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Billy Elliot
is the story of a boy from a humble Tyneside background, whose
mother is dead, and whose father and brother are caught up in the
bitterly fought community-splitting miner's strike of 1984. Billy's
father wants his son to learn to box, like him and his father before
him. But instead Billy becomes fascinated by the grace and magic of
ballet. BILLY ELLIOT is about Billy's gritty and determined
struggle, at first in secret, but then with the wholehearted backing
of his family, to dance his way to the brightest of futures by
winning a place at the Royal Ballet School.
Author:
Lee Hall. Designer: Ian MacNeil. Director:
Stephen Daldry. Music by: Sir Elton John. Producer:
Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions.Choreographer:
Peter Darling. Costume: Sue Blane. Cast Includes:
James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower
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Willy
Russell's award-winning musical features Liverpudlian twins who are
separated at birth and go on to lead very different lives. However,
their paths are destined to cross again... The show, now in its
fifteenth year, features Siobhan McCarthy as Mrs Johnstone in a role
which has been played by a host of famous faces including Barbara
Dickson, Petula Clarke, Linda Nolan and Denise Nolan.Author:
Willy Russell. Director: Bob Tomson. Producer: Bill
Kenwright Ltd.Designer: Marty Flood. Lighting: Jon
Swain. Cast includes:
Lyn Paul, Philip Stewart, Stephen Palfreman, Mark Hutchinson, Sarah
Hay, Louise Clayton, Stephen Pallister, Daniel Taylor, Grant Aylward,
Louis Tamone, Louise Russell, Alex Harland, Emily Buck, James
Templeton.
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 Chicago
is about two showgirls who kill their lovers and how their savvy
lawyer propels them to celebrity status. The musical exploration of
murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and
treachery. With great style and music, the show satirizes the
justice system, celebrity, and "all that jazz." Chicago won six 1997
Tony Awards, including Best Musical Reviva. lMusic
by: John Kander.Lyrics by: Fred
Ebb.Book by: Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, based on the play by
Maurine Dallas Watkins.Director: Walter Bobbie.Designer:
John Lee Beatty.Choreography: Ann Reinking.Lighting:
Ken Billington. Producer: Chicago Partnership.
Cast includes: Jennifer
Ellison (Roxie Hart until 4 Dec), Anna-Jane Casey (Velma Kelly),
John Barrowman (Billy Flynn, until 11 Dec), Paul Baker (Amos Hart)
and Sharon D Clarke (Mama Morton).
 Musical
adaptation of Victor Hugo's great humanitarian novel of one man's
determined survival in the face of another's vengeful persecution.
Set amid the social and political struggles of 19th century France.
The dramatic score includes numbers such as On My Own, One More Day,
and Do You Hear the People Sing?. Directed by Trevor Nunn and John
Caird. Jeff Leyton stars as Jean Valjean, while Michael McCarthy
plays his nemesis Javert. Joining them on stage are Lydia Griffiths
as Cosette, Sophia Ragavelas as Eponine, Joanna Ampil as Fantine,
Katy Secombe as Madame Thenardier, Oliver Thornton as Enjolras and
Jon Lee, formerly of S Club, appearing as Marius.
Music: Claude Michel Schönberg
(with Orchestrations by John Cameron).Lyrics: Original French
lyrics by Alain Boublil & English Lyrics By Herbert Kretzmer.Book:
Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg
Author: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg & Herbert
Kretzmer after Victor Hugo . Director: John Caird, Trevor
Nunn. Producer: Cameron Mackintosh. Designer: Stephen
Brimson Lewis. Cast includes: Jon Lee, Jeff Leyton, Michael
McCarthy, Katy Secombe, Joanna Ampil, Lydia Griffiths, Oliver
Thornton, Sophia Ragavelas, Stephen Tate |
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A celebration of the
greatest Motown hits. Forty years after Diana Ross and the Supremes,
Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson & the
Miracles first arrived in the UK in the spring of 1965 with the
Tamla Motown Revue tour, DANCING IN THE STREETS recreates what it
was like to be there and to experience the energy, style and music
of the greatest stars of the Motown stable.Author:
William Shakespeare.Director: Keith Strachan. Producer:
Paul Walden & Derek Nicol for Flying Music. Designer: Sean
Cavanagh. Choreography: Carole Todd.
Based on the
film with story by Nik Cohn and screenplay by Norman Wexler. Stage
adaptation by Nan Knighton, Arlene Philips, Paul Nicholas and Robert
Stigwood. Music and lyrics by The Bee Gees.In Brooklyn, 'Tony Manero'
is a humble paint store clerk by day, but after dark he becomes the
polyester-clad stallion king of the local nightclub. Every Saturday
night Tony slips into his flares, pulls on his huge-collared shirt
and hits the streets to prove he can walk the walk, talk the talk
and most definitely dance the moves. Each week he parts the dance
floor like the red sea as the club falls under the spell of the
thumping disco beat and Tony's phenomenal routines. But as the club
lights snap on at the end of the night and the real world returns,
Tony and his disco obsessed friends must face the sometimes harsh
truth of growing up in the tough urban jungle of New York. The show
is packed with disco hits including Stayin Alive, Night Fever, Jive
Talking and How Deep Is Your Love.
Music: The Bee Gees. Adapted by:
Nan Knighton. Designer: The Bee Gees. Director: Arlene
Phillips, Orchestrations: Nigel Wright. Choreographer: Arlene
Philips. Lighting: Durham Marenghi. Sound by: Mick
Potter. Cat Includes: Kym Marsh.
Queen, the
legendary band fronted by the dynamic Freddie Mercury before his
death in 1991, have been making music together since the 70s and
have now joined forces with writer Ben Elton to bring their unique
sound to theatreland. Nigel Planer heads the cast in the Queen
song-fest with the action taking place in a futuristic world where
rock music is banned. Planer is joined by fellow cast members Tony
Vincent, Hannah Jane Fox and Sharon D Clarke. Christopher Renshaw,
who brings a worthy list of credentials including The King And I at
the Palladium and the more recent and hugely popular Taboo, directs.
Author:
Ben Elton and Queen. Director: Christopher Renshaw
Producer:Queen Productions Phil McIntyre Promotions/ Tribeca
production Designer: Mark Fisher & Willie Williams .
Choreography: Arlene Phillips.
Cast Includes: Mig Ayesa
(Galileo), Hannah Jane Fox (Scaramouche) , Mazz Murray (Killer
Queen), Jenna Lee-James (Meat), Mark Arden (Pop), Clive Carter (Khashoggi),
Nigel Clauzel (Britney)
Ojos de Brujo, Bari
(La Fabrica de Colores)
 Reaching back to
flamenco and rumba, grabbing handfuls of hip hop, dub, drum licks
and bass lines
From the moment it starts,
there's no doubt that this an album of now. Energetic, assertive
and joyful, it does what you want a record to do: it changes the
mood and makes life seem full of possibilities. Reaching back to
flamenco and rumba, grabbing handfuls of hip hop, dub and
modern-sounding drum licks and bass lines (but not
drum-and-bass!), the group makes forward-looking music that could
definitely have been made only in Spain and probably only in
Barcelona. Usually, the most interesting popular music has been
made far from the cities where the major international record
companies have been based.
For the twenty years from
1952 to 1972, the American South was the best place to make
adventurous records.
For the next thirty it
could have been Kinshasa in Zaire or the capital cities of Guinea,
Mali or Senegal. Right now, some of the most creative locations
are bordering the Mediterranean: Marseilles, Naples, Istanbul,
Cairo, and especially Barcelona. It's not a matter of simply
moving to the right place and expecting the magic to rub off; you
have to be based there, be part of the culture, and be able to
absorb some of what is flying through the air around you. Ojos
de Brujo is the band in the right place at the right
time. Although the group (whose name means "Eyes of the Wizard")
previously made a good debut album, Vengue, it featured
the lead vocals of Dani, leader of another Barcelona group, Macaco,
and it did not have the distinctiveness of Bari, which is
in many ways a new beginning. The vocals are now shared between
Marina La Canillas and Lucy, and it is their interplay that gives
the album its character.
First time through, the
song that particularly jumped out was 'Nalta', its strong flamenco
elements updated without being softened or processed. But with
each play, the inventiveness of the groups style and the
consistency of the material become more apparent. Try a sample. If
you like one track, you're going to like it all. Its not often a
reviewer can be so confident. Reviewer: Charlie Gilbett
How to fill a theatre
We talk to Burt Lee, the new man at The Castle, who'll decide
what shows go on at Wellingborough's theatre.
Burt Lee
"Terrifying"
is how Bart Lee describes his new job. It's also "fantastic" and
"exciting". As artistic director, Bart is responsible for putting
together the programme of shows for The Castle's 500-seat main
auditorium and 100-seat studio theatre. He's the new boy at The
Castle after working as artistic director for a theatre company at
Bracknell, Berks. "There I was responsible for six or seven weeks
of programming," says Bart. "Here it's for the whole year".
Tonight We Fly - a show using masks - came to The Castle in
February
Nightmare: Shows are
booked up early, so it'll be a year before we see the results of
Bart's labours. But he's already planning on changes. "I want to
get more community productions up and running," is his aim. In
discussion with local groups - such as youth groups - he wants to
develop shows for the main house. Next summer he wants to put on a
big cast community musical: "I have a history of doing that - a
cast of 100; it's a nightmare but good fun!"At 27, Burt is a
youthful artistic director. He believes his age is "an advantage
in attracting young people". Like many theatres around the
country, The Castle is setting it's sights on the twentysomethings.
Alienating:
"Older
people can get set in their ways," he explains. "They say: 'This
is the way we've always done it and this is the way we're always
going to do it'. "By meeting new people and hopefully being a bit
fresher, I can get people in and say: 'all right - go for it' and
given them a try." The difficult thing (something with which all
theatres are grappling) is to to pull in a younger audience
without alienating the existing, older audience."I have to cater
for everybody and find good drama, good music; create deals with
new partnerships and try to get people in here."
Comedy has already been a draw for young people at The Castle. Bart
believes there's much more they can do for the audience: "Give
them ownership of the work and make it appeal to them. There are
plays for younger audiences that you can pick."
Unplugged
Other projects include
'Unplugged and intimate', a showcase for local acoustic bands and
solo artists, and a 'Battle of the Bands' competition culminating
in a gig in the main theatre with professional support. "The arts
centre is here as a service for everyone to use," he says. He's
urging budding performers to contact him. "A lot of people get
very precious about their art and think it's something that
shouldn't be touched and it's something that you can't get into.
"I don't feel like that at all. I think it's something that needs
to be expressed: if you write a play it's no good if it stays on
your computer filed away - you have to try and perform it in front
of an audience because only in performance do you find what a play
is about.
"If you're a songwriter, it's no point if you're all the time
singing to yourself: you have to sing to other people." The
invitation is there - give Bart a ring and he'll try to help you
develop your ideas. For Burt, the hard work begins now - finding
all those community shows to fill a year's worth of entertainment.
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Set in New York, a group
of gamblers gather for “The Oldest Established Permanent Floating
Crap Game in New York”, but Nathan Detroit (played by Douglas Hodge)
needs $1,000 to set the game up. As any right thinking gambler would
do in that situation, he bets Sky Masterson (Ewan McGregor) $1,000
that he can’t get Salvation Army prude Sarah Brown to accompany him
to Havana. On top of his gambling problems, Detroit also has to deal
with the affections of the amorous Miss Adelaide (Ally McBeal's Jane
Krakowski), who is trying to make him settle down. Guys And Dolls is
the first Donmar Warehouse production not to be staged at the Donmar
Warehouse and will be directed by Donmar Artistic Director Michael
Grandage. Music
by: Frank Loesser
Lyrics by: Frank Loesser
Book by: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Director:
Michael Grandage. Producer: Howard Panter for The Ambassador
Theatre Group and David Lan for Clear Channel Entertainment, in
association with the Donmar Warehouse. Designer: Christopher
Oram
Choreographer: Rob Ashford Lighting Designer: Howard
Harrison. Cast includes:
Ewan McGregor, Douglas Hodge, Jane Krakowski.
Don't miss Ebenezer, Bob
Cratchit, Tiny Tim, the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future
and a whole host of Dickensian characters.
Author:
Leslie Bricusse
Director: Bob Tomson
Producer: Bill Kenwright
Designer: Paul Farnsworth
Lighting: Nick Richings
Sound By: Mick Potter. Cast
Includes: Tommy Steel.
A handsome
young man is stranded at a remote railway cutting. Out of the
darkness looms a woman, a mysterious figure dressed in white, who
burns to tell a chilling secret. Two sisters find themselves snared
in a web of betrayal and greed, the victims of a flawless crime.
Unprotected in a man's world, they will need all their
resourcefulness and courage to outwit a villain of overpowering
charisma and ingenuity. But they can also rely on the guiding hand
of love.Author:
Charlotte Jones
Director: Trevor Nunn
Sound by: Mick Potter
Lyrics by: David Zippel
Designer: William Dudley
Lighting: Paul Pyant
Choreography: Wayne McGregor
Cast includes: Michael Crawford (Count Fosco), Maria Friedman
(Marian Halcombe), Martin Crewes (Walter Hartwright), Angela
Christian (Anne Catherick - 'the Woman in White'), Oliver Darley
(Sir Percival Glyde), Jill Paice (Laura Fairlie), Edward
Petherbridge (Mr Fairlie), Vincent Pirillo (Signal Man), Nicky
Adams, Eion Cannon, Gregory Clarke, Elinor Collett, Christophe
Connah, Adrian Der Gregorian, Susie Fenwick, Helen George, Mark
Goldthorpe, John Griffiths, Andrew Keelan, Paul Kemble, Joanna
Kirkland, Jo Napthine, Yvette Robinson, James Spilling, Steve
Vernon, Sophie Catherside (Corn Dolly Girl), Leah-Verity White (Corn
Dolly Girl), Sydney White (Corn Dolly Girl). __________________
PAULETTE ATTIE
Sparkling American theater
Diva, Paulette Attie is back on stage. She is currently working
with the Exile Theatre of Afghanistan and the Bond Street Theatre,
New York for their joint presentation, "Theatre of Hope: Fostering
Healing Expression in War Ravaged Lands." It will take place at
the Graduate Center in New York City's Martin E. Segal Theatre at
365 Fifth Avenue on November 29th at 6:30 PM.
Paulette Attie the star, the actress, the singer,
the performer, the songwriter, the author, the poet, the writer,
the Prima Donna starred in more than 1,000 shows, musicals,
operas, plays, cabarets acts, and concerts around the world. She
won the Silver Globe Award playing a French nightclub singer on
TV's The Yanks Are Coming. Other TV credits include the
part of Marshal Dobbs in One Life to Live plus leading
roles on General Hospital, Another World, All My Children,
Sesame Street, Mercy or Murder etc. Paulette has played the
leading female roles in musicals and operettas: My Fair Lady,
Gypsy, Can-Can, The Merry Widow, La Vie Parisienne and plays
by Neil Simon, Tennessee Williams and Noel Coward. Of her over one
thousand concerts, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln
Center, the Hollywood Bowl, Bruno Walter Auditorium, Westbury
Music Fair and concert halls in Japan and South America. She has
performed on and off- Broadway and toured nationally. Roy Sander
in Back Stage said she's "a combination of Lily Pons
and Carmen Miranda.
The stunning Paulette Attie,
Grande Dame of the American Showbiz.
I dare say millions would adore her." "The
classiest singer around today" is how Marjorie Gunner described
her in The New York Voice, and Howard Thompson at
The New York Times said Paulette is "Beautiful, animated,
plaintive, and intense." Her acclaimed one-woman show, About
Time opened off-Broadway in 1997: "Her voice has size and
power and her comic timing is in good shape"...The New York Times.
"Rush to see About Time, where Paulette Attie personifies
grace and talent"... Aisle Say. "Astounding talent"...The Village
Voice. About Time continues to be a favorite with
audiences.On her award winning weekly radio show, Paulette
Attie's Musical Playbill (WNYC for 2 years), Paulette sang
songs by America's best loved songwriters, often accompanied by
the composers themselves. Her legendary list of guests includes
Harold Arlen, Jerry Bock, Cy Coleman, "Yip" Harburg, Sheldon
Harnick, Burton Lane, Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields, Jimmy Mc Hugh,
Mary Rodgers, Harold Rome, Charles Strouse and Jule Styne. She
includes many of their songs in her Paulette’s Best of
Broadway, Hollywood Goes Broadway, and Show
Stoppers. She became friends with some of these writers and
shares stories about their friendship in her shows. Of Johnny
Mercer she said, "If there ever was a person who could charm the
birds out of the trees, it was Johnny." She has sung in Washington
D.C. for Presidents and Heads of State, including being chosen in
1998 to sing in Washington for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of
the Statehood of Israel. In 1988, she became the first woman
performer elected into the Friars Club. The Award winning
singer/actress and poet just received the 2004 ASCAP Plus
Songwriter Award. This makes it her fifth year in a row. President
Bush sent Paulette a letter of congratulations for her song
“United
Are We"
and for donating her time to work with the children
at PS 1, the school nearest Ground Zero that was still operating
after 9/11. She was invited to sing "United Are We" at PS 1 on
the six month anniversary of 9/11, where fifty 7 and 8 year olds
joined her. The performance was seen several times on NY1 TV. On
September 11, 2002 the entire student body of 650 children at PS 1
sang “United Are We” with Paulette honoring the one year
anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy.
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 Lloyd
Webber's romantic musical is based on Gaston Leroux's gothic novel
of life beneath the stage of the Paris Opera House. A mysterious
masked man falls in love with Christine, a singer who inspires The
Music of the Night. Directed by Harold Prince. John Owen-Jones plays
the title role of the Phantom, with Katie Knight Adams as Christine
and Ramin Karimloo as Raoul.Music
by: Andrew Lloyd Webber. Author:
Andrew Lloyd Webber. Director: Harold Prince. Producer:
Cameron Mackintosh / Really Useful Company.
Cast Includes: John
Owen-Jones (The Phantom) , Richard Hazell (Monsier Firmin) , Sam
Hiller (Monsieur Andre), Heather Jackson (Madame Giry), Rohan
Tickell (Piangi), Rachel Barrell (Christine) Katie Knight-Adams will
play 'Christine at certain performances) , Oliver Thornton (Raoul),
Sally Harrison (Carlotta), Claire Tilling (Meg).
 The musical
stage adaptation of Mary Poppins, based on the stories by P.L.
Travers and the 1964 Walt Disney film, which will open at the Prince
Edward Theatre and booking to 24 Sep 2005 . This is forty years
after the premiere of the film. Mary Poppins include many of the
original songs from the film with music and lyrics by Richard M
Sherman and Robert B Sherman. Including "Chim Chim Cher-ee", A
Spoonful of Sugar", "Feed The Birds" and
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
Author: Julian Fellowes. Director:
Richard Eyre, co-direction by Matthew Bourne. Producer:
Thomas Schumacher for Disney Theatrical Productions, and Cameron
Mackintosh. Designer: Bob Crowley. Lighting: Howard
Harrison. Choreography: Matthew Bourne, with additional
choreography by Stephen Mear. Cast includes: Laura Michelle
Kelly (Mary Poppins); Gavin Lee (Bert); David Haig (George); Linzi
Hateley (Winifred Banks); Rosemary Ashe (Miss Andrew); Jenny
Galloway (Mrs Brill); Julia Sutton (Bird Woman); Kevin Williams
(Park Keeper); Gerard Carey (Robertson Ay). (There will be five sets
of children playing 'Michael' and Jane Banks'). Completing the cast
are Sarah Bayliss, Ian Burford, Ashley Day, Jye Frasca, Lewis
Greenslade, Howard Jones, Sarah Keeton, Melanie La Barrie, Claire
Machin, Matthew Malthouse, Stephen McGlynn, Tamara McKoy Patterson,
Tim Morgan, Stuart Neal, Zak Nermorin, Terl Nugent, Lisa O'Hare,
Pippa Raine, Louisa Shaw, Savannah Stevenson, Nathan Taylor, Philip
Michael Thomas, Poppy Tierney, Agnes Vandrepote, Alan Viccary, Emma
Woods, Andrew Wright.
 Mel Brooks'
Broadway hit musical The Producers, based on his 1968 film of the
same name, receives an eagerly awaited UK transfer to the Theatre
Royal, Drury Lane after taking Broadway by storm. Starring Nathan
Lane and renowned comedian Lee Evans. This musical comedy revolves
around washed-up theatre producer Max Bialystock who, along with his
timid accountant Leo Bloom, cooks up a scheme to make a fortune by
presenting a sure-fire flop called "Springtime for Hitler". Their
plan is to take off with all their investors' money- but when the
curtain goes up on their gigantic singing and dancing spectacular,
they realize their plan has not gone entirely to plan.
Author:
Mel Brooks. Director: Susan Stroman.
Designer: Robin Wagner. Lighting: Peter Kaczorowski.
Choreography: Susan Stroman. Producer: Clear Channel
Entertainment / Frankel Viertel Routh Group / Bob & Harvey Weinstein
/ Rick Steiner / Robert FX Sillerman / Mel Brooks / James D Stern &
Douglas Meyer. Cast includes: Nathan Lane (Max Bialystock
until 8 Jan 2005) (Richard Dreyfuss withdrawn through injury) , Lee
Evans (Leo Bloom), Nicolas Colicos (Franz Liebkind), James Dreyfus
(Carmen Ghia), Conleth Hill (Roger De Bris), and Leigh Zimmerman (Ulla).
The show will also feature: Kenneth Avery-Clark, Stephen Carlile,
Hadrian Delacey, Kate Graham, Amanda Minihan, Sherrie Pennington,
Simon Adkins, Caroline Barnes, Suzanne Bullock, Leigh Constantine,
Lisa Donmall, Christian Gibson, James Gray, Kelly Homewood, David
Hulston, James Lucas, Rachel McDowell, Gavin Staplehurst, Luzahn
Taylor, Emma Tunmore, Desi Valentine.
Julie Taymor
directs the stage adaptation of Disney's hugely successful animated
film. When the young lion prince Simba is born his evil uncle Scar
is pushed back to second in line to the throne. Scar plots to kill
both Simba and his father, King Mufasa, and proclaim himself king.
Simba survives but is led to believe that his father died because of
him and he decides to flee the kingdom. Tim Rice and Elton John's
musical won six Tony Awards on Broadway and has been nominated for
eight Olivier Awards.
Music: Elton John.
Additional songs by Lebo M, Julie Taymor, Mark Mancina and Hans
Zimmer . Lyrics: Elton John and Tim Rice . Book: Roger
Allers and Irene Mecchi . Director: Julie Taymor; .
Producer: Walt Disney Theatrical productions under the direction
of Peter Schneider and Thomas Schumacher. Lighting: Donald
Holder. Choreography: Garth Fagan.
Cast Includes: Rob Edwards, Nathaniel
Stampley, Gugwana Dlamini, Eric Mallett, Richard Gauntlett, Howard
Crossley, Brian Makiwane, Alexia Facey, Jacqui Dubois, Gary Forbes,
Kyl Messios, Jeana Cachero, Jordan Laviniere, Africa Nile, Michelle
Osuocha, Victoria Pasion, Stefan Ruiz.
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HOT...HOT
 BAJOFONDO TANGO
CLUB
(ARGENTINA & URUGUAY)
On their state of
the art website, this collective of artists from both sides of the
Rio de la Plata call their fusion of tango and contemporary dance
beats 'drama you can dance to'. And like the Paris-based Gotan
Project which they are often compared to, Bajofondo Tangoclub have
successfully taken their music well beyond a world music audience,
to a youthful club-going international fan base. "We're trying to do
something that expresses the folk music of today" explains
Argentinian producer, writer, and guitarist Gustavo Santaolalla, who
came up with the basic idea for Bajofondo Tangoclub with his
Uruguayan colleague Juan Campodonico.
Recruiting the
cream of producers, DJs, musicians and singers from Buenos Aires and
Montevideo to work with them, they created cutting edge 21st century
urban roots music with a strong sense of place. Their
eponymous 2003 debut won them a Latin Grammy for Best Pop
Instrumental Album, though it's not without its vocals. Samples of
tango legends such as Roberto Goyeneche and Susana Rinaldi rub
shoulders with their modern counterparts like rising star Cristobal
Repetto and the impossibly sultry Adriana Varela. The digital
rhythms of house, drum 'n' bass and trip-hop mesh seamlessly with
the sounds of conventional acoustic tango instruments; swirling
bandoneon, elegant flourishes of piano and the skronking 'chichara'
of tortured violins, which the great tango iconoclast Astor
Piazzolla made his trademark. By producing something new which is at
the same time respectful of tradition, Bajofondo Tangoclub have
earned the admiration of a wide and growing audience, both at home
and abroad. And their multi-media live shows are fast underlining
the fact that they are much more than a studio creation. The second
instalment in what promises to be a string of releases under the
Bajofondo Tangoclub umbrella focuses on the talents of Luciano
Supervielle. It showcases a more loungey, sophisticated sound, with
excursions into hip-hop and milonga, and contributions by the
mercurial neuvo tango star Daniel Melingo.
Preview: Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat
 The
popular Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical about Joseph and his
coat of many colours comes to the Derngate.
It's
a fair bet that anyone who's under 50 has sung along to Joseph at
school. Every year there are nearly 500 school or amateur
productions of the show in the UK. The show actually started out (in
1968) as a 15-minute end-of-term piece for a London school. Over the
decades it's been extended and adapted and has become one of the
UK's most successful musicals. Jason Donovan was 'Closing Ev'ry
Door' in the early '90s, to be followed by Philip Schofield. Five
years ago, Donny Osmond was twirling the dreamcoat.
 Photo:
Bible story: Potiphar is feeling warm
Loincloth: When the show
arrives at Derngate, the lad in the loincloth will be 20-year-old
Andrew Derbyshire - a former contestant on TV's Pop Idol. He's also
starred in the West End in the Queen musical We Will Rock You.
 Photo:
Look - no chest hair: Andrew Derbyshire as Joseph
The
show, of course, retells the Bible story about Joseph and his 11
brothers and the coat of many colours (incidentally, the coat spans
12 metres and weighs 20kg). The songs (music by Andrew Lloyd Webber,
lyrics by Tim Rice) include Any Dream Will Do, One More Angel In
Heaven and Close Ev'ry Door.
Preview: Jus' Like That!
Jus'
Like That!
Royal Theatre, Northampton
Jerome Flynn stars at the fez-wearing comedian Tommy Cooper in
this show about the big man.
Back in the '70s nearly
everyone did a Tommy Cooper impersonation. It normally consisted of
saying "jus' like that!" in a hoarse voice whilst holding both
hands, palms down, in front of you. If you had a fez to wear, all
the better.
He was a big comedy star - one
of the most impersonated personalities in show business. His
audiences howled with laughter at his 'bottle-glass, glass-bottle'
routine.
 Photo:
Tommy Cooper (Jerome Flynn) was known as the 'genial giant'
They were
innocent days. But times change. Cooper died (on stage in London and
live on TV) in 1984. Twenty years on, how many under 25s have even
heard of Tommy Cooper?
This show coming to the Royal
Theatre for a week is a celebration of Cooper, the entertainer.
Jerome Flynn ('Soldier, Soldier' star and 'Unchained Melody'
crooner) plays the big man. The pre-show publicity tells us we'll be
taken behind the scenes to meet the guy under the fez. The show has
already been a big success in London's West End, having received a
Oliver Award comedy nomination. It's directed by the ebullient actor
Simon Callow.
Preview: Macbeth
 Satan,
conjoined twins and a walking wood - Macbeth has it all. This is an
open-air production playing to two venues in the county.
At Rockingham Castle.
Ambition,
corruption and mad scary women - not life in the Big Brother house
but Shakespeare's tragedy of bloody power-lust, Macbeth. Open-air
plays in the middle of summer tend to be light comedies, so it'll be
a bit different to sit amidst the majestic Northamptonshire
countryside watching murder and mayhem unfold in the Scottish dark
ages.
 Photo:
Ambitious: Macbeth.
But then
again, maybe the historical settings at Rockingham and Alderton will
bring to life this dark, brooding and complex play. Macbeth is a
Scottish soldier who becomes a tormented, guilt-ridden killer pushed
on by his forceful wife. This show by Heartbreak Productions delves
into the mind of Macbeth as he struggles and fights with his
conscience and uses 'psychological imagery' to create the worlds of
Heaven and Hell. It's directed by Peter Mimmack with music by Darren
Scott.
 NEW
YORK'S WOMAN SEEKING COMPANY: SIMPLY A GREAT THEATER GROUP!
Photo: Poster
of FEMME by Christine Mosere, producer and artistic director of
WOMAN SEEKING. Play directed by Trace Peters in 2002. Starring
Christine Mosere and Ana Jacome.
WOMAN
SEEKING... is a theater company
whose goal is to provide the theater audience with high quality
ensemble productions that showcase women in roles that make the
audience laugh, cry and often question their beliefs and
prejudices about gender roles and women’s' place in our society.
WOMAN SEEKING...’s first seeds were
planted with an idea for women friendly scene nights that
Christine Mosere and Connie Pachl talked about. Encouraged
by the success of their themed scene nights, WOMAN
SEEKING... was ready to produce a full-length play. Jane
Chambers’ Last Summer at Bluefish Cove was chosen.
The Company produced a classically updated all female production
of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. and was
honored by OOBR (Off-Off Broadway Review) by being asked to
perform at their awards ceremony at The Union Square Theater.
Company's executive Producer &
Artistic Director, Christine Mosere. Producer & Creative Director,
Laurie Marvald. Two super duper talented and creative ladies.
Photo:
Poster of WILDE, NEW AND SIZZLING, produced by WOMAN SEEKING.
WOMAN
SEEKING is a magnificent group of artists, playwrights, producers,
directors and artists who are sincerely dedicated to the promotion
and development of women's theater in New York. Mosere and Marvald
are an asset to the New York stage. They have the concept, the
intelligent idea and the visions to make it happen big time. But
what really WOMAN SEEKING needs is Not the talents, but funding and
a bigger public financial support. They have already demonstrated an
unparallel commitment to the world of theater and excelled in
producing outstanding shows, such as PONZI MAN written by the very
talented and prolific playwright Gary Morgenstein. PONZI MAN
was a delightful show successful at many levels. Other remarkable
shows were:
Oscar Wilde's bittersweet
comedy of manners, morals and mayhem' LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN,
Wilde, New & Sizzling,
FEMME, to name a few.
The public
can and should help this group. One way to do it is to donate.
Feel free to
email them at
helpdesk@fracturedatlas.org.
(212) 277-8020 (tel)
(212) 277-8025 (fax)
248 W. 35th Street Suite 1202 New York, NY 10001
|
|
ALL NEW
JERRY SADOWITZ AT SOHO THEATER, London
SEE
HOW WE CAN PUT YOU ON THE MAP! DE LAFAYETTE WORLDMEDIA
http://www.delafayetteworldmedia.org
rosenstein@delafayetteworldmedia.org 
GUEST
STAR:
ADI BLOTMAN:
Israeli-Born Actress Makes Transition from Army Troops
to Comedy Troupes.
Blotman:
“It’s very clear that, even as a child, I enjoyed the spotlight.”...
Mark
Schultz -Award winning New York Playwright
