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Brandreth's Zipp! Pulls Forward Close Date to 5 Apr

Further to last week's announcement, Gyles Brandreth's musical revue Zipp! has pulled forward its closure date by a fortnight. The show, an award-winning hit last year at the Edinburgh Fringe, opened at the West End's Duchess Theatre on 4 February 2003 (previews from 24 January). Rather than 19 April as previously announced (See News, 21 Mar 2003), the show will now finish on 5 April.

Co-devised by Stewart Nicholls and Brandreth who also stars, donning fishnet stockings and garters, Zipp! does for musical theatre what the Reduced Shakespeare Company did for the bard, promising "100 musicals in 90 minutes or your money back". From the 1900 hit Floradora to this year's Bombay Dreams and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the production whizzes through a century of Broadway and West End musicals, including the complete works of Andrew Lloyd Webber in 60 seconds.

Brandreth, the former MP turned author-broadcaster-columnist-Countdown guest, made his professional stage debut with Zipp!, in which he's joined by the PMT (Pocket Musical Theatre) company. The revue, originally titled Zipadeedooda!, was developed at Wimbledon Studio Theatre and on tour. The full-fledged production, directed and choreographed by Carole Todd, was a hit at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won the Strathmore Select Audience Award for best show (as voted by visitors to the official festival website, www.edfringe.com.)

In addition to Brandreth, the PMT company includes Andrew C Wadsworth (whose West End musical credits include Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, Oklahoma! and Kiss Me Kate), Amanda Symonds (Godspell, One Mo' Time, Stepping Out), newcomer C J Johnson and musical director Stuart Barr.

Zipp! will be followed at the Duchess by Through the Leaves, a two-hander starring Simon Callow and Ann Mitchell (See News, 21 Mar 2003).

- by Terri Paddock

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