New British Musical BEST OF FRIENDS Gets London Premiere

New British musical BEST OF FRIENDS, with book, music and lyrics by Nick Fogarty, will finally get its London premiere at the Landor Theatre, directed by the venue's artistic director, Robert McWhir, from Wednesday 23 April.

Best of Friends was due in London last summer as The Golden Voice, starring Darren Day. Scheduled to open at the Arts Theatre, it was delayed multiple times before it was eventually cancelled. Actors' union Equity then launched legal action in an attempt to claim back unpaid cast wages. The show's producer, Rob Hewitt, was recently arrested on suspicion of fraud and he is not be involved in Best of Friends.

Music lovers Mike Chariot and Jim Ryan are brothers in every way but blood. In their 20s they used their passion to start a band, but after five years of trying they weren't as successful as they'd hoped. When Mike goes out on a limb and enters a talent show, he has little time to celebrate his success, as it ultimately destroys all the major relationships in his life, including the band. Now, after 20 years of not speaking, Mike returns to make amends, but will Jim - now entangled in the London underworld - accept a truce? Music brings people together, it can also tear them apart...

Writer Nick Fogarty, who spent eight years of his life developing the musical, is now staging the show with five actors instead of the original 20 and will see some original members of the cast and creative team return. There are hopes to transfer it to the Arts Theatre. Tom Turner will be the musical director for the production, and Richard Lambert will be the lighting designer. The cast will include Aidan O'Neill, Alex James Evans, Nick Fogarty, Rosie Glossop, Sarah Goggin, Serena Giacomini, Dean Kilford.

Nick Fogarty has always worked in the music industry as a singer/song writer and latterly as an MD and vocal coach. He signed his first record deal at the age of 21 in 1983, with his band Academy to RCA London. Four singles were released from the album Academy. He left the band in 1987 and lived and worked as a musician in Los Angeles for 18 months. In 1989 he began working in Germany and signed his second project It Takes Presidents to Warner Bros Hamburg. Three singles were released from the album God Bless You Harmony. He retired as an artist in 1991 whilst still under contract to WEA and began working with some of the biggest acts in Germany as a writer/producer, including David Hasselhoff, Julianne Werding and Mandy Winter. He has amassed over 60 record releases as a writer and artist. Seven Senses, his second stage musical, will be staged later in 2014.

The box office of the Landor Theatre, located at 70 Landor Road in London, can be reached at 020 7737 7276. Best of Friends will open on Wednesday, April 23rd and run through Saturday, May 10th. Performance times will be at 7:30pm from Tuesday through Saturday and at 3:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets will be £19.00.

www.landortheatre.co.uk

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