Wicked celebrates 5th birthday plus other anniversaries coming up

Mega-hit musical Wicked celebrates 5 years at the Apollo Victoria Theatre

When it opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London on 27 September 2006 the reviews for Broadway musical Wicked were decidedly lukewarm, with Paul Taylor of the Independent declaring that “I enjoyed very little…”

Fast-forward five years and the show’s reign as one of the most successful musicals in London theatre history continues unabated, having taken over £145m at the box office and about to welcome its four millionth visitor in the next couple of months.

The show premiered on Broadway in 2003, where it also continues to pack them in and appear week after week at the top of the box office charts. Stephen Schwartz’s musical is based on Gregory Maguire’s best-selling novel, which in turn is inspired by L Frank Baum’s classic story Wizard of Oz, which is also running in the West End at the Palladium Theatre.

The book and musical tell the “untold” story behind Baum’s classic, envisioning the Wicked Witch starting life as a good, green-skinned girl who turns evil due to the prejudice of those around her, notably her spoilt sister Glinda, who later becomes the Good Witch.

The show enjoys enormous levels of support from a loyal fanbase, many of whom have seen the musical countless times.

A new cast will join the show from 12 December this year, including Gina Beck as Glinda and and Matt Willis as Fiyero, plus Desmond Barrit returning to the show to play The Wizard, alongside current Wicked stars Rachel Tucker as Elphaba and Julie Legrand as Madame Morrible.

Wicked recently played its 2000th performance at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and has won numerous awards including the 2010 Olivier Award for Most Popular Show. Long may the success continue.

Book tickets to Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London

OTHER ANNIVERSARIES COMING UP

Autumn is always a big time for theatre anniversaries, being prime season for the opening of new shows. Already this month we’ve seen The 39 Steps celebrate its 5th birthday at the Criterion Theatre on 20 September and STOMP celebrate its 9th birthday on 25th September, having opened in the West End in 2002.

Coming up, Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre turns 26 on 8 October 1985 and is still riding on a massive high following its 25th anniversary celebrations last year and continuing news and gossip about the upcoming Hollywood movie version of the show.

Last year may have been all about Les Mis but this year it’s The Phantom of the Opera’s turn to bask in the spotlight as the show turns 25 on 9 October. The show, which has played continuously at Her Majesty’s Theatre since 1986, and subsequently all around the world, will celebrate with a special The Phantom of the Opera 25th anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Also in October Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre turns 12 on 19 October.

LINKS

Book tickets to Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London

 

Gina Beck And Matt Willis To Join Cast of Wicked From Monday 12 December 2011. Desmond Barrit Returns To Play ‘The Wizard’

WICKED, the smash hit musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is pleased to announce that Gina Beck and Matt Willis will join the cast on Monday 12 December 2011 to star as Glinda and Fiyero respectively. Desmond Barrit is returning to the show to play The Wizard. They will be joined by Lillie Flynn (Nessarose), Christopher Howell (Doctor Dillamond) and Adam Pettigrew (Boq).

Gina Beck (Glinda) recently finished a two-year season starring as ‘Christine Daaé’ in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera at London’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. She made her West End debut in 2006 as ‘Cosette’ in Les Misérables at the Queens Theatre and recently performed in the 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2. Gina is currently starring in The Belle’s Stratagem at the Southwark Playhouse.

Matt Willis (Fiyero) first shot to fame as a member of the chart-topping, BRIT award-winning band Busted. In 2006 he won the popular ITV show I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!. He has subsequently made countless TV appearances, many alongside his wife, presenter Emma Willis. Having originally trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, Matt returned to his theatre roots in 2010, to make his West End debut as ‘Nick Hurley’ in Flashdance. He most recently starred as ‘Chuck’ in the UK national tour of Footloose.

Desmond Barrit (The Wizard) originally starred in WICKED in 2008/09. The Olivier award-winning RSC and National Theatre actor has just finished playing ‘Falstaff’, directed by Sir Peter Hall, to great acclaim.

Gina Beck (Glinda), Matt Willis (Fiyero), Desmond Barrit (The Wizard), Lillie Flynn (Nessarose), Christopher Howell (Doctor Dillamond) and Adam Pettigrew (Boq) will join current WICKED stars Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) and Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible) from Monday 12 December 2011.

WICKED recently played its 2000th performance and will celebrate its landmark 5th birthday on Tuesday 27 September 2011. The “hugely popular musical” (The Times) has now been seen by almost 4 million people since its West End premiere in 2006.

Acclaimed as “the hit musical with brains, heart and courage” (The Sunday Telegraph), WICKED has won multiple awards including the 2010 Olivier Award for Most Popular Show and the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best West End Show in both 2011 and 2010.

Release issued by: Wicked Press Office

LINKS

Book tickets to Wicked at the Apollo Victoria in London

Flashdance to close early

Flashdance The Musical has posted early closing notices at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

Based on the 80s movie about an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” by night, the musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

Producers of the show have confirmed that it will close at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 15 January 2011. The show received mixed reviews when it opened at the theatre in October, with Michael Billington in the Guardian typical of the critical response to the show: “Thanks to Arlene Phillips’s choreography and Nikolai Foster’s direction, the show brims with physical energy and is full of visual invention. All the same, there are aspects of this blue-collar Cinderella story that don’t quite add up.”

Written by Tom Hedley and Robert Cary, with music by Robbie Roth, lyrics by Robert Cary and Robbie Roth, Flashdance The Musical is directed by Nikolai Foster with choreography by Arlene Phillips and orchestrations and musical supervision by Phil Edwards. Flashdance The Musical, is based on the Paramount Pictures film and its well-known score includes Maniac, Manhunt, Gloria and the Academy Award winning title song Flashdance – What a Feeling. Ten original songs have also been created for the musical.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £19.50 on previews to Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

FURTHER INFORMATION

Customers who have booked tickets for the show from 17 January onwards should contact their original point of sale for refunds. Customers who have booked through westendtheatre.com, please contact Encore Tickets on +44 (0) 207 492 1606 between 10am and 5pm Monday to Friday or email hdesk@encoretickets.co.uk with your booking details.

Flashdance – Save £19.50 on tickets

Save £19.50 on tickets to see FLASHDANCE The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

Valid Mon – Fri until the 30 November (excludes 25-31 Oct)

Based on the hit Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Flashdance The Musical is a high-octane dance sensation choreographed by Arlene Phillips and featuring an iconic score that includes Manhunt, Gloria and Flashdance – What A Feeling.

Based on the 80s movie about an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” by night, the musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

The David Ian production is directed by Nikolai Foster with choreography by Arlene Phillips (Grease, Strictly Come Dancing), and the show’s well-known score includes Maniac, Manhunt, Gloria and the Academy Award winning title song Flashdance – What a Feeling. Ten original songs have also been created for the musical.

“A great recession-buster of a night out” (Daily Mail)

BOOK TICKETS: Save £19.50 on tickets to see FLASHDANCE The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

Valid Mon – Fri until the 30 November (excludes 25-31 Oct)

VIDEO: Flashdance the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre

Book tickets to Flashdance the Musical
More information about the show
More information about the Shaftesbury Theatre

VIDEO

Flashdance the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London – Trailer

LINKS

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Flashdance The Musical – Reviews Round-up

A round-up of reviews for Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

Hot on the heels of a West End filling up with shows based on 80s movie, it’s the turn of Flashdance The Musical to get its moment on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Based on the hit Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Flashdance The Musical is choreographed by Arlene Phillips and features a well-known score that includes Manhunt, Gloria and Flashdance – What A Feeling.

As the critics point out, the story is very Billy Elliot: an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh, who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” in a club by night, dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. When she falls for her posh boss, all of her dreams start to come together.

The musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

Critics were mostly full of praise for Phillips’ choreography and the lead performances, but marked the show down over the revised plot (trying to be darker in places) and of feeling manipulated and hit over the head with yet another movie-into-a-musical.

Read round-ups of reviews from the Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Express and The Stage below.

Special offer: Save £19.50 on tickets to Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftebsury Theatre in London

Opening this week: Onassis, Flashdance

This week’s West End openings range from classic American drama to modern Greek tragedy, with Pittsburgh flashdancing and West End blues thrown in. Plus the 80th birthday of a Wicked West End theatre.

THE COUNTRY GIRL

Opening tonight, Monday 11 October, at the Apollo Theatre is Clifford Odets’s classic drama The Country Girl, about a once-great theatre star who is given the chance to make a major comeback.

Jenny Seagrove and Martin Shaw reunite on stage after their onscreen appearance in Judge John Deed to star in the show.

Special offer: Book tickets to The Country Girl at the Apollo Theatre

ONASSIS

On Tuesday 12 October at the Novello Theatre Robert Lindsay opens in Onassis, playing controversial Greek tycoon Aristotle in Martin Sherman’s new play. Based on the last years of this life, this powerful drama reveals his passionate and interwoven relationships with Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas, and his son Alexandros. Stand-out supporting performances come from Anna Francolini as Callas and Lydia Leonard as Jackie.

Special offer: Book tickets to Onassis at the Novello Theatre

FLASHDANCE THE MUSICAL

Despite technical problems with the rain machine that postponed the start of previews, Flashdance the Musical is set for a trouble-free first night on Thursday 14 October at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

Based on the 80s movie about an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” by night, the musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis. Grease producer David Ian is the man behind the show, with direction by Nikolai Foster and choreography by the ubiquitous Arlene Phillips. The show’s well-known score includes Maniac, Manhunt, Gloria and the Academy Award winning title song Flashdance – What a Feeling. Ten original songs have also been created for the musical.

Special Offer: Book tickets to Flashdance the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

Thursday also sees the opening night for the new venture at the King’s Head pub theatre in Islington: London’s Little Opera House opens with a new version of The Barber of Seville, directed by Robin Norton-Hale. Artistic director Adam Spreadbury-Maher is promising an exciting season of opera on a small scale including Madame Butterfly as a Bangkok lady-boy.

Book tickets to The Barber of Seville at London’s Little Opera House

THE MUSIC OF THE BLUES BROTHERS – A TRIBUTE

Finally, on Friday 15 October Hartshorn – Hook Productions presents ‘The Music of the Blues Brothers – a Tribute’, the most electric rock’n'roll party of the year. Following spectacular success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer with a month of sell-out shows and 5-star reviews, this raucous live tribute show is now rolling into London. This Tribute is directed by the award-winning Patrick Wilde and is backed by the tightest rhythm and blues band in the city. We tear through the best in American Blues, Soul and Rock’n'Roll classics including Gimme Some Lovin, Think, Minnie The Moocher, Sweet Home Chicago, and Jailhouse Rock. So dig out your sunglasses and get ready to shake your tail feather because this supercharged high-octane Tribute is about to take London by storm.

Books tickets to The Music of the Blues Brothers – A Tribute

APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE

Friday also sees the 80th birthday of the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London. Celebrations have included an all-star charity gala yesterday, Sunday 10 October, featuring the cast of the venue’s current show, Wicked, and past productions including Starlight Express. The Apollo Victoria forms part of a historic year for West End theatres, with a number of venues celebrating their 80th anniversaries this year.

Designed by E. Wamsley Lewis and W E Trent, the Apollo Victoria originally opened as a cinema on 15 October 1930 showing George Arlis movie “Old English”.

Flashdance The Musical starts Saturday

Flashdance The Musical starts previews Saturday at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

After technical problems postponed the start of previews yesterday for Flashdance the Musical, the show starts tonight, 25 September, at the Shaftesbury Theatre, with its press night on 14 October 2010.

Based on the 80s movie about an 18 year old girl from Pittsburgh who is a welder by day and a ‘flashdancer” by night, the musical features the star of the UK tour, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, and former Busted boyband member Matt Willis.

The David Ian production is directed by Nikolai Foster with choreography by Arlene Phillips (Grease, Strictly Come Dancing), and the show’s well-known score includes Maniac, Manhunt, Gloria and the Academy Award winning title song Flashdance – What a Feeling. Ten original songs have also been created for the musical.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £18.50 on previews to Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

SHOWS CLOSING:

Saturday 25 September: The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Vaudeville Theatre. Jeff Goldblum and Mercedes Ruehl end their run in Neil Simon’s brilliant New York comedy.

Shows closing in September

It’s all change in the West End next month as September sees a number of shows bid farewell.

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.

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

VICTORIA HAMILTON BARRITT in Flashdance The Musical

A new star is born in Victoria Hamilton Barritt, playing Alex in Flashdance The Musical

There’s nothing like having the most famous choreographer in the UK as your champion, but that’s what Victoria Hamilton Barritt’s got.

Arlene Phillips, former Strictly Come Dancing judge and choreographer of just about everything (including Grease, Starlight Express, We Will Rock You, Saturday Night Fever and the forthcoming The Wizard of Oz), said of Victoria when they were casting for Flashdance: “After searching the country high and low and seeing hundreds of girls for the part of Alex, I suddenly remembered the stunning Victoria Hamilton-Barritt who had played a leading role in Saturday Night Fever in the West End and invited her to audition. She is the only girl who we believe can sing, act and dance this role to the standard we need’.

That’s quite something from the “Queen of mean”.

Victoria trained at the Urdang Academy of Performing Arts in London and has worked constantly since, acting, singing and dancing her way through a range of West End shows and UK tours including creating the role of Alex for the UK Tour of Flashdance The Musical, her recent gig as Rizzo in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Fame at the Aldwych Theatre, Desperately Seeking Susan at the Novello Theatre as well tours of Saturday Night Fever and West Side Story.

Arlene Phillips has also been quoted as saying that in this new production of the show (Arlene has dumped the choreography from the UK tour in favour of a whole new look), she wants “strong girls with strong thighs and strong bodies… I want girls who can spin on their heads and not break.”

We know that Victoria can do it.

Book tickets to Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

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