For me, one of the greatest pleasures of the theatre is a well designed costume. No matter how good the show, how dramatic the scene, if the make-up and costumes are not right it can let the whole performance down. Just imagine if the puppets of Avenue Q were moth-eaten and poorly maintained, if the nun’s habits in The Sound of Music were filthy and peppered with holes. London’s West End has some of the best costumes theatre has to offer, from the elegant period pieces of the RSC to the technicolour glory of Hairspray. We have selected 5 of our personal favourites here at the Show and Stay® offices for your enjoyment.

Number Five: Elphaba, Wicked.

A masterpiece of understatement, it would have been all too easy for the costume designers to go to town on the so-called “wicked witch”. Fortunately, they remained loyal to Gregory Maguire’s novel and created an impressive costume. Pointy hat, swishy cape and just the right shade of green. This costume really comes into its own during the rousing Defying Gravity.

Number Four: Trekkie Monster, Avenue Q

There was some debate as to whether this constitutes a costume or not. The final verdict was if it has two arm-holes then it’s a costume. Trekkie Monster gets extra points for being a costume AND a puppet, that’s value for money! Watch out for Trekkie during the hilarious The Internet is For Porn.

Number Three: Gollum, Lord of the Rings

An impressive combination of make-up and costume. Gollum was brought to life in the spectacular Lord of the Rings musical. In a cast featuring some of the best costumes the West End has ever seen, Gollum was a filthy, creepy little stroke of genius. If only he did some kind of jaunty dance he might have made number one.

Number Two: Giraffes, The Lion King

A West End classic. The Lion King’s elaborate costumes have been dazzling audiences for nine years. The giraffes use a clever combination of stilts, masks and truly convincing costumes to create an experience so close to the African savanna you’ll be reaching for your pith helmet in no time.

Number One: Galadriel, Lord of the Rings

A vision in glittering gold, Galadriel’s costume is, in our opinion, the most beautiful creation to appear on stage in recent years. This, ladies and gents is the kind of costume that appears for sale at a swanky auction in 10 years time with the kind of price tag only footballers and Russians can read without choking.

Well there we have it, our honest (perhaps slightly controversial) top five West End costumes. Perhaps you don'’t think Trekkie Monster counts, perhaps you feel we missed someone out? Use the comments box, let us know your top five.

Technorati Tags: avenue q, costumes, lion kings, lord of the rings, top 5, wicked

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Is it me or has a huge flood of ‘jukebox’ musicals suddenly come bobbing into the West End? Because it would seem that everyone from Robin Gibb to Barry Evans is preparing to have a crack…

Further to the reports that Chesney ‘The One and Only’ Hawkes will be heading up a new musical based on the songs of Barry Manilow, we can announce that I’d Do Anything finalist Francesca Jackson will flank Hawkes’s ‘Tony’ with her portrayal of ‘Lucy’.

Named after Manilow’s 1978 corker Can’t Smile Without You, this new musical is the latest in a long, long line of shows dedicated to the oeuvre of a celebrated songsmith. Buddy Holly, Debbie Harry, Frankie Valli; they’ve all been pasted into West End musicals of late to, it must be said, varying degrees of success.

Unlike the classy biographical approach of say Jersey Boys, Can’t Smile Without You has tried to emulate the mega hit Mamma Mia by making up a new story and characters to fit around the songs. This, naturally, can be a touch fiddly as it consists of basically threading the narrative through a succession of unhelpfully scattered song-shaped needles.

Can’t Smile Without You is about a band on a visit to New York. Fronted by the… well, I was going to say “ever-youthful Chesney Hawkes”, but looking at the poster, which has been raggedly airbrushed to within an inch of it’s sorry little life, he looks practically new born. Anyway, Chesney and his rag-tag bunch of musos hit the Big Apple; whilst they are there they trip headlong into a chance-of-a-lifetime audition for a new reality TV pop sensation. It’s not explained why they’d need to go all the way to America to audition for something like that; not when the civic centre in Luton is booked out just about every other fortnight to host X Factor tryouts or the Fame Academy entrance exam. But still, Chesney and the gang give it their all…

The TV company love Hawkes but see him as a solo star… I suppose that’s because he’s been telling people he’s the one and only; anyway, the band give him their blessing and off he pops on his own. Before ‘Tony’ can realise his dream though, he’s caught up, and I quote, “in a tragic sequence of events that leaves him fighting for his life.”

Stripped of his memory, Hawkes’s dreams are left in tatters. Only his passion for his music is what keeps him going. That and, of course, his love for a mysterious girl he once knew called… yes, you guessed it, ‘Mandy’.

“Bam! I am the One and Only!…

So there it is: Can’t Smile opens in Bromley and then tours Manchester, Liverpool, Hull and Glasgow.

Can’t Smile? Can’t wait. What do you think? think it’ll be another Mamma Mia? Or flop like the immediately forgotten Lennon… what you’ve not heard of it either?

Technorati Tags: barry manilow musical, bee gee musical, chesney hawkes musical, francesca jackson, id do anything, jukebox musical, nancy, new musicals, robin gibb

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With the Edinburgh Festival resembling a veritable hive of political dramas, we take a brief look at the productions that are creating the loudest buzzzzzzzpp zzzzp bzzzzzzzzz buzz.

Deep Cut is the play causing the biggest wave at the moment. With an evocative shot of Rhian Blythe in full military uniform stretched across the front page of the Stage, one could be forgiven for thinking that they’d picked up a national newspaper reporting a new military enquiry or something by mistake. What’s really interesting is that this might turn out to be not all that far from the truth.

Up for a stack of awards, the play produced by The Sherman Cymru Theatre Company retells the tragic deaths of four young army cadets at the Deepcut Barracks in Surrey. Insistent that the coroner’s conclusive ’suicide’ verdict is not the end of the story, nor happy that the reports of institutionalised bullying have largely gone un-addressed, this very powerful and domestic play seems hell bent on reopening the case and forcing an in-depth enquiry into the whole unpleasant affair. What’s more, when the real Des James (the father of Cheryl James who was killed at Deepcut) took to the modest stage at the Traverse Theatre to read the final monologue, a flood of reports have testified to the immense power and drive of the piece. With this startling display of strength and composure, the attention of the national press is focussed on the production and, consequently, at the very real tragedy that stands behind it.

Deep Cut is clearly a very serious piece about a very serious event and has been received as such. Other attempts at political theatre have not quite been so successful…

For example, we touched on this in a previous blog but, the Pleasance Courtyard’s staging of The Factory certainly needs a mention. A hi-octane shout fest, The Factory is about the final few moments of a prisoner’s life at Auschwitz. Attempting to somehow re-imagine the horror of the experience, the cast of the play bang metal shutters, shout and scream in the audience’s faces and generally just try to be as beastly and unpleasant as possible. Seemingly devoid of the complexity or the nuances of character that the real experience must have thrown up, The Factory feels about as political as a swift kick in the nuts.

Not exactly realpolitik is it…

Another political pitfall would seem to be the American/Scottish hybrid Architecting which apparently attempts to tie together the story of Gone With the Wind with the reports of Hurricane Katrina. A little unpicking is needed here: so, let me get this straight, they’re mixing the plot of a film that depicts events from the American Civil War with fictionalised accounts of the hurricane that hit New Orleans? A made up story that focusses on the lives of two made up characters during the real burning of Atlanta, which is in Georgia, in like 1864; and a natural disaster that really really happened in 2005 in New Orleans, which is in Louisiana. Errmmm…whassthatabout?

Well, apparently, Architecting is about the deep roots of racial discrimination verses the natural trend for historical revisionism. Hmm? Yes, it’s said to be a little on the clunky side (there’s a surprise) but there’s some okay performances… we’ll see.

So what have we learnt? Well, Edinburgh is, as per, awash with political statements being made left, right and centre; naturally some good, some not so good. Certainly shows like Deep Cut are causing a fairly serious stir with their honest and thoughtful intention. At their best, plays like Deep Cut exhibit what is truly remarkable about live theatre; that stories can be told with a dignity and intensity that is impossible in any other field, and that theatre still has teeth and can question and fight when it so wishes. At worst… well, let’s just be thankful no greased-up young drama students took to the stage naked and ate 150 bananas to show the de-humanising effect of capitalism or something.

Technorati Tags: architecting, auschwitz, breath, chelsea, crossed wires, deep cut, deepcut, edinburgh festival, Edinburgh Fringe, experimental drama, experimental theatre, holocaust, pleasance courtyard, political drama, politics, rhian blythe, sacred, sherman cymru theatre, shocking art, shocking drama, shocking theatre, the chelsea experimental theatre festival, the factory

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The dizzying popularity of Mamma Mia! is showing no sign of slowing down. First the smash-hit musical, then the box-office victory of the feature film, then ABBA Gold danced its way back to the top of the UK charts 36 years after it was originally released. Now cinemas are showing special “sing-along editions” of the phenomenally popular film which stars some of the biggest names in modern cinema.

Among the first of the UK cinemas to begin screenings of the specially subtitled version of Mamma Mia! is the Birkenhead Vue. Cinemas across America are already showing the sing-along version and large audiences are reportedly gathering to enjoy the party atmosphere. Canada and Australia are apparently next in line to begin screenings.

With a large percentage of the world belting out ABBA tunes with the kind of passion usually reserved for shower-time karaoke, it’s only a matter of time before the infectiously upbeat lyrics of Dancing Queen are audible from any point on the planet. Truth be told, I think that’s a rather good thing.

Because we at Show and Stay^® are always at the cutting edge of all things theatrical, we proudly present a delightful at-your-desk Mamma Mia! sing-along. Now you can enjoy ABBAoke (a word I just made up) in the comfort of your own office/home. Crank up the volume, sing your heart out and spread the warm fuzzy feeling only ABBA can bring - your colleagues/family will thank you.

Technorati Tags: abba, mamma mia, musical films, musicals, sing along

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Though this year’s Edinburgh Festival is sadly drawing to a discreet demise, the closing award ceremonies are just beginning to take shape. For example, MTM:UK have just announced their shortlist for their pick of the musical productions staged at this year’s Fringe. We take a look at the different nominees for the prestigious Most Promising Musical category and see what we can unearth about any possible West End transfers…

The first nomination on the shortlist is a wee jet-setting excursion called Departure Lounge. Focussing on the lives and loves of four likeable lads en tour, this new musical revolves around the reminiscent, lager-hazed musings of a gang of Brits as they wait for their flight home in a Spanish departure lounge. Whatsonstage.com sets the tone of their review by admitting: “The simple premise becomes a joy to watch in the hands of these incredibly gifted performers.” - positively glowing huh?

All the major food groups are represented here. We have the meaty, if not overpowering, Jacques le lad ‘JB’. Then, for pudding, we have the delicate, insecure but decidedly sugary ‘Pete’, accompanied by the closeted homosexual; the sharp, defensive yet ultimately fruity fruit sorbet, ‘Joe’. The final member of this Sambucca swilling smorgesboard is the loveable ‘runt’ Ross who I suppose is… the cheeky vol-au-vent or something? (Ahh oui; la métaphore allongé, c’est fini!)

Anyway, that’s quite enough of that - the cast is completed by the beautiful Hayley Angel Wardle who plays ‘Sophie’, the object of at least 3/4 of the gang’s carnal desires.

With fairly unilateral praise, Departure Lounge is a delightfully comic musical with some excellent performances. However, with its modest musical arrangement (just two acoustic guitars) the production will need to go through a lot of changes before it is ready for any run in the capital. But then perhaps the low-key feeling of this piece is where its cheeky charm comes from? Vibrant and a touch studenty, Departure Lounge is probably one to look out for in smaller, more provincial playhouses. We’ll certainly let you know if we hear anything almost vaguely to the contrary though.

Next up is the musical with easily the best name. Barbershopera is a great little chamber piece about, you guessed it, a barbershop quartet. As a menagerie of four á cappella crooners get ready for the annual Eurovision Barbershop Contest, disaster strikes and one of their number goes AWOL. In a desperate last ditch attempt to fill the position they resort to hiring a young woman, Toni Soprano (boom boom), to lead their cluster.

Winning luminous reviews from all and sundry, Barbershopera is another understated gem of a production. Again, not likely for any big budget revival, the cast of this little comic musical has certainly captured the hearts of a shed load of Fringe-goers. Names like Lara Stubbs, Tom Green, Mark Hole and Rob Castell are definitely ones to look out for in the not so distant future.

Changing tact slightly, the stern and serious musical lover might want to keep an eye out for Only the Brave. This is the one about allied forces in northern France during the Second World War and boasts the colourful addition of not only Any Dream Will Do finalist Keith Jack, but also the warming vocal styles of Niamh Perry from the BBC’s I’d Do Anything.

Slick, sophisticated and expensive looking, Only the Brave would appear far more likely to be picked up by West End producers than its fellow nominees. However, as the version staged in Edinburgh was rather heftily cut down to ‘festival friendly’ proportions, it’s more than likely that Only the Brave will test the proverbial water in UK tours and showcases before coming anywhere near the so called ‘big time’ high dive. Still, there’s quite a lot of buzz surrounding this musical and its up-and-coming cast so there’s definite potential here. What’s more, with similar new musicals like Marguerite doing some pretty serious business in the capital then theatre producers might be wise to strike while the iron’s still red and sufficiently warm.

The last musical up for the Most Promising accolade is the rather bizarre On the Island of Aars. Set on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides (that’s rumoured to be, in fact, the back of a giant, half submerged turtle), this really is an interesting production. The home to a rather ramshackle bunch that include dour puritans, ex-rockers and an impressionable young woman who dreams of eating pizza, Aars definitely is a… well, an unusual place.

The delicate equilibrium of Aars is put asunder when a Dutch health and safety officer arrives to survey the island. All hell consequently breaks loose when, within all of about 5 minutes of turning up, she falls madly in love with the young islander Morag, whom she declares “prettier than all the girls in Holland put on top of each other”. The plot certainly thickens at this point to, it’s needless to say, hilarious effect.

So there it is MTM:UK’s shortlist for Most Promising Musical. I’m not sure how many (if indeed any at all) will make it into more… shall we say ‘permanent’ theatrical runs? But whatever the outcome, the fledgling performers, writers, directors and composers have already done the hard work and made their pieces stand out from a veritable barrage of art and performance.

So, let’s see if any of them make it anywhere near the West End in the coming few months. We at Show and Stay will certainly keep our collective ear to the ground!

Technorati Tags: any dream will do, barbershopera, comic musicals, departure lounge, edinburgh awards, edinburgh festival, Edinburgh Fringe, id do anything, keith jack, mtm:uk, musicals at the edinburgh festival, musicals at the edinburgh fringe, new musicals, niamh perry, oliver, only the brave, the island of aars

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For as long as people have been going to the theatre there has been the unhealthy allure of its sulky, demented and damn right noisy conjoined twin: Experimental Theatre. Usually comprising the half-baked fodder of angsty students, Experimental Theatre is definitely beginning to show its eyeliner-clad face in ever-increasing circles of… well, respectability.

For example, a successful showcase of experimental theatrics was staged in Chelsea during the spring and the usual smattering of crazy little ditties are making people feel decidedly uncomfortable at the ole Edinburgh Festival as we speak.

The rather divinely titled Sacred theatre festival in Chelsea boasted some seriously well received experimental productions like the face to face cat and mouse and cat conundrum Crossed Wires. A wee homage to Hitchcock style film noir, Crossed Wires is a sort of one on one chase through the actual streets of London as the audience member (more accurately ’spectator’ I suppose) has to stalk the ‘victim’ whilst being pursued by at least one other shady character. Not exactly your average drawing room comedy is it?

Now, we all know that the Edinburgh Festival and experimental theatre go together like Sweden and hot tubs, but there might just be a little added zest to the lunacy at the Fringe this year. One play that’s causing quite a stir is called The Factory and tries to recreate the final few moments of an inmate’s life at Auschwitz… how charming.

The frivolous subject matter is only further fluffed up by the piece’s interesting style of delivery… obviously when I say ‘interesting’ I mean ’shouty’ and when I say ‘delivery’ I mean ’shouting’.

One poor BBC journalist who was supposed to review The Factory describes how the audience were lead downstairs from the Pleasance Courtyard into the cavernous vaults beneath and made to stand in two straight rows. A giant steel shutter was then rolled down behind them over the entrance and the ‘guards’ began shouting, swearing and banging the steel door with ferocious intensity. After a few minutes Angie Brown had this to say:

“The noise and the intimidating men enveloped me and I became more and more anxious until I suddenly managed to make a run for the door, which was being opened for a man who was also fleeing.

“And then I just started to cry from the sheer shock of the experience.”

Crumbs.

Not the most revealing of reviews I’m afraid Angie, still I think the main points were sufficiently brought up between bouts of hysterical sobbing and the bludgeoned resurfacing of countless latent nightmares. Even looking at the article online, I’m convinced I could see stains on the page where salt tears had made the ink all runny.

It has to be said that slightly more sober reports have not been very positive… and I can see why. I mean, if all the performance consists of is banging a steel door in an enclosed space and shouting at audience members from several inches’ distance then this is, quite simply, piffle isn’t it? Stop me if I’m wrong but what the Flying Scotsman is this supposed to be saying about the Holocaust? Is there any evidence for this exact behaviour? Because it seems a little rich (if not utterly offensive) that six million innocent people were murdered in freezing death factories around eastern Europe and the best way to teach people about what it was “actually” like is to maniacally pound a steel shutter?

Eye opening.

No, that doesn’t sound like something I’d be into at all. Basically, I’m suspicious: I’m suspicious that this drama troupe have latched onto the ideas of that rather enigmatic Frenchman Antonin Artaud and had a little fun with them. He developed what’s called “the Theatre of Cruelty”, whereby plays like the one described were staged to gruesome effect (usually his productions resulted in members of the audience literally vomiting in the street outside). Anywhatsit, the idea of clumsily stapling the very real horror of the Holocaust to this shock fest in some misguided attempt to scratch out some political gravitas is pretty weak.

I’m sure they only had the best of intentions but maybe a little more insight into the source material (if you’d ever dare call it that) is needed. Whatsonstage described how:

“The Factory fails – in every department – to salvage anything meaningful from this woeful production.”

Pretty, pret-ty damning no? Still, what do you expect - it’s Experimental Theatre. It’s not supposed to work every time but at least they’re trying something new. After all, even the great German hairdresser Karl Nessler had to render his devoted wife totally bald twice before he managed to invent the perm…

No pain, no gain.

Technorati Tags: auschwitz, breath, chelsea, crossed wires, edinburgh festival, Edinburgh Fringe, experimental drama, experimental theatre, holocaust, pleasance courtyard, sacred, shocking art, shocking drama, shocking theatre, the chelsea experimental theatre festival, the factory

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The world of musical theatre is a wonderfully varied one, variety is the spice of life after all. You’ve got all the fantasy and special effects of Wicked, the grit of Les Misérables and the romance of Dirty Dancing. All manner of books, movies and TV shows have found their way to the stage, reincarnated as musicals. ITV’s Bad Girls, nuntastic 90s hit Sister Act and even Buffy The Vampire Slayer have all had the musical treatment with varying degrees of success.

One of the better known and successful of these musical adaptations is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard. Based on the 1950 film, the musical centres around Norma Desmond, a forgotten star of the silent screen. She lives in a crumbling mansion, totally immersed in her past and her own eccentricity and at odds with the modern world. When a young screenwriter crosses her path she sees him as her vehicle back to stardom. Love, madness and eventually tragedy tear Ms Desmond’s fantasy world apart.

To celebrate Sunset Boulevard’s possible return to the West End after a successful run in Newbury, we at Show and Stay^® have compiled a collection of other interesting musical adaptations you may or may not have heard of. Some are good, some are great and some…well read the blog and make your own mind up.

Diana: The Musical

This little gem was recently mentioned on BBC Radio 1. It tells the tale of the late Lady Diana, and charts her life from her courtship with Prince Charles to her state funeral.
Apparently the show portrays the evolution of the naive young Diana into the “people’s princess” - one of the world’s most famous women.
The show has over 30 songs, so it really is very musical. Although the show is bias towards Diana, it allegedly remains sympathetic to the Royal Family.
Apparently the show was popular in Germany and enjoyed relative success on a 100 date European tour. Diana: The Musical cost roughly £630,000 to produce, uses 22 sets and spans 17 years of the princess’s life. Oh, best bit, it’s all auf Deutsch!

Rentaghost: The Musical

One of the more unusual in our bunch of unlikely musical adaptations, Rentaghost: The Musical was written and produced by Joe Pasquale. Based on the spooky 1970s sitcom aimed at kids, Rentaghost: The Musical came about due to Pesquale’s love of the classic show. The idea was polished while Pesquale was a contestant on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Thatcher: The Musical

A surprisingly successful little musical. Highly praised by the British Theatre Guide, BBC Front Row, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Times and The Guardian, Thatcher: The Musical charts the rise and fall of one of Britain’s most influential and controversial politicians, Baroness Margaret Hilda Thatcher. Pulling no punches, Thatcher: The Musical portrays the Iron Lady through the Falklands War, the miner’s strike and her eventual betrayal by her own party.
The show uses no fewer than nine actresses to portray Baroness Thatcher in various stages of her career and life and includes provocative yet catchy songs such as, The Cabinet Shuffle and The Tory Blues (what a fantastic title).It is my second favourite on the list.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling

Yes, you read that right. This one is not quite as well known as the other three due to the fact it only ever made it to the stage as an amateur production. It began life as an episode of the hit US TV series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (series six episode seven to be precise). The plot centres around a demon who makes people sing and dance until they die and, as always, Buffy’s got to stop him (dear God I love that show). An amateur theatre group picked this up and staged their own production of the amazing episode (which I have personally watched over 100 times). The episode was nominated for a Hugo Award, won a Golden Reel award, was voted 13th greatest musical of all time by Channel Four and has inspired Rocky Horror-esque singalongs and audience participation at comic and sci-fi conventions.

Well there we have it, four of the more unusual stage adaptations I could track down for you on the good old internet. Those that didn’t quite make the cut include:

• BNP: The Musical
• Mikey The Pikey
• Big Bruvva

If you think you’ve found something that deserves to make it onto this list then please feel free to send them our way.

Technorati Tags: buffy the vampire slayer, diana, london theatre breaks, rentaghost, sunset boulevard, thatcher, unusual musicals, weird musicals, west end breaks, west end musicals

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I doubt there is a single human being alive that has not heard of High School Musical. The infectiously upbeat pop musical, often described as “the new Grease” has snowballed from a straight to TV Disney^® movie to cultural phenomenon in just two years.

It can’t be denied that the Disney Channel’s producers are doing something very right, even I have given in to the power of High School Musical, I now own the DVD. There is something magnetic about the whole thing. I think it’s something to do with the cast’s permanent smiles but I’m really not sure. No doubt if I knew I would be very rich and very popular with film-makers. As it stands, I’m poor and I have never spoken to a film-maker. Perhaps tonight I’ll get my science on and work out just what it is Disney did that worked so well.

Since it’s release on January 20th 2006 High School Musical has spawned two sequels, a stage musical, an ice show, a concert tour, a book series, a video game, a reality TV show and picked up no less than seven awards. Impressive stuff and it looks like Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush, producers of High School Musical, are getting ready to do it all over again for MTV^®.

American Mall debuted on MTV in the US on August 11th 2008. This new production from the team behind High School Musical could well be the next thing to appear on lunchboxes across the globe. American Mall is the story of Ally, an enthusiastic singer/singwriter who’s Mother owns a music shop that is the heart and soul of the mall. Ally meets a musician who also happens to be the mall’s janitor and her dreams come close to realisation. All this is jeopardised when the mall owner’s spoiled daughter gets involved.

It remains to be seen if American Mall will enjoy the same runaway success as High School Musical but it certainly seems to have what it takes to capture the imagination of teens in the US and beyond.

Make you own minds up and let us know what you think.

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Whilst idly flicking through some listings for the Edinburgh Fringe this morning I stumbled across The Scandalous Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Being a hotbed of dramatic talent there are obviously quite a few things I would like to get up to Scotland to see but this piece in-particular stood out, to me at least.

I’m a big fan of gothic horror but Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll And Mr. Hyde is among my personal favourites. It investigates psychology, the duality of human nature and good old fashioned good vs. evil in a deliciously dark manner. Of course this story has been staged, restaged, reimagined, filmed and adapted countless times. It’s characters appear in countless horror and science fiction stories but its appeal remains strong, almost magnetic.

Imagine my delight to see a young troupe of actors taking on this engaging story and performing it in a suitably dark and scary manner. In a wonderfully gothic twist the show is performed at midnight in a venue named The Vault. What could be better for fans of horror than one of the greatest gothic stories performed at midnight in a vault?!

Be warned, the productions official website, ticket sites, and even the compelling trailer for the show all warn that the show is not suitable for children or cowards. That kept in mind The Scandalous Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the ideal choice for those lucky enough to be at the fringe who enjoy a good scare.

This interesting production is showing at midnight on 7-10th, 12-17th, 19-25th of August 2008 at The Vault, 11 Merchant Street.

Here is the trailer, just to give you a little taste of what is, in my opinion, a very interesting show indeed. See you there.

Technorati Tags: Edinburgh Fringe, holden kemble company, The Scandalous Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the vault

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A performance of Under The Blue Sky starring Catherine Tate was heavily disrupted by Doctor Who fans this weekend.

David Tennant, star of the BBC’s revival of the classic sci-fi series, attended a performance of Under The Blue Sky to support Tate who is currently co-starring in Doctor Who in the coveted role of the Doctor’s assitant.
Tate is playing the role of Michelle, a sharp-tounged sexual predator in the Duke of York’s Theatre production.

Apparently fans got wind of Tennant’s plans to watch his co-star and friend’s performance and turned up in droves to the theatre. Some even reportedly came armed with Doctor Who props and memorabilia. Tennant was polite to the assembled fans but when they began to sing the Doctor Who theme tune in the middle of the theatre he was forced to leave to avoid any further disruption.

I’m as big of a Doctor Who fan as it is decent to be when your 23, I’ve got a dalek of my own, I’ve bought the DVD box-sets. What I have never done however, is hound poor David Tennant. The man is indeed a talented actor, a convincing and intriguing Doctor and he certainly looks as good as a man possibly can in a brown overcoat. But come on people, singing a theme tune that does not have any words in the middle of a theatre he is not even performing in?! That’s low, really really low.

It’s no wonder some people are getting snippy about celebs in the West End if this is how the public behave. I’m disappointed in my fellow geeks for yet again damaging our public image, shame on you! All I can do is apologise to the theatre community for my comic-reading, sci-fi loving brothers and sisters. I’m sorry.

Technorati Tags: catherine tate, david tennant, doctor who, duke of yorks theatre, theatre news, under the blue sky, west end news

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