The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium

At last, we present our first ticket offer on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s major production of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. Starring Danielle Hope and Michael Crawford, Westendtheatre.com readers can save up to £22.50 off tickets to see the show this winter.

The multi-million pound production, which features songs from the Oscar-winning movie plus specially written new songs by Lloyd -Webber and Tim Rice, opened on 1 March 2011 and continues to delight audiences of all ages at the Palladium.

The show stars Danielle Hope, winner of the BBC talent show Over the Rainbow as Dorothy in the new production. Also starring in the show is theatre veteran Michael Crawford as The Wizard of Oz, Marianne Benedict (Crazy for You) as the Wicked Witch of the West, Paul Keating (Tommy) as Scarecrow, Edward Baker Duly (Copacabana) as Tin Man, David Ganly (Chicago) as Cowardly Lion and Emily Tierney (All the Fun of the Fair) as Glinda.

The cast also includes Over The Rainbow runner-up Sophie Evans covering the part of Dorothy on Tuesdays and when Ms Hope is on holiday.

The team behind the 2006 revival of The Sound of Music has created the show, including director Jeremy Sams, designer Robert Jones and choreographer Arlene Phillips.

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SPECIAL OFFER: Save up to £22.50 on tickets to see The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium

Major new West End show Ghost The Musical enjoyed a glittering premiere at the Piccadilly Theatre last night.

Denise Van Outen at the press night for Ghost The Musical

A host of well-known stage and screen stars came together to celebrate the big-budget new movie-to-stage musical including Michael Ball, Arlene Phillips, Denise Van Outen, JLS and Frank Skinner.

Van Outen said that she “loved” the show, with Marvin from JLS congratulating star Richard Fleeshman, saying: “The boys and I were truly blown away last night.. well done mate”.

Ghost The Musical stars Richard Fleeshman(Legally Blonde, Coronation Street) as Sam, originally played on screen by the late Patrick Swayze, and hot Broadway starlet Caissie Levy (Hair, Wicked) as Molly, originally played by Demi Moore. Joining Fleeshman and Levy is West End star Sharon D Clarke as Oda Mae Brown, played in the movie by Whoopi Goldberg, and Andrew Langtree as Carl.

Ghost The Musical is directed by Matthew Warchus (Deathtrap, La Bete), with music and lyrics by legendary pop and rock writers Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (writer of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror). The show also features the classic song from the movie, Unchained Melody.

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MIDNIGHT TANGO is the creation of Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace, stars of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. The show has been touring the United Kingdom since April and has been the fastest selling show of the year in many of the venues. Producers of the show, Arlene Phillips and Adam Spiegel, are delighted to announce that MIDNIGHT TANGO will now be seen in the West End at the Aldwych Theatre for a strictly limited season, opening on 20 January 2012. The season must end on 31 March.

MIDNIGHT TANGO is set in a late-night bar in downtown Buenos Aires. Vincent and Flavia both star in and have choreographed the show, which brings to life all the drama, sensuality and elegance of the tango. They are joined on stage by some of the finest tango dancers in the world, and, between them, they take the audience on a journey into the heart of this intoxicating city, as danger and excitement, joy and jealousy, pain and passion combine into a spectacular and explosive evening.

Of the announcement of the West End season, producer Arlene Phillips said, “I’m thrilled with how well the show has been received around the country, and sell-out shows and standing ovations are every producer’s dream. Vincent and Flavia in MIDNIGHT TANGO are a must-see, and I hope the show’s arrival into the West End is just as successful.” Vincent and Flavia are equally delighted: “We are so incredibly pleased at how MIDNIGHT TANGO has been received and appreciated by our audiences. It’s an absolute thrill that we are taking the show to the West End. We sincerely hope to continue giving pleasure and making our audiences smile and cry with our show.”

MIDNIGHT TANGO is directed by Olivier Award-winning choroegrapher Karen Bruce, who has choreographed for both Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance on BBC 1, and whose theatre credits include Pacific Overtures (Donmar Warehouse) and Footloose (West End and UK Tour). Choreography is by Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace, design by Morgan Large and lighting by James Whiteside. The live music will be provided by top tango band, Tango Siempre, featuring vocalist Guillermo Rozenthuler.

The current nationwide tour of MIDNIGHT TANGO ends in Glasgow on 30 July and is produced by Arlene Phillips and Adam Spiegel.

Release issued by: Amanda Malpass PR

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Following a triumphant run of nearly four years, the smash hit musical Grease will close in London at the end of its current West End run on Saturday 30 April 2011. Grease returned to London on 25 July 2007 and since its premiere the show has played over 1,500 performances and entertained audiences totalling more than 1 ½ million people at the Piccadilly Theatre where it opened to public acclaim and is now the longest running show in the venue’s history. Grease will begin a new tour this spring (the first in over five years) opening at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 6 May 2011.

Since breaking out on Broadway in 1972, Grease’s place has been firmly established in the cultural Hall of Fame having seduced the hearts of millions with its back-to-back sizzling tunes. The show features all the unforgettable songs from the hit film including ‘You’re The One That I Want’, ‘Grease Is The Word’, ‘Summer Nights’, ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’, ‘Sandy’, ‘Greased Lightnin’ and many more.

Voted the “No 1 Greatest Musical”*, Grease has proved that a musical love story, bursting with denim, cheerleaders, slick hairstyles, rock’n’roll, teenage angst and young romance is timeless and universal.

This production originally opened in the West End in 1993 (co-produced with Robert Stigwood) where it enjoyed a fantastic run of 6 years. The last international tour of Grease was a phenomenal success, playing to sell-out audiences and smashing records at many venues. Since 1993 the show has been seen by audiences totalling over 12 million people in the UK alone. Last year, a second production played internationally in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Auckland and Hong Kong.

Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, directed by David Gilmore (Daisy Pulls It Off, Happy Days, Song & Dance, Footloose) and choreographed by Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance The Musical & BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing), Grease is produced in the West End by Paul Nicholas and David Ian, by arrangement with Robert Stigwood.

Release issued by: Public Eye

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SPECIAL OFFER: Save on tickets to Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre in London

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s major new production of The Wizard of Oz has openedat the London Palladium, starring Danielle Hope and Michael Crawford.

The multi-million pound production, which features songs from the Oscar-winning movie plus specially written new songs by Lloyd -Webber and Tim Rice, stars Danielle Hope, who won the BBC talent show Over the Rainbow to become Dorothy in the new production.

Also starring in the show is theatre veteran Michael Crawford, who is reuniting with Andrew Lloyd Webber 24 years after playing the original Phantom of the Opera to play The Wizard of Oz, Hannah Waddingham (Into The Woods) as the Wicked Witch of the West, Paul Keating(Tommy) as Scarecrow, Edward Baker Duly (Copacabana) as Tin Man, David Ganly (Chicago) as Cowardly Lion and Emily Tierney (All the Fun of the Fair) as Glinda.

The cast also includes Over The Rainbow runner-up Sophie Evans covering the part of Dorothy on Tuesdays and when Ms Hope is on holiday.

The team behind the 2006 revival of The Sound of Music is creating the show, including director Jeremy Sams, designer Robert Jones and choreographer Arlene Phillips.

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Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

Danielle Hope and Michael Crawford, stars of The Wizard of Oz

The multi-million pound production, which features songs from the Oscar-winning movie plus specially written new songs by Lloyd -Webber and Tim Rice, gets its official opening night on 1 March 2011.

The show stars Danielle Hope, who won the BBC talent show Over the Rainbow to become Dorothy in the new production.

Director the show, Jeremy Sams, said earlier this week that newcomer Danielle Hope is “marvellous” as Dorothy and, “she makes total sense on the stage. She is the calmest professional I have ever worked with.”

Also starring in the show is theatre veteran Michael Crawford, who is reuniting with Andrew Lloyd Webber 24 years after playing the original Phantom of the Opera to play The Wizard of Oz, Hannah Waddingham (Into The Woods) as the Wicked Witch of the West, Paul Keating (Tommy) as Scarecrow, Edward Baker Duly (Copacabana) as Tin Man, David Ganly (Chicago) as Cowardly Lion and Emily Tierney (All the Fun of the Fair) as Glinda.

The cast also includes Over The Rainbow runner-up Sophie Evans covering the part of Dorothy on Tuesdays and when Ms Hope is on holiday.

The team behind the 2006 revival of The Sound of Music is creating the show, including director Jeremy Sams, designer Robert Jones and choreographer Arlene Phillips.

Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

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Photos: The Wizard of Oz rehearsals

Over The Rainbow fan pages

Victoria Hamilton Barritt in Flashdance

Based on the 80s movie about an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” by night, the musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

Producers of the show have confirmed that it will close at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 15 January 2011. The show received mixed reviews when it opened at the theatre in October, with Michael Billington in the Guardian typical of the critical response to the show: “Thanks to Arlene Phillips’s choreography and Nikolai Foster’s direction, the show brims with physical energy and is full of visual invention. All the same, there are aspects of this blue-collar Cinderella story that don’t quite add up.”

Written by Tom Hedley and Robert Cary, with music by Robbie Roth, lyrics by Robert Cary and Robbie Roth, Flashdance The Musical is directed by Nikolai Foster with choreography by Arlene Phillips and orchestrations and musical supervision by Phil Edwards. Flashdance The Musical, is based on the Paramount Pictures film and its well-known score includes Maniac, Manhunt, Gloria and the Academy Award winning title song Flashdance – What a Feeling. Ten original songs have also been created for the musical.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £19.50 on previews to Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

FURTHER INFORMATION

Customers who have booked tickets for the show from 17 January onwards should contact their original point of sale for refunds. Customers who have booked through westendtheatre.com, please contact Encore Tickets on +44 (0) 207 492 1606 between 10am and 5pm Monday to Friday or email hdesk@encoretickets.co.uk with your booking details.

Valid Mon – Fri until the 30 November (excludes 25-31 Oct)

Victoria Hamilton Barritt in Flashdance The Musical

Based on the hit Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Flashdance The Musical is a high-octane dance sensation choreographed by Arlene Phillips and featuring an iconic score that includes Manhunt, Gloria and Flashdance – What A Feeling.

Based on the 80s movie about an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” by night, the musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

The David Ian production is directed by Nikolai Foster with choreography by Arlene Phillips (Grease, Strictly Come Dancing), and the show’s well-known score includes Maniac, Manhunt, Gloria and the Academy Award winning title song Flashdance – What a Feeling. Ten original songs have also been created for the musical.

“A great recession-buster of a night out” (Daily Mail)

BOOK TICKETS: Save £19.50 on tickets to see FLASHDANCE The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

Valid Mon – Fri until the 30 November (excludes 25-31 Oct)

Based on the hit Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Flashdance The Musical is a high-octane dance sensation choreographed by Arlene Phillips and featuring an iconic score that includes Manhunt, Gloria and Flashdance – What A Feeling. Stars Victoria Hamilton Barritt and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

Book tickets to Flashdance the Musical
More information about the show
More information about the Shaftesbury Theatre

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Flashdance the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London – Trailer

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Victoria Hamilton Barritt in Flashdance The Musical

Hot on the heels of a West End filling up with shows based on 80s movie, it’s the turn of Flashdance The Musical to get its moment on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Based on the hit Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Flashdance The Musical is choreographed by Arlene Phillips and features a well-known score that includes Manhunt, Gloria and Flashdance – What A Feeling.

As the critics point out, the story is very Billy Elliot: an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh, who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” in a club by night, dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. When she falls for her posh boss, all of her dreams start to come together.

The musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

Critics were mostly full of praise for Phillips’ choreography and the lead performances, but marked the show down over the revised plot (trying to be darker in places) and of feeling manipulated and hit over the head with yet another movie-into-a-musical.

Read round-ups of reviews from the Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Express and The Stage below.

Special offer: Save £19.50 on tickets to Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftebsury Theatre in London