Cinderella cast join in birthday party
September 30, 2007
Mickey and Jan Rooney were at the Sunderland Empire to meet the rest of the cast and announce that two of their grandchildren will be performing with them. During the photocall Mickey was presented with a special birthday cake to celebrate his 87th birthday.
Other cast members include Les Dennis as Button, Andy Scott Lee as Prince Charming and Michelle Heaton (Andys real life wife) were also at the photocall. The panto (Mickeys first) opens in December.
Charley’s Aunt
September 30, 2007
Charley’s Aunt, Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Written by Brandon Thomas in 1892 Charley’s Aunt is a three act play that could easily be classed as well past its sell by date if it were not performed by such strong cast.
Charley’s Aunt if the title is Dona Lucia Dalvadorez who is travelling from Brazil (where the nuts come from) to meet her nephew at Oxford. When she sends a letter stating she cannot arrive panic sets in for Charles and his friend Jack as they need the Aunt to act as chaperone to the two girls they are madly in love with. So as not to be out done they convince Lord Fancourt Babberley to pretend to be the aunt. From then on chaos ensues as the real Aunt actually arrives, while the pretend Aunt suddenly finds she has unwanted suitors of her own.
While this production is fast paced and there are several excellent comic set pieces by Director Mel Smith it is Stephen Tompkinson who is the driving force behind the show.
Beauty and the Beast
September 30, 2007
Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Ok let me declare my interest in the show straight away as I have seen the original West End version twice. The first time being with the original cast at a charity matinee with the Queen Mother sitting a few feet away, so a touring version has a lot to live up to.
But this version is very different to the West End original and you cannot fairly compare the two, but with the name Disney attached to the marketing you know the characters and songs already and on that score this production hits the mark. Also the five year old I took with me was glued from the overture to curtain call and I noticed children all around the theatre were held the same.
In the show we meet Belle (Ashley Oliver) and her Father as she tries to fend off Gastons’ advances as he is determined to marry her. After loosing his way in a wood her Father ends up at the Beasts Castle where we meet a range of familiar characters such as the candlestick, clock, teapot who can all sing and dance. However as in all good fairy stories it is only when Belle agrees to swap places with her Father and becomes the Beasts prisoner that there is any chance the curse, put on the Beast many years ago, will be broken and he will become a Prince again.
The Producers
September 30, 2007
Sunderland Empire
The Producers is best known as the classic 1968 Mel Brooks film starring Gene Wilder as the hapless Leo Bloom. But years later Brooks turned the story in to a musical where it won 12 Tony awards on Broadway and has recently finished a successful run in London West End as well as being made in to a film.
The story revolves around Max Bialystock, a one time hit producer who can now only produce shows that are so bad they close on opening night. To fund these productions he has an army of little old ladies who are more than willing to hand over their life savings to him when he pays them “attention”.
But his life changes when Leo Bloom calls to audit his accounts and discovers that even a flop show can make a profit, with a little creative accounting. With this in mind Max and Leo set about producing the worst show Broadway has ever seen in the hope of making a million dollars each.
Hot Flush
September 30, 2007
Theatre Royal
Why would anyone want to write a musical about women’s sufferage and female menopause and show it to a theatre of women (and a handful of men) beat me as a concept BUT it certainly worked.
The stunning cast included of Sheila Ferguson, Marti Webb, Rula Lenska and Rachel Izen with the token man being Sam Kane.
While the handful of men in the audience looked set to squirm in their seats as topics such as, hot flushes, incontinence, memory loss and HRT are tackled; Kane tries to restore the balance for them during the second half when he addresses the audience.
-
Recent Posts
Advertisement
Other Regional Sites