is performed by Bronté Barbé with backing vocals from Lisa Mathieson; Fallon Mondlane and Naomi Katiyo. Matt Brind is the Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator and Music Producer.

Freely inspired by the novel The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling, this romantic musical comedy reimagines Fielding’s classic tale in London’s swinging sixties. Written by the Tony Award winning Joe DiPietro (Memphis The Musical), with a stellar creative team including director Luke Sheppard and legendary choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips, get ready for music, mods and rocking romance when the show enjoys its world premiere at The REP from 8 October – 14 November. 

What’s New Pussycat? is set to the soundtrack of Sir Tom Jones’ greatest hit songs: Green, Green Grass of Home, It’s Not Unusual, Leave Your Hat On, Delilah, Mama Told Me Not To Come, Sex Bomb and, of course, What’s New Pussycat? 

Presented by Birmingham Repertory Theatre in association with Flody Suarez, Joshua Andrews and Stuart Galbraith from Kilimanjaro Theatricals. Donna Munday will Executive Produce.

Find out more about the musical and book tickets here!

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Interviews

Interview: Marisha Wallace on Hairspray, Her Upcoming UK Tour & Pandemic Life

A lot has happened since West End and Broadway star Marisha Wallace was last on tour… In fact, her debut UK tour was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.

But that’s not held Marisha back – with the past year seeing the vocal sensation signed to Decca Records, releasing her debut album Tomorrow, wowing new audiences with performances on Strictly Come Dancing, the Festival of Remembrance and the Royal Variety Performance. She finally returned to the West End stage in the spring in the musical Hairspray, as Motormouth Maybelle, where she’s been winning nightly standing ovations for her outstanding performances.

From growing up on a farm in North Carolina, Marisha Wallace has gone on to Broadway and the West End, starring in huge hit musicals including Dreamgirls, Waitress, Aladdin and The Book of Mormon.

One of the most recognisable voices of a generation, Marisha’s latest tour will start at King’s Hall, Ilkley on September 24. Marisha will then play London’s Arts Theatre (Sept 27), Aberystwyth Arts Centre (Sept 30), the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff (Oct 1), Birmingham Hippodrome (Oct 2), Southampton Mayflower (Oct 3) and finally Lowther Pavilion in Lytham (Oct 6).

Find out below more about as the stage sensation discusses pandemic life, her return to the West End, and preparing for her latest UK tour!

COVID-19 HAS HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON PERFORMERS, IN SO MANY WAYS – YOUR DEBUT TOUR WAS CUT SHORT, AND SHORTLY AFTER YOU CONTRACTED COVID YOURSELF. HOW WAS THAT EXPERIENCE?

It was such a scary time. So much was unknown about the virus and what it does to you. So getting it was scary. I was sick, unemployed and stuck in the house, and my family was thousands of miles away in America. I felt very hopeless. Then I bought a mic and just started singing and recording music in my house. And that is where Tomorrow was born. To now be touring the album of Tomorrow after all that is just incredible. The sun really did come out, as the song says. 

IN AMONG ALL THAT HAPPENING, YOU SIGNED A RECORD DEAL, RELEASED YOUR DEBUT ALBUM TOMORROW – WITH THE TITLE SONG SOMETHING OF AN ANTHEM OF HOPE, AND SUPPORTED FUNDRAISING EFFORTS FOR THE THEATRE INDUSTRY. THAT MUST HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT MIXED EMOTIONS… A BIG PERSONAL SUCCESS AT A TIME WHEN THE INDUSTRY YOU LOVE WAS IN CRISIS.

I never thought that Tomorrow as going to do what it did. It went to number two on the iTunes charts next to Beyoncé. I got a record deal, I sang it for the Queen during the Royal Variety and then the 2020 US OPEN used it in the highlight coverage. We raised £10,000 for the charities. It was just mind boggling.

It was such a Catch 22, having all your dreams come true while others were having the worst time of their lives. But I used my music to help people through those dark times. In some ways I was a beacon of hope and that song and that album made people believe again. Believe that things would get better and that trouble doesn’t last always. 

HAIRSPRAY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SHOWS TO REOPEN IN THE WEST END. HOW WAS THAT OPENING NIGHT? WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE BEING BACK IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE?

The whole experience of Hairspray is something I don’t think I will ever forget. To be a part of one of the first big shows back is such an honour. To see thousands of smiling, crying, laughing faces enjoying life again makes it all worth it for me.

I get to sing the 11 o’clock number “I Know Where I’ve Been” which is a protest song in the show. To be singing it now, after all we have been through with George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement, on top of the pandemic… It just has a whole new meaning. I am getting standing ovations every night after the song. I am in tears at the end because I know how much this means to my ancestors, to my family and to my people and to me.  This is when theatre transcends the stage and moves into a cultural reset. 

NOW YOU’RE PREPARING TO HIT THE ROAD AGAIN, WITH YOUR LATEST UK TOUR. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR THESE SHOWS?

I am so excited!!! I can’t wait to see my fans again. We went through so much together during lockdown. I was entertaining people through Instagram, with my Sing With Marisha concerts and bringing singers on to my platform – and now we all get to sing and dance together live in person. I am so happy.

I know these concerts this may be some people’s first time out so I want to make them really special. And boy do I have a story to tell. We are going to have the best time. 

IT FEELS LIKE YOU’VE BECOME AN ADOPTED BRIT NOW, YOU’VE BEEN IN THE UK A LONG TIME. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE COUNTRY AND HAVE YOU HAD MUCH CHANCE TO EXPLORE?

I love it in the UK. I have been here almost five years – I can’t believe it. It has been a fairy tale journey. What I love is how much you all have embraced me just the way that I am. I haven’t had to change or be someone else. You love what I do. I love that this country really loves the arts and it is a family tradition to see shows and it is passed down.

I am a huge explorer too. I have been to so many places in the UK. I absolutely love all the seaside towns and getting the banging seafood. But then I love the fierce city life too, with all the history and amazing restaurants. 

WHAT CAN AUDIENCES EXPECT ON THE TOUR? 

They can expect a night of inspiration, dancing, and full-on belting.

My shows are more like an experience. You won’t leave the way you came in. I will be singing all the big songs you know me for – “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, “I Know Where I’ve Been” – and songs from my album Tomorrow and from my new EP Soul Of The Stage. I will be doing tributes to my fave singers like Whitney and maybe some Tina Turner too.

I have so many stories to tell too. We are just going to celebrate life and getting back to it. 

WHO WILL BE JOINING YOU ON STAGE?

That’s a surprise! You have to get a ticket to find out…

WE’RE SO USED TO SEEING YOU AS THESE FANTASTIC CHARACTERS – EFFIE WHITE IN DREAMGIRLS, MOTORMOUTH IN HAIRSPRAY, BECKY IN WAITRESS. WHAT’S IT LIKE STEPPING OUT AS YOU, AS MARISHA, WITH JUST A SMALL BAND INSTEAD OF A FULL CAST BEHIND YOU?

Being me on stage is my favourite role to play. I get to be completely vulnerable and just have a full connection with my audience. This is where I thrive. I started out in the cabarets in NYC and now I have taken it to the big stage. This feels like coming home.

TELL US HOW YOU CAME TO BE A WEST END STAR – WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN? WHAT WAS YOUR JOURNEY?

Well, I became a West End star by accident. I had worked on Broadway for about five years and was doing a show called Something Rotten, playing a tap-dancing egg called Eggie White. True story.

Then I got a call from my agent asking if I wanted to play Effie White in Dreamgirls in the West End. I had to pack all my stuff in two days and got on a plane to London. The lead had gotten sick and I was called to replace her for three weeks. Three weeks turned into two years with me taking over the role of Effie, which started a successful career here in London.

It was something I had always wanted in New York, on Broadway, and it turns out that London and the West End was where I was supposed to be all along.

IN DREAMGIRLS, YOU SANG THE INCREDIBLE ICONIC ANTHEM “AND I AM TELLING YOU”. NOW IN HAIRSPRAY, YOU’RE GETTING NIGHTLY STANDING OVATIONS PERFORMING “I KNOW WHERE I’VE BEEN”. HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN YOU SING THESE HUGE, POWERFUL, IMPACTFUL NUMBERS?

It is an honour and also scary to sing these huge numbers every night. You want to give the people everything they want and live up to the hype. I take pride in going there emotionally every night and giving each audience the full experience.

To sing “I Know Where I’ve Been” now is just incredible. It feels like legacy work, something I have to do for the culture. We haven’t collectively mourned the racial injustice in our society because we were separated in lockdown. But to be in the room together hearing that song and feeling all those emotions is something else. The chills and the tears are there every single night. 

YOU’VE PLAYED SOME ICONIC ROLES AND MADE THEM YOUR OWN. WHAT’S YOUR DREAM ROLE?

My dream role is to do an original role. One I can create from scratch that no one has heard of that I create that leaves a legacy for other women like me to play; a curvy, black woman who is multi-dimensional, a woman who has wants, needs, love interests. A well-rounded character and not just the random black girl singing the soul. 

AND WHAT’S NEXT AFTER THE TOUR?

After my UK tour I’m doing my first US tour, which is so exciting. More music is coming and hopefully more film and television. I’m just going to keep climbing that ladder rung by rung. 

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE AHEAD OF THE OPENING NIGHT OF YOUR TOUR?

My message is to grab a friend or family member, get a ticket and get ready for a night to remember. It is time to feel alive again; to dance, to sing and to enjoy. We have been through so much and Tomorrow is finally here.

Tickets for the tour are on sale now from cuffeandtaylor.com

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Latest News News

Adrian Lukis To Star in Being Mr Wickham UK Tour This Autumn

Adrian Lukis, who starred in the renowned BBC TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, returns to the role of Mr Wickham this Autumn following the acclaimed online production of Being Mr Wickham earlier this year.  

Original Theatre Company, the award-winning producer of hit online productions of Birdsong and Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon and stage productions including the 5-star revival of Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art and A Splinter of Ice, will present the 2021 tour. 

Written by Adrian Lukis and Catherine Curzon, this one-man play about one of Jane Austen’s most charmingly roguish characters, is directed by Guy Unsworth and designed by Libby Watson. 

Adrian Lukis in Being Mr Wickham (photo James Findlay)
Adrian Lukis in Being Mr Wickham (photo James Findlay)

“Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends – whether he may be equally capable of retaining them is less certain.” 

Join Pride and Prejudice’s most roguish gentleman, George Wickham, on the eve of his sixtieth birthday, to lift the sheets on exactly what happened thirty years on from where we left him. Discover his own version of some very famous literary events. What really happened with Darcy? What did he feel about Lizzie? What happened at Waterloo? Not to mention Byron… 

The 2021 tour will play Belgrade Theatre, Coventry (30 September-2 October), The Theatre Chipping Norton (4-5 October), Theatr Clwyd (8-9 October), Darlington Hippodrome (11-12 October), York Theatre Royal (14-16 October), The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich (19-20 October), Connaught Theatre, Worthing (21-22 October), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford (28-30 October), The Haymarket, Basingstoke (1-2 November) and Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne (4-6 November). 

“I’m thrilled to be reunited with my old friend, George Wickham. Having spent years defending his dubious reputation, I look forward to finally setting the record straight, with the assistance of the immensely talented Original Theatre Company.” 

Adrian Lukis, on the production

Adrian Lukis in Being Mr Wickham (photo James Findlay)
Adrian Lukis in Being Mr Wickham (photo James Findlay)

Rarely off the small screen, Adrian Lukis’s most recent TV credits include Channel 4’s Feel Good, the 2019 mini-series A Christmas Carol starring Guy Pearce, Vera, Poldark, Bulletproof, Collateral, The Crown, Red Dwarf, Grantchester, Black Mirror, Blair Toast in Toast of London, Downton Abbey, New Tricks and Death in Paradise. He also stars in the new Netflix series Anatomy of a Scandal, due to be streamed this year. Films include Judy, Dolittle, City Slacker and Bertie & Dickie. Recent theatre credits include The Price (Theatre Royal Bath), The Seagull (Chichester Festival Theatre/ National Theatre) and Versailles (Donmar Warehouse). 

Being Mr Wickham is produced by Alastair Whatley and Tom Hackney for Original Theatre Company. The Director is Guy Unsworth, Designer is Libby Watson, Sound Designer is Max Pappenheim and Lighting Designer is Johanna Town.  

Alastair Whatley, Artistic Director of Original Theatre Company, said: “Guy Unsworth’s production of Adrian’s and Catherine’s fantastic play was one of the highlights from our recent online season. Originally live streamed from the beautiful Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds but without an audience physically with us in the room, it’s a real thrill to be able to get the show on the road and visit theatres up and down the country.” 

For tour details, visit: https://www.originaltheatre.com/our-productions/being-mr-wickham/about-the-show.  

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Latest News News

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella Extends West End Run Until May 2022

Carrie Hope Fletcher, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Photo Credit Tristram Kenton

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Emerald Fennell and David Zippel’s Cinderella, a twist on the classic fairytale, has announced that it has extended its West End run.

The West End run will now play at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until 29 May 2022, with tickets for the extension now on sale.

Rebecca Trehearn, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Photo Credit Tristram Kenton
Rebecca Trehearn, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Photo Credit Tristram Kenton

Carrie Hope Fletcher leads the new production as title character Cinderella, with Ivano Turco as Prince Sebastian and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt playing The Stepmother. Rebecca Trehearn is The Queen, Georgina Castle and Laura Baldwin, as Cinderella’s stepsisters Marie and Adele, Gloria Onitiri plays The Godmother and Caleb Roberts is Prince Charming.

The production is a complete reinvention of the classic fairytale, written by and based on an original idea from Emerald Fennell, the Oscar winning writer of the recently released, critically acclaimed film Promising Young Woman, and scriptwriter/Executive Producer of the of international smash hit Killing Eve.  As an actress she is known to millions as Patsy in the BBC’s Call The Midwife and as Camilla Parker Bowles in the Netflix hit The Crown. 

The Ball, Ensemble, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Photo Credit Tristram Kenton
The Ball, Ensemble, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Photo Credit Tristram Kenton

Cinderella has a brand new score from Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by David Zippel, a multi-award winner for Broadway productions including City of Angels, The Goodbye Girl, The Woman in White and Liza at the Palace, as well as for work on film including Disney’s Hercules and Mulan, both of which received Oscar nominations.

The full company also includes Michael Afemaré, Lydia Bannister, Michelle Bishop, William Bozier, Lauren Byrne, Sophie Camble, Tobias Charles, Vinny Coyle, Nicole Deon, Jonathan David Dudley, Dominic Adam Griffin, Michael Hamway, James Lee Harris, Leah Harris, Kate Ivory Jordan, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Georgina Onuorah (who will play the role of Cinderella at certain performances), Andy Rees, Alexandra Waite Roberts, Sam Robinson, Giovanni Spano, Lauren Stroud, Georgia Tapp and Matthieu Vinetot.

The production reunites legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber with director Laurence Connor and choreographer JoAnn M Hunter, who previously worked on the Olivier Award winning international hit School of Rock and the recent, sold out production of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium, which returns to the venue this Summer. 

The creative team also includes Designer, Gabriela Tylesova (Sweeney Todd, Love Never Dies),  Sound Designer, Gareth Owen (& Juliet, Come From Away), Lighting Designer, Bruno Poet (Tina: The Musical, Billie Eilish at Steve Jobs Theatre) and Co-Musical Supervisor, John Rigby (The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera).

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Latest News News

West End Live 2021 Lineup Announced

West End LIVE is finally back on stage in 2021, heralding the triumphant return of London’s world-leading theatre industry!

Forming part of Westminster City Council’s Inside Out Festival and the Society of London Theatre’s #BackOnStage campaign, West End LIVE will see Trafalgar Square transformed into an open-air theatre like no other, treating thousands of theatre fans to free performances from the West End’s top shows over the weekend of 18 and 19 September. 

This year’s event features the first ever West End LIVE appearances from award-winning musicals Hamilton and The Book Of Mormon, as well as an exciting roster of new shows – including The Prince Of Egypt, Disney’s Frozen, Dear Evan Hansen, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Back To The Future: The Musical and Pretty Woman: The Musical – alongside many established favourites.

In total, over 30 shows and acts will take to the stage for this unique celebration of theatre, a joint production by Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre (SOLT).

Julian Bird, Chief Executive of SOLT, said:

‘It is fantastic to be able to bring West End LIVE back this year. I can’t think of a better way to fully welcome back our beloved productions and celebrate the incredible talent, resilience and creativity on our stages, and to put on an unforgettable show for the countless theatre lovers who have supported our industry so passionately in its time of need.’

Cllr Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said:

‘I have been proud of all the West End LIVE shows we have staged in partnership with SOLT over the years – but this year’s event is particularly momentous as it shows the world the West End is back in business.’

‘The stellar line-up for this year’s West End LIVE weekend draws a line under that. We look forward to welcoming people back safely to Trafalgar Square for a free, two-day taster of their favourite musicals – old and new. Enjoy the magic this September – West End LIVE is back!’

West End LIVE welcomes Sky VIP as a supporting partner for the first time, after working with SOLT and a raft of London shows over the past year to create exclusive videos for their Sky VIPs, giving vital opportunities to performers during the pandemic.

The event also continues its partnership with Magic Radio, with an array of leading Magic presenters co-hosting the stage across the weekend, including Emma B, Tom Price, Sonali Shah and more to be announced.

Official London Theatre will be backstage throughout the weekend sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content across our social channels.

The event will be BSL interpreted by Sue MacLaine and Marco Nardi.

How much do tickets cost ?

West End LIVE will remain free and unticketed as in previous years. To keep everyone safe, however, all attendees aged 18 and over will be asked to demonstrate their Covid status to gain entry to the event.  

List of shows appearing at West End LIVE 2021

More shows are likely to be announced in the lead-up to the event

& Juliet 

Amélie The Musical

Back To The Future The Musical

The Book Of Mormon

The Choir Of Man

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella

Come From Away

Dear Evan Hansen

Doctor Who: Time Fracture

Dreamgirls UK Tour

English National Opera

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World 

Disney’s Frozen

Grease UK Tour

The Great Gatsby

Hamilton

Heathers The Musical

Jersey Boys

Les Misérables

Disney’s The Lion King

Magic Goes Wrong

Magic Mike Live

Mamma Mia!

Mary Poppins

Matilda The Musical

The Phantom Of The Opera

Pretty Woman: The Musical

The Prince Of Egypt

Rock of Ages UK Tour

Six

The Last Five Years 

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical

Find out more at www.westendlive.co.uk

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Latest News News

The Only Way Is Essex star Jess Wright to make theatrical debut this Autumn

 The Only Way Is Essex star Jess Wright will be making her theatrical debut in Girls Just Wanna Have Fun this Autumn!

Since appearing on our screens in 2010 as a regular on ITV2’s flagship show The Only Way Is Essex, she has established herself as one of the most popular TV personalities in the UK, with her own e-commerce site and the hugely successful, elegant clothing line SISTAGLAM. 

In the last ten years, she’s built up a portfolio of business interests not to mention more than 1 million Instagram followers and more than 1.46 million followers on Twitter.

In 2017, Jess appeared on ITV’s hit show Dance Dance Dance and released FI7NESS by Jessica Wright, a seven-week fitness programme. 

Jess Wright, said: “I’m really excited. I’ve loved performing since I was little, and I’ve always wanted to be on stage. This show means a lot to me and the other girls since we were meant to do it last year. But now theatres are open again we’re finally getting our chance! It’s going to be a proper girl’s night out and everyone that comes along to join in the fun is going to have a blast!”

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is co-written by Julie Coombe and the show’s director John MacIsaac. With choreography by Hayley Jane Simmons and musical arrangements by Ross Johnson. a brand-new touring comedy from the writers of the hugely successful comedy sketch show Hormonal Housewives.

Directed by John MacIsaac this brand-new musical comedy will launch at Thursday 9th September 2021. Jess Wright will share the role of Jocelyn with Stephanie Dooley from CBBC’s Creeped Out and will join the company from 8th October at Charter Hall, Colchester.  

Jess Wright will be performing alongside the Legendary Nolan Sister Maureen Nolan in the role of Karen, X-Factor Finalist Niki Evans takes on the role of Jackie and completing the line-up is Olivier Award Winner Leanne Jones in the role of Angie. 

The cast of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun will take a no-holds-barred comedy romp through everything life throws at a modern-day woman. Sex, diets, men, fashion, chocolate, wine and more wine all feature in a riotous script that promises to be the girl’s night out to remember. 

The show will also feature some of the biggest and most iconic of all pop anthems including 9 to 5, We Are Family, Get The Party Started, I’m In the Mood For Dancing and of course Cyndi Lauper’s classic Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. By the end of the night everyone will be dancing in the aisles!

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News

Full West End Cast of Pretty Woman Announced

Pretty Woman (Photo: Helen Maybanks)

The producers of the smash hit feel-good Pretty Woman: The Musical have announced the full cast for the West End show, with performances beginning on Thursday 8 July 2021 in its new home the Savoy Theatre.

From Thursday 8 July Pretty Woman: The Musical will play with social distancing in place until 20 July when it will play at full capacity. 

The show will star Aimie Atkinson as ‘Vivian Ward’ and Danny Mac as ‘Edward Lewis’. They are joined by are Rachael Wooding as ‘Kit De Luca’, Bob Harms as ‘Happy Man/Mr Thompson’, Neil McDermott as ‘Philip Stuckey’ and Mark Holden as ‘James Morse’. The cast is completed by Jemma Alexander, Andy Barke, Kimberly Blake, Katie Bradley, Oliver Brenin, Olivia Brookes, Alex Charles, Olly Christopher, Ben Darcy, Hannah Ducharme, Nicholas Duncan, Paige Fenlon, Damon Gould, Alex Hammond, Tom Andrew Hargreaves, Antony Hewitt, Matt Jones, Serina Mathew, Katie Monks, Joanna Woodward and Charlotte Elisabeth Yorke.

Aimie Atkinson (Vivian Ward) was in the original West End cast of the hit musical Six at the Arts Theatre and was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance. Her other credits include Daniela in In the Heights at King’s Cross Theatre, Serena in Legally Blonde at Kilworth House and Chloe in Never Forget – The Take That Musical and Luisa in Zorro The Musical, both on national tour. Aimie is also the winner of the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Voice of Musical Theatre Award.  

Danny Mac (Edward Lewis) appeared as Bob Wallace in White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre in the West End. His many other theatre credits include Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard and Nino in Amelie, both on national tour, Gabey in On The Town at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the West End productions of Wicked and Legally Blonde. Danny captured the nation’s hearts and received overwhelming support during his incredible time on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, making it all the way to the final.

Pretty Woman: The Musical features original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, a book by Garry Marshall and the film’s screenwriter J.F. Lawton, it is directed and choreographed by the two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. 

Featured in the musical is Roy Orbison and Bill Dee’s international smash hit song ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ which inspired one of the most beloved romantic comedy films of all time. PRETTY WOMAN the film (produced by Arnon Milchan – New Regency Productions) was an international smash hit when it was released in 1990.

Atlantic Records’ PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL (ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING) is produced by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and is now available on all DSP’s.

Pretty Woman: The Musical has scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by Tom Rogers from the original Broadway designs by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Philip S. Rosenberg, sound design by John Shivers, hair design by Josh Marquette, and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Will Van Dyke. 101 Productions, Ltd are the Global General Management Consultant.

Pretty Woman: The Musical had its world premiere at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre in March 2018 before transferring to Broadway where it ran at the Nederlander Theatre. The German production opened in Hamburg at the Stage Theater an der Elbe in September 2019 to rave reviews. A US tour of the show will open this Autumn. 

Pretty Woman: The Musical is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Paula Wagner, Nice Productions, LPO, New Regency Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Kilimanjaro Theatricals/Joshua Andrews, Hunter Arnold, Caiola Productions & Co., Roy Furman, Edward Walson, deRoy Kierstead and Stage Entertainment.

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CBeebies favourite Twirlywoos take over London this Summer

The wonderful world of Twirlywoos – as seen on CBeebies – will be brought to life on stage in London this Summer, when Toodloo, Great BigHoo, Chickedy, Chick and Peekaboo set sail for Leicester Square Theatre from Friday 13 – Monday 16 August 2021.     

Featuring all the favourite characters from the hit TV show, expect mischief, music and plenty of surprises as the Twirlywoos welcome young fans on board their Big Red Boat for a theatrical adventure. With beautifully inventive puppetry, Twirlywoos Live! promises to be a laugh-out-loud treat for little ones.

Twirlywoos was first broadcast on CBeebies in 2015, and in 2017 celebrated its 100th episode. The Twirlywoos are four small, bird-like characters who are inquisitive, enthusiastic and always looking to learn something new about the world. Ever curious, they seek adventure and fun wherever they go. Whether in the real world or on their big red boat, they love to hide, imitate and be surprised as they discover new things. Twirlywoos is co-created by Anne Wood, who has devised shows including Teletubbies, and Steve Roberts, who with Anne co-created the Bafta-winning CBeebies series Dipdap.

Twirlywoos Live! is brought to the stage by MEI Theatrical, whose recent productions include CBeebies favourite Sarah and Duck Live on Stage, and the smash-hit production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. It is written by Zoe Bourn, who has brought to life some of the world’s best-loved children’s titles including Thomas and Friends and Fireman Sam Live!.

Twirlywoos Live! is recommended for ages 1+, with babes in arms welcome. The running time is 55 minutes with no interval.

Find out more at www.TwirlywoosLiveOnStage.com

Photography by Pamela Raith

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Rufus Hound to star in The Good Life stage adaptation

Rufus Hound will lead a brand new stage adaptation of beloved British sitcom The Good Life will tour the UK this Autumn. The new comedy by Jeremy Sams, is based on the classic television series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey which entertained countless millions in the 1970s. Directed by Jeremy Sams, this world premiere production will be the first time that the iconic characters of suburban neighbours the Goods and the Leadbetters will be seen on stage.

Starring actor, comedian and presenter Rufus Hound as Tom Good, The Good Life will open at Theatre Royal Bath on 7 October 2021, before dates at Cheltenham Everyman, Salford Lowry, Oxford Playhouse, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Malvern Theatres, Richmond Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre. Full casting for the production is still to be announced.  

Remember the Goods – Tom and Barbara, suburban eco-warriors? And their next-door neighbours Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, desperately trying to maintain the Surbiton status quo? Jeremy Sams’s comedy leads the well-loved characters (not forgetting Geraldine the goat) through uproarious  adventures, some old, some new and often (even today) hilariously familiar. This new play celebrates a time when, whatever our differences, we still managed to get on with our neighbours.  

The Good Life starring Rufus Hound (show artwork)

Beloved BBC sitcom The Good Life ran on British television from 1975 to 1978 starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington.

Jeremy Sams‘s directing credits include the National Theatre’s 2000 West End and Broadway revival of Noises Off, the West End musical Spend, Spend, Spend, the international tour of The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Rufus Hound is an award-winning actor, comedian and presenter equally at home with roles on screen including Doctor Who, Cucumber, Hounded and on the stage including One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket), What The Butler Saw (Theatre Royal Bath / Leicester Curve), Don Quixote (RSC), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre London), Present Laughter and Neville’s Island (Chichester Festival Theatre) and his award-winning role as Mr Toad in The Wind in the Willows (London Palladium, UK tour and cinema broadcast). 

Fiery Angel presents The Good Life. A new comedy by Jeremy Sams based on the TV series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey. Directed by Jeremy Sams with Set and Costume Design by Michael Taylor,  Lighting Design by Mark Henderson, Sound Design by Fergus O’Hare and casting by Ginny Schiller CDG.

Tickets and more info can be found at thegoodlifeonstage.com