Galas: TTG Talent, WOS Awards & Bobby Cronin
West End stars Sally Ann Triplett, Oliver Tompsett and Tim Howar will join The Theatrical Guild (TTG), Whatsonstage.com’s adopted charity, for their Talent 2011 gala finale held at the Criterion Theatre on 6 February 2011.
Each finalist in the competition will sing two songs to the panel before facing an audience vote. The final three contestants will then be whittled down by the judge’s final deliberations to a winner. The evening’s top prize is a £1,000 cheque from the event’s sponsors Red Bull and a chance to record a demo at the drinks firm’s London recording studios.
The evening will also feature guest performances by West End performers and a prize draw with all proceeds going to The Theatrical Guild. To date Talent 2011 has raised over £1,000 for the charity and hopes to raise several thousand pounds more at the gala finale.
Tickets Talent 2011 are available from the Phoenix Artist Club, Ticketmaster and the Criterion Theatre with guests invited to join all involved at the Phoenix Artist Club after the show.
In other gala news, the headliners for the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards
have been announced with Ghost the Musical stars Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy giving theatregoers a sneak peek of the upcoming musical as part of the star-studded Awards Concert and ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 20 February 2011.
The Concert will include performances from a range of other West End stars, with the full lineup – which includes nominees and nominated productions – being announced soon. Voting for the awards, which are now in their 11th year, continues until 31 January with winners announced and trophies presented at the Awards Concert.
Ghost The Musical, directed by Matthew Warchus, opens at the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre on 19 July 2011 (previews from 22 June) and has music and lyrics by the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and Grammy Award winner Glen Ballard.
The extract at the Whatsonstage.com Awards Concert will mark one of the first opportunities for audiences to see a live performance from the brand new musical, based on the hit 1990 film which starred Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore as lovers torn apart by a violent murder.
Concert tickets, which range from £25-£47.50, are now on sale and can be booked by phone on 0844 482 5133 or online at www.whatsonstage.com/concert.
And finally in gala news, the work of New York composer and lyricist Bobby Cronin will be brought to the London stage by a host of West End names for a one-night concert The Songs of Bobby Cronin at the New Players Theatre on 27 February 2011.
The concert is produced by Simon Greiff and Phil Sykes for SimG Productions whose recent London concerts have showcased the work of American composer Scott Alan, celebrated Broadway leading lady Stephanie J Block as well as a series of Christmas cabaret performances at Waterloo East theatre.
The lineup for the upcoming performance has today (13 January 2011) been announced as Simon Bailey (Phantom, Passion), Natasha Barnes (Spring Awakening, Striking 12), Rosalie Craig (Lord of the Rings, Aspects Of Love), Mark Evans (Oklahoma!, Wicked), Jye Frasca (Wicked, Jersey Boys), Hadley Fraser (Fantasticks, Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert), Ashleigh Gray (Grease, Wicked), Jodie Jacobs (Bright Lights Big City, Footloose), Rebecca Lock (Avenue Q, Phantom), Ceili O’Connor (Fantasticks, Wizard of Oz), Katie Rowley Jones (Wicked, Sister Act), Caroline Sheen (Les Miserables, Mary Poppins on US Tour), Liam Tamne (Wicked, Departure Lounge) with more names to be announced.
Cronin, who is well known on the New York musical theatre scene, headlined the Songbook Series at Lincoln Center. His musicals include Welcome to My Life with Alicia Dempster, ‘Til Death Do Us Part with book writer Allen Mogol and Cyrana with a book by playwright Crystal Skillman. His debut album is titled “Reach The Sky”.
Along with the concert Cronin will also spend time on his London trip running workshops at the Arts Educational School, The Royal Academy and the Musical Theatre Academy. Cronin will also hold a CD singing at Dress Circle.
A limited number of tickets for The Songs of Bobby Cronin, which is produced in association with James Beresford for Shepherd Management, will be sold as VIP packages. Including front row seats and a meet and greet with special guests, the proceeds from these tickets will go directly to TheatreMAD, part of the The Make A Difference Trust.
Tickets for The Songs of Bobby Cronin can be purchased online or from the box office at the New Players.
