Photos

1st Night Photos: Flamenco, Elaine Paige Memories

Editorial Staff
London's West End

Latin passions were at the fore on Monday night (22 September 2008, previews from September) when Flamenco Flamen’ka, the new dance show directed and choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, received its West End premiere at the Lyric Theatre, where it’s booking until 15 November (See News, 4 Jul 2008).

Based around a passionate and tragic love triangle that emerges from a brothel, Flamenco Flamen’ka is subtitled “a stampede of passionate music and dance”. The company is made up of 20 dancers led by Karen Ruimy, who also created the narrative framework – inspired by the short stories of Jorge Luis Bores – around which the show is based. It includes classical flamenco music by Bruno Ribera, with additional choreography provided by Jerome Couchart, Marjorie Ascione and Manuel Gutierrez Cabello.

Sadly, for Strictly Come Dancing fans, Revel Horwood’s fellow judges weren’t on hand as they were tied up filming the latest – sixth – series of the reality TV competition, which began airing on Saturday. Nevertheless, for 1st Night Photos, our Whatsonstage.com photographer Dan Wooller was on hand at the Lyric Theatre for the Flamenco Flamen’ka curtain call and at the post-show party at Café de Paris along with the company and other first night guests including Ronnie Corbett, Clarke Peters, Peter Straker and Hannah Waterman.


TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF FLAMENCO FLAMEN’KA’s 1st NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE “NEXT >” LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

The next night (23 September), Wooller crossed the Thames to the National Theatre, for a special book launch: Memories, the new autobiography by the queen of British musical theatre, Elaine Paige. In the book, Paige recalls her remarkable career from her earliest stage appearances with Joan Littlewood’s groundbreaking company at Theatre Royal Stratford East to playing starring roles in iconic shows such as Hair, Evita, Cats, Chess and Sunset Boulevard and becoming one of the UK’s most successful theatrical recording artists ever.

Amongst Paige’s high-profile friends who helped mark her publishing milestone were: Edward Hibbert, Harvey Feinstein, Christopher Biggins, Lynda La Plante, Victor Spinetti, Luise Rainer, Michael Pennington and Bonnie Langford. Memories (£25) is published by Oberon Books.


TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF MEMORIES BOOK LAUNCH PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE “NEXT >” LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.