Michael Riseley Is The 2010 Principality Building Society Welsh Young Musical Theatre Singer of the YearFebruary 23, 2010The eighth annual final of the Principality Building Society Welsh Young Musical Theatre Singer Of The Year contest was held at the Swansea Grand Theatre on Saturday February 20. The closely fought contest was adjudicated by an panel of judges consisting of eminent director and drama teacher Ken Caswell, vocal coach Tim Richards, Tim Rhys Evans (musical director of the internationally acclaimed male choir, Only Men Aloud, winners of BBC's Last Choir Standing) and Claire Hammacott (whose West End credits include Les Miserables and Christine in Phantom Of The Opera).
Review: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, Theatre du Chatelet, Paris, February 20, 2010February 22, 2010It is not often that a production of a vintage piece of musical theatre overshadows the original production but that is precisely what happened during a magical new staging of the Stephen Sondheim/Hugh Wheeler musical A Little Night Music at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris last week. The musical was originally directed on Broadway in 1973 by the legendary Hal Prince and has been frequently staged at venues all over the world since then (most recently at the Menier Chocolate Factory, the Garrick Theatre on now on Broadway, directed by Trevor Nunn). But this incarnation, directed by Lee Blakely, is the most beautiful and stunning version of the show I have ever seen.
Gregory Doran, Kwame Kwei-Armah & Nicholas de Jongh Among Highlights of STR 2010 Lecture Programme January 5, 2010The Society for Theatre Research (STR) are pleased to continue their exciting Lecture Programme later this month, which includes free events through to May 2010 all open to the public. Programme highlights include Gregory Doran (Associate Director, Royal Shakespeare Company) discussing directing Shakespeare; award-winning playwright and actor Kwame Kwei-Armah discussing contemporary Black British drama and the Playwright's Relationship to Heritage, Representation and Legacy; and the annual address, which will this year be given by former Evening Standard theatre critic and playwright Nicholas de Jongh.
Barr And Eio Join Cast Of BASED ON A TRUE STORY AT Jermyn Street January 2, 2010The lead roles of Will and Tom will be played by Jonathan Eio and John Barr, who will join previously announced principal Claire-Marie Hall (Les Miserables, High School Musical) in the black comedy show with music & lyrics by Christopher J. Orton and book & lyrics by Robert Gould.
REVIEW: THE FULL MONTY, New Players TheatreDecember 5, 2009Thom Sutherland's new production of the musical version of The Full Monty at the New Players Theatre looks set to be the hit of the holiday season in London. This scaled-down, intimate and inventively staged presentation pushes all the right buttons for an audience looking for a musical that is funny and entertaining without sacrificing its level of intelligence.
REVIEW: A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, Union Theatre, Southwark, November 12, 2009November 13, 2009One of the potentially sublime qualities of fringe theatre productions is that they can reinforce the fact that it is not necessary to have the stage filled with epic-scale scenery or helicopters in order to present a great piece of musical theatre - provided that the piece in itself is dramatically and musically strong, the performances compelling and the direction cleverly inventive. All three of these elements are present in the current production of the musical A Man Of No Importance at Southwark's excellent fringe space, the Union Theatre.
REVIEW: HOLLYWOOD GHOSTS, Jermyn Street Theatre, November 9November 12, 2009Leanne Masterton's intimate concert, Hollywood Ghosts, at the Jermyn Street theatre was an intriguing, informative and highly enjoyable evening. Firstly, the stories of the sadly almost unknown vocal stars of countless Hollywood musicals - Marni Nixon, Betty Wand, Carole Richards, India Addams, et al - were highly engaging. And, of course, the show was full of songs from some of the greatest of all movie musicals - The King and I, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, Carmen Jones, etc.
