This week Brenda Edwards joins the cast of We Will Rock You in the role of Killer Queen. Brenda Edwards??? I can hear you all racking your brains, trying to think of who she is.

Brenda Edwards was in the X-Factor a couple of years back. Now that you have consulted Wikipedia it’s all coming back to you. Do you also remember Nikki Evans? She is currently starring as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers. And X-Factor runner up, Ray Quinn, is starring in Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre after a successful turn at playing Danny in Grease at The Piccadilly Theatre.

X-Factor graduates seemed to do particularly well in West End Theatre. Many more have followed such as Diana Vickers, who was in Little Voice earlier this year and Lucie Jones who I mentioned in my last blog, is about to star as Cosette in Les Miserables at the Queens’s theatre.

So which reality TV stars would you like to see in the West End? Is it someone from Britain’s Got Talent or would you like to see a fame hungry Big Brother contestant? My pick would have to be Rhydian Roberts from the X-Factor.

Brenda Edwards will star in We Will Rock You for a 10 week run. Discount Theatre has We Will Rock You tickets reduced to £32.50 midweek.

It’s all gone crazy for Les Miserables again. Last year it was Subo’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ that set ticket sales on fire. This year is a big anniversary for Les Mis, 25 years in the West End, making it the longest running musical in the world.

More interestingly are the reality tv and pop stars that are starring in these Les Mis productions. Nick Jonas (one of the Jonas brothers of course! Actually I have no idea who he is.) will play Marius in the original production from the 21st June to the 10th July and then will perform in the concert on the 3rd October. It has been confirmed that X factor finalist Lucie Jones will play Cosette in the original production starting in July and Samantha Barks, who placed 3rd in the BBC show I’d Do Anything will also join the production in the role of Eponine.

Gareth Gates will perform as Marius in the Anniversary production at the Barbican and most surprisingly, Little Britain’s Matt Lucas is going to be Thenardier in the Les Miserables concert at the O2!

Les Mis is definitely one of the West End greats and a must see for anyone who loves musicals. There’s still good summer discounts for the original production at the Queen’s Theatre, but tickets are selling out for the concert so if you want to be an audience member for a fantastic anniversary show, be quick!

Buy Les Miserables tickets and 25th Anniversary Concert tickets here.

Now that Discount Theatre has launched its World Cup Sale with loads of great offers throughout the duration of the football tournament, it’s hard to decide what to see. If you are a hard core theatre lover, now is the time to snap up bargains on many shows that don’t normally offer discounts.

For example, hit show Legally Blonde has top price tickets for £45.99 (normally £60) or you can also see the Tony award winning cast of Hair with tickets starting at only £22.99.

But if you look at the list and still can’t decide, why not attend West End Live in Leicester Square this weekend for a sampler of West End shows?

West End Live is now in its 6th successful year and offers a great chance to see some excerpts from top West End Shows performed live in Leicester Square.

This year, loads of shows are taking part, including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s follow up the Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, David Essex’s All The Fun Of The Fair, and classic musicals Sweet Charity and Billy Elliot.

Unfortunately, now that Discount Theatre towers has moved out of Leicester Square, we won’t be blessed with listening to the rehearsals and having a bird’s eye view of all the action on Saturday and Sunday. Too bad.

West End Live will be open from 11am to 6pm on Saturday the 19th June and from 12pm to 6pm on Sunday the 20th June. In addition to many musical performances, there will be exhibitions and demonstrations making it a great day out. And it’s FREE!

If you see something that you like, check out Discount Theatre’s World Cup Sale, where you will find many great tickets on West End shows.

You can’t beat a classic story written by one of the greatest playwrights of all time.

All My Sons opened to rave reviews at the Apollo Theatre with David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker in the lead roles.

Written by the great American writer Arthur Miller, All My Sons is set over a single day in 1947, telling the tale of a business man who made his fortune in manufacturing during the Second World War. However, it is suggested that his prosperity came at the expense of other people’s lives, possibly even his own son.

Here’s a roundup of what the critics thought:

“You won’t find better performances in the West End right now than those of David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker” Evening Standard

“Howard Davies gets the best from a superb cast in his faultless revival” Independent on Sunday

“It is time to bring out the superlatives. Not only is the acting tremendous and every visual detail precise, Davies also makes you realise Miller’s play is a portrait of a society as well as of a flawed individual.” The Guardian

“This is a stunning production of a modern classic and one that those who see it will never forget.” The Daily Telegraph

All My Sons is booking at the Apollo theatre until the 11th September 2010 and stars David Suchet and Zoe Wannamaker. Discount Theatre has tickets available from £32.50.

Buy All My Sons tickets

One Hollywood star leaves and another moves in.

Kim Catrall, was recently occupying the Vaudeville Theatre while she was starring in Private Lives. Now Jeff Goldblum is moving into the theatre, when Neil Simon’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue previews on the 30th June.

Goldblum was last seen in the West End when he starred with Kevin Spacey in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow at the Old Vic. It was an excellent production; afterwards I waited by the stage door for autographs, which wasn’t my idea; I really don’t care for autographs. However, one member of our party was particularly intent on having Spacey and Goldblum sign his programme.

We waited intently, with the security guards staring at the growing queue. Oddly, we saw a really grumpy Rowan Atkinson walk by. Maybe it was because some Americans started exclaiming “Oh My Gaawd, it’s Mr Bean”….. that would certainly make me grumpy.

Spacey and Goldblum emerged, and while Spacey was handling the queue with efficiency (he probably wanted to get to the pub…. maybe he was meeting Rowan Atkinson), Goldblum was jumping up and down with a huge grin on his face and waving to everyone in sight. He was loving it.

He must have had such a good London experience at the Old Vic that he decided to tread the boards again.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue is a black comedy set in 1970’s New York, which focuses on a married couple struggling to cope with city life. Things eventually get to be too much, as one of the characters heads towards a nervous breakdown and other family members try to offer support in the battle against economic recession and chaotic city life.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue stars Jeff Goldblum and is written by Neil Simon. It will play at the Vaudeville Theatre until the 11th September. And no, I will not be lurking about at the stage door waiting to pounce on a giddy Jeff Goldblum.

Buy The Prisoner of Second Avenue Tickets.

Hair The Musical will now close on the 4th September, when the Broadway cast finishes its contract.

Despite a lot of positive press and numerous awards for the Broadway production, it seems that the show is unable to sustain a long run in London.

Hair is such a great musical and this production is definitely worth seeing. However, I think the £65 face value on top price seats was overly ambitious. Yes, relocating the entire cast of a musical is an expensive business and consequently funds need to be raised, but Wicked, Les Miserables, The Lion King, Phantom Of the Opera and Chicago all have top price tickets with a face value hovering around the £60 mark.

Not that the above shows are worth any more or less than Hair, art is a very subjective business. But I do ask the question: is it a little strange that the ‘hippie musical’ is more expensive than most of the other West End shows?

Thankfully, you can buy a ticket for Hair at a discount price, before it is swept away in September. Discount Theatre has upper circle tickets midweek reduced to £22.99 and top price tickets for matinees reduced to £45.99, as well as some dinner and show packages from £42.50 per person.

It really is a superb show and would be a shame to miss it. Buy your Hair tickets here.