Merrily We Roll Along – Save up to 40%

TICKET SALE: Merrily We Roll Along – Save up to 40%

Following a sell-out season at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Maria Friedman brings her acclaimed directing-debut production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along to the Harold Pinter Theatre, for a strictly limited season.

Written by Sondheim and George Furth, the cast of Merrily We Roll Along includes Damian Humbley (Little Shop of Horrors) as Charley Kringas, Olivier award winner and Tony nominee Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George) as Mary Flynn and Mark Umbers (Sweet Charity) as Franklin Shepard.

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Ticket offer to see Merrily We Roll Along at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London

Merrily We Roll Along | Production photos of Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Production photos of Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory

The reviews are now in and it’s 4 and 5 stars all round for Maria Friedman’s directing debut of Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory. No stranger to Sondheim, Friedman has moved with ease from front of stage to behind it with a sparkling new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s once rather neglected musical.

She has assembled a powerful troupe of players to bring Sondheim’s musical about three friends to life, including Damian Humbley as Charley Kringas, Olivier award winner Jenna Russell as Mary Flynn and Mark Umbers as Franklin Shepard. Plus Josefina Gabrielle as Gussie Carnegie, Glyn Kerslake as Joe Josephson, Clare Foster as Beth Spencer and Zizi Strallen as Meg Kincaid.

Based on the play by Kaufman and Hart, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical charts the turbulent relationship between three friends, Franklin, Charley and Mary, over three decades. Starting in 1980 and travelling backwards in time, this powerful and moving story features some of Sondheim’s most beautiful songs including ‘Good Thing Going’, ‘Not a Day Goes By’ and ‘Old Friends’.

Photos by Roy Tan

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Book tickets to Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory

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Reviews Round-up of Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Reviews round-up of Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory

The reviews are now in and it’s 4 and 5 stars all round for Maria Friedman’s directing debut of Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory. No stranger to Sondheim, Friedman has moved with ease from front of stage to behind it with a sparkling new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s once rather neglected musical.

She has assembled a powerful troupe of players to bring Sondheim’s musical about three friends to life, including Damian Humbley as Charley Kringas, Olivier award winner Jenna Russell as Mary Flynn and Mark Umbers as Franklin Shepard. Plus Josefina Gabrielle as Gussie Carnegie, Glyn Kerslake as Joe Josephson, Clare Foster as Beth Spencer and Zizi Strallen as Meg Kincaid.

Based on the play by Kaufman and Hart, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical charts the turbulent relationship between three friends, Franklin, Charley and Mary, over three decades. Starting in 1980 and travelling backwards in time, this powerful and moving story features some of Sondheim’s most beautiful songs including ‘Good Thing Going’, ‘Not a Day Goes By’ and ‘Old Friends’.

Reviews below from The Telegraph, Guardian, Evening Standard – more to follow.

LINKS

Book tickets to Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Photos: see photos of Merrily We Roll Along

Merrily We Roll Along at Harold Pinter Theatre

Following a sell-out season at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Maria Friedman brings her acclaimed directing-debut production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along to the Harold Pinter Theatre, for a strictly limited season.

Written by Sondheim and George Furth, the cast of Merrily We Roll Along includes Damian Humbley (Little Shop of Horrors) as Charley Kringas, Olivier award winner and Tony nominee Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George) as Mary Flynn and Mark Umbers (Sweet Charity) as Franklin Shepard.

The cast also includes Olivier nominee Josefina Gabrielle (Sweet Charity) as Gussie Carnegie, Glyn Kerslake (Road Show) as Joe Josephson, Clare Foster (Crazy For You) as Beth Spencer and Zizi Strallen (Rock of Ages) asy Meg Kincaid.

Merrily We Roll Along is based on Kaufman and Hart’s play and centres on the turbulent relationship between three friends over three decades. The show travels backwards in time from present day 1980 and is a powerful and moving story about the changing nature of friendship.

The show is filled with classic Sondheim songs including ‘Old Friends’, ‘Good Thing Going’ and ‘Not a Day Goes By’.

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Theatre: Menier Chocolate Factory

 

Kander & Ebb charity gala cancelled

Story Update:

Kander & Ebb tribute at the Victoria Palace Theatre cancelled

A major charity gala which was to have been held in London on 29 April 2012 to celebrate the work of legendary songwriters Kander & Ebb has been cancelled.

The all-star gala at the Victoria Palace Theatre wass being produced by veteran promoter and producer Barry Mishon in collaboration with John Kander, and was to have aided the Ovarian Cancer Action charity.

The charity today announced that it had decided to withdraw from the show, “ for no other reason than due to the current economic climate in which we are operating”, and that they were, “unable to afford to proceed with this venture. Had we been able to continue, we had complete confidence that it would have been a great success, but the environment necessitates that the focus and spend of the Charity must be solely on its core charitable activities at the current time. We reiterate our extreme disappointment at having to arrive at this conclusion, and thank everyone sincerely, particularly Barry, for the time, effort, enthusiasm and determination which has gone into this to date.”

Barry Mishon, the producer of the show, thanked everyone for their  ”great support” but said that he was “dismayed and very upset” on hearing the news.

Stars who had signed up to appear included Tony award winning Chicago choreographer Ann Reinking, Chita Rivera, Marvin Hamlisch, Janie Dee, Maria Friedman, Tyne Daly, Stefanie Powers, Billy Stritch, Clive Rowe, Claire Moore, Linzi Hately, Bonnie Langford, Sally Ann Triplett, Ria Jones, Sian Phillips and Frances Ruffelle.

John Kander and Fred Ebb are two of the most successful musical theatre songwriting partnerships of all time, with their work including Cabaret, Chicago, Zorba, The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Fred Ebb passed away in 2004.

LINKS

SPECIAL OFFER: Book tickets to Chicago at the Garrick Theatre in London

Ovarian Cancer Action website

Ann Reinking signs up for Kander & Ebb charity gala

Production photos of English National Ballet’s Strictly Gershwin at the Royal Albert Hall

English National Ballet’s acclaimed production Strictly Gershwin has returned to the Royal Albert Hall until 19 June 2011.

The show first premiered in 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall and continues English National Ballet’s hugely popular and successful series of in-the-round ballet presentations.

Strictly Gershwin is a dazzling homage to George Gershwin, the big band era and the glamour of musical motion pictures. Gershwin’s timeless classics are combined with Derek Deane’s choreography and Roberta Guidi di Bagno’s designs to conjure up the Hollywood genius and glamour of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The full Company of 67 dancers tap, twirl, jeté and glide their way through a series of Gershwin classics performed by a live jazz orchestra designed to get the toes tapping.

Strictly Gershwin is a dance journey through ballet, tap, and ballroom. Act I ends with a re-creation of the Hollywood classic An American in Paris and Act II opens with Rhapsody in Blue, a spectacular ballet with the full Company of dancers dressed in glittering, Swarovski encrusted midnight blue costumes.

The show features a host of Gershwin favourites including Summertime, Fascinatin’ Rhythm, The Man I Love, Lady be Good,’ S Wonderful, and Strike up the Band, all performed by English National Ballet’s star dancers including the much-celebrated Daria Klimentová and Vadim Muntagirov, Elena Glurdjidze, Arionel Vargas, Dmitri Gruzdyev, Erina Takahashi, Fernanda Oliveira and
Begoña Cao.

The music is arranged for a 50-piece jazz orchestra by musical director, Gareth Valentine. Gareth’s previous work includes West End shows such as Porgy and Bess, Sinatra and Wicked.

“…a song and dance spectacular…” The Mail on Sunday

LINKS

Royal Albert Hall website

Alternative casting for Bette & Joan at the Arts Theatre

On the back of news that a new play is heading to the West End about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford and their time spent filming classic movie Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, Binkie thought it would be helpful to provide the producers with some alternative casting advice lest Anita Dobson or Greta Scacchi drop out!

And so, we present, Maria Friedman as Baby Jane Hudson (played by Ms Davis), and the divine Tracie Bennett as Blanche (aka Joan Crawford)!

Never let it said we don’t help, even when help isn’t required.

LINKS

Book tickets to Bette & Joan at the Arts Theatre in London

BBC Radio 2 – The Musical

Don’t miss this excellent new series on BBC Radio 2 all about the musical.

The eight part series started on Monday, 6 September 2010, at 10pm UK time (listen again here) and each week will cover a different aspect of the world of musical theatre and its 80 year history.

The Musical is presented by a different name in musical theatre each week – with this Monday’s show voiced by award-winning actress Sian Phillips.

This first programme, “Stories with Songs”, revealed the importance of a good book – or story – in a musical, and the contradiction between this and why so few musicals choose to adapt existing stories rather than originate their own. Shows used to demonstrate include The Boy Friend, A Chorus Line, Chess, Starlight Express and Sunday In The Park With George, with lots of showbiz contributions from the likes of Stephen Sondheim, Patti Lupone, John Barrowman, Elaine Stritch, Maria Friedman, Sandy Wilson, Ruthie Henshall, Tim Rice, Elaine Paige, Marvin Hamlisch and Michael Grandage.

Episode two, “Drawn From Life” will be presented by musicals star, Sondheim aficionado and current artistic director of Sheffield Theatres, Daniel Evans, and covers some of the life-stories of real people used in musicals, from Gypsy and Evita to The King and I.

The Musical is produced by Malcolm Prince, who also produces Elaine Paige’s Sunday show on Radio 2.

A number of other theatrical documentaries will come to Radio 2 this autumn including a look at the history of the London Palladium in its centenary year.

LINKS

Listen to The Musical – Episode 1

BBC Radio 2 – The Musical

Applause Magazine – March 1997

Published between1996 and 1997, Applause was a newsstand and subscription magazine devoted to UK theatre.

Edited by Clive Hirschhorn, it was published by ticket agency Applause and aimed to provide theatregoers with informed comment, interviews, features, reviews, and gossip about the plays and players making news in both London and New York. It also provided special offers and discounts on West End shows and event.

CONTENTS

Issue 6, March 1997

Read Applause magazine, issue 6, March 1997

OFFSTAGE – News and gossip from around the West End

LADY IN THE DARK – Dick Vosburgh on a musical that gets its West End premiere 56 years after it was first written

MARIA FRIEDMAN – David Nathan interviews the actress, and talks about her starring role in Lady in the Dark

ONSTAGE – Clive Hirschhorn reviews the West End’s latest offerings

DIARY – New productions in and around the West End

MATT WOLF – Questions the wisdom behind this year’s awards nominations

APPLAUSE THEATRE CLUB – Christopher Biggins brings you more great money saving offers on top West End shows

NED SHERRIN

PEOPLE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE – David Nathan talks to producer Bill Kenwright

RICHARD NELSON – Sheridan Morley assesses the work of an American playwright who does very well over here

REMARKABLE CAREERS – A look at the work of actress Constance Cummings, with Michael Arditti

BOOK REVIEW – Sam Ingleby on Neil Simon’s memoirs

QUIET AT THE BACK, PLEASE! – The theatre nuisance according to Ronald Bergan

NEW FACES – Ruaidhri Conroy, currently making his mark in The Cripple of Inishmaan

SPECTRUM – Opera, Dance, TV and Art reviews and previews by Max Loppen, Jeffery Taylor, Ronald Bergan and John Russell-Taylor

OFFSTAGE BROADWAY – Michael Riedel with news and gossip from the Big Apple

QUIZ

SHOWS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE – Gerald Kaufman, MP

READ

LINKS

PDF: Read Applause magazine, issue 6, March 1997

ISSUU: Read Applause magazine, issue 6, March 1997

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