FEATURES Archives - Page 4 of 12

Sera Maehara talks touring, the challenge of balancing new and restaged work, and tackling the difficulties in South Pacific

3Aug

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Interviews

Sera Maehara talks touring, the challenge of balancing new and restaged work, and tackling the difficulties in South Pacific

Originally programmed for 2020, the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1949 musical South Pacific eventually opened in person in July 2021, and was also briefly available to stream online last year. Now, once again directed by Daniel Evans and choreographed by Ann Yee and reworked to make it possible to tour, South Pacific is back on stage! Currently in residence at Sadler’s Wells until the end of August, the production will then tour around the UK and Ireland until November. This production opens with Liat enjoying the tranquillity of her island in the South Pacific, before her peace is disturbed by the raucous arrival of the US troops. At the same time, US Navy nurse Nellie Forbush and French plantation owner Emile de Becque are meeting for the first ti...

Dalton Wood talks about being a Jersey Boy as the hit musical comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

15Jul

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Dalton Wood talks about being a Jersey Boy as the hit musical comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

If you love pop music then you will have a favourite Four Seasons songs and Jersey Boys is the musical based on their troubled journey from rags to riches. The quartet famed for their close harmonies fought their way out of humble blue collar roots in Newark to record a set of beautifully arranged smash hits like Sherry, Rag Doll, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man and December ’63 (Oh What a Night). For a musical it’s a natural tale of triumphing against the odds with the added bonus of lead singer Frankie Valli’s utterly distinctive falsetto vocal style. So, it’s no wonder Jersey Boys was a big hit on Broadway, and is still running in the West End, as fans new and old appreciate the great songs penned by Valli and musical prodigy Bob Gaudio. It’s also become a regular on the t...

Joseph star Jac Yarrow talks about the enduring power of the biblical epic as the tour comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

4Jul

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Joseph star Jac Yarrow talks about the enduring power of the biblical epic as the tour comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

It’s fifty years since Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice basically invented the rock opera with their biblical epic Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Since then, this enduring family friendly show has been almost constantly on the road entertaining generations of fans who love Joseph’s journey back to his family and redemption. It’s a show full of classic Lloyd Webber/Rice tunes like Any Dream Will Do and Close Every Door, and over the years Joseph has been played by Philip Schofield, Donny Osmond, Andy Gibb, Stephen Gately, Darren Day and famously Jason Donovan, who is taking on the role of Pharoah in the latest touring production. The latest UK tour comes straight from the London Palladium where the show was revived and reinvented to critical acclaim. That London P...

Samuel Nicholas talks about why Dreamgirls resonates so strongly with cast and audiences alike

28Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Samuel Nicholas talks about why Dreamgirls resonates so strongly with cast and audiences alike

Musical theatre has often explored the dark side of showbiz for source material, and Dreamgirls looks at the murky music industry in the 1960s as the big dreams of three women are both realised and destroyed. Effie, Denna and Lorell are the Dreams who perform songs written by Effie’s brother C.C before hooking up with devious mechanic turned manager Curtis Taylor, who is quick to exploit tensions in the group. Along the way they sing back up for flamboyant soul man Jimmy Early before Curtis’ Machiavellian plans cause all sorts of heartbreak for the trio. Samuel Nicolas is one of a strong male ensemble who do a lot of the heavy lifting in this energetic show, and he spoke to our Yorkshire Editor Paul Clarke about why Dreamgirls is resonating so strongly with both the cast and audience...

Spotlight on actor Alan Cox and the Marlowe Sessions at The Malthouse Theatre, Canterbury

13Jun

By Caroline Worswick1 Comment

Interviews

Spotlight on actor Alan Cox and the Marlowe Sessions at The Malthouse Theatre, Canterbury

For lovers of the classical canon, experiencing the making of this immersive audio recording just begs for your attendance. With the cream of the classical acting crop taking part, the Marlowe Sessions feature all seven of Christopher Marlowe’s plays and performances of his poetry. Our Deputy Editor, Caroline Worswick chatted to actor Alan Cox who takes on the role of Tamburlaine in Parts 1 & 2. To find out more about this unique venture and to book tickets, go to - https://malthousetheatre.co.uk/the-marlowe-sessions/ Can you explain what the Marlowe Sessions are, and what your involvement is? The Marlowe Sessions is the brainchild of Ray Mia and Mark Rice-Oxley and involves the audio capture of the complete dramatic works of Christopher Marlowe on the stage...

Lea Salonga talks about touring and the best fish and chips

9Jun

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Lea Salonga talks about touring and the best fish and chips

International musical theatre legend Lea Salonga visits the UK later this month to perform a number of concerts. Ahead of the first date in Leicester our reviewer David Clarke spoke to Lea about the tour and finds out if she is most proud of her Olivier or Tony Award. Can I start by saying on behalf of Northwest End UK and your multitude of fans over here, a very warm welcome to the UK – or should that be welcome back to the UK, because this is not your first visit here, is it? Yes, I have been before and that was not that long ago, it was just three years ago. So, your first tour in the UK was 2019, was that the one that had to be rearranged because you suffered an injury? Actually, no, it didn’t have to be rearranged because by the time I actually arrived in the UK – I had br...

Dianne Buswell is ready to Burn The Floor this summer

7Jun

By Leanne RushtonNo Comments

Interviews

Dianne Buswell is ready to Burn The Floor this summer

The original Broadway production of Jason Gilkison’s BURN THE FLOOR is being recreated for a strictly limited tour in July 2022. THE REUNION features some of the most celebrated alumni of Burn the Floor including Strictly Come Dancing’s Aljaž Škorjanec, Kevin Clifton, Janette Manrara, Karen Hauer, Dianne Buswell, Joanne Clifton, Luba Mushtuk, Kai Widdrington & Robin Windsor, plus more cast just announced. Ahead of the tour hitting the road next month we sat down with one of its stars Dianne Buswell to talk all things dance. What is your favourite dance of the show? Although they’ve not started rehearsals Dianne said she’d been in the show for 8 years before Strictly! She said she really hopes that ‘Ballroom Beat’ is in the show again though as she says the music and choreography ...

Maggie May change minds at Leeds Playhouse

28Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Maggie May change minds at Leeds Playhouse

In the UK there are nearly a million people living with dementia, and Leeds Playhouse’s new play Maggie May follows an ordinary woman’s journey through Alzheimer’s Disease. Like so many Maggie is devastated by her diagnosis trying to hide it from loved ones who offer support as she finds a way to live a fulfilling and rewarding life on her own terms. Given the sensitivities of the subject matter that impacts on so many families award-winning writer Frances Poet has worked really closely with people living with dementia to give Maggie an authentic voice as she makes sense of her new world. Our Yorkshire Editor Paul Clarke found out more from Brookside legend Eithne Browne about the challenges and joy of playing Maggie. Tell me a little bit about Maggie? She ran the school kit...

21Apr

By Priya GuptaNo Comments

Interviews

Diversity talk about Connected on tour

Diversity tells us how Covid amplified the importance of this tour, and how lucky they feel to have such brilliant fans as they talk to our Birmingham reviewer Priya Gupta. Ashley and Jordan Banjo and Perri Kylie tell us on their diversity connected tour the sheer coincidence of their tour is more relevant than ever due to the past couple of years. They also discuss how supportive and dedicated their fan base is. This is a jampacked tour for diversity, with 80 shows in the pipeline. They shared that it feels amazing to be back in jam-packed theatres, being able to do what they love and that getting the crowd’s reaction is something that they have missed. The response has been bigger and better on this tour, and this could be because many of the shows have been sold out. For them it f...

Mikron Theatre Company tell us how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy.

18Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Mikron Theatre Company tell us how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy.

Mikron Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Marianne McNamara tells us on their fiftieth anniversary how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy. Not many theatre companies celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, but Mikron Theatre Company have always done things a bit differently which is why they have survived for so long. For a start they tour round the country with the cast living on the company’s own narrowboat named Tyseley, but they have a strong social conscience so commission new work that makes people laugh, and also think a bit about the world around them. Not surprisingly given their longevity they have developed a loyal fanbase who have been happy to dip into their pockets to keep the boat on the water through some hard times and more recently a global pandemic. ...