Dirty Dancing to close in West End
February 16, 2011
Hit West End musical Dirty Dancing is to depart the Aldwych Theatre on 9 July 2011.
Dirty Dancing to close at the Aldwych
The successful stage adaptation of the 1980′s movie will have played for 5 years in London, attracting an audience of nearly 2 million and becoming the longest running production at the Aldwych Theatre.
Dirty Dancing will close in the summer before embarking on a two year National tour, including dates in Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin, Aberdeen, Southampton and Milton Keynes. The tour has already secured advanced sales of £10 million.
The show is written by Eleanor Bergstein, who penned the successful movie, and features hits including ‘Do You Love Me?’, ‘Hungry Eyes’ and the Academy Award Winning ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’.
The current cast includes Ray Quinn as Billy, Hannah Vassallo as Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman and Johnny Wright as Johnny Castle.
SPECIAL OFFER: Save £25 on tickets to Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre
Opening this week: When We Are Married
October 18, 2010
When We Are Married and The Go! Go! Go! Show start previews this week in the West End. Plus special anniversaries for The Lion King and Dirty Dancing.
When We Are Married
WHEN WE ARE MARRIED
Classic playwright J B Priestley is back in the West End and on fine comic form in When We Are Married, starting previews on Tuesday 19 October at the Garrick Theatre.
An all-star cast feature in his beautifully witty play about three highly respectable couples who were all married in the same Yorkshire church on the same day – and are celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss. Then out of the blue, disaster strikes: the vicar was never licensed – they’ve been living in sin all these years!
Directed by Christopher Luscombe, the play stars a who’s who of British comic acting talent including Lynda Baron, Roy Hudd, Sam Kelly, Maureen Lipman, Susie Blake, Michele Dotrice, David Horovitch, Rosemary Ashe and Simon Rouse. Not to be missed.
Special offer: Book tickets to When We are Married at the Garrick Theatre
THE GO! GO! GO! SHOW
The Go! Go! Go! Show
This Saturday, 23 October, sees the return of The Go! Go! Go! Show to the West End. This fun family show features a clever story woven around five young pop stars, and includes brand new pop songs specially written for the show. The production has impressive credentials, including direction by Carole Todd (Dreamboats & Petticoats), choreography by Paul Domaine (The Saturdays, Sugababes, Dannii Minogue), an original story by Dean Wilkinson (Cbeebies, CBBC, Ant & Dec) and music by Mike Stock (one third of the legendary Stock, Aitken & Waterman) and Steve Crosby (who masterminded Steps). With plenty of audience interaction for kids of all ages it promises to be a big winter hit.
Book tickets to The Go! Go! Go! Show at the Leicester Square Theatre
ANNIVERSARIES
The Lion King
The Lion King celebrates its 11th birthday tomorrow, 19 October, at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Disney’s award-winning show goes into its 12th year continuing to attract full houses. Its director Julie Taymor, who won a wealth of awards for the imaginative production, will open her new production of Spider-Man: Turn off the dark next month in New York.
Also celebrating a birthday this week is Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre, which turns 4 on Sunday 24 October. The show currently stars Dancing on Ice winner Ray Quinn as Billy Kostecki, Hannah Vassallo as Baby and Johnny Wright as Johnny Castle.
Dirty Dancing – Hot New Cast
July 26, 2010
We are very impressed with the new cast of Dirty Dancing, playing at the Aldwych Theatre in London.
Dancing on Ice winner Ray Quinn has joined the team, fresh from his stint in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, to play Billy Kostecki.
Baby (her of the corner) is being played by Hannah Vassallo, who is a trained dancer and was recently working for Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures dance company.
We are sure that Canadian Johnny Wright was cast for his talent rather than his name in the role of Johnny Castle. He comes hot foot from the Toronto production of the show to make his West End debut.
Finally the gorgeous line-up in completed by Nadia Coote from Australia, who plays Penny Johnson and Charlie Bruce, who plays Gina… we can’t really remember who Gina is in the show but assume she has been popped on to the poster to make it EVEN MORE ATTRACTVE! And why not we say.
RAY QUINN in Dirty Dancing
June 1, 2010
From Dancing on Ice to Dirty Dancing
Ray Quinn
21 year old Ray Quinn came to prominence in ITV’s The X Factor, finishing second in the 2006 talent show. Not to be beaten, he went on to star in ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2009 and won!
He started his theatrical career with a few small roles in his home town of Liverpool, namely Me and My Girl and Peter Pan. He’s gone on to star as Danny in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End. He has also appeared in Pantomime.
Next up for Ray is Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre this summer, playing the role of Billy Kostecki, Johnny Castle’s cousin, for a limited season from 26 July to 27 November 2010. He gets to sing two iconic songs from the show – “Do You Love Me?” and “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life”.
Dirty Dancing is now in its fourth year at the Aldwych Theatre and brings the action and music of the iconic film to the stage.
CASTING: Wolfboy, Dirty Dancing, Oliver!
June 1, 2010
Emma Rigby and Daniel Boys in Wolfboy; Ray Quinn to strut his stuff in Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre; Russ Abbot takes over from Griff Rhys Jones in Oliver!
WOLFBOY
- Emma Rigby
Former Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby and recent Avenue Q lead Daniel Boys will appear at the Trafalgar Studios this summer to star in the psycho-sexual musical thriller Wolfboy (6 – 31 July).
The new musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival fringe last year and has a book by Russell Labey, music and lyrics by Leon Parris and is based on a play by Brad Fraser.
The musical is a dark and disturbing tale of two troubled teenage boys locked in an asylum for their own good. Bernie has attempted suicide; David may or may not have the powers of a wolf. For them the outside world is a frightening place of abuse and violence. Bernie’s brother Christian and Cherry the young nurse on the unit, also hide secrets that surface in the night, when the moon is full.
Emma Rigby won a Best Actress British Soap Award in 2008 for her role on TV’s Hollyoaks playing Hannah Ashworth.
Daniel Boys appeared on BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do in 2007 and has since performed in a number of concerts and events including a special guest artist on John Barowman’s UK tour, and is a regular on BBC Radio 2′s Friday Night is Music Night.
The cast also includes Paul Holowaty and Gregg Lowe.
Book tickets to see Wolfboy at the Trafalgar Studios in London
DIRTY DANCING
Ray Quinn
X Factor and Dancing on Ice star Ray Quinn is to join the cast of Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre this summer, from 26 July to 27 November 2010.
Quinn, who recently appeared as Danny in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, will play the role of Billy Kostecki, Johnny Castle’s cousin, in the show for a limited season from 26 July. He will sing two iconic songs from the show – “Do You Love Me?” and “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life”.
Other cast includes Martin Harvey as Johnny Castle and Hannah Vassallo as Baby.
Dirty Dancing is now in its fourth year at the Aldwych Theatre and brings the action and music of the iconic film to the stage.
Special offer: Save £22.50 on tickets to Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre in London
OLIVER!
Russ Abbot as Fagin
He stepped in for Rowan Atkinson last year and proved such a hit that Russ Abbot is to make his return to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in June, starring as Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh’s big-budget production of Oliver!
Taking over the role from Griff Rhys Jones from 14 June, Abbot will join Kerry Ellis as Nancy, Steven Hartley as Bill Sikes and Stephen Moore as Mr Brownlow.
No stranger to the role of Fagin, Abbot played the part in Mackintosh’s 1997 revival of the show at the London Palladium and then on tour. The comedian and actor best known for his TV appearance including “The Russ Abbot Show” has also appeared in numerous musicals including My Fair Lady and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Doctor Dolittle and The Producers.
Special offer: Save £21 on tickets to see Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London
LEND ME A TENOR
Sally Ann Triplett and Matthew Kelly are to star in a new production of Lend Me a Tenor the Musical this autumn. The show will run at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 24 September and then transfer to the West End (theatre to be announced).
Peter Sham and Brad Carroll’s musical, based on Ken Ludwig’s comedy, will be directed by Ian Talbot.
Other cast members include Damian Humbley and Michael Matus.
Links: Theatre Royal Plymouth
Ray Quinn back to Grease
March 19, 2009
BOOK TICKETS FOR GREASE AND SAVE £21
Former UK talent content finalist Ray Quinn is to rejoin the cast of Grease to play the lead role of Danny Zuko.
Currently a finalist in celebrity ice dance contest Dancing on Ice, Ray Quinn shot to fame in UK talent show the X-Factor.
Playing the lead from 11 May at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End, Ray said that he was “thrilled to be playing Danny in the West End… I can’t believe my luck, it’s a dream come true!”
Ray Quinn first started professional performing at the age of 12 in soap opera Brookside, going on to win the award for Best Dramatic Performance at the British Soap Awards 2002.
BOOK TICKETS FOR GREASE AND SAVE £21
