OWAIN ARTHUR in One Man, Two Guvnors

They were always going to be big shoes to fill. James Corden won rave reviews for his performance as Francis Henshall in One Man, Two Guvnors – and is now winging his way to Broadway to wow the other side of the Atlantic. And the job of leading the cast of the West End production of the show now falls to exciting British newcomer Owain Arthur, who has been understudying Corden in the starring role.

Nicholas Hytner and the production team went to see Owain give an understudy performance as Francis when the show played the Adelphi late last year, to decide on his future in the show. And what they found was an exciting new talent who is clearly going places.

Hytner is no stranger to Owain’s work having cast him in his National Theatre production of The History Boys. Owain’s other theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Comedy of Errors for the Royal Exchange Theatre and Birdsong at the Comedy Theatre.

TV work includes Holby City, Ddeg, Cei Bach, New Tricks and The Palace, and on film he can he seen in Abroad, Mr Nice and Eldra.

Nicholas Hytner’s award-winning production of One Man, Two Guvnors starts at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 2 March with a cast that includes Hannah Spearritt as Pauline and Jodie Prenger as Dolly.

LINKS

Book tickets to One Man, Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket 

HANNAH SPEARRITT in One Man, Two Guvnors

Hannah  made her stage debut in The Belle’s Stratagem at Southwark Playhouse last year.

A former member of the hugely successful pop group S Club 7, Spearritt has made a number of US movie appearances including Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London and Seed of Chucky.

UK television credits include Miss Marple and Blessed, but she is best known for playing the leading role of Abby Maitland in five seasons of ITV’s action packed sci-fi series Primeval.

Nicholas Hytner’s award-winning production of One Man, Two Guvnors starts at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 2 March with a cast that includes Owain Arthur as Francis Henshall and Jodie Prenger as Dolly.

LINKS

Book tickets to One Man, Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket 

JODIE PRENGER in One Man, Two Guvnors

Jodie Prenger stars as Dolly in the acclaimed production of One Man, Two Guvnors, as it transfers from the National and the Adelphi theatres to the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Jodie came to prominence after winning the role of Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh’s revival production of Oliver!  through BBC talent search I’d Do Anything. Other theatre credits include playing The Lady of The Lake in the Spamalot UK tour.

TV credits include Hustle, Justin’s House, Candy Cabs and Waterloo Road for the BBC. Extensive presenting work includes leading the search to find a Toto for a gala performance of The Wizard of Oz in Over The Rainbow, covering for Elaine Paige and Paul O’Grady on BBC Radio 2 and co-hosting on Going Out With Alan Carr, the Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show, Laurence Olivier Awards 2010 and Children in Need 2009.

In 2010 and 2011 she toured with John Barrowman on his UK concert tour and made regular concert appearances on Thank You for the Music and The Friday Night Is Music Night James Bond Special.

Nicholas Hytner’s award-winning production of One Man, Two Guvnors starts at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 2 March with a cast that includes Owain Arthur as Francis Henshall and Hannah Spearritt as Pauline.

LINKS

Book tickets to One Man, Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket 

That is was actually held in a theatre again (who knew that a London theatre would make a great venue for a London awards ceremony!)

How pregnant was Nancy Carroll? “Awards shock induces labour” headlines were thankfully (sadly) unnecessary.

Elaine Paige claiming all thanks for bringing the Olivier Awards back to the telly (well, kind of back to the telly, so long as you had a red button). Do you think Julian Bird of the Society of London Theatre felt that he might have  also helped to get the Beeb back on board?

Note to the BBC: Aren’t the Olivier Awards what BBC4 was created for? Why not shove it on there and be done with it?

No expense was spared on the television coverage of the BBC Radio 2 coverage… including Paul Gambaccini and Matt Wolf’s plastic punnets of grapes on display during the televised Radio 2 segments, and just enough microphones for about ONE GUEST.  That said, we did love Paul and Matt’s chattettes, but also resented the disastrous cutting away from the awards action, in particular missing the Railway Children receiving Best Entertainment was a crime. Isn’t the red button all about skipping about and being in lots of places at the same time, split screens, viewers deciding what to see and listen to?…

Barry Manilow’s face: scary, and clearly inspiration for Rupert Everett (and tell me again, other than Cobacabana The Musical playing in the West End in 1994, why was Barry there?)

The Stage’s Mark Shenton: please God have a holiday and don’t get up at 4.30am to listen to the Olivier Awards (although we are always pleased that you do make the effort).

I don’t care what they say, Jodie Prenger was a trouper doing the live Red Carpet coverage. You need someone who can just TALK INCESSENTLY whilst thrusting a microphone in the faces on posing celebrities – and she did the Larry’s proud.

Sheridan Smith’s heartfelt, natural speech when picking up best actress in a musical made us love her even more and we have a sneaky feeling she may be back next year for her part in Flare Path (and who wouldn’t swear on camera when you find out you’ve won a MAJOR AWARD?!)

LISTEN & WATCH AGAIN

BBC iPlayer – Radio 2 coverage

BBC iPlayer – BBC News

LINKS

Olivier Awards – list of winners

Olivier Awards microsite

Olivier Awards – news

Organised by the Society of London Theatre, the awards are the most popular and important in the British theatre calendar. This year they are set for an overhaul, with MasterCard sponsoring the event, and a glitzy ceremony planned for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

The awards will feature full red carpet arrivals and star-studded ceremony that will be hosted by musical theatre star and TV and radio presenter  Michael Ball, and award-winning actress Imelda Staunton.

Star presenters handing out Olivier gongs will include Lost star Matthew Fox, opera tenor Alfie Boe, stars of Frankenstein Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss, Rupert Everett, Amanda Holden and Elaine Paige. Musical performances will include Barry Manilow and Kerry Ellis.

The awards will be covered extensively by the BBC on television, radio and online – including full red carpet coverage of stars arriving for the awards. A live broadcast of the ceremony will be played out via the BBC’s red button service (digital, cable or satellite viewers only), and also Paul Gambaccini will host Radio 2’s live coverage of the night, along with Jodie Prenger who will cover the red carpet arrivals. Plus BBC News will have special live coverage of the red carpet arrivals, and a post-awards reaction programme presented by Jane Hill and BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz. Also highlights of the awards will be available on BBC iplayer the following week.

This year’s Olivier Awards nominations are lead by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies with 7 nominations and Thea Sharrock’s National Theatre production of Terence Rattigan’s After The Dance with 6 nominations, including best director for Sharrock and best actress for Nancy Carroll.

The National Theatre has 17 nominations in total, including nods for Fela!, Hamlet, Beauty And The Beast, The White Guard, Earthquakes In London and London Assurance. The Royal Court and the Donmar Warehouse have nine nominations each. The Royal Court’s Clybourne Park has 4 nominations including best play, and has recently enjoyed success at a number of awards including the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Also tipped for awards are End Of The Rainbow, with 4 nominations including best actress for Tracie Bennett, and Legally Blonde The Musical, with 5 nominations including best actress in a musical for Sheridan Smith. Other nominees for best actress in the musical category include Sierra Boggess for Love Never Dies, Love Story’s Emma Williams and Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar.

Mark Rylance is nominated for a best actor award for his performance in La Bete, alongside Derek Jacobi, David Suchet, Rory Kinnear and Roger Allam. And in the musical category, Ramin Karimloo has a nod for Love Never Dies, joined by Legally Blonde’s Alex Gaumond, David Thaxton for Passion, Sahr Ngaujah for Fela! and Love Story’s Michael Xavier.

In the Olivier Audience Award category, four shows have been up for public vote: Billy Elliot the Musical, Jersey Boy, Les Misérables and We Will Rock You. Also at the awards, Stephen Sondheim will receive the Society of London Theatre’s Special Award for his outstanding contribution to theatre.

The UK’s most prestigious theatre awards started in 1976 as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, becoming the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1984.

LINKS

Olivier Awards microsite

Olivier Awards – nominations

Olivier Awards – news

The awards, which are organised every year by the Society of London Theatre, are the most popular and important in the British theatre calendar. This year they are set for an overhaul, with MasterCard sponsoring the event, and a glitzy ceremony planned at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Olivier Awards nominations were announced at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 7 February 2011, and you can see a full list of the nominees, by both awards category and by show, here.

This is the 35th year for the awards, which were first held in December 1976 at the Café Royal and broadcast as part of the BBC’s Nationwide programme.

This year musical theatre star and TV and radio presenter  Michael Ball, and award-winning actress Imelda Staunton, will host the awards. The awards will be covered extensively by the BBC on television, radio and online – including full red carpet coverage of stars arriving for the awards. The Society will also enlist BBC Radio 2 once again to help promote the Audience Award, which is voted for by members of the public. Last year 55,000 theatregoers voted and Wicked was crowned the Most Popular Show.

Leading this year’s nominations are Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies with 7 nominations and Thea Sharrock’s National Theatre production of Terence Rattigan’s After The Dance with 6 nominations, including best director for Sharrock and best actress for Nancy Carroll.

The National Theatre has 17 nominations in total, including nods for Fela!, Hamlet, Beauty And The Beast, The White Guard, Earthquakes In London and London Assurance. The Royal Court and the Donmar Warehouse have nine nominations each. The Royal Court’s Clybourne Park has 4 nominations including best play, and has recently enjoyed success at a number of awards including the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Also tipped for awards are End Of The Rainbow, with 4 nominations including best actress for Tracie Bennett, and Legally Blonde The Musical, with 5 nominations including best actress in a musical for Sheridan Smith. Other nominees for best actress in the musical category include Sierra Boggess for Love Never Dies, Love Story’s Emma Williams and Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar.

Mark Rylance is tipped for a best actor award for his performance in La Bete, alongside Derek Jacobi, David Suchet, Rory Kinnear and Roger Allam. And in the musical category, Ramin Karimloo has a nod for Love Never Dies, joined by Legally Blonde’s Alex Gaumond, David Thaxton for Passion, Sahr Ngaujah for Fela! and Love Story’s Michael Xavier.

The UK’s most prestigious theatre awards started in 1976 as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, becoming the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1984.

The Laurence Olivier Awards 2011

The 35th annual awards, sponsored this year by Mastercard, will be held at a glittering ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011. Michael Ball will host the awards, with BBC I’d Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger covering the red carpet arrivals.

Held by the Society of London Theatre, this year’s awards will be covered extensively by the BBC on television, radio and online – including full red carpet coverage of stars arriving for the awards. The Society will also enlist BBC Radio 2 once again to help promote the Audience Award, which is voted for by members of the public. Last year 55,000 theatregoers voted and Wicked was crowned the Most Popular Show.

Leading this year’s nominations are Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies with 7 nominations and Thea Sharrock’s National Theatre production of Terence Rattigan’s After The Dance with 6 nominations, including best director for Sharrock and best actress for Nancy Carroll.

The National Theatre has 17 nominations in total, including nods for Fela!, Hamlet, Beauty And The Beast, The White Guard, Earthquakes In London and London Assurance. The Royal Court and the Donmar Warehouse have nine nominations each.

The Royal Court’s Clybourne Park has 4 nominations including best play, and has recently enjoyed success at a number of awards including the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Also tipped for awards are End Of The Rainbow, with 4 nominations including best actress for Tracie Bennett, and Legally Blonde The Musical, with 5 nominations including best actress in a musical for Sheridan Smith. Other nominees for best actress in the musical category include Sierra Boggess for Love Never Dies, Love Story’s Emma Williams and Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar.

Mark Rylance is tipped for a best actor award for his performance in La Bete, alongside Derek Jacobi, David Suchet, Rory Kinnear and Roger Allam. And in the musical category, Ramin Karimloo has a nod for Love Never Dies, joined by Legally Blonde’s Alex Gaumond, David Thaxton for Passion, Sahr Ngaujah for Fela! and Love Story’s Michael Xavier.

The UK’s most prestigious theatre awards started in 1976 as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, becoming the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1984.

See the full list of nominations here

LINKS

Awards Data Bank: All past Olivier awards winners

Awards: 2010 Olivier award winners

Russ Abbot as Fagin in Oliver!

The show, which originally cast Jodie Prenger in the lead role of Nancy through BBC talent show I’d Do Anything, premiered on 14 January 2009 at the venue. This month the show’s fourth Fagin started work, with Russ Abbot stepping into Griff Rhys Jones’s beard and hat to take on the role. Rowan Atkinson originated the part in the current production.

Lionel Bart’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel Oliver Twist first premiered in London in 1960. The current production is directed by Rupert Goold (Enron), based on Sam Mendes 1994 production.

Other cast include Kerry Ellis (Wicked) as Nancy, Steven Hartley as Bill Sikes and Stephen Moore as Mr Brownlow.

Large-scale shows hovering as possible replacements for Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane include a rumoured Broadway transfer of Disney show Shrek.

Special offer: Save £21 on tickets to see Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London