Shows closing in September
August 17, 2010
It’s all change in the West End next month as September sees a number of shows bid farewell.
La Bete
September marks a busy time for Theatreland as a slate of new shows open in town, which means a number of summer hits are closing to make way.
This month, Sam Mendes’ Bridge Project shows at the Old Vic, As You Like It and The Tempest, starring Stephen Dillane and Juliet Rylance, closes on 21 August. They are swiftly followed by La Bete at the Comedy Theatre, which closes on 28 August before heading off to Broadway. The Matthew Warchus-helmed show features a starry cast including David Hyde Pearce, Mark Rylance and Joanna Lumley.
In September, things start to get really shaken up and we lose some of the big summer shows. In a reversal of La Bete, HAIR made its debut on Broadway and then came to London – and you only have until 4 September to see what all the fuss was about and catch the New York cast, including Gavin Creel, before they head home.
Burn The Floor
Also on the 4th we lose David Essex penned musical All The Fun of the Fair, and dance spectacular Burn The Floor , which is clearing its tango shoes and sequins out of the Shaftesbury Theatre to make room for another big dance show, Flashdance The Musical. This will star Matt Willis and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and is choreographed by Arlene Phillips.
And it’s never just one big dance show that goes: butch and blue-collar Tap Dogs starring Adam Garcia is also leaving the West End the day after Burn The Floor, on 5 September.
The short run of The Secret of Sherlock Holmes, riding high after the BBC’s Sherlock series, will end on 11 September at the Duchess Theatre to make way for Michael Gambon in Krapp’s Last Tape.
And we wave goodbye to Jeff Goldblum and Mercedes Ruehl on 25 September as Neil Simon’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue leaves the Vaudeville Theatre.
BOOKING AND OFFERS
Save £19 on tickets to see HAIR at the Gielgud Theatre
Save £30 on tickets to see All The Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre
Save £21 on tickets to see Burn The Floor at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Save £11 on tickets to see Tap Dogs at the Novello Theatre
Half Price tickets to see The Secret of Sherlock Holmes at the Duchess Theatre
Save £14 on tickets to see The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Vaudeville Theatre
All the Fun of the Fair – Half Price
June 10, 2010
Save £30 on tickets to see All The Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre in London
£55 tickets for only £25 on 7th July to 5th September (excludes Saturday evenings)
David Essex and Boogie Nights creator Jon Conway invite you to a roller coaster ride of a musical, underscored by a helter- skelter of David Essex hit songs.
Inspired by David’s debut album ‘All The Fun Of The Fair’, David plays fun fair owner Levi Lee, recently widowed and father of a rebellious teenage son. Danger and mysticism lurk in the future, as predicted by the gypsy fortune teller who is in love with Levi. This moving and contemporary story with a heartbreaking twist, reaches out to every parent and anyone who has ever been torn in love.
Dodgems and motorbikes, crafty cons and candy floss, fairground horses and fights, along with romance and rock and roll bring out the carnival atmosphere in this fun-loving show.
Fabulous songs in the show- all hits for David Essex – include A Winter’s Tale, Hold Me Close, Gonna Make You A Star and Silver Dream Machine.
Alongside David Essex, the cast includes Christopher Timothy, Louise English and the leading role of the son, Jack, will be played by Michael Pickering.
The show is directed by David Gilmore with set and costume designs by Ian Westbrook.
BOOK NOW: Save £30 on tickets to see All The Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre in London
£55 tickets for only £25 on 7th July to 5th September (excludes Saturday evenings)
MICHAEL PICKERING in All The Fun of The Fair
May 7, 2010
Michael Pickering stars in All The Fun of The Fair.
Michael Pickering
A central role in David Essex’s new musical All The Fun of The Fair at the Garrick Theatre is that of Jack, the son of David Essex’s character Levi.
This role has gone to relative newcomer Michael Pickering. He’s no novice though, having made his West End debut in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and swiftly followed this by taking the lead role High School Musical at the Apollo Hammersmith.
He then toured the world in Mamma Mia! before heading back to the UK and showcasing his talent at the Garrick Theatre. And with critics such as the Telegraph’s Charles Spencer hailing him as “”a fresh young talent to watch”, we expect much from Michael Pickering’s career.
Following All The Fun of the Fair, Michael will star as D’Artagnan in a new musical based on Alexandre Dumas’s classic tale The Three Musketeers, at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, Surrey from November 27. The show will also star Clive Rowe, Paul Thornley and Matt Rawle as the three Musketeers, and has a score by George Stiles, lyrics by Paul Leigh and book by Peter Raby and Francis Matthews.
One to watch.
Book tickets to All The Fun of The Fair at the Garrick Theatre in London
All the Fun of the Fair – Reviews Round-up
May 3, 2010
There was much critical “compare and contrasting” going on last week between David Essex’s musical All The Fun of the Fair, which opened at the Garrick Theatre, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Coney Island-set Love Never Dies over at the Adelphi. All The Fun came off better, perhaps as just another opportunity for the critics to put the boot into ALW, but also as a pleasurable way to hear some good old pop tunes from Essex’s back catalogue, woven into a not-overly-bad plot.
STAR RATINGS
The Times 
Daily Express
The Independent
The Telegraph
DAILY EXPRESS
Critic: Paul Callan
ON DAVID ESSEX: “Not quite the rocking luminary of the Seventies we remember but he still has that roguish appeal and can belt out such memorable numbers as Hold Me Close and my old favourite Silver Dream Machine… Essex still has that great, gravelly voice and plays the old-time boss with smooth style.”
IN A NUTSHELL: “A slender framework for 23 of Essex’s best songs but, as jukebox musicals go, it has some dramatic and edgy moments”.
KEY PERFORMANCES: “Michael Pickering is a powerfully voiced Jack, particularly in his solo Lamplight, and Tim Newman as Slow Jonny was highly comical, apart from his “Ooooh Betty” Michael Crawford voice”.
CREATIVE TEAM: “Director David Gilmore keeps the energy moving along and Ian Westbrook’s set catches perfectly the faded charm of old fairgrounds”.
FINAL THOUGHTS: “And I wasn’t the only critic who wanted to jump on the stage and drive a Dodgem…”
THE TIMES
Critic: Benedict Nightingale
IN A NUTSHELL: “This is still basically a sentimental, soft-centred show, one in which even Christopher Timothy’s Harvey, Alice’s possessive and supposedly dangerous father, seems happiest when he’s chatting about the good old days with laid-back Levi. But it’s hard to resist the result. If Essex’s book creaks his songs, many or most of them from his backlist, do come across tunefully enough.”
THE INDEPENDENT
Critic: Michael Coveney
IN A NUTSHELL: ““David Gilmore’s production may not have the sinister fairground glamour and technical pizzazz of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Coney Island melodrama across town, Love Never Dies but it does have its own quality of London pride, Essex (as in the place, and the star) nostalgia and delight in making pop music.”
ON DAVID ESSEX: “Essex himself is so laid back as to be virtually horizontal, but he always had something of the Gypsy about him, and the singing voice, though fading, retains enough of its distinctive cracked parchment properties. With librettist Jon Conway, he’s cleverly devised another way of touring his concert show without having to sing everything himself.”
THE TELEGRAPH
Critic: Charles Spencer
ON THE BOOK: “The inspiration for the plot, a book by Jon Conway in which vicious heavies threaten the funfair’s future and true love refuses to run smoothly, is workmanlike rather than inspired”.
ON THE SONGS: “I was amazed at just how many of Essex’s catchy songs —Gonna Make You a Star, Hold Me Close, A Winter’s Tale and Lamplight —had wormed their way into my consciousness, and how good it was to hear them again.”
IN A NUTSHELL: “The show has that essential but often elusive quality for any musical — heart… The plot line may be predictable, the jokes not quite as funny as one would wish, but there are moments when it becomes genuinely touching, and it is a pleasure to watch a West End production that puts its faith in its performers rather than hi-tech special effects”.
ON DAVID ESSEX: “His voice now has a touchingly vulnerable crack in it, lending an unexpected depth of feeling to even trite lyrics, and he moves with elegant, if now rather languid, aplomb during Rock On.”
Book tickets to All The Fun Of The Fair at the Garrick Theatre in London
OPENING TONIGHT: All The Fun of the Fair
April 28, 2010
David Essex’s new musical ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR will have its London premiere tonight at the Garrick Theatre.
Best known as a recording artist who sold millions of albums in the 70s and 80s, David Essex is also an established writer and performer for theatre. He first came to prominence in musical theatre starring as Jesus in the original West End production of Godspell in 1972 and Che in Evita in 1978 and went on to co-write and star in Mutiny at the Piccadilly Theatre.
And now David returns to the London stage in All The Fun Of The Fair, a show he has co-written with Boogie Nights creator Jon Conway and that features a range of David Essex hits and album favourites – notably inspired by his debut album ‘All The Fun Of The Fair’.
Show show also stars Christopher Timothy and Louise English, with the leading role of David’s son Jack played by Michael Pickering.
Book tickets to All The Fun Of The Fair at the Garrick Theatre in London
DAVID ESSEX in All The Fun Of The Fair
April 13, 2010
70s and 80s pop supremo returns to the West End with new show
David Essex
He may be best known as a recording artist who sold millions of albums, but David Essex is also a theatre pro. He first came to prominence in musical theatre, starring as Jesus in the original West End production of Godspell in 1972 and Che in Evita in 1978. He also appeared in Sir Peter Hall’s She Stoops To Conquer at the Queen’s Theatre, Footloose The Musical at the Novello Theatre and most recently a national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love. He has also written musicals – having co-wrote and starred in the original musical Mutiny! which played at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1985.
And now David returns to the London stage in All The Fun Of The Fair, a show he has co-written with Boogie Nights creator Jon Conway and that features a range of David Essex hits and album favourites.
The show is inspired by David’s debut album ‘All The Fun Of The Fair’, which he has re-writen and arranged especifically for this show, with songs including Winter’s Tale, Hold Me Close, Me And My Girl (Nightclubbing), Silver Dream Machine, Gonna Make You A Star, Rock On and the title track, All the Fun of the Fair.
The cast of the show also includes Christopher Timothy and Louise English, with the leading role of David’s son Jack played by Michael Pickering.
Book tickets to All The Fun Of The Fair at the Garrick Theatre in London
All the Fun of the Fair – Save £22.50
April 1, 2010
Save £22.50 on tickets to see All The Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre in London
Valid Tuesday to Sunday performances until the 9th May
David Essex and Boogie Nights creator Jon Conway invite you to a roller coaster ride of a musical, underscored by a helter- skelter of David Essex hit songs.
Inspired by David’s debut album ‘All The Fun Of The Fair’, David plays fun fair owner Levi Lee, recently widowed and father of a rebellious teenage son. Danger and mysticism lurk in the future, as predicted by the gypsy fortune teller who is in love with Levi. This moving and contemporary story with a heartbreaking twist, reaches out to every parent and anyone who has ever been torn in love.
Dodgems and motorbikes, crafty cons and candy floss, fairground horses and fights, along with romance and rock and roll bring out the carnival atmosphere in this fun-loving show.
Fabulous songs in the show- all hits for David Essex – include A Winter’s Tale, Hold Me Close, Gonna Make You A Star and Silver Dream Machine.
Alongside David Essex, the cast includes Christopher Timothy, Louise English and the leading role of the son, Jack, will be played by Michael Pickering.
The show is directed by David Gilmore with set and costume designs by Ian Westbrook.
