TV Talent George Sampson Debuts in Into the Hoods

Fourteen-year-old George Sampson (pictured), winner of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent TV competition, will make his West End debut next month in hip-hop dance extravaganza Into the Hoods. Sampson joins the company, playing one of the children who gets lost in the ‘hood, for the final four weeks of the run, from 4 to 30 August 2008, at the Novello Theatre.

Sampson has just been seen in the regional tour of the Britain’s Got Talent live stage show. Of his new role, he said: “This year is getting better and better – Into the Hoods show is funky and young and I love the music in it – I can’t wait to get dancing on that stage!”

A hit for the past two summers at the Edinburgh Fringe, Into the Hoods had its West End premiere at the Novello on 26 March 2008 (previews from 14 March) and was initially booking until 10 May. It has twice extended its limited season.

A hip-hop version of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, Into the Hoods follows two children lost in the ‘hood’. The show is directed and choreographed by Kate Prince and performed by a cast of 19 adults and nine children (three on stage at any one time). The company, ZooNation, employs its trademark narrative street dance/theatre style against a backdrop of music from the Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Prince, Basement Jaxx and others. It’s produced by Phil McIntyre and Adam Speers.

Into the Hoods makes way at the Novello for the Eurovision spoof musical Eurobeat, which, following a regional tour, receives its West End premiere on 9 September 2008 (previews from 4 September). In the West End, Les Dennis and Mel Giedroyc will play the competition’s Bosnian hosts, Boyka and Sergei, in the interactive musical in which the audience votes via text for each night’s winner (See News, 13 May 2008).

– by Terri Paddock

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