Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

West End Unplugged: Vol 1 – The Shows Must Go On

14Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

West End Unplugged: Vol 1 – The Shows Must Go On

As a die-hard musical theatre aficionado, by far and away the best part of lockdown for me has been a little thing called “The Shows Must Go On”. For many, these words mean nothing more than a whimsical credo, very much a theatrical take on the British saying “Keep Calm and Carry On”. However, “The Shows Must Go On” is also an aptly-named YouTube channel dedicated to “bringing you showtunes, backstage access and full performances from some of the best loved musicals in history!” – so for me, it’s been a lifeline, a much-needed (if socially-distanced) ticket back to the magical world of theatre. During the Coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world and kept most of us out of work, out of pubs and restaurants, and crucially out of the theatres, “The Shows Must Go On” has stoically c...

13Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Title of Show – London Coliseum Online

This one-act musical, by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, is a musical about writing a musical. Yes, that’s right. Title of Show follows two writers in their quest to create “an original musical”. The complications, arguments and struggles are all aired out in this performance piece with a difference. It’s an ingenious concept. The action is constantly twisting and turning in this show within a show. It’s a complete musical with catchy numbers but also a work-in-progress where a song may be interrupted half-way through to be cut. Obviously with a lot more moments like this, it’s also a comedy. And it does offer a lot of laughs. “Four chairs and a keyboard does not a musical make” says one critic of the show… within the show. This performance proves that you can put on a musical with just ...

53two & TripleC are back and bringing you another festive treat!

13Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

53two & TripleC are back and bringing you another festive treat!

Last year, 53two teamed up with TripleC to create a Christmas advert on a minimal budget in the hope of delivering some Christmas joy whilst highlighting the lack of disabled artists seen on our screens. The response far exceeded their expectations. By Christmas Day it had received over 75k views. Following this success, the team are back this December to create another festive advert full of love, kindness and inclusivity. 53two is a charity offering support for creatives in all disciplines through workshops, placements, opportunity and more, as well as supporting countless charities across the UK with mentoring, venue, equipment, tech support and other resources. Although 53two’s plan of moving into their new fully accessible theatre venue has been delayed until 2021, they have remain...

13Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

MTFestUK Returns in 2021

In February 2019, Paul Taylor-Mills launched the inaugural MTFestUK season which ran at The Other Palace followed by a second season at the Turbine Theatre in February 2020. Next year’s season will run from 1st – 13th February 2021. MTFestUK is a celebration of new musical theatre from around the world, and submissions are now open with shows for consideration to be sent to submissions@paultaylormills.com MTFestUK will follow the Turbine Theatre’s first pantomime, Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Ball, which will now be running from 3rd December to 23rd December 2020 and Hair The Musical (In Concert), directed by Arlene Phillips, originally part of the Jetty Season, which will now run at Southampton Mayflower Theatre on the 14th & 15th January, and at the London Palladium on 16th ...

Theatre continues #GetBehindUs Crowdfunder due to extended closure

13Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Theatre continues #GetBehindUs Crowdfunder due to extended closure

Oldham Coliseum Theatre is continuing to fundraise to support its future as it remains closed to the public until early 2021. The theatre was less than two weeks from reopening with a season of Covid-safe, socially distanced events when the Government announced that a further nationwide lockdown would commence from Thursday 5th November. The Coliseum’s first ever Crowdfunder has received phenomenal support, reaching its £40,000 target on the day the lockdown began. The theatre is continuing to fundraise and has now stretched this target to £55,000 Launched in September following the postponement of this year’s pantomime to 2021, #GetBehindUs asks people to support the Coliseum to help keep the magic of theatre alive and save Christmas in Oldham for generations to come. Having a...

Elf to bring Christmas cheer to Blackpool

12Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Elf to bring Christmas cheer to Blackpool

The hit Broadway and West End show ‘ELF – THE MUSICAL’, based on the Hollywood blockbuster movie, will bring some much-needed Christmas cheer to Blackpool this Christmas with a sleigh full of laughs and spectacle. This version is created by Jon Conway, who has produced numerous Summer shows and musicals in the town and will recreate the staging of his acclaimed arena spectacular tour. Jon says “Only Blackpool Opera House has a stage big enough to recreate the amazing visual effects we created for the supersized ‘Elf’ arena show, with an amazing flying sleigh over the audience, twenty feet high growing candy canes, a giant LED screen with Pixar style animated backgrounds and aerial stunts.” The part of Buddy The Elf, originated by Will Ferrell on screen, has been played in arenas for ...

St Helens Theatre Royal Re-open Their Doors In Four Weeks Time For Magical Pantomime

12Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

St Helens Theatre Royal Re-open Their Doors In Four Weeks Time For Magical Pantomime

The Christmas countdown has officially begun with just four weeks until Regal Entertainments' enchanting panto Beauty and the Beast opens at St Helens Theatre Royal. The Covid-secure Christmas pantomime is still going ahead as planned and will entertain families from Friday 11th December 2020 through to Sunday 3rd January 2021, promising all the high production values and comedy that audiences have come to enjoy from Regal Entertainments shows. The highly anticipated show is sure to be a popular choice this festive season, especially given the lack of theatre productions this year and audiences craving live entertainment. Audiences are reassured that St Helens Theatre Royal and the team behind Beauty And The Beast will be fully adhering to social distancing measures and Government...

Northern Chamber Orchestra returns to the stage in December

12Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Northern Chamber Orchestra returns to the stage in December

The Northern Chamber Orchestra, the oldest professional chamber ensemble in the North West of England, returns to the stage on Saturday 5th December to play two concerts for socially distanced audiences. The concerts take place at the orchestra’s Macclesfield home, the Heritage Centre, and run for an hour each. The programme has been planned with social distancing guidelines in mind, meaning less space for musicians on the stage. The NCO’s leader and Artistic Director Nicholas Ward (violin) will lead a small ensemble in Haydn’s Violin Concerto in G major, a simple yet cheerfully lovely piece guaranteed to raise a smile. Either side of the Haydn, the NCO will also play a Mozart divertimento, Borodin’s beautiful Nocturne, and the twelfth of Mendelssohn’s string symphonies, written when he...

12Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Continuity – Finborough Theatre Company

Firstly, a warning. If this were a film it would have an over 15s certificate. It seems that every sentence has a word starting with the letter “F”, admittedly much of it in context, although I would certainly be embarrassed if I had taken my mother along to see this play. Having said that, if you look beyond the strong language, you will discover a tale of a man torn between his personal life and his political commitments to “The Cause” of the Irish freedom fighters. Written by a new playwright, Gerry Moynihan, and set in the country of Northern Ireland in the year 2017, it tells the story of a dissident Irish Republican (hence the play’s title), Padraig Devlin and his relationships with other members of his terrorist cell, Joe the leader and Eammon his somewhat intellectually-c...

Watch Tony® and Olivier award winning stage productions on new streaming service

10Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Watch Tony® and Olivier award winning stage productions on new streaming service

Stage2View.com is a brand-new streaming platform, offering Tony® and Olivier award winning stage productions as well as top music acts from around the world. The first stage shows to be released on Stage2View will include the critically acclaimed, Tony® and Olivier Award-winning productions of Kinky Boots and An American In Paris, as well as the recent Drury Lane production of 42nd Street, Michael Grandage’s award winning production of RED, starring Alfred Molina and Julian Fellowes’ The Wind in the Willows: The Musical, filmed at the London Palladium. The first set of titles will be available to stream for a limited period on a pay per view basis from 10th November. All titles will initially be available at the introductory cost of £4.99/ US $5.99 / €5.99 for a 48-hour rental. With mus...