Lewis Strong News

Next week the semi finals take place, so tonight had to be crunch time, in that viewers have to see to the right Joseph go home. A surprise exit, is not is needed to boost this show. With £50 per ticket at stake for theatre-goers, they need four stars to come back, standing tall, confident that that they have West End potential. So who went home and who stayed to don the coat?

Well, it had to happen; the surprise exit that takes place on every reality show from American Idol to Big Brother occurred on Saturday. This leaves the path to the West End clear for an obvious winner. But will the public vote for Andrew's choice, or will we end up with a 'surprise' final? Glenn Meads takes a look at the runners and riders.

With 7 Josephs left on Eurovision Song Contest day, the competition has opened up, as clearly everyone has started to get that 'fighting instinct.' But who has the all round ability to sing on a West End stage, week after week? Even Graham Norton couldn't tell you that, it's up to the UK viewers, who vote. So, how did they do?

After last weeks' formulated drama, there were nerves all round as Andrew Lloyd Webber and his team continued to search for a leading man to star in the new West End production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

On July 18th, a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - produced by Webber - will open in the West End. Starring in the musical will be the performer who wins 'Any Dream Will Do,' a new BBC One reality talent search that began airing on March 31st. Glenn Meads presents a new series of 'Any Dream Will Do' recaps as the show gets closer to filling out its 'Dreamcoat' with one lucky triple threat...

SEASON TO INCLUDE STOPPARD, SONDHEIM, WILSON, & WORLD PREMIERE FROM MELANIE MARNICH

David Mamet deserves a slap on his creative wrist for penning such a nonsensical work as his 1974 play Squirrels, which is currently making its Southern California premiere at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica...

WHO: CENTERSTAGE WHAT: Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! WHEN: Through April 15th; Tues - Sat at 8PM, Sun at 2PM and 7:30PM, Matinee Weds. April 4 at 1PM. WHERE: CENTERSTAGE's Pearlstone Theatre HOW MUCH: $10 - $60.

Butler is currently starring in Alice Childress' Trouble in Mind at Baltimore's CenterStage through March 4. Go to www.centerstage.org for tickets and information.

CenterStage's Josh Lefkowitz discusses life as a monologist, and actor, and as an everyman. His 'Help Wanted' continues at CenterStage through February 17th.

There are 5 pairs of tickets for the opening night performance of Chicago at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre on January 2nd!

The second of two interviews with the stars of CenterStage's all-star production of 'The Boys from Syracuse.' This time, Michael Winther and Manu Narayan on casting, Bebe, and a making a career in theatre.

Local theatre companies name this past month's best of the best!

WHO: CenterStage WHAT: Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters WHEN: Through October 29, performance schedule varies. HOW MUCH: $10 - $60

Rep Stage presents FULLY COMMITTED Fridays at 8PM ($21), Saturdays at 2:30PM ($15) and 8PM ($24) and Sundays at 2:30PM ($20) and 7:30PM ($17). Student tickets are $12 for any performance (with ID), and group discounts for 6 or more are available. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 410-722-4900 or online at www.howardcc.edu/repstage. The theatre is located at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044.