“Callin’ out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat?” With summer coming up, Dancing in the Streets is the perfect musical to go see. It’s a celebration of Motown and includes all the great Motown songs from ‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine’ to ‘Baby Love’ to ‘My Girl’. It’ll have you dancing in the streets all the way home!

In 1959 Motown Records was formed in Detroit by Berry Gordy and Jackie Wilson. Over the years Motown has become synonymous with the greatest names in soul music - the Four Tops, Lionel Richie, The Supremes, the list goes on…

Remind yourself why Motown rules with this video of The Supremes singing ‘Baby Love’

Technorati Tags: dancing in the streets, motown

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There are two giants of the West End in my opinion. One is The Phantom of the Opera and the other is Les Miserables. It’s the longest running show in the world and has seen by an estimated 54 million people worldwide! It’s no surprise the show’s been running so long… it’s bloomin’ brilliant! The story is based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the French Revolution, convict Javert is on the run from his past but can never really escape. The story is propelled forward by some of the most amazing music and songs in the West End together with spectacular set pieces that will have your heart racing.

Les Miserables is a great show… not only is the music fantastic but the story is really gripping and you can totally empathise with the characters. Usually musicals are all about the spectacle, but Les Mis has a heart as well.

Technorati Tags: les miserables, les miserables west end, victor hugo

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Cabaret is back in town! This show creates a sharp contrast between the chaos that is pre-war Berlin of 1931 and the dark and decadent den that is the Kit Kat Club, where life is nothing but a cabaret. Cabaret focusses on expatriate Sally Bowles, an English cabaret singer who falls for a young American writer Cliff Bradshaw. Set in the seedy world of cabaret this musical has been a hit each time it has been produced and the current production is no exception…

Technorati Tags: cabaret, cabaret london show

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The gauntlet has been thrown down! Andrew Lloyd Webber has spoken out about his disapproval of ITV’s rival show to the BBC’s ‘Any Dream Will Do’, ‘Grease is the Word’. In an interview with celeb gossip magazine, ‘Heat’ Andrew says: ‘They put the show [Grease is the Word] together without me. I’m not saying I would have wanted to do it, and with hindsight I’m glad I’m not… I think that in the show the only thing they’re looking for are Sandys and Dannys that are attractive and pretty - and that’s it! There’s nothing in it for me. I don’t want to do that.’

Andrew’s long time producing partner, David Ian, is on the panel for ‘Grease is the Word’, so the two friends are about to go head to head in a ratings war. ‘Any Dream Will Do’, the talent search for a new Joseph to star in the West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webbers very own Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, gets a head start on it’s ITV rival by starting a week earlier. Look out for it this Saturday on BBC 1 at 7.45.

Take a look at Donny Osmand in Joseph to get you in the mood - the coming weeks are going to be all about Joseph!

Show and Stay
BBC

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I don’t know about you, but I love Queen. Haven’t they made some of the best music you’ve ever heard??!! Here’s a band who have made music that has stood up to the test of time, none of this new age “thud thud thudding” they call dance music - it sounds like something i used to hear on my Commodore 64 not a jukebox. Anyway, We Will Rock You has been playing at the theatre for some 5 years now and it contains some of the best music that Queen have ever written. I Want to Break Free from all of the Ga-Ga on the radio these days and see a proper show with proper music and proper words.

And just because this song is the greatest…

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Technorati Tags: freddy mercury, london show, london theatre break, music, musicals, queen, show and stay, we will rock you

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Who doesn’t love a bit of Abba? I defy anyone to hear the opening bars of ‘Dancing Queen’ and not start tapping their feet. And that’s the reason Mamma Mia! is such a runaway success in the West End. The story is set on a Greek island and follows a young woman trying to find out the identity of her father before she gets married. The show is light-hearted and fun… but the best part of it is the amount of classic Abba songs you get to hear performed live on stage - you can’t beat those catchy tunes!

Indulge your secret love of Abba and check out the ‘Mamma Mia’ music video..

Technorati Tags: abba, mamma mia, mamma mia london show

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Guys…imagine having 3 trolly dolly girlfriends at once, each from different countries, all don’t know about the other and shower you with affection on different days of the week.
Every guy’s dream?….well it is a reality for Bernard in the theatre production Boeing Boeing.
Make sure your seat belt is fastened securely and your seat upright as this show is a rocky ride of laughter, fun and nail biting tension. Bernard the playboy manages to juggle three air stewardesses due to their hectic timetables and then boasts to his friend about his idyllic situation. More fool him for being too cocky as inevitably the girl’s schedules change leaving the philandering Bernard looking over his shoulder and missing disastrous situations by a whisker.
So for all those playboy men out there, take warning now and watch what happens to Bernard in Boeing Boeing.

Here is a taster of the drama from the 1960’s version of Boeing Boeing.

Technorati Tags: boeing boeing, boeing boeing farce, boeing boeing london, boeing boeing west end, Frances de la Tour, matthew warchus, Roger Allam, Tamzin Outhwaite

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The Mousetrap is the perfect Agatha Christie creation. The mixture of a juicy murder mystery, outrageous characters and a clever plot combine to make a whodunnit that is both tense, funny and entertaining. With accusations flying around like there’s no tomorrow and a body count that’s quickly rising, this show will keep you enthralled throughout the evening.

The Mousetrap is the longest running show in London and has become something of an institution - rumour has it that the producers change the ending every so often, just to keep audiences guessing. I’m not going to give anything away, but the when I saw it I was guessing right up until the final act. It’s showing at St Martin’s Theatre, which is right next to The Ivy - so you can do some celeb spotting after you leave the theatre!

Technorati Tags: agatha christie, the mousetrap

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Ahhh, The Woman in Black - another one of my favourite shows in the West End. This little gem is both entertaining and pleasantly spine-chilling. Performed by just two lead actors, it’s amazing how they manage to keep the fast pace of the play throughout, but they do it brilliantly. The show will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, as tension gathers towards the end. I actually screamed out loud when I saw it, and I don’t scare easy!

The story follows a young solicitor, Arthur Kipps, who is sent to the bleak Eel Marsh House to attend to the will of Alice Drablow, who has recently died. Arthur gets the creeps as soon as he arrives, but decides to ignore his uneasy feeling. Then, at Alice Drablow’s funeral, he sees a gaunt woman with a wasted face, dressed all in black. The woman keeps appearing to him and as the days go by it becomes clear that she’s no woman at all, but a ghost who’s looking for revenge. Get yourself to the Fortune Theatre to find out what happens to young Arthur, I thoroughly recommend it!

Technorati Tags: susan hill, woman in black

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With all the new shows hitting the West End, I think it’s time we pay homage to an old favourite. The Phantom of the Opera opened in the West End in 1986, with Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford in the leading roles. Since then it’s estimated to have been seen by more than 80 million people worldwide and there has never been a seat unsold for the London production - pretty impressive!

The show is one of my favourites… it’s dark edge makes it really gripping and the songs show Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber at the height of their powers. The costumes, sets and special effects are second to none and really conjure up the decadent and dark atmosphere of the haunted Paris Opera House. Let’s not forget about this show - it’s great!

Technorati Tags: andrew lloyd webber, phantom of the opera

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