A rainy weekend didn’t deter the crowds from attending this year’s West End Live event in Trafalgar Square on Saturday and Sunday, 18 and 19 June 2011.

And our photographer Roy Tan was there to capture the action, including exclusive shots of the cast of hot new musical Rock of Ages, opening at the Shaftesbury Theatre this August.

The set by Rock of Ages included a video message from Justin Lee Collins, and a rocking Shayne Ward belting out Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”, followed by Oliver Tompsett and Amy Pemberton with “High Enough”.

In a break with tradition this year’s event was held in Trafalgar Square whilst renovation work is under way in Leicester Square, which provided a lot more room for fans to enjoy the main stage.

In addition to Rock of Ages, West End musicals that took part included Betty Blue Eyes (see photos, below), Ghost The Musical, The Wizard Of Oz,Million Dollar Quartet, Shrek The Musical, Lend Me A Tenorand the Open Air Theatre’s new production of Crazy For You. And a host of long-running shows including Stomp,War Horse, Legally Blonde The Musical, Love Never Dies,Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, Billy Elliot The Musical, Jersey Boys, Thriller Live, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, Chicago, Wicked and We Will Rock You.

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Tags: Amy Pemberton, Oliver Tompsett, Rock of Ages, Roy Tan, Shayne Ward, west end live, west end live 2011

West End Live 2011: Rock of Ages and Betty Blue Eyes

June 20, 2011

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West End Live 2011 photos including Rock of Ages and Betty Blue Eyes

LINKS

More News and Photos of West End Live

Book tickets to Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

Book tickets to Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello Theatre in London

Tags: Amy Pemberton, Oliver Tompsett, Rock of Ages, Shayne Ward, west end live, west end live 2011

West End Live 2011 timetable of performances announced

June 14, 2011

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The timetable has been published for West End Live, the free annual theatre event that returns to London this weekend, Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June 2011.

West End Live 2011 This year the event will be held in Trafalgar Square whilst renovations continue in its traditional home of Leicester Square and promises to be a spectacular celebration of West End shows.

West End musicals taking part in the weekend include Rock of Ages, Betty Blue Eyes, Ghost The Musical, The Wizard Of Oz, Million Dollar Quartet, Shrek The Musical, Lend Me A Tenor and the Open Air Theatre’s new production of Crazy For You. Also new this year will be performances from the madcap The Flying Karamazov Brothers, CBBC’s Dan and Jeff in Potted Potter and ZooNation’s Some Like It Hip Hop.

They will be joined by long-running shows including Stomp, War Horse, Legally Blonde The Musical, Love Never Dies, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, Billy Elliot The Musical, Jersey Boys, Thriller Live, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical, Chicago, Wicked and We Will Rock You.

Stars will be out in force for the event, with performances promised by some of the West End’s top talent, including Over The Rainbow winner Danielle Hope (The Wizard of Oz), Lee Mead (Legally Blonde) and Sarah Lancashire (Betty Blue Eyes).

There will also be performances from Free Run, the West End Gospel Choir, The Gleeks and the London Gay Men’s Chorus and exhibits from the Science Museum, London Film Museum and National Gallery.

This year’s event will run from 11am to 6pm on Saturday 18 June and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday 19 June.

WEST END LIVE 2011 TIMETABLE

SATURDAY 18 JUNE 2011

11.00	Million Dollar Quartet
11.20	Free Run
11.35	Wicked
11.43	Love Never Dies
11.50	Billy Elliot
11.55	War Horse
12.00	Lend Me a Tenor
12.15	Legally Blonde
12.30	Betty Blue Eyes
12.45	Chicago
13.00	We Will Rock You
13.20	Jersey Boys
13.45	Mamma Mia
14.00	Thriller Live
14.25	Flying Karamazov Brothers
14.40	Ghost The Musical
14.55	Rock of Ages
15.10	Crazy For You
15.25	West End Kids
15.40	Bob The Builder
15.55	Rock of Ages
16.10	Mark Jermin Stage School
16.20	West End Gospel Choir
16.35	London Gay Men’s Chorus
16.55	Dan and Laura Curtis
17.10	Helena Blackman
17.20	Some Like It Hip Hop
17.35	Priscilla Queen of The Desert
17.50	Stomp
18.00	SHOW CLOSES

SUNDAY 19 JUNE 2011

12.00	Stomp
12.15	All Join In And Other Stories
12.30	The Wizard of Oz
12.40	Thriller Live
13.05	Disney’s The Lion King
13.20	Shrek The Musical
13.35	Rock of Ages
13.50	West End Gospel Choir
14.10	Mamma Mia!
14.25	Potted Potter
14.40	The Gleeks
14.55	Bob the Builder
15.10	Jersey Boys
15.35	Rock of Ages
15.50	Helena Blackman
16.00	Julie Atherton
16.15	EverYoung
16.30	Sylvia Young Theatre School
16.50	National Youth Music Theatre
17.15	Congo Faith Healers
18.00	EVENT CLOSES

LINKS

West End Live website

Tags: Danielle Hope, Free event, Lee Mead, Rock of Ages, Sarah Lancashire, Trafalgar Square, west end live, west end live 2011, west end live timetable

New shows this week: Dominic West in Butley, David Tennant and Catherine Tate, Lend Me A Tenor

May 30, 2011

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What’s opening in the West End this week including Dominic West in Butley, David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing and Matthew Kelly and Joanna Riding in Lend Me A Tenor.

NEW SHOWS 30 MAY to 5 JUNE 2011

Dominic West stars in Butley at the Duchess Theatre

On Wednesday 1 June Much Ado About Nothing gets its official opening night at the Wyndham’s Theatre. David Tennant and Catherine Tate star as Beatrice and Benedick in this high-profile new production directed by Josie Rourke.

Also on Wednesday, Dominic West (The Wire) returns to the West End as previews start for Simon Gray’s savage, witty and remarkable play Butley at the Duchess Theatre, directed by Lindsay Posner and also starring Paul McGann.

Also starting previews this week is Lend Me A Tenor on Thursday 2 June at the Gielgud Theatre in London. Ian Talbot directs this fun new musical comedy by Peter Sham and Brad Carroll, based on the Broadway classic and starring Matthew Kelly and Joanna Riding.

OPENING NEXT WEEK

The Royal Court’s revival of Arnold Wesker’s Chicken Soup With Barley opens, starring Samantha Spiro and directed by Dominic Cooke (Press night 7 June).

The Donmar Warehouse production of Schiller’s Luise Miller directed by Michael Grandage and starring Alex Kingston, Felicity Jones, Finty Williams, Max Bennett and David Dawson (Previews from 8 June).

Friday 10 June marks the centenary of British playwright Terence Rattigan and on the following day, Saturday 11 June, two of his classic plays, Cause Celebre at the Old Vic and Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, both close in the West End.

Finally, Sunday 12 June sees this year’s Tony Awards announced. A big, glitzy ceremony is planned with Danielle Radcliffe, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vanessa Redgrave handing out gongs and the Royal Court’s Jerusalem and National Theatre’s War Horse in line for multiple awards.

AND OPENING LATER IN JUNE

Amanda Holden stars in Shrek the Musical

The Flying Karamazov Brothers come crashing into the Vaudeville Theatre with much kilt wearing, flame throwing and general madcap hysteria (from 9 June); Shrek The Musical has its press night at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane starring Amanda Holden and Nigel Lindsay (14 June); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead starring featuring Samuel Barnett and Jamie Parker at the Theatre Royal Haymarket (from 16 June); Kristin Soctt Thomas leads the cast in previews of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre, in a new production directed by Ian Rickson, also starring Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles (Press night 16 June); The Royal Ballet’s sumptuous and large-scale production of Romeo and Juliet comes to the O2 Arena (from 17 June); Kevin Spacey as Richard III in Sam Mendes’s new production of Shakespeare’s play at the Old Vic (from 18 June); The Railway Children comes steaming back into the Waterlook Station Theatre for a summer run (from 19 June); and a big-budget new movie-to-stage musical comes to town as Ghost The Musical opens at the Piccadilly Theatre starring Caissie Levy, Richard Fleeshman and Sharon D Clarke, with music by Dave Stewart (from 22 June).

Also don’t forget that West End Live – the West End’s free weekend festival – comes to Trafalgar Square for the first time this year on 18 and 19 June, promising star turns from many of the West End’s biggest shows.