Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison to play former drug addict
Ever since the hit E4 comedy The Inbetweeners left out screens in 2010 i have felt a huge sense of loss in my life but the good news Blake Harrison who played Neil Sutherland is to star in Rob Hayes new play at the Trafalgar Studios Step 9 (of 12), which opens for a four-week run on 4 May 2012 (previews from 1 May).
Step 9 (of 12) examines “society at its darkest times”. Keith (Harrison) just wants to say he’s sorry, and a lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse has given him a lot to apologise for – particularly to the two people who raised him from a child. But as the memories of violence, betrayal, lies and recriminations are raked to the surface, it becomes clear that past actions can have shocking repercussions in the present.
Even though further casting is to be announced I am sure it will be a huge success.
PRESS RELEASE – The Sunshine Boys Staring Danny DeVito
Thea Sharrock is to direct Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths as the ageing vaudevillian team Willie Clark and Al Lewis in Neil Simon’s award-wining comedy, The Sunshine Boys. Previewing from 27 April with press night on 17 May, The Sunshine Boys is booking at the Savoy Theatre for a strictly limited run until 28 July 2012. The Sunshine Boys has designs by Hildegard Bechtler with lighting by Neil Austin and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph. Further casting will be announced shortly.
Danny DeVito (Willie Clark), who will make his West End stage debut in The Sunshine Boys, won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy award for his portrayal of Louie De Palma in the US hit comedy Taxi, a role he played for five years. His extensive film credits include Martini in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a role he also played on stage, Terms of Endearment, Romancing the Stone, The Jewel of the Nile, Junior, Twins and Ruthless People. He appeared as the Penguin opposite Michael Keaton’s Batman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. Later this year DeVito will voice the title character in Universal Pictures’ animated featureThe Lorax, based on the book of the same name by Dr. Seuss. As a film director DeVito’s credits include Matilda, The War of the Roses and Hoffa. This autumn DeVito returns as Frank Reynolds in the eighth season of the acclaimed American cult comedy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Richard Griffiths (Al Lewis) won the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Hector in The History Boys at the National Theatre and on Broadway, a role he also played on screen. Griffiths has previously been directed by Thea Sharrock in Equus at the Gielgud Theatre and on Broadway, and Heroes at the Wyndham’s Theatre. His other theatre credits include The Habit of Art for the National Theatre and Rules of the Game and Galileo for the Almeida Theatre. His Royal Shakespeare Company credits include The White Guard, Once in a Lifetime, Henry VIII and Volpone. His recent television credits include Episodes, Ballet Shoes and Bleak House all for the BBC but he is most well known on television for playing D.I. Henry Crabbe in Pie in the Sky. On film Griffiths played the unforgettable role of Uncle Monty in the British black comedy, Withnail and I. His other film credits include the role of Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Hugo, Private Peaceful, Stage Beauty, Sleepy Hollow and The History Boys.
Laura Tisdall on her inspiration for The In-Between Musical
So the mastermind behind the new concept album for The In-Between Musical Laura Tisdall was kind enough to answer a few questions for me on the idea behind the story.
1 – What was your inspiration for The In-Between musical?
Ah, this could be a long answer! Since I was 10 and first read Harry Potter, I got really into fantasy/sci-fi and have now read and watched a whole range of stories in those genres – Tim Burton films, Buffy, Lost, Doctor Who, the Eragon, Twilight, and His Dark Materials series’… I could write a very long list! My first musical, Faerytale, was like a dark, pre-Disney fairy story. So that’s my background really. Then, at Uni one my friends mentioned this computer game he’d played where people are led between levels of death, like purgatory. He said he thought it would make a good musical and it got me thinking about that sort of idea, which comes up in a lot of things, City of Angels being another example. But I didn’t want to do a show where the main character had died, so I started thinking about parallel worlds and, specifically, a place in between worlds. With that setting, the main characters came very quickly. Although the framework and, I guess, practicalities of The In-Between have changed a lot since then, who Flick, Alice and Calicus are; where they start, how they develop and where they end up has stayed the same.
Win a years membership to the Whatsonstage.com theatre club
I am feeling super generous again and a years free membership to the Whatsonstage.com theatre club could be yours.
With a one free ticket to see STOMP, regular outings and other fabulous benefits the Whatsonstage.com theatre club is a theatre lovers dream.
So for your chance to win this amazing prize just answer this question.
Who was The SEE TICKETS Best New Musical winner?
Leave your answers in the comment box below and remember to fill in your details correctly so if you win I will be able to contact you. Also if you have a twitter ID then also leave that as i can tweet you if you win.
For full T&C’s please see below.
1. Closing deadline for all entries is March 9th 2012
2. The winner will be picked at random and contacted via email and Twitter
(if provided) the following day and the onus is on the winner to reply with their full
address details for their membership pack to be delivered to.
3. Once the winner has been contacted they have 24 hours to reply otherwise another
entry will be picked at random.
Sweeney Todd EXCLUSIVE Trailer
Starring Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton the show opens in March at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End. Full of drama and a fantastic Sondheim score it’s set to be one of London’s biggest new musicals in 2012.
Audiences have been eating up this revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical about the wronged barber who wreaks his horrible revenge on London.
But whether you’re a current inhabitant of the capital or just visiting, have no fear – this meaty production is as dazzling for its razor-sharp wit as it is for its guts and gore.
Michael Ball, better known for lighter roles in shows such as Hairspray and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is utterly transformed as the malevolent Sweeney, while Imelda Staunton (winner of an Olivier Award for another Sondheim show, Into The Woods) plays his partner in crime with relish.
Matilda wins big at the Whatsonstage.com Awards
So another year is over for the Whatsonstage.com Awards and there were some very worthy and a couple of questionable winners but overall a fabulous evening of award giving and performances.
The awards were once again hosted by Sheridan Smith along with co-hosts Alan Davies and comedian Jenny Eclair. In addition to Kerry Ellis and Brian May closing the show was an energetic performance of Defying Gravity, there were performances by nominees and other West End stars including Sharon D Clarke, Hannah Waddingham, Sean Palmer, Clare Foster, Ben Goddard, and Sophie Evans.
Over 70,000 people took part in the voting process this year which saw a major new record representing a 55% increase on last year’s turnout.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda were the big winners of the night taking home 4 of the 9 awards they were up for including Best New Musical, Best Choreographer for Peter Darling and Best Set Designer for Rob Howell (also recognised for his work on Ghost the Musical).
Other big winners included Ghost The Musical which saw Richard Fleeshman, now preparing to reprise his role as Sam Wheat in the Broadway premiere of Ghost the Musical, won Best Actor in a Musical; Rob Howell for Set Design and Hugh Vanstone for Lighting.
One Man, Two Guvnors won three prizes. Richard Bean’s 1960s Brighton-set version of Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters. The play scooped Best New Comedy hands down and Its two male stars also triumphed: James Corden, for Best Actor in a Play while Oliver Chris took home Best Supporting Actor.
I think the most questionable winner of the night and what seemed to be the most controversial was Amanda Holden for Best Actress in a musical (Shrek) Now I am not denying I enjoyed her performance in Shrek as Princess Fiona but I certainly don’t think she deserved the title of Best Actress.
Other actresses who were nominated were Caissie Levy for Ghost The Musical, Clare Foster for Crazy For You, Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram Eleanor Worthington Cox & Sophia Kiely – Matilda the Musical, Emma Williams for Love Story and Sarah Lancashire for Betty Blue Eyes.
For a full list of winners and coverage you can visit the Whatsonstage website
West End Stars Record New Musical Concept Album
Nine of the West End’s leading stars can be heard on the concept album for a new musical, The In-Between, which has just been released online today (15 February 2012). Performers featured on the recordings include Sabrina Aloueche, Julie Atherton, Daniel Boys, Cassandra Compton, Hadley Fraser, Alexia Khadime, Dianne Pilkington, Lauren Samuels and Liam Tamne.
A quirky tale of love, friendship and letting go, The In-Between is a fantasy musical telling the story of sarcastic misfit, Flick Wimple, a perpetually underachieving nineteen-year old who stumbles through the wrong doorway and finds herself trapped in between parallel worlds. Desperately searching for a way home, Flick must overcome new challenges as she finds help in unexpected places and is forced to confront her troubled past…
The In-Between has music, lyrics and book by Laura Tisdall, whose previous credits include Bill Kenwright’s UK tour of The Haunting and Kerry Ellis and Brian May’s Anthems: The Concert.
The concept album can be heard in full at www.theinbetweenmusical.com or www.facebook.com/theinbetweenmusical.
After The Turn A New Musical By Tim Prottey-Jones
It’s not often something unqiue and original comes our way in terms of small theatre productions but out of the blue comes After The Turn a musical which tells the story of the once popular Michael (Liam Doyle) who was the front man of the band Lost Boys who has become mute over the tragic death of his over protective mother Amanda played by Ashleigh Gray (Wicked & Betwixt) and pushing everyone away close to him including his now ex girlfiend Lauren (Tori Allen-Martin) we discover the truth as to what actually happended.
With a mind blowing original score from Tim Prottey-Jones this show is a sheer joy to watch and with such raw talent gracing the stage this musical is an absolute sure fire hit with every age.
I can gaurantee this new musical will be getting my vote next year in the What’s On Stage Awards best off west end show.
After The Turn is currently playing at the Courtyard Theatre until February 25th for tickets and more information visit the website http://aftertheturn.com
Dennis Kelly’s DNA Returns!
When I heard the news that DNA was back I just has to grab myself a ticket.
First performed at the National Theatre in 2008, this startling play is fast becoming a contemporary-classic with young audiences and has recently become a core set-text on the GCSE English syllabus, studied by up to 400,000 students nationwide each year.
When a group of teenagers do something bad, really bad, then panic and cover the whole thing up. But when they find that the cover-up unites them and brings harmony to their otherwise fractious lives, where’s the incentive to put things right?
Featuring a stellar cast of talented young actors including James Alexandrou from EastEnders fame, This brand new touring production directed by the National Theatre’s Anthony Banks features a cutting-edge design & soundtrack.
Dennis Kelly is currently receiving critical acclaim for co-writing the Royal Shakespeare’s production of Matilda The Musical currently in the West End . His other work includes Osama the Hero (Hampstead Theatre), The Gods Weep (RSC), and Pulling (BBC 3).
Making a whistle stop at the Unicorn Theatre between April 17th until the 28th you should definatley check this play out, it’s truly not to be missed.
DNA will be touring the UK till 23rd May 2012
It’s all change at the Olivier Awards
Like everyone else I am sure, I was excited to learn the news of the up and coming changes to this years Olivier Awards.
Moving to the lavish location of the Royal Opera House and an awards celebration staged in Covent Garden piazza, with a free big-screen relay of the Awards as well as other live performances from West End shows is one of the smaller changes SOLT have taken this year in the revamp of the awards.
The biggest news and change of all is for the first time, the Oliviers celebrations will also include a live show relay to a Broadway event with an invited audience of VIPs including British stars on Broadway and industry figures.
Julian Bird, chief executive of SOLT and executive producer of the Awards, said in a statement: “This year’s 36th Olivier Awards with MasterCard will reflect a particularly star-studded year for London theatre, and the plethora of high calibre sell-out productions for which audiences have been queuing around the block. I am delighted we have been able to extend our celebrations to New York.”
The Oliviers, which will this year be held on Sunday 15 April 2012, will be hosted for the second year by Sweeney Todd co-stars Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton with yet again “extensive” coverage on BBC television, radio and online.
For the second year the Olivier Awards will be broadcast live on the BBC’s Red Button service in addition to traditional coverage on BBC Radio 2. As with last year’s broadcast, coverage will commence on the red carpet at 5pm ahead of the ceremony’s 6pm start.
The full list of nominations will this year be announced at noon on Thursday 15 March 2012, reflecting the later cut-off date for eligible productions of 16 February 2012.
For up to date information visit the Olivier Awards website http://www.olivierawards.co.uk
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