In the West End This Week: Wicked, Oliviers
February 7, 2011
What’s coming up in the West End this week, including The Wizard of Oz, Wicked, Shoes, the Olivier Awards and The Children’s Hour.
Monday 7 February 2011
Mark Evans in Wicked
A new cast joins Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Lee Mead said farewell to the company on Saturday night, and a number of new cast members join the show tonight including Mark Evans as Fiyero, Zoë Rainey as Nessarose and Ben Stott as Boq, alongside current stars Rachel Tucker as Elphaba and Louise Dearman as Glinda.
The Olivier Award nominations will be announced today at 11am at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. This year’s awards – which will be presented on 13 March at Drury Lane – promise to have upped the star and glamour quotient and will be televised by the BBC.
The Wizard of Oz starts previews tonight. This mega new production at the London Palladium, rebooted by Jeremy Sams and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright, sees Over The Rainbow star Danielle Hope join Michael Crawford and Hannah Waddingham.
Tuesday 8 February 2011
A big theatre day! Shoes – the hugely successful Sadler’s Wells show – opens tonight at the Peacock Theatre to give the show a much deserved West End airing.
Million Dollar Quartet, the musical that recreates the historic day when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis all made music together, starts previews at the Noel Coward Theatre on Tuesday.
Also much deserving is Clybourne Park, which gets its official opening at the Wyndhams Theatre starring Sophie Thompson and Stephen Campbell Moore. Bruce Norris’ satirical comedy, directed by Dominic Cooke for the Royal Court, has been sweeping the boards at various awards including the recent South Bank Sky Arts Awards and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards.
Also on Tuesday, Showstopper the Improvised Musical begins at the Ambassadors Theatre in London with the the all-singing, all-dancing cast creating a brand new musical from scratch every night in this award-winning production. Plus, the Southwark Playhouse opens its new production of Sondheim’s Company directed by Joe Fredericks.
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Elisabeth Moss in The Children's Hour
The Children’s Hour gets its official opening night at the Comedy Theatre tonight, starring Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Keira Knightley and Ellen Burstyn in Lillian Hellman’s controversial play.
Friday 11 February 2011
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee starts previews as the Donmar Warehouse.
And coming up
Next week sees The Woman in Black celebrate its 23rd birthday, having opened in the West End on 15 February 1989. 2011 promises to be a big year for the show, with a brand new movie version of Susan Hill’s classic horror story opening in cinemas starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Photos: The Wizard of Oz cast rehearsals
February 6, 2011
Behind-the-scenes cast photos of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s The Wizard of Oz, previewing from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium.
Pictures include Danielle Hope, Michael Crawford, Hannah Waddingham and Sophie Evans.
LINKS
Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
HANNAH WADDINGHAM in The Wizard of Oz
December 8, 2010
Hannah Waddingham to play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.
West End star Hannah Waddingham is not through with playing evil witches.
After wowing audiences in Regent’s Park this summer playing the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Open Air Theatre, she will return to fairytale nastiness this winter playing the Wicked Witch of the West in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster new production of The Wizard of Oz, which opens at the London Palladium this February.
Hannah has enjoyed a successful stage career, including Olivier Award nominations for the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Desiree Armfelt in Trevor Nunn’s production of A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Garrick Theatre.
Her other roles include Suzanne Valadon in Lautrec at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Christine Warner in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Beautiful Game at the Cambridge Theatre) Satan in Rod Stewart’s Tonight’s The Night, Bad Girls The Musical at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, A Chorus of Disapproval for Theatr Clywd and Rizzo in Grease at the Victoria Palace Theatre.
The Wizard of Oz previews from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium starring Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Hope as Dorothy, Michael Crawford as the Wizard, Paul Keating as Scarecrow, Edward Baker-Duly as Tin Man, David Ganly as the Cowardly Lion and Emily Tierney as Glinda, The Good Witch.
Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
PAUL KEATING in The Wizard of Oz
December 6, 2010
Andrew Lloyd Webber casts Paul Keating as Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.
Paul has been twice nominated for Olivier Awards – and we think this next project could be the one.
The multi-talented actor has been cast as the Scarecrow in Lord Lloyd Webber’s great big revival of musicals classic The Wizard of Oz – to open at the London Palladium in February.
Paul’s impressive list of stage credits includes the lead role in Tommy at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Tick… Tick… BOOM! at the Duchess Theatre, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors with Sheridan Smith at Menier Chocolate Factory and in the West End, the Pet Shop Boys musical Closer to Heaven, the Balladeer in Assassins, La Cava at the Piccadilly Theatre and Victoria Palace, the Full Monty at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Prince of Palma in Don Carlos directed by Michael Grandage, Buttons in Cinderella at the Old Vic Theatre and Blowing Whistles at the Leicester Square Theatre.
On-screen appearances include Metrosexuality and Bring Me The Head Of Mavis Davis.
The Wizard of Oz previews from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium starring Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Hope as Dorothy, Michael Crawford as the Wizard, Paul Keating as Scarecrow, Edward Baker-Duly as Tin Man, David Ganly as the Cowardly Lion and Emily Tierney as Glinda, The Good Witch.
Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
The Wizard of Oz: Further casting
November 29, 2010
Andrew Lloyd Webber announces further casting for The Wizard of Oz
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster new production of The Wizard of Oz, which opens at the London Palladium this February, has announced further casting details.
A Little Night Music star Hannah Waddingham to play the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz
After wowing audiences in Regent’s Park this summer playing the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Wood, Hannah Waddingham is to play the Wicked Witch of the West in the blockbuster new production, alongside Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Hope as Dorothy and Michael Crawford as the Wizard.
Dorothy’s companions on the yellow brick road to Oz will feature Paul Keating as the Scarecrow, Edward Baker-Duly as Tin Man and David Ganly as the Cowardly Lion. Glinda, The Good Witch, will be played by Emily Tierney.
Hannah Waddingham’s credits include Olivier Award nominations for the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Desiree Armfelt in Trevor Nunn’s production of A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Garrick Theatre.
Paul Keating has appeared in a number of stage roles including the lead role in Tommy at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Tick… Tick… BOOM! at the Duchess Theatre and The Little Shop of Horrors with Sheridan Smith at Menier Chocolate Factory and in the West End.
Edward Baker-Duly’s credits include Gone With The Wind and West Side Story in the West End and Rookery Nook at the Menier; David Ganly has featured in the Young Vic’s recent production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre and The Full Monty at the Prince of Wales Theatre; Emily Tierney recently appeared in David Essex musical All The Fun Of The Fair at the Garrick Theatre.
Danielle Hope and Michael Crawford, stars of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz will star Danielle Hope, 18, who won the BBC talent show Over the Rainbow to become Dorothy in the new production. Over The Rainbow runner-up Sophie Evans will cover the part of Dorothy on Tuesdays and when Ms Hope is on holiday. The show will also star Michael Crawford as the Wizard, who returns to the London Palladium after his triumphant run there in the 1980s in Barnum, for which he won an Olivier award. Michael is also well known for originating the role of the Phantom in Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in both London and New York, winning Tony and Olivier Awards for his performance.
The major musical starts rehearsals in December featuring songs from the original Harold Arlen film score plus new songs penned by a reunited Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group will produce the show, with performances starting from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium. The creative team behind the 2006 revival of The Sound of Music, including director Jeremy Sams, designer Robert Jones and choreographer Arlene Phillips, will work on the show.
Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
MORE OZ NEWS
Danielle Hope will perform at this year’s Royal Variety Performance in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
The annual show, which will take place on 9 December 2010, is to be held at the London Palladium – home of forthcoming musical The Wizard of Oz – to help the venue celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Love never dies but does take rests
October 22, 2010
Are Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright best buddies or what? It’s like a true West End bro-mance.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright with Sophie Evans
Bill and Andy have been commercial partners for a while now, with Bill producing national tours of Andrew’s shows, notably Evita and Joseph – which has made millions for the two men.
Plus Bill is helping Andrew out producing his next biggie, The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium next February, starring Danielle Hope. Their announcement that Sophie Evans will be Dorothy First Reserve for the show at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in July, was a nice two-hander that demonstrated how close the two rivals have become (see photo).
And now we hear that Bill is assisting the Lord in doing a bit of light tinkering with Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre. Most who’ve seen the show seem to enjoy it, but Andrew has been unhappy since the opening and his creative team – Hairspray’s Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell – have fled back to Broadway to work on Catch Me If You Can (quite apt!)
So ALW has pressed on with some changes of his own – including some revised lyrics by Phantom lyricist Charles Hart, Ben Elton has been involved in adding his thoughts, and Bill is going to have a stab at making the ending more satisfying.
The show will take a four day break from 22 November for the changes to take place.
Will the critics be invited to review the show all over again we ask?
SPECIAL OFFER: Save on tickets to Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre in London
Michael Crawford to star in Wizard of Oz
September 24, 2010
Theatre veteran Michael Crawford is to reunite with Andrew Lloyd Webber 24 years after playing the original Phantom of the Opera.
Danielle Hope and Michael Crawford, stars of The Wizard of Oz
The actor will take on the role of the Wizard in Lloyd Webber’s multi-million pound production of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, starting 7 February 2011.
Crawford, 68, made his last appearance in the West End 7 years ago as Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman In White at the Palace Theatre, although had to leave the show early due to illness. He is most famous for playing Frank Spencer in BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.
Michael told the Daily Telegraph that, “I’ve been fortunate working with Andrew before so I thought there was no harm in trying again. We’re all very excited about the show. It’s a slightly different interpretation of the story and we are sort of developing our own character of the Wizard. He’s quite a crafty character. He was played by Frank Morgan very successfully in the film so I’ve got a lot to live up to.”
The show will also star Danielle Hope, 18, who won the BBC talent show Over the Rainbow to become Dorothy in the new production. The cast will also include Over The Rainbow runner-up Sophie Evans covering the part of Dorothy on Tuesdays and when Ms Hope is on holiday.
The major musical starts rehearsals in December featuring songs from the original Harold Arlen film score plus new songs penned from a reunited Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Rice and Lloyd Webber are arguably the world’s most successful living composer-lyricists with shows including Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group will produce the show, with performances starting from 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium. The creative team behind the 2006 revival of The Sound of Music, including director Jeremy Sams, designer Robert Jones and choreographer Arlene Phillips, will work on the show.
The first stage version of L Frank Baum’s classic book was in 1902 starring Anna Laughlin. The 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland is the most famous version of the show, and was adapted into a stage musical in 1945 by Frank Gabrielson for the St. Louis Municipal Opera.
Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.
Wizard of Oz West End
May 24, 2010
The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
The show will start performances on 7 February 2011 at the London Palladium (CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS).
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Lord Webber is producing the show, following his search for a Dorothy in BBC One’s Over The Rainbow.
The first stage version of L Frank Baum’s classic book was in 1902 starring Anna Laughlin. The 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland is the most famous version of the show, and was adapted into a stage musical in 1945 by Frank Gabrielson for the St. Louis Municipal Opera. In 1987 the RSC produced a new stage musical version which was much closer to the film, and starred Imelda Staunton as Dorothy, who was nominated for an Olivier award for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical.
Andrew Lloyd Webber will look to add some new songs to the stage show: “The film worked fantastically but we need some new songs for the stage show”, said Lloyd Webber.
BOOK TICKETS TO THE WIZARD OF OZ AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE WIZARD OF OZ:
Advice on staging productions of The Wizard of Oz
About the first (1902) stage play of The Wizard of Oz
History of stage productions of The Wizard of Oz
Wizard of Oz – Stage adaptations
The screenplay of the classic MGM film
Website celebrating The Wizard of Oz – including a FAQs section
Danielle Hope wins role of Dorothy
May 23, 2010
Newcomer Danielle Hope has won Over The Rainbow to star as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
Danielle Hope, winner of Over The Rainbow
An 18-year-old student from Greater Manchester has won the BBC One talent show Over The Rainbow, winning the star role of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s multi-million pound production of The Wizard of Oz.
In a closely fought final show, Danielle won the right to wear Dorothy’s ruby slippers against 17-year-old Sophie Evans from south Wales.
The new production of the classic musical will be staged in March 2011 at the London Palladium.
Last night’s final also saw the part of Dorothy’s dog Toto cast for the West End show, with Mini Schnauzer “Dangerous Dave” winning the part.
Danielle said last night: “All I can say is thank you, it feels like not enough but I am just so grateful.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber, judge on the show and producer of the West End musical, said that, “you’re the most fantastic, talented kid with a huge future ahead. Now the hard work starts”.
Danielle is a a full-time student in Knutsford, and recently quit her part time job as a waitress to focus on her studies and her dream of becoming a renowned entertainer and Broadway performer.
Her big passion is drama, but she has danced in front of large audiences at local dance festivals, including BBC African Dance Project at Bridgewater Hall, and the Dance House Annual Cheshire Platform. Danielle takes dance classes at least six times a week to hone her skills.
Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
DANIELLE HOPE in The Wizard of Oz
May 17, 2010
DANIELLE HOPE FINISHES IN THE WIZARD OF OZ ON 5 FEBRUARY 2012
Danielle Hope, star of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
The final of Over The Rainbow saw Danielle Hope become the winning Dorothy to star in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s multi-million pound new production of classic musical The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.
17 year old Danielle from Greater Manchester is a full-time student in Knutsford, and recently quit her part time job as a waitress to focus on her studies and her dream of becoming a renowned entertainer and Broadway performer.
Danielle’s family are very large and spread out, but are very supportive of her. They try to remain realistic about her career choices as she gets into the notoriously difficult show-business industry, but they’re always there to cheer her on – especially her Nanna.
Her big passion is drama, but she has danced in front of large audiences at local dance festivals, including BBC African Dance Project at Bridgewater Hall, and the Dance House Annual Cheshire Platform. Danielle takes dance classes at least six times a week to hone her skills.
Book tickets to The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium
