Hairspray, the smash hit musical, is heading back to the
London stage. I went along to the press launch to find out more.

Hairspray is poised to explode onto the stage of the vast
London Coliseum from April 23rd. This limited 18 week run reunites
Michael Ball with some elaborate costumes and wigs as he steps back into the heels of Edna Turnblad. The Olivier award winner first played the role back in 2007 at the Shaftsbury Theatre and now, 13 years later, Edna is back in town!

Joining Ball is comedy legend Paul Merton. Known for his
sharp wit and improvisational comedy, Merton says he is looking forward to a new challenge, using his comedic skills to extract laughs from every line, lyric and gesture. Those who know the show are already anticipating Merton and Ball’s Timeless to Me, the great comedic number of Act II.

Joining these seasoned performers is Lizzie Bea, making her
west end debut. No stranger to musicals, her rendition of Good Morning Baltimore at the press launch left those watching
wanting more and eager to see her take to the stage of the London’s largest theatre: she will blow the roof off it!

Marisha Wallace, fresh from her stint in Waitress and before that Dreamgirls, will be playing Motormouth
Maybelle. The power in her voice when delivering I know where I’ve been with a simple piano backing was phenomenal –just imagine hearing that song with the backing of a full orchestra. Fortunately,there isn’t too long to wait!

Tickets are already on sale and moving fast. Hairspray is a
rare show, described by producer Adam Spiegel as an ‘explosion of joy’ and ‘magical’. This is not PR talk, he is speaking from the heart and speaking the truth. A real feel good show with a heart and an important messages of acceptance and tolerance. Book now to avoid disappointment. 

The Winter Gardens is Ready to Razzle Dazzle

In the 1920s Chicago became infamous for a string of homicides committed by women - crimes of passion set against the backdrop of changing times and views of women in the Jazz age.

Journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins covered some of these crimes for the Chicago Tribune, and wrote a play based on real life events she reported on. Chicago was adapted as a musical in 1977, becoming a Broadway and West End smash hit and an Academy award-winner for the 2002 movie version. Velma Kelly, Billy Flynn and Roxie Hart have become instantly recognisable as the lead roles in Chicago, written by John Kander & Fred Ebb (The Prolific Broadway writers who wrote ‘Cabaret’) and the legendary Bob Fosse. Now Chicago is coming to the Winter Gardens Blackpool with the ENSEMBLE Theatre Company in April 2020.

Ever since Andy Vitolo, Ensemble Theatre's Artistic Director, can remember, he had a dream to have a theatre company based at the world famous Winter Gardens...and now that dream is a reality.

Andy has directed and performed in many musicals in the States and all over the UK. As part of a successful song-writing partnership he's had hits in Europe and been televised numerous times for Eurovision. His songs have received plaudits from industry greats including Dolly Parton’s management.

Within a year, ENSEMBLE Theatre has smashed box office records and been critically acclaimed (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Absolutely Brilliant “, “Sounded Spectacular”) with its hit productions of Broadway musicals including Oliver!, The Sound of Music and The Addams Family.


CHICAGO
Saturday 4 April 2020 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Opera House Blackpool
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/whats-on/chicago

0844 856 1111

The Finborough Theatre’s Autumn season features three premieres, all discovered by the Finborough Theatre’s Artistic Director Neil McPherson – a rediscovery from a classic British playwright, written in 1970, but never before seen in London, alongside two European premieres from female playwrights – a hit Off Broadway play from the United States, and a multi-award-winning new play from New Zealand/ Aotearoa.
The season opens with the London premiere of a 1970 touching domestic family drama, Go Bang Your Tambourine by Philip King, playing 6-31 August 2019. Following the death of his mother, devoted Salvation Army member David lives alone in their North Country house. But tongues begin wagging when Bess, a local barmaid, moves in as his lodger…
The season continues with the European premiere of Anahera by Emma Kinane, returning to the Finborough Theatre where it received a staged reading in Vibrant 2018 – A Festival of Finborough Playwrights. Winner of the Most Outstanding New New Zealand Play at the Wellington Theatre Awards, Anahera is a stunning new play on parenting and childhood, following a newly qualified Māori social worker supporting the distraught parents of a missing child. It plays 3-28 September 2019.
Rounding off our Autumn season is another European premiere, The Niceties, an Off Broadway hit by Eleanor Burgess, a new American playwright in her European debut. An ambitious young black student and her esteemed white professor meet to discuss a paper on the American Revolution. But as the question turns to who gets to tell the story of America, and how, the fault lines of racial and generational divides are sharply illuminated. It plays 1-26 October 2019.
Finborough Theatre Artistic Director Neil McPherson says: “Our new season features three richly different plays I have discovered for the Finborough Theatre, including a rediscovery from a classic British playwright, written in 1970 but now seen in London for the very first time, alongside two stunning new plays, both by female playwrights new to the UK, from the United States and New Zealand/ Aotearoa.
The Finborough Arms, our pub home, was taken over by an entirely new management and extensively refurbished at the end of last year, and now offers a wide menu of traditional pub favourites, all cooked on the premises.
I look forward to welcoming you.”
– Neil McPherson, Artistic Director

Performance Times and Prices
Tuesday to Saturday evenings at 7.30pm.
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3.00pm.

For Go Bang Your Tambourine, Anahera and The NicetiesPrices for Weeks One and Two  – Tickets £18, £16 concessions, except Tuesday evenings £16 all seats, and Friday and Saturday evenings £18 all seats.
Previews £14 all seats.
£10 tickets for Under 30s for performances from Tuesday to Sunday of the first week when booked online only. 
£14 tickets for residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on the first Saturday evening, when booked online only.

For Go Bang Your Tambourine and Anahera
Prices for Weeks Three and Four  – Tickets £20, £18 concessions, except Tuesday evenings £18 all seats, and Friday and Saturday evenings £20 all seats.
For The Niceties Prices from 15-20 October – Tickets £20, £18 concessions, except Tuesday evenings £18 all seats, and Friday and Saturday evenings £20 all seats.Prices from 22-26 October – £25, £20 concessions, except Tuesday Evenings £20 all seats, and Friday and Saturday evenings £25 all seats.

Fresh from winning five People's Choice Awards at the recent offwestend.com awards - including the accolades for Best Programming Policy and Most Welcoming Venue - Blue Elephant Theatre announces its first shows of 2019. From comedy to dance, scratch nights to accomplished pieces, once again the Blue Elephant offers an eclectic programme to suit all tastes.   A highlight of the season is The Wolf Inside Me, commissioned by Blue Elephant Theatre’s Youth Board members. It was created by Sepy Baghaei in response to a brief set by young participants and then chosen for research and development at the Blue Elephant after participants met shortlisted applicants. A play with sound and music, The Wolf Inside Me speaks to us of finding our own way through grief and sadness. Rooted in South East London and seen through the eyes of teenagers, it’s a captivating and creative reframing of loss and hope.

This season sees comedy (It's No Job For A Nice Jewish Girl), dance (TRY/TRYING/TRIED),
sound experimentation (Nothing to Fear) and new writing (LunchBreaks) take
to the stage. As well as this, we present, The Wolf
Inside Me,  commissioned by Blue Elephant Theatre
and chosen by our Youth Board Members. Told through the eyes of
teenagers, this is set to be a unique portrayal of a journey through
grief told with music and sound.

We also have an array of FREE  Family storytelling events taking place in
March across Elephant and Castle, bringing theatre to the doorstep.

Listings Information:


Venue: Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Rd, Camberwell,
SE5 0XT (entrance on Thompson Ave) Nearest tube: Oval (Northern Line)

Wheelchair accessible Box Office: 020 7701 0100


info@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk
www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk |@BETCamberwell

Brand
new show celebrating Tina Turner heads out on 50-plus date debut UK tour.
A brand new show celebrating the music of Tina
Turner is set to tour the UK with more than 50 dates already secured.

The massive debut tour of What’s Love Got To Do
With It? launches in February 2019 promising to be the ultimate tribute
show.

The tour previews at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone
on Wednesday February 13, and has its premiere at Liverpool Empire Theatre on Tuesday, February 19.

Tickets
on sale now from www.cuffeandtaylor.com

Brought to you by the award-winning
producers behind the hugely successful Whitney - Queen Of The Night, What’s
Love Got To Do With It?  pays homage to one of the most iconic and
much loved musical artists of the 20th Century.

In this brand-new touring theatre show, audiences can
expect a night of high energy, feel-good rock-and-roll featuring Tina's
greatest hits performed by the amazing
vocal talent of Elesha Paul Moses (Whitney - Queen Of The Night, The Voice,
X Factor) supported by a full 10-piece
live band.
Speaking about playing Tina Turner, Elesha said: “I
am absolutely thrilled to be touring the UK with What’s Love Got To Do With It?
This is going to be a magnificent show and one that truly celebrates the
incredible music and career of Tina Turner.

“Tina is a great persona to emulate on stage. I have
performed as her many times over the years so to now be the lead in a show that
will travel all over the UK and celebrate everything about her is an amazing
opportunity and one I’m really looking forward to.”
In a breath-taking career spanning more than 50
years, audiences can look forward to hearing stunning musical arrangements of
Tina's most-loved classic hits including Private Dancer, What's Love Got To Do
With It?, Proud Mary, River Deep, Nutbush City Limits, Simply The Best and many
more. This not-to-be missed musical experience is a stunning celebration of one
of the greatest female singers of our time.

TOUR DATES 2019

February
Wed
13th MAIDSTONE, THE HAZLITT THEATRE
Tue
19th LIVERPOOL, EMPIRE THEATRE
Sat
23rd BUXTON, OPERA HOUSE
Tue
26th SOUTHEND, CLIFFS PAVILION
Wed
27th EDINBURGH, USHER HALL  

Thu
28th GLASGOW, KING'S THEATRE
March
  

Fri 1st ABERDEEN, MUSIC HALL

Sat 16th
DARLINGTON, HIPPODROME

Thu
21st BRADFORD, ST GEORGES HALL
Wed
27th PORTSMOUTH, GUILDHALL
Fri
29th HULL, CITY HALL
April
  

Thu
18th SHEFFIELD, CITY HALL
May   

Wed 1st
COVENTRY, BELGRADE THEATRE
Fri
31st DARTFORD, ORCHARD THEATRE

June
   

Sat 1st
HODDESDON, THE SPOTLIGHT
Sat 8th
HUDDERSFIELD, TOWN HALL  

Thu
13th MALVERN, FORUM THEATRE
Sat
15th BASINGSTOKE, THE ANVIL
Sun
16th CANTERBURY, MARLOWE THEATRE
Sat
22nd TORQUAY, PRINCESS THEATRE

Thu
27th NEW BRIGHTON, FLORAL PAVILION THEATRE
Fri
28th CARLISLE, THE SANDS CENTRE

Sat
29th NOTTINGHAM, ROYAL CONCERT HALL
July

Thurs
11th HORNCHURCH, QUEENS THEATRE

Sat 20th BLACKPOOL, OPERA HOUSE


Sun
21st SUNDERLAND, EMPIRE THEATRE
Sun
28th CROYDON, ASHCROFT THEATRE
September

Fri
13th CARDIFF, ST DAVIDS HALL
Fri
20th MANCHESTER, BRIDGEWATER HALL
Sat
28th BRIDLINGTON, BRIDLINGTON SPA
October
   

Wed 2nd
LEICESTER, DE MONTFORT HALL
Thu 3rd
HORSHAM, CAPITOL THEATRE
Fri 4th
BOURNEMOUTH, PAVILION THEATRE

Sat 5th
LLANELLI, Y FFWRNES
Fri
11th DONCASTER, THE DOME

Thur
17th DERBY, DERBY ARENA
Fri
18th BATH, THE FORUM

Sat
19th SALISBURY, CITY HALL
November
   

Fri 8th
DUDLEY, TOWN HALL

Sat 9th
HIGH WYCOMBE, WYCOMBE SWAN

Sun 10th RICHMOND, RICHMOND THEATRE

Fri
15th HARROGATE, ROYAL HALL
Thu
28th MARGATE, WINTER GARDENS
Fri
29th CAMBRIDGE, CORN EXCHANGE

December    

Wed 4th
SWANSEA, GRAND THEATRE
Sat
14th WORTHING, ASSEMBLY HALL

 

TOUR
DATES 2020

January

Sun 12th SOUTHAMPTON, MAYFLOWER THEATRE

March


Fri 13th WARRINGTON, PYRAMID & PARR HALL

Thurs 19th BIRMINGHAM, BIRMINGHAM ARENA

Sat 21st NEWCASTLE, CITY HALL

The Finborough Theatre’s Spring season features three stunning rediscoveries, all unseen in London for many years – a heart-breaking play set against the backdrop of apartheid South Africa by Athol Fugard; a hit British musical of the 1960s from the composer of Oliver!, Lionel Bart; and our third rediscovery from neglected Ulster playwright St John Ervine.

The season opens with the first UK production for 35 years of A Lesson from Aloes by Athol Fugard, a devastating story of betrayal and mistrust set against the backdrop of apartheid. Directed by actor, writer and director Janet Suzman and with lighting by the legendary Mannie Manim, A Lesson from Aloes plays 27 February–23 March 2019.

Our acclaimed ‘Celebrating British Music Theatre’ series returns with the first professional London production for more than 50 years of Lionel Bart and Alun Owen’s musical Maggie May, a celebration of working class life in 1960s Liverpool, full of classic Lionel Bart musical numbers. Directed by recent nominee for the OffWestEnd Award for Best Director Matthew Iliffe, Maggie May plays 27 March-20 April 2019.

The season culminates with the first London production for over 75 years of Jane Clegg by St John Ervine, a 1913 tale of one woman’s escape from an abusive relationship, originally compared by critics to A Doll’s House. Jane Clegg is the third rediscovery from St John Ervine at the Finborough Theatre, following the huge success of his play Mixed Marriage in 2011. Directed by renowned West End director David Gilmore, Jane Clegg plays 23 April-18 May 2019.

Alongside our season of rediscoveries, we also continue our profound commitment to new writing. Playwright Hannah Morley has just been announced as one of the six winners of the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme to spend a year with us as Playwright in Residence. The Finborough Theatre is now the only unsubsidised theatre ever to be awarded the Channel 4 Playwrights Scheme bursary eleven times. And we are also delighted to announce this year’s ETPEP Award 2019, a playwriting prize for new UK playwrights who work in the theatre industry, run by the Experienced Theatre Practitioners Early Playwriting Trust (ETPEP) in association with the Finborough Theatre. The winner will receive a prize of £8,000, a development relationship with the Finborough Theatre, and a staged reading performance of the winning play as part of our acclaimed new writing festival, Vibrant - A Festival of Finborough Playwrights, celebrating its eleventh consecutive year in 2019. Full details are available on our website.

Finborough Theatre Artistic Director Neil McPherson says: “Our new season features rediscoveries from renowned playwrights from South Africa and Northern Ireland, alongside a classic 1960s British musical. We also continue our commitment to new writing with an opportunity for brand new writers currently working elsewhere in theatre to win an £8000 award for a new play. At the end of last year, the Finborough Arms, our pub home, was taken over by an entirely new management and extensively refurbished, and will also shortly offer a wide menu, with all food cooked on the premises. We look forward to welcoming you.” 

For full information, please visit https://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/

Yes you heard that right.Get tickets to see Santa’s New Sleigh and you could become a certified Master Sleigh Builder Oh and you also get to meet the big man himself. I caught up with the producer Sam Bradshaw to find out about this magical offer.

Right up until Christmas Eve, two troubled elves, Sprocket and Dibs, are calling on families to help them solve the very serious problem of Santa’s missing sleigh.

In the end there’s nothing else for it but to build a new one, and that’s where you, the audience, can help out, with lots of singing and laughter along the way.

This festive treat comes from Sam Bradshaw Productions, who are on tour again after sell-out seasons in Lichfield, Peterborough and the West End’s Arts Theatre.

Santa’s New Sleigh was first created for The Curve in Leicester. Sam was playing Stinky Pete the Pirate in a production of Peter Pan in Shrewsbury when he was asked by the Dame, Brad Fitt he’d like to produce the children’s show with him. What first began as a 40-minute story featuring Jingle Bells has developed into an hour-long show with its own original songs.

With Sam directing, and the cast working collaboratively with writer Brad, the show has evolved naturally, resulting in what Sam describes as “a fast and funny, silly bit of business.”

He said; “It’s a family-friendly, full-on interactive story with a narrative that bridges the gap for little ones that aren’t quite old enough for the panto, and there’s some subtle adult humour in there too so it’s a lovely feel-good Christmas show for everyone.”

There’s plenty of audience participation, with children invited on to the stage to open the advent calendar doors and Dads plucked out to be reindeer pulling the sleigh. At the end there’s a meet and greet with Santa and every child gets a present.

Sam has plenty of experience knowing how to create engaging productions for kids as he first became a children’s entertainer at just 13. He can walk on stilts, ride a unicycle and juggle knives.

“My Dad asked me to do some tricks for my cousin’s party and after that I kept on performing magic shows,” he explained. “I have a good eye for what kids like, so it’s funny and not patronising. It’s what my passion is, it’s amazing to see their faces when they help build the sleigh.”

Sam loves his role of half-creative, half-businessman. In between productions he performs on cruise ships and runs a children’s entertainment business in London. Most exciting of all, though, is the news that he’s working on a David Walliams title. No wonder he’s good at juggling.

Santa’s New Sleigh is performed at the Winter Gardens’ recently refurbished Pavilion Theatre, which has been reopened after 20 years through a partnership between Selladoor Worldwide and Blackpool Entertainment Company. It’s the oldest venue
in the Winter Gardens complex and was part of the original 1878 build.

“It’s an honour to be the first show staged since the 70s at such a prestigious venue as the
Pavilion Theatre,” said Sam, “And Blackpool is such a fun place with lots going on. There’s a good offering here this Christmas and it’s fantastic to be part of it.”

Santa’s New Sleigh is ideal for kids of all ages, including their parents.

Book tickets here  https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/venueartist/256254/5277083

Photographs courtesy of Sam Bradshaw Productions

The Grand Theatre Blackpool, until 6th January 2019

The Blackpool Grand plus panto equals a double dose of glitz
and entertainment and this year’s show does not disappoint. Featuring a superb
cast of local celebrities, stage and soap stars, Beauty & The Beast is
clearly an absolute delight for all ages judging by the audience reaction.

All generations of "shark" willingly stand up to
play their part in the Baby Shark Dance at the request of Louis La Plonk, aka
radio presenter and comedian Steve Royle. Audience participation is always the
best bit and he orchestrates this brilliantly, whether it’s poking fun at the
adults with a French accent, or teasing the kids with a Chorley one.

UK Productions’ larger than life characters create an expert
blend of fun and drama. Nick Wilton is endearing as the Dame, Polly La Plonk;
radio presenter Hayley Kay shines as Fairy Bon Bon singing The Great Showman’s
This is Me; EastEnders star Danny Walters shows his sensitive side and
fantastic vocals as The Beast; and Amelia Adams-Pearce proves her musical
theatre prowess with a plucky manner and powerful voice as Belle. Taking full
advantage of the strong female role, she fobs off the foppish French Hugo
Pompidou (portrayed with ding-dong aplomb by Ben Harlow), takes care of her father
Clement (played by the highly likeable Marcus Knibbs), and swoons but keeps her
cool as The Beast woos her.

The set and costumes are just gorgeous, from the sparkling
purple drapes in the dramatic Beast scenes, to Belle’s famously exquisite
yellow ballgown. The talented dancers from the Barbara Jackson Theatre Arts
Centre do choreographer Katie Hill’s routines real justice, with ballerinas fluttering
daintily beneath towering forest backdrops.

This definitely rates as one of the best pantomimes I’ve
seen in a while. It strikes a lovely balance of hilarity that's not over the
top with tender moments that aren’t too deep. The Beast's transformation into
Belle's handsome Prince really does make you go "Ahhh" and the laughs
really do make your belly ache.

Beauty & The Beast brings five-star Christmas cheer to
Blackpool. Book your tickets here
www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/event/beauty-and-the-beast-pantomime.

And if you don’t know the Baby Shark dance already, make
sure you learn it before you go.