Noel Coward’s Relative Values West End bound with Patricia Hodge, Rory Bremner and Caroline Quentin?

West End transfer gossip

Trevor Nunn directs a new production of Noel Coward’s Relative Values at the Theatre Royal Bath this summer (from 12 June 2013).

In a starry cast that features Katherine Kingsley, Patricia Hodge, Rory Bremner and Caroline Quentin, the rumours are that the play may be West End bound.

One of Noël Coward’s most successful comedies, Relative Values in set in the early 1950s and deals with the culture clash between the glittering world of Hollywood and the stiff upper lip of the English aristocracy.

LINKS

Theatre Royal Bath website

DANIEL CROSSLEY in Singin’ in the Rain

Following its critically-acclaimed, sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, Singin’ in the Rain will be making a splash at London’s Palace Theatre from February 2012. Based on one of the world’s best-loved films, this joyous show stars Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley and Scarlett Strallen.

Daniel Crossley’s theatre credits include Me and My Girl and A Chorus Line for Sheffield Theatres, Anything Goes and Love’s Labour’s Lost for the National Theatre, Kiss of the Spider Woman for Hull Truck Theatre, The Snow Queen for Derby Theatre, Hello, Dolly!, As You Like It, Oh! What a Lovely War and Romeo and Juliet for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Mary Poppins on tour in the UK. His television credits include Doctors, Heartbeat and Coronation Street.

Joining  Daniel Crossley as Cosmo Brown are Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood, Scarlett Strallen as Kathy Selden, and Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont, plus Michael Brandon as RF Simpson and Sandra Dickinson as Dora Bailey/Miss Dinsmore.

Jonathan Church’s production of Singin’ in the Rain starts previews at the Palace Theatre from 4 February 2012.

LINKS

Book tickets to Singin’ in the Rain at the Palace Theatre in London

ADAM COOPER in Singin’ in the Rain

Following its critically-acclaimed, sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, Singin’ in the Rain will be making a splash at London’s Palace Theatre from February 2012. Based on one of the world’s best-loved films, this joyous show stars Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley and Scarlett Strallen.

Multi award-winning Adam Cooper’s theatre credits include Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre, Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, On Your Toes and The Wind in the Willows at the Royal Festival Hall and Zorro on tour in the UK. With the Adventures in Motion Pictures Company as well as playing the Angel in Cinderella, he created the award-wining role of the Swan in Swan Lake, which, after opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, transferred to the West End, LA and Broadway. As a member of the Royal Ballet Company (1989-97) his numerous credits include Romeo and Juliet, Myerling, The Judas Tree, Onegin and La Ronde.

Joining Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood are Scarlett Strallen as Kathy Selden, Daniel Crossley as Cosmo Brown, and Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont, plus Michael Brandon as RF Simpson and Sandra Dickinson as Dora Bailey/Miss Dinsmore.

Jonathan Church’s production of Singin’ in the Rain starts previews at the Palace Theatre from 4 February 2012.

LINKS

Book tickets to Singin’ in the Rain at the Palace Theatre in London

SCARLETT STRALLEN in Singin’ in the Rain

Following its critically-acclaimed, sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre, Singin’ in the Rain will be making a splash at London’s Palace Theatre from February 2012. Based on one of the world’s best-loved films, this joyous show stars Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley and Scarlett Strallen.

Scarlett Strallen’s theatre credits include The Music Man at Chichester Festival Theatre, Passion for the Donmar Warehouse, the title role in Mary Poppins in the West End and on Broadway, The Merry Wives of Windsor for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Witches of Eastwick at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium and HMS Pinafore, Twelfth Night and Cymbeline for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Her film credits include Beyond The Sea and The Snow Queen.

Joining Scarlett Strallen as Kathy Selden is Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood, Daniel Crossley as Cosmo Brown, and Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont, plus Michael Brandon as RF Simpson and Sandra Dickinson as Dora Bailey/Miss Dinsmore.

Jonathan Church’s production of Singin’ in the Rain starts previews at the Palace Theatre from 4 February 2012.

LINKS

Book tickets to Singin’ in the Rain at the Palace Theatre in London

West End Transfer Confirmed For Critically Acclaimed Production Of Singin’ In The Rain Starring Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley, Scarlett Strallen & Katherine Kingsley

Jonathan Church’s new production of Singin’ in the Rain is to transfer to the Palace Theatre following its critically acclaimed, sell-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre. Church’s production of Singin’ in the Rain, with choreography by Andrew Wright, is based on the classic 1952 MGM film and produced in the West End by Stage Entertainment UK and Chichester Festival Theatre, and is booking at the Palace Theatre from 4 February 2012, initially through to 29 September 2012. The production will open on TUESDAY 15 FEBRUARY, with tickets on public sale from MONDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2011.

The West End cast is led by Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood, Daniel Crossley as Cosmo Brown, Scarlett Strallen as Kathy Seldon and Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont, with Michael Brandon as RF Simpson and Sandra Dickinson as Dora Bailey/Miss Dinsmore, all of whom will reprise their roles from the original Chichester production.

Singin’ in the Rain features songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, including Make ‘em Laugh, Good Morning, Moses Supposes and Singin’ in the Rain, original screenplay and adaptations are by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. With choreography by Andrew Wright, the production is designed by Simon Higlett, with sound by Matt McKenzie and lighting by Tim Mitchell. Church’s production of Singin’ in the Rain opened on 27 June 2011 at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, where it played to capacity houses and extended its run to cope with demand. The 1952 MGM film of the same name, which will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its release next year, starred Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds and is considered one of the most beloved and enduring movie musicals of all time.

Don Lockwood is a silent movies star with everything he could want – fame, adulation and even a well-publicised ‘romance’ with his co-star Lina Lamont. But Hollywood is about to change forever. There is rumour in the studio of a new kind of film, where the actors actually talk… and sing… and dance.

The full West End cast is Michael Brandon, Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley, Brendan Cull, Flora Dawson, Sandra Dickinson, Jaye Juliette Elster, Peter Forbes, Gemma Fuller, Francis Haugen, Katherine Kingsley, David Lucas, Scott Mobley, Ebony Molina, Gillian Parkhouse, Sherrie Pennington, Lisa Ritchie, Scarlett Strallen, and Nancy Wei George.

Multi award-winning Adam Cooper’s theatre credits include Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre, Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, On Your Toes and The Wind in the Willows at the Royal Festival Hall and Zorro on tour in the UK. With the Adventures in Motion Pictures Company as well as playing the Angel in Cinderella, he created the award-wining role of the Swan in Swan Lake, which, after opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, transferred to the West End, LA and Broadway. As a member of the Royal Ballet Company (1989-97) his numerous credits include Romeo and Juliet, Myerling, The Judas Tree, Onegin and La Ronde.

Daniel Crossley’s theatre credits include Me and My Girl and A Chorus Line for Sheffield Theatres, Anything Goes and Love’s Labour’s Lost for the National Theatre, Kiss of the Spider Woman for Hull Truck Theatre, The Snow Queen for Derby Theatre, Hello, Dolly!, As You Like It, Oh! What a Lovely War and Romeo and Juliet for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Mary Poppins on tour in the UK. His television credits include Doctors, Heartbeat and Coronation Street.

Scarlett Strallen’s theatre credits includes The Music Man at Chichester Festival Theatre, Passion for the Donmar Warehouse, the title role in Mary Poppins in the West End and on Broadway, The Merry Wives of Windsor for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Witches of Eastwick at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium and HMS Pinafore, Twelfth Night and Cymbeline for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Her film credits include Beyond The Sea and The Snow Queen.

Katherine Kingsley’s theatre credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for the Donmar Warehouse, Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Piaf at the Donmar Warehouse and Vaudeville Theatre, (Olivier Award nomination) High Society at the Shaftesbury Theatre, The Canterbury Tales at Bristol Old Vic and The 39 Steps at the Liverpool Playhouse and on UK tour. Her film credits include Days of the Siren, Now We Are Three and 100 Second Marriage.

Michael Brandon’s UK theatre credits include the title role in Jerry Springer – The Opera which opened at the National Theatre and transferred to the West End, Wet Weather Cover at the Arts Theatre, Speed The Plow for the Theatre Royal Lincoln and On the Waterfront for the Hackney Empire. On television he is known for playing Dempsey opposite Glynis Barber in Dempsey and Makepeace. His other television credits include roles in Hustle, The Last of the Lehman Brothers, Doctor Who, New Tricks, Trial and Retribution and Ally McBeal. His film credits include Captain America – The First Avenger, Me and Orson Welles and Presumed Dangerous.

Sandra Dickinson’s theatre credits include A Woman of No Importance for Salisbury Playhouse, the UK tour of Anything Goes, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, The Graduate at the Gielgud Theatre, Orpheus Descending at the Donmar Warehouse and Not About Nightingales for the National Theatre. Her television credits include White Van Man, Two Point Four Children, New Tricks, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who. Her film credits include Tormented and Malice in Wonderland.

Jonathan Church has been Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre since 2006. In the West End he has directed Of Mice and Men at the Savoy and The Old Vic, The Witches at Wyndham’s and A Busy Day at the Lyric Theatre. His productions at Chichester include The Real Inspector Hound, The Critic, The Grapes of Wrath, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Hobson’s Choice, The Circle and Pravda.

Previously for Chichester Festival Theatre award-winning Andrew Wright has choreographed 42nd Street. His other choreography credits include By Jeeves for the Landor Theatre, Almost Like Being In Love at the National Theatre, Naked Boys Singing at the King’s Head and Arts Theatre and The Showgirl Within at the Garrick Theatre. As well as many pantomimes he has choreographed six performances of The Night of 1000 Voices at the Royal Albert Hall, Sunday Night at the Theatre Royal and Evita for Leeds Grand Theatre.

Stage Entertainment is one of the world’s largest theatrical producers and venue owners, with bases across Europe and in New York. Previous UK credits include the multi Olivier Award winning Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre and UK tour, Sister Act at the London Palladium, the Broadway Theater in New York and UK tour, Strictly Come Dancing Live! UK arena tours, Disney’s High School Musical 1 & 2 (Hammersmith Apollo and UK tours), Fame at the Shaftesbury Theatre and UK tours, The Full Monty at the Prince of Wales and UK tour, Contact at the Queen’s Theatre and Blue Man Group at the New London Theatre.

Chichester Festival Theatre is one of this country’s most prolific and successful producing houses having transferred many productions to the West End and beyond, including recently the multi-award winning productions of Macbeth and ENRON (which both also transferred to Broadway), the world premiere of Yes, Prime Minister, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead which recently completed a run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Chichester’s critically acclaimed revival of Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls is currently playing at London’s Trafalgar Studios. Chichester Festival Theatre celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2012.

Singin’ in the Rain is based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film and produced by arrangement with Maurice Rosenfield, Lois F Rosenfield and Cindy Pritzker Inc. This production is by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Inc. Music Published by EMI.

Release issued by: Premier PR

LINKS

Book tickets to Singin’ in the Rain at the Palace Theatre in London

Production photos of Singin’ in the Rain at the Chichester Festival Theatre

Production photos: A brand new stage production of Hollywood classic Singin’ in the Rain has started at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

An all-star cast includes Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley, Katherine Kingsley, Scarlett Strallen, Michael Brandon and Sandra Dickinson.

Based on the classic MGM movie, Singin’ in the Rain features a glorious score including Make ‘em Laugh, Good Morning, Moses Supposes and, of course, Singin’ in the Rain. Directed by Chichester’s Artistic Director Jonathan Church, the show stars Michael Brandon as film boss R. F Simpson, Sandra Dickinson as Dora, Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont, Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood, Daniel Crossley as Cosmo Brown and Scarlett Strallen as Kathy Selden.

Singin’ in the Rain is at Chichester Festival Theatre from 27 June to 10 September 2011.

Photos by Roy Tan.

LINKS

Chichester Festival Theatre website

West End transfer for Singin’ in the Rain?

Singin’ in the Rain casting confirmed

Michael Brandon, Sandra Dickinson and Katherine Kingsley have been confirmed to appear in the musical Singin’ in the Rain at Chichester Festival Theatre, alongside Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley and Scarlett Strallen.

Michael Brandon will play film boss R. F Simpson. Brandon originated the title role of the infamous talk show host in Jerry Springer -The Opera at the National Theatre and in the West End, for which he received an Olivier Award nomination. His other theatre credits include Wet Weather Cover, On the Waterfront and Speed the Plow. On screen he is perhaps best known as police detective Lieutenant James Dempsey in the popular 1980s ITV crime drama Dempsey and Makepeace. Other screen credits include a recent episode of BBC 1’s Hustle, The Last Days of Lehman Brothers and a forthcoming mini-series This September by Rosamund Pilcher.

Sandra Dickinson will play Dora, a radio show host, and Miss Dinsmore, a diction coach. Dickinson’s credits include the BBC television series’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and 2 Point 4 Children, as well as the films Space Truckers, Supergirl and Superman III.

Katherine Kingsley will play Lina Lamont, a shrill-voiced leading lady. Kingsley’s credits include Hobson’s Choice at Chichester (Festival 2007), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Donmar Warehouse), the roles of Marlene Dietrich and Madeleine in Piaf (Donmar Warehouse and the West End), for which she received an Olivier Award nomination, Rose in Aspects of Love (Menier Chocolate Factory), The 39 Steps (UK tour) and High Society (West End and UK tour).

The Singin’ in the Rain cast also features Adam Cooper, whose credits include On Your Toes and Guys and Dolls, as silent movies star Don Lockwood, Daniel Crossley, whose credits include Hello, Dolly!, Chicago, Fosse and Mary Poppins, as Cosmo Brown, and Scarlett Strallen, who has appeared in The Music Man (Festival 08), Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as Kathy Selden.

Singin’ in the Rain is at Chichester Festival Theatre from 27 June – 10 September, 7.30pm, (except Press Night, Tuesday 5 July at 7pm), matinees 2.15pm.

Release issued by: Chichester Festival Theatre

LINKS

Chichester Festival Theatre website

Aspects of Love – Reviews Round-up

Phew! The Menier Chocolate Factory is back on form after the slight blip that was Paradise Found. A collective sigh was heard across the Review pit as Trevor Nunn’s unfinished business with Aspects of Love garnered largely positive reviews from the critics, who weren’t always enamoured with the lyrics but heaped much praise on Nunn’s intimate chamber staging, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music and the accomplished cast. Given Nunn’s success with A Little Night Music, there will be much expectation that this will transfer to the West End and beyond.

Dave Willets cast in Aspects of Love

Musical theatre veteran Dave Willets has been cast as George in the new Menier Chocolate Factory production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love.

With book and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart, Aspects of Love will see the return of director Trevor Nunn to the Menier after his enormous success with A Little Night Music, currently starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury on Broadway. Nunn also directed the original West End production of the show in 1989 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Willets has worked with Trevor Nunn before, notably playing Jean Val Jean in Nunn’s RSC production of Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre. He is also no stranger to Andew Lloyd Webber’s work having covered most major roles including the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican, Old Deuteronomy in Cats and was Olivier award nominated for his recent performance as Max von Mayerling in Sunset Boulevard at the Comedy Theatre. Other roles include Major Lee in Someone Like You at the Strand Theatre, Zero Janvier in Tim Rice’s Tycoon, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in Jekyll, Adam Pontipee in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Julian Marsh in 42nd Street and numerous national and international concert tours.

Joining Willets will Michael Arden and Katherine Kingsley in the lead roles of Alex and Rose, alongside Rosalie Craig as Giulietta, Martyn Ellis as Marcel, Rebecca Brewer as Jenny, and Jill Armour, Louisa Lydell, Ian McLarnon, David Roberts, Savannah Stevenson, Dominic Tighe and Rebecca Trehearn.

The Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical will premiere at the venue from7 July, with designs by David Farley, choreography by Lynne Page, lighting by Paul Pyant, musical supervision by Caroline Humphris, orchestrations by David Cullen and sound by Gareth Owen.

The show is based on David Garnett’s novel and tells the story of passion, love and loss across three generations of a family and their companions set against the background of 1940′s France and Italy.  Alex Dillingham, a young student travelling through France, falls in love with the alluring actress Rose Vibert.  As the pair embark on a passionate affair, the unexpected arrival of Alex’s uncle changes their lives forever.  A love story spanning twenty years binding six people and three generations as they come to appreciate that love changes everything.

Young American actor Michael Arden has appeared in Big River and The Times They Are A-Changing on Broadway, and off Broadway productions of Swimming in the Shallows, Bare, Ace, God of Vengeance, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale and The Secret Garden.  TV roles include Bones, Numbers and Grey’s Anatomy.

UK actress Katherine Kingsley is currently starring in the UK tour of The 39 Steps, and other credits include Piaf (Olivier Award nomination), The Truth Will Out, The Black and White Ball, Hobson’s Choice, High Society and The Canterbury Tales. On-screen work includes The Bill, Hollyoaks and Casualty.

Book tickets to Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory

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