Darren Day Archives - North West End UK

22Jul

By Paddy Darnell-WalshNo Comments

North West

Chicago – Blackpool Opera House

Dubbed “the sexiest musical ever” (Metro), Chicago returns to Blackpool this week, with a huge sprinkle of razzle-dazzle with it! Set with the decadent backdrop of the 1920s Chicago jazz scene, the story follows Roxie Hart who murders her lover when he threatens to leave her. In a desperate attempt to avoid conviction, Hart hires renowned lawyer Billy Flynn to assist her in deceiving the media, public and rival cellmate, Velma Kelly. With show-stopping songs a plenty, the sultry, sassy, sensational Chicago is back at the Seaside with a bang. With lyrics from Fredd Ebb and music by John Kander, blasted out by a live band onstage (under the superb musical direction of Neil MacDonald), it’s easy to understand Chicago’s appeal. I must admit, having seen the show various times over the years...

1Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Chicago – Hull New Theatre

Ten very talented musicians, led by fun-loving maestro Neil MacDonald, opened Chicago the Musical at Hull New Theatre on Monday evening – or at least, one of the three trumpeters did. But all ten played an enraptured audience out at the show’s end, with the aforementioned maestro encouraging us to wave our arms in the air to the music. Such talents are often hidden away in a theatre’s orchestra pit, so for these musicians to be on stage for the duration was a joy. All the action takes place in 1920s Chicago, Illinois, mostly in the women’s block of the Cook County Jail, after unfaithful housewife and nightclub dancer Roxie Hart (Janette Manrara, of Strictly Come Dancing fame) is held there pre-trial for murdering her lover. The stage designers of this amazing production cleverl...

10Jun

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Chicago – New Wimbledon Theatre

This production has Sass, Pizzazz, and whole lot of Jazz. Chicago originated from America and has become one of the most renowned musicals to hit Broadway and the West End; created by Kander and Ebb with the original choreography by the amazing Bob Fosse. The UK tour has begun, and it hit the New Wimbledon theatre with a bang. It showcases Strictly’s Jeanette Manrara as Roxie Hart like you have never seen her before. There is a cast of favourites from screen and theatre Darren Day who plays Billy Flynn and Brenda Edwards as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton. The story of Roxie Hart the devious chorus girl has its origins in the real gangster Chicago of the early 20th Century. When a junior reporter for the Chicago tribune was assigned to cover the trials of women accused of murder. So, it ...

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

22Nov

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

Blackpool Winter Gardens welcomes West End hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie as part if it’s UK tour. Based on the true story of 16-year-old Jamie Campbell, the boy who wanted to go to prom in a dress, Tom Macrae and Dan Gillespie Sells have created a beautiful story with real heart, and songs that make you smile from ear to ear, to ones that have you crying from emotion. Lead by Ivano Turco as Jamie New, we are treated to a spectacular show, with stunning choreography (Kate Prince), an incredible and multifunctional set and beautiful costumes (Anna Fleischle), and fantastic direction (Matt Ryan and resident director Georgina Hagen). The story revolves around a group of teens ready to face their GCSEs and the more important after exams event, school prom. This is where w...

2Aug

By Lucy McGuireNo Comments

Scotland

Footloose – King’s Theatre Glasgow

It’s time to cut loose and head to the King’s theatre to see a show that will have you up on your feet. Footloose tells the iconic story of a boy who finds himself in the town of Bomont, where it is deemed illegal to dance due to an incident years prior. Being the new guy in town, Ren (Joshua Hawkins) causes a stir within the small community with this cheeky attitude and passion for dance. This juke box musical is not the only adaption of the original Footloose film (1984) with a remake of the classic released in 2011. However, the musical manages to merge the old with the new – paying homage to the unforgettable moments from the films while bringing its own identity to the stage. The production has a range of talented performers within its ranks. Lucy Munden, making her professio...

20Jul

By Melissa JonesNo Comments

Scotland

Footloose – Edinburgh Playhouse

Footloose tells the musically infused tail of wayward Ren and his journey from Chicago to rural backwater Bomont. A town tragedy involving the loss of the preacher’s son results in a town-wide ban on dancing in the bible-led town. Really? Oh yes. For newly arrived Ren and the preacher’s rebellious daughter Ren, this is devastating, especially as romance blossoms and the desire to dance ensues. But more interestingly, Ren embraces Christianity and uses a newly gifted bible to argue his cause for dancing which is a rather impressive move. Footloose is your classic jukebox musical complete with hits of the day spattered throughout the production for some dramatic and often comic effect. West-End star Darren Day relishes the spotlight as tough preacher Rev. Shaw Moore. In fact, his performa...

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...

20Apr

By Priya GuptaNo Comments

West Midlands

Footloose – The Alexandra

Go cut loose down at The Alexandra Theatre Birmingham where Footloose has unashamedly danced its way into town. This fan favourite musical promises to be a smash hit. This musical is based on the 1984 film of the same name, with music by Tom Snow, lyrics from Dean Pitchford, and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. The show tells the story of Ren McCormack, an ordinary teen from Chicago who moves to a small town where dancing is banned. Ren attempts to overturn this ban and convince the town to get on its feet, resulting in moments of hilarity, triumph, and self-discovery. The music stole the show for me with classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let's Hear It for the Boy and of course the unforgettable title track Footloose. The iconic songs had the...

3Mar

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Footloose – Manchester Opera House

Hooray theatre land is beginning to get back to some normality after being hit hard by the pandemic, for the first time there was no need for Covid passes or compulsory wearing of masks. For that alone there was a heightened sense of excitement, and it was clear theatre goers are feeling more confident to mix as the Opera House in Manchester was packed to the rafters with barely one seat empty. Footloose the musical is the brainchild of Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobby with Music from Tom Snow it’s based on the 1984 film which starred Kevin Bacon as city boy Ren McCormack (played by Joshua Hawkins), who arrives with his mother Ethel (Geri Allen) in Beaumont from Chicago in a rebellious mood after learning of the town’s dancing ban. The ban came following an incident five years prior a...

25Jan

By Priya GuptaNo Comments

West Midlands

Chicago – Alexandra Theatre

Start the car and head on down to the Alexandra Theatre, where Chicago really is all that jazz. The Tony award-winning, record-breaking hit musical has Fosse walked its way to Birmingham and it doesn’t disappoint. Set in Chicago in the Jazz age, the musical is based on the 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins. With the music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and the book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the ‘celebrity criminal’. Set in the backdrop of 1920’s decadence Roxie Hart murders her lover after he threatens to walk out on her. To avoid conviction, she dupes the public and the media by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer, Billy Flynn, who will defend you for a high price, guilty ...