It’s been a quiet few weeks in theatreland, from a work perspective it has been rather pleasant. Nice weather, minimal writing to do, sneaky Pimms under my desk, it has been a great time to be me. Today the peace and quiet was well and truly shattered by an absolute torrent of top-notch news from the West End and beyond. If I had a “in tray” no doubt it would be groaning under the strain, being the 21st Century it’s my E-mail inbox that is taking a battering, but that just doesn’t sound as dramatic does it?

I digress, to the news!!

Chesney Hawkes in Barry Manilow Musical

Yes, you did read that right and you have every right to be very very excited. Firstly, there is indeed going to be a UK tour of a Barry Manilow jukebox musical, which in itself is pretty exciting news. The show is called Can’t Smile Without You, it opens at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on August 28th and it will be settling down in the West End after it’s UK tour - superb.

The cherry on this delicious Manilow-cake is the fact pop legend Chesney Hawkes has been cast in the role of Tony, the show’s lead. Hawkes is best known for his iconic 90’s smash-hit The One and Only. A song almost every person in Britain has drunkenly sung along to on an over-crowded dance-floor at some point. Having seen Hawkes perform his trademark tune recently, I can personally assure you that he will make an entertaining and talented lead. Hawkes’ infectious poppy style lends itself perfectly to the jukebox musical genre.

Joining Hawkes on stage will be Siobhan Dillon, a runner-up from BBC’s How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? The show sought a talented amateur to become a West End star, taking on the role of Maria in The Sound Of Music. Although Dillon did not manage to net the coveted role she did win a record deal with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group. She later went on to appear in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre and proved herself as a talented performer.

Can’t Smile Without You features 30 of Manilow’s hits including sing-along classic Mandy and the titular Can’t Smile Without You. With the unlikely but delightful combination of Manilow and Hawkes this jukebox musical will be one to keep an eye on, watch out Mamma Mia!

Lloyd Webber is Jet-setting again

Andrew Lloyd Webber made an unexpected trip to Canada earlier this month. The lord of musical theatre put work on the hotly anticipated Phantom: Once Upon Another Time on hold, allowing him to make a last minute visit to the Canadian finalists of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? (More on the final finalist later).
Webber worked closely with the girls as the final drew closer, eager to both protect his reputation and to ensure the perfect Maria was cast. A statement from Webber’s official website regarding his hasty trip overseas says:

“I can‘t wait to get into the studio with the girls. They really need my help at this stage of the competition. It could prove disastrous if the wrong girl is picked, not only because my reputation is on the line but, because we have got to find a girl who can really do this. The public has a huge responsibility towards the winner as she has got to be able to cope with the gruelling reality of performing a demanding role week in, week out,”

Webber joined the show’s regular judges and apparently worked closely with the girls before the grand finale. Good to see Lord ALW is as passionate about his overseas Maria’s as he is about his homegrown Nancy’s.

Canada Has Chosen A Maria!!

You may have not known about Canada’s very own How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? until you heard about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest international adventure.

If this latest talent search passed you by don’t worry, it had a happy ending. The winner was Elicia MacKenzie, a 23-year-old from Vancouver, a surprising result for many viewers. MacKenzie has been seen as somewhat of an underdog in the competition. She even described herself as a tomboy at one point, not exactly a quality you would expect from a potential Maria. It would seem that Lloyd Webber saw much more in the pretty Canadian brunette, he described her quite favourably indeed.

“I think she is delicious. I think she’s unaffected, she has all of the naivety, the optimism and everything that Maria needs,”

Looks like Lord Webber is quite taken with his latest leading lady. MacKenzie will enjoy a break for a few weeks and then will dive headfirst into a gruelling rehearsal schedule for the Toronto production of The Sound of Music. Best of luck to her.

Nearly-Nancy Sarah Lark Update

I’d Do Anything finalist Sarah Lark is the latest almost-Nancy to find success in theatreland away from Oliver! Lark will be the lead female vocalist in Hits of the West End in South Lanarkshire. The show will give Lark the chance to showcase her impressive versatility as she performs songs from a massive range of musicals.

Audiences can expect hits from Dirty Dancing, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia! and many more. On top of this “breathtaking choreography, heart-stopping voices and dazzling costumes” have been promised. Local primary schools and a live twelve piece band are also getting involved.

With the massive success of jukebox musicals at the moment I’m expecting this mixtape musical to do very well indeed. Good on ya’ Sarah!

For you hardcore Nancy-watchers, don’t forget Niamh Perry will be appearing in Only The Brave at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Rachel Tucker will be taking the role of Meat in We Will Rock You shortly and Samantha Barks will be joining the UK tour of Cabaret from August 29th.

Technorati Tags: andrew lloyd webber, barry manilow, cant smile without you, chesney hawkes, elicia mackenzie, hits of the west end, how do you solve a problem like maria, id do anything, london theatre news, mamma mia, nancys, niamh perry, rachel tucker, samantha barks, sarah lark, south Lanarkshire, west end news

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The RSC production of Hamlet at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford has been under siege. Apparently hundreds of Daleks, Cybermen and Borg have been gathering at the stage door. Lights flashing, ray guns poised - the glittering robot army stands ready to rain doom and destruction on Shakespeare fans.

Why are all the biggest baddies of sci-fi lurking by a stage door in Stratford? Do robots/droids/collective electronic hive minds dislike the bard? Are they put out by their lack of representation in Shakespeare’s work? Or is the stage door perhaps just a bit magnetic? The actual explanation is far more earthbound. Wowing audiences inside the theatre are non-other than Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Doctor Who, or to be more precise Patrick Stewart and David Tennant.

This is the point where I should really tell you there has been no robotic assault on the Courtyard Theatre. Those gathering outside the stage door have been harmless fans, the robots I so over-excitedly described are nothing more than bags of Doctor Who and Star Trek merchandise . The doom and destruction - just a flight of fancy.

Robots aside, there has been a phenomenal amount of interest in the RSC’s latest production of Hamlet from actual people, as opposed to figments of my over-stimulated imagination. The director, Gregory Doran, has recently been reported as saying that fans arrive at the stage door with “bags” of sci-fi merchandise for Tennant to autograph. Although the RSC described this surge of interest in their production as “flattering” they are imposing some restrictions on what can be autographed by Tennant and Stewart.

These restrictions allow members of the RSC to sign Shakespeare related items only, and rightly so. Although I myself am a big fan of Tennant as the Doctor and Stewart as Captain Picard (and professor Xaiver) I feel it is a shame that the impressive careers of both men seem to be slightly overshadowed by their high-profile sci-fi roles.

Although he is now best known for his role in Doctor Who, David Tennant is a multi-talented actor who has performed extensively with the RSC. The comic roles of Touchstone and Antipholus of Syracuse in As You Like It and The Comedy Of Errors were both performed superbly by Tennant. As was the demanding role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Away from the RSC Tennant has performed admirably in the saucy BBC miniseries, Casanova and made a truly sinister Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Patrick Stewart has a theatrical pedigree perhaps even more impressive than Tennant’s. Stewart has had a truly distinguished Shakespearean career appearing in productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, The Tempest, Othello, Anthony and Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. On top of this already impressive list of credits Stewart has also performed a one-man adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol which saw Stewart performing over forty characters. Stewart also provided voice talent for the 2004 Japanese animated film Steamboy. Widely considered to be a masterpiece of animation, Steamboy took ten years, £14,000,000 and 180,000 drawings to complete.

What I’m trying to say here is that although these man have played superb roles in wonderful science fiction they have done far greater things. Both have performed in some of Britain’s greatest stories, not only that but they performed stupendously. They have displayed great talent as actors. To be able to be the tortured, murderous Hamlet one day and a time travelling, double-hearted Timelord or stoic Space-Captain the next is nothing short of remarkable.

Although it cannot be denied that getting children interested in Shakespeare can never be a bad thing, what must be kept in consideration is just how interested in the bard the children waving plastic Tardis’ and K-9’s outside the stage door really are. Whatever their reasons for attending the show in the first place I can only hope that the audience will not be expecting Ophelia to be played by Billie Piper.

Technorati Tags: courtyard theatre, dalek, david tennant, gregory doran, hamlet, patrick stewart, rsc hamlet, stratford theatre, stunt casting

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

The time has come to broach one of life’s oldest, deepest and and most perplexing of questions, namely: “Whasss bettaah: musicals or straight plays?”

There is, as Harry Hill might concede, only one way to settle it… FFFFIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHTTTT!

In the blue corner, weighing in with a gargantuan yearly turnover of approximately £330 million, the undisputed queen of the West End, the utterly fabulous ‘Iron Music’-al Theatre!! (the crowd go grazy: whoops, cheers, applause)

In the red corner, weighing in with a positively trim and sprightly turnover of £72 million, the brooding prince of theatreland, the methodically serious Straight ‘and irate’ Dramatic Plays!!! (gracious applause, nods of approval, deeply pensive looks)

So, who’s your money on? The glittery showmanship of musical theatre, with her big and bulshy back catalogue? Hits like Hairspray, We Will Rock You big enough for you? Or what about the undefeated, unbroken 22 year run of The Phantom of the Opera?

Quite a formidable opponent I think you’ll agree?

On the other hand there’s straight drama. With a back catalogue that includes… oh crikey, little known works by some chap that goes by the name of Billy Shakespeare? Ever heard of him? Hamlet, MacBeth, King Lear? Any of these ringing any bells at all?… no, me neither.

Then, jumping forward a tad, there’s Nobel winning writers like George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. Throw in a handful of other household names: a dash of Albee, a squirt of Tennessee Williams, bake for twenty minutes then drizzle liberally with a load of Alan Ayckbourn and you’ll have yourself a pretty meaty straight play pie.

Fairly hefty heritage no?

So, quite the clash of the Titans awaits us… But wait, is all this bloodshed really that necessary? Can’t musical theatre and straight drama work out their differences amicably? I mean, just because there’s songs peppered all the way through doesn’t mean that a musical can’t be dramatic does it? Or emotional, or funny, or inspired, or beautiful, or accurate? None of these things are mutually exclusive. And can a ’straight’ play not be vibrant, inclusive and epic in scope? The answer is: what? of course not.

Theatre, when done well, is something sort of ethereal, immediate, shocking and even weirdly magical. The transcendent quality of theatre is what draws in audiences, the feeling of escape, of empathy, of journey and consequence; that surely is the pull of theatre, not its reliance on the odd ditty. To put things in crudely labelled boxes is just banal and, well, a little bit silly.

Blimey, I seemed to have gone from Don King to the Dalai Lama in all of about two and a half minutes. But I think the point still stands; pitting the different genres against one another proves very little doesn’t it? It’s like someone pulling a gun on you and demanding that you to chose between Ant and Dec. Which One! Choose! Mau! MAU!

Ah, I’m glad that’s over with… still, I reckon Steven Berkoff would give Andrew Lloyd Webber a right kicking don’t you?

Technorati Tags: alan aykebourn, andrew lloyd webber, ant and dec, drama in the west end, edward albee, hairspray, harold pinter, musical, musical theatre, phantom of the opera, plays, steven berkoff, we will rock you, west end, william shakespeare

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It has not been the most action packed couple of weeks for West End news. Apart from Catherine Tate falling over and a smattering of cast changes it has been pretty sleepy in theatreland.
To sate your appetite for stage news and gossip we at Show and Stay^® have put our ears to the ground and gathered together some of the juicier rumours working their way around the West End. Some are exciting, some are ridiculous and some are patently untrue, enjoy!

Sister Act Coming to West End?

It was exciting enough to know that a Sister Act musical existed at all, albeit in America. It warmed my heart to think that somewhere, someone was playing the role of Delores Van Cartier. Imagine my disappointment when, after a successful run in Atlanta, the nun-tastic musical failed to transfer to Broadway, bad times. But wait! The show’s producers are apparently looking to secure a West End theatre instead, good times. In just a few short month’s theatergoers may have the opportunity to enjoy dinner and a show featuring singing brides of Christ, nothing says showbiz like singing nuns ladies and gentlemen, nothing!

Not Everyone Happy With Mamma Mia Film

Apparently Nigel Harman, star of the original West End version of Abba jukebox musical Mamma Mia, is not a happy bunny. The Eastenders star is said to be upset he was overlooked for a role in the new Mamma Mia film adaptation. Reportedly he told friends that he understands he is older than he was while starring in Mamma Mia, but is disappointed he was not approached to play one of the older roles in the new film. Better luck next time Nigel.

Yet More I’d Do Anything Rumours

Online forums have been buzzing with rumours about the rejected Nancys from BBC’s I’d Do Anything. Recent news from the interesting, if slightly questionable world of theatre discussion boards implies that Niamh is lined up for the part of Liesl in The Sound of Music. Apparently West End up-and-comer Rebecca Lucie was offered the part but was ousted when Lloyd Webber decided he wanted to use one of the Nancys. Meanwhile rumours continue to swarm around Jessie Buckley, another Nancy near-miss. Some sources say she has been offered a Nancy understudy role, others are adamant she has started a course in Shakespearean drama at RADA. Whatever the truth, there is certainly a great deal of interest surrounding the young performer. Other I’d Do Anything based news comes from theatre fan Golden Anemone, who kindly let us know that the talented Niamh wll be playing Snow White in Eastbourne for panto season and the lead in Only the Brave at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Thanks Ms Anemone!

Some Random Bits and Pieces

• Possible stage adaptation of Withnail & I, Jude Law allegedly to star.
• BBC not doing another West End casting show in the near future due to criticism received.
• A musical based on the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is on the way.
• Andrew Lloyd Webber will be working with ITV on a new reality TV casting show for The Wizard of Oz.

Hopefully that satisfied you for now, please feel free to leave comments, rants and new rumours.

Technorati Tags: catherine tate, id do anything, jessie buckley, Lion King, little mermaid, mamma mia, mamma mia cast, niamh, sister act musical, theatre news, theatre rumours, west end news, west end rumours, wizard of oz

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When considering a city so rich in historical and local interest as London, choosing ten things to do may seem an impossible task. After all, if you are a visitor, there is always so much to do in so little a time. Nevertheless that is exactly what this article will help you achieve. London is a city whose history spans over two thousand years. The Romans founded the city of Londinium as their capital, but evidence suggests that the site was occupied long before in the form of a large Iron Age hill fort. After this, all of the civilisations to invade England over the next six hundred years would settle in London at some point. It is largely due to this influx of new people and ideas, that the city is so wealthy in cultural diversity today. So that’s the history lesson over, if you want to discover the best attractions of the English capital read on.

A must see feature of London is the London Eye. Indeed, you can hardly avoid seeing it as you enter the city. The Eye dominates the skyline and is a must if you wish to observe London in all its glory. One hundred and thirty five meters in height, the Eye offers breath taking views and is accessible to all. For those with a visual impairment there is an in-flight guide. Wheel chair users and those with hearing impairment are also welcome. No trip to the Eye is complete without a cruise down the river Thames, where you can get a closer look at many of the sites to the accompaniment of an expert commentary.

If you’re a more hands on person, don’t miss the London Dungeons. Apart from testing your nerve, the Dungeons will provide you with a fantastic historical experience. You will be able to witness London throughout some of its darkest moments. Smell the smoke of the Great Fire and become part of a medieval execution first hand, in the form of a brand new ride. If being confronted by instruments of torture and seeing the aftermath of plague isn’t enough, realistic re-enactments by the Dungeons staff should do the trick and ensure you don’t forget your visit.

For a more gentle experience, you may decide to take part in one of the guided tours of Buckingham Palace. If you wish, such tours can be accompanied by an audio sound track. Tours are open from August to September, and will take you around the palace’s nineteen staterooms and beautiful gardens. Even more reason to visit the palace this year, is the fact that for the first time the palace Ball Room is now open to the public. The table will be set as if for a state dinner and the lavish silverware on display includes some from the reign of King George III. While you’re there, don’t miss the changing of the guard. This time honoured ceremony has taken place since the reign of king Henry VII, when soldiers of the Household Troops were first tasked with protecting the palace.

The chances are you’ll have seen these buildings every night on TV, so you’d be mad to leave London without first taking a look at the Houses of Parliament. You can take part in a wonderful tour, that takes in all sites of interest both today and throughout parliament’s long and bloody history. Discover what happened on the day Charles I attempted to arrest five MPs and discover how parliament really works. Before you leave, don’t miss the icon that is Big Ben. The naming of this famous structure is subject to great controversy. Some believe it was named after a well known prize fighter, whilst others hold the rather less interesting view that it is named after a particularly tall MP.

Another site of great importance to London is Nelson’s column. This famous statue is to commemorate one of Britain’s best known seafaring heroes and is a symbol of how Britain as an Island race dominated the waves for over two hundred years. The column took twenty eight years to complete, and guns captured from Nelson’s defeated rivals were used in the design.

If you’re a fan of all things military you might want to see the Imperial War Museum. This fantastic building documents Britain’s military history from the Great War 1914 - 1918, to the present. It’s not just about guns and tanks though, so even if you’re not a war buff you will find the Blitz experience interesting, as it shows how ordinary people lived throughout the Second World War.

If you go to see Nelson’s column then statues are clearly your thing, so don’t forget the world renowned Madame Tussauds and get the chance to mingle with the great and the good from around the world. Meet the Beatles and address the world from alongside George W Bush.

Whether you’re a regular theatre goer or not you shouldn’t leave London without checking out one of its great west end shows, such as Blood Brothers, now showing at the Phoenix Theatre. Blood Brothers is a compelling story of family love, desire and betrayal. As a musical it ticks all the boxes, with stunning sound tracks and an amazing cast. The show is essentially a clash of culture, between an upper and a working class family. At the start of the show it would seem that they have nothing in common, but as the plot unfolds, they become bound by fraternal loyalty.

If you want to catch a film while you’re here, then check out Leicester Square. This being London, you can be certain that whatever film you are looking for you can find. Also, the Square is excellent for anyone with sight difficulties as it is one of the best providers of audio described films in the country.

Finally, no trip to the theatre or the movies would be complete without dinner to follow. Picking out a nice eating place from London’s thousand’s of restaurants is hardly an easy task. There are so many factors to consider. Location, atmosphere and most importantly, the food itself. The Rain Forest Cafe certainly fits the bill. If its wide range of food and west end location aren’t enough, its realistic recreation of a rain forest will make certain you enjoy your meal, whilst experiencing a tropical storm in all its glory without getting wet!

Technorati Tags: big ben, blood brothers, buckingham palace, imperial war museum, leicester square, london, london attractions, london dungeons, london eye, madame tussauds, rain forest cafe, top london activities

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Dubious pop-star, elephant fan and Olympic standard cabbie basher Lee Ryan is apparently going to make his theatrical debut in late August, oh goody!
The former member of Blue will be performing in a new play called The Pretender Agenda which will fun for five weeks.
For those of you not familiar with Lee Ryan’s work, he enjoyed success with boyband Blue in the early 2000s, he then launched a solo career, with his self-titled album reaching number six in the UK charts. Ryan caused massive controversy in 2001, when he said the September 11th attacks were unimportant compared the the amount of elephants being poached in Africa. In late 2007 Ryan was arrested for assaulting a taxi driver. An appearance on Holby City, a role in an upcoming gangster film with Vinnie Jones (I was under the impression they stopped making those in the late 90s) and a voice part in Ice Age 2 complete Ryan’s glittering CV.

Ryan’s first foray into the world of the West End will be bravely hosted by the New Players Theatre. A small (275 seater) but comfortable, recently refurbished and well respected establishment located in the arches under Charing Cross. The theatre must be commended for staging something new. With so many revivals in the West End at the moment it is refreshing to see a small theatre taking a chance on an unknown show.

This said, the plot does not strike me as anything particularly groundbreaking. A disastrous office party reveals secrets that change the lives of the characters forever - yawn. It must also be taken into account that with all the talk of “stunt-casting” filling the theatrical media this unknown show certainly has more than its fair share of vaguely familiar faces. Lucy Benjamin from Eastenders, Vincenzo Pellegrino from Holby City, Sue Devaney of Dinnerladies fame and Coronation Street’s Emily Aston will be joining Mr. Ryan on stage.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this show will become a lightning rod for theatreland’s anti-celeb club’s scorn. Lets wait and see, and hope Ryan doesn’t take a taxi to work…

Technorati Tags: Lee Ryan, lucy benjamin, new players theatre, sue devaney, the pretender agenda, vincenzo pellegrino

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Not two weeks ago did we announce that unlucky Nancy hopeful Amy Booth-Steel was caught up in the great big granite balloon that was All Bob’s Women. Now it seems like the washout-lightening has struck again as this weekend the Arts Theatre announced that its ‘one man’ ventriloquist show The Two and Only is also closing early. Despite receiving largely positive reviews, the Tony Award winning show failed to attract anything like the numbers it was expecting this side of the Atlantic.

So what’s next for the Arts Theatre? I’m pretty sure that a couple of duds aren’t really going to damage the reputation of the theatre that once premiered the English language version of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot but it doesn’t look good does it?

Although, actually, maybe it’s not as bad as all that. With the West End literally awash with revivals of re-runs of revivals, isn’t it a breath of fresh air to get a theatre that is brave enough to give new stuff a go? It might not have worked out for Amy Goof-Steel or this puppet chap, whoever the hell he is, but at least they were trying something original. The shame is, I suppose, that these shows weren’t given much of a run. The ventriloquist Jay Johnson’s one man show for example, despite an award winning stretch on Broadway and tip top reviews both there and in London, was given less than two weeks to prove itself. Just because punters weren’t kicking the doors in a week and a half before it opened doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have picked up.

Still, business is business and if the Arts Theatre felt they were loosing too much money on the show the only sensible option was to close. As the theatrical press gather round to mock the fringe playhouse however, best we remind them that at least they’re attempting to stage something fresh and thought provoking. No painting-by-numbers ever made it into the Tate did it?

Technorati Tags: all bobs women, amy booth steel, amy steel, arts theatre, id do anything, jay johnson, jessie buckley, london theatres, nancys, samantha barks, two and only, ventriloquist, west end comedy

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It’s a great time for the West End right now, shows are extending, breaking records and drawing mammoth audiences left right and centre. Reality TV casting show winners such as Jessie Buckley, Jodie Pregner and Samantha Barks have summoned legions of young people with no previous interest in theatre to the West End. Although it could be argued that these new theatre fans are nothing more than celeb-spotters, it cannot be denied the income they provide can do no harm to theatres across London.

It’s not all good news in theatreland however. The countless thesps ruthlessly panning London show’s current trend of casting celebrities had better sharpen their tongues, Geri Halliwell wants to come to the West End. With the likes of Jude Law on the receiving end of the theatrical glitterati’s fury what possible chance does lacklustre spice stand?

Thankfully, the bendy former Spice Girl has admitted her music career is well and truly over after three number one solo singles and three solo albums. As well as a noteworthy pop career Halliwell has released two autobiographies and recently signed a contract with Macmillan to write six books about “Ugenia Lavender” a character apparently loosely based on Halliwell. I wonder if “Ugenia Lavender and the West End disaster” is in the pipeline?

Before we out and out pooh-pooh the idea of Halliwell treading the boards let us consider her acting credentials. The retired Spice Girl of course appeared in Spice World, a commercial success (which landed the girl group the “worst actress” award at the 1998 Golden Raspberries). She also appeared in an adaptation of Viz’s Fat Slags comic strip (no really, she honestly did) and an episode of single women’s favourite - Sex and the City.

Considering her spice training, Halliwell may well make a fitting addition to one of the more tongue in cheek West End shows. However, her mere presence near a stage may cause the West End’s anti-celeb set to actually explode.
Lets wait and see, how exciting!

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We’ve all heard the likes of Webber and Mackintosh banging on about the positive effect their reality casting competitions have on the West End. “The shows attract new audiences!” they beam, thrusting sheets of box office figures every which where; “Look!”

Despite this marked enthusiasm, a new report by the Society of London Theatre suggests distinctly otherwise…

In his annual report, Richard Andrews claimed that though shows like Joseph and The Sound of Music attract “new, younger, first-time audiences”, he explained that “Whether these new theatregoers will return to see other shows that don’t feature ‘him or her off the telly’ remains to be seen.”

Ooooh; that’s not good news is it?

He continued:”So far, the difficulty of selling performances of these shows when the star has been absent through sickness, holiday or scheduling does not seem an encouraging sign.”

Blimey.

But then, hang on a second, SOLT’s report insists that its takings are up £70m on last year and that no fewer than 1.1m new people are coming to the West End. Surely that has to be a success doesn’t it? Even if Andrews takes this million strong surplus as an entire collective of star-gazers and celebophiles (which has to be a pretty offensive and unimaginative, let alone a sludgy, sticky and tarry conclusion) then what about the existing 12.5m theatregoers? How are they going to be adversely affected? What I mean is that if watching experimental new theatre or classically trained Shakespeare is your bag then a load of polystyrene-fingered youngsters sitting next to you on the tube is hardly going to put you off.

True, the staging of new writing is down on last year. This is, naturally, a bad sign for the future. But that’s the fault of tubby tabby producers isn’t it? New audiences are attracted to big names granted, but if theatres fail to husband new material then this trend will puff itself out in no time. It would be just, well, a little bit silly if producers tried to sell the same thing over and over again to the theatre-loving populace wouldn’t it?

I suppose the upshot is that popular stars like Jodie Prenger, Lee Mead and Jessie Buckley are causing a stir in the West End at the moment. They’re quite simply and unquestionably the theatrical flavour of the month. However, if producers took half a step sideways and looked into staging lower budget, lower priced new shows then fears about the effect a few series of a TV show are having on a £469.9m business would all seem a little frivolous don’t you think?

What do you reckon anyway? Think Reality TV shows like I’d Do Anything are a help or a hinderence to the West End as a whole? We’d love to hear what you think.

Technorati Tags: andrew lloyd webber, cameron mackintosh, id do anything, jessie buckley, jodie prenger, joseph, show and stay, sound of music, theatre, west end shows, west end theatres

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With the new High School Musical stage adaptation hitting the West End this summer, it’s time for kids of all ages to get excited and I for one, a 24 year old man, am no exception.

After being forced to watch the film version with my girlfriend and her niece, I was pleasantly suprised at how much I enjoyed it. The story line is a typical American teenage love story with an obvious outcome. However, with the catchy dance moves and sing-a-long songs, I couldn’t believe that I (a man who in the past has rubbished all forms of musical and theatrical productions), loved the film so much. I watched it twice over the same weekend!

In my eyes, this modern day version of Grease, will hopefully be a smash hit and may one day settle in the West End to amaze and thrill audiences for years to come. However, the male population will definitely need some convincing. My proof that all men enjoy the occasional escape from the masculine world, was confirmed with my older and younger brothers obvious enjoyment of the film. Two typical modern day beer swilling, football watching lads (not too dissimilar from myself) suffered the same fate of loving the film!

I would personally advise that grown men with no interest at all in anything remotely musical give this show a chance and if you have kids, then that is all the more reason to let out your inner child and embrace an evening of cheesy fun!

Plus with Letitia Dean playing the role of Ms Darbus, the overtop drama teacher, there is an added bonus for the older gentleman to keep awake! I urge everyone to catch High School Musical at the Hammersmith Apollo whilst you still can, the show is due to close in August. Fingers crossed that it extends its West End run as I would definitely go more than once!

Here’s a quick taster for those who remain unconvinced of the merits of High School Musical, this clip is from the original film version:

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