Sienna Miller will return to the West End in a production directed by Trevor Nunn. Flare Path, first performed in London’s West end in 1942, will preview at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on the 4th March.
Sienna Miller will star in Flare Path at The Theatre Royal Haymarket
Described as ‘A story of love, loyalty and desire set at the height of the Second World War’ Miller plays an actress who is caught between duty and passion.
The play, written by Terrence Rattigan, is based on his own experiences as a tail gunner in the RAF during the Second World War.
Sienna Miller was last seen in the West End, when she starred in Shakespeare’s classic, As You Like It and recently starred in After Miss Julie on Broadway.
Flare Path is booking until the 4th June 2011 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Buy Flare Path tickets here.
The Broadway cast of Million Dollar Quartet
London’s West End will see another US import early in the new year – Million Dollar Quartet will open at the Noel Coward Theatre in February. The concept is one half jukebox musical, with the added depth of some historical clout.
On the 4th December 1956 Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis came together at Sun Records in Memphis for the first and only time in their careers, resulting in probably one of the ultimate ‘jam sessions’ of the twentieth century.
The historical reference should provide the necessary interesting plot moments, and of course it’s always fun to see ‘Elvis’ on stage. I think where this show will really take off is the jukebox part – that is, the songs. The show description boasts that over 20 classic hits are incorporated into the musical, including: Blue Suede Shoes, I Walk The Line, Great Balls Of Fire, Hound Dog, Riders In The Sky, and Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.
Million Dollar Quartet is an extremely popular production in New York, and it’s easy to see why; the story combined with fantastic music is an easy sell. We’ll have to see if the Brits are just as interested, but judging by the success of shows like Jersey Boys, I reckon that they will be.
Million Dollar Quartet is booking from 8th February to the 1st October 2011 and tickets start from just £12.50
Buy Million Dollar Quartet tickets here.
Back in October, Legally Blonde had some big cast changes, most notably the addition of Denise Van Outen, Siobhan Dillon and Carley Stenson. They joined Sheridan Smith who plays the lead role of Elle, in the hit American musical based on the films.
Legally Blonde is now booking into its second year at the Savoy Theatre, but the show still took the opportunity to invite us to see the new cast. Here’s a couple of photos from the event.
John Wales, Discount Theatre's Managing Director meets Denise Van Outen
Carley Stenson drops in after performing in Legally Blonde
Theatre sites are buzzing this week with the announcement of a new Neil La Bute play, In a Forest, Dark and Deep which will have its world premiere at the Vaudeville Theatre on the 3rd of March 2011
Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams will star in Neil La Bute's In a Forest, Dark and Deep
If that wasn’t exciting enough, Matthew Fox, who played the sexy but troubled doctor Jack Shephard in the American sci fi drama Lost, will play one of the lead roles! He will be joined by British actress Olivia Williams (who played Bruce Willis’ wife in The Sixth Sense).
The plot centres around two siblings who are cleaning out a cottage on a dark and stormy night….it all starts innocently enough but before long, secrets start to come to the surface and conflict ensues.
In a Forest, Dark and Deep by Neil La Bute opens in March 2011 and is booking until the 4th June; and it will feature Matthew Fox in his West End debut!
Buy In a Forest, Dark and Deep tickets here.
It shouldn’t have been like this, but despite Arlene Phillips’ tremendous choreography and Matt Willis and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as stars, Flashdance The Musical could not make the passion happen.
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt stars in Flashdance The Musical
The production at the Shaftesbury Theatre will close on the 15th January after a 4 month run. The show was originally booking until the 28th February 2011, so it’s only closing 6 weeks early, but when you mount a West End musical you hope it’s going to run for years rather than a number of months.
Some will say that the Shaftesbury curse has struck yet again….The Shaftesbury Theatre is not known for providing show longevity, although Hairspray managed to have a fairly good run. With the phenomenal success of Dirty Dancing at The Aldwych Theatre, I thought that Flashdance would be a sure bet; 80’s nostalgia is so big at the moment.
Flashdance The Musical got fairly good reviews from the popular press so it’s certainly not a disaster on stage, and it contains many good songs from the iconic film. At least there’s still time to buy a ticket before Flashdance rides off into the sunset….you may find that it’s harmless good fun, which lends itself well to the festive season!
Flashdance is booking until the 15th January at the Shaftesbury Theatre. You can save up to 48% on midweek performances when you buy tickets on www.discounttheatre.com.
What do you think? Is the Shaftesbury Theatre cursed?
Keira Knightley starred in The Misanthrope last year, which was also at the Comedy Theatre
Keira Knightly will be back on stage in the new year starring in The Children’s Hour at the Comedy Theatre. She will be joined by Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) in Lillian Hellman’s play about scandalous whisperings at a New England boarding school.
Keira Knightley starred in The Misanthrope last year, which was also at the Comedy TheatreI must say, the whole thing sounds rather intriguing….apparently when the play was first written in the 1930’s it was banned in many American cities and London. The synopsis doesn’t really give much of the plot away, but whatever it is, it must have been quite taboo back in the day.
Last time that Keira Knightley performed in the West End she was in a modern version of The Misanthrope which was also staged at the Comedy Theatre; at the time, there was practically a stampede to get tickets to see Knightley on stage. I suspect the same thing may occur this time, especially with Elisabeth Moss also playing a lead role.
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) will also star in The Children's Hour
The Children’s Hour is on sale now, tickets are limited, so if you are an intrigued as I am, you better be quick.
To buy tickets for The Children’s Hour click here.
Another ex-girl band member is take over the role of Mrs Johnstone in the West End production of Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre – former Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton.
Blood Brothers is one of the longest running West End shows, clocking up a very impressive 22 years. The story of Liverpudian twin boys separated at birth is a must see for any musical lover.
Hamilton will follow in the footsteps of many other great performers who have played the role, including Barbara Dickson, Kiki Dee and ex spice girl Mel C who received great acclaim for her portrayal.
At 28 years old, Hamilton is probably one of the youngest Mrs. Johnstones that the show has ever seen, so it will be interesting to see how that will come across on stage, especially when the character’s children grow into young adults…..will there be some clever make up and staging used?
Natasha Hamilton will perform the role of Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers from the 24th January until the 30th July 2011.
Currently, Blood Brothers is running a special offer on the 22nd November, all tickets are just £12.50, saving over 75% on stalls and dress circle tickets. Buy Blood Brothers tickets here.
Halloween is always a good time for the musical Wicked, the whole green faced witch thing fits in rather nicely with the dressing up and trick or treating. It also tends to coincide with the October half term which is always a very busy time for theatre.
Louise Dearman stars as Glinda the Good in Wicked.
Last week’s half term was no exception and Wicked reaped the benefits. The show had its highest grossing week since it opened 4 years ago. Over 20 000 people saw the show last week and the box office gross was an extraordinary £923,612.
Considered one of the most popular musicals worldwide, Wicked is one of the most recognised shows of recent times. The untold story of the witches of Oz is dramatically played out with a superb score and special effects and has won many awards over the years.
The two lead actresses Rachel Tucker and Louise Dearman will perform the roles of Elphaba and Glinda until December 2011 and Lee Mead will continue as Fiyero until February 2011.
If you buy a stalls or dress circle ticket for Wicked midweek, you can get a free 2 course dinner at a nearby restaurant. For a selection of Wicked dinner packages on discounttheatre.com click here.
Robert Lindsay stars as Aristotle Onassis
The nights are drawing in and with the clocks going back this weekend, it’s time to start counting the precious hours of daylight. With night-time starting as early as 3pm at the height of deepest darkest winter, now is the time to be indoors.
Traditionally, we are now moving into the busy part of the theatre season as the cold dark nights set in. People want entertainment that is indoors, when they meet up with friends, or need an escape from the X-Factor, the Xtra factor and the numerous repeats of the show on ITV 2.
Arguments have been made in the past that the West End is too focussed on mass appeal juke box musicals, alienating a more traditionalist theatregoer. It is true that there have been times in the recent past when musicals have occupied most West End theatres, shutting the door on the straight play. However, I detect a change in the air when I look at the productions currently on offer.
The huge surprise for us at Discount Theatre Towers is the interest in Onassis at the Novello Theatre, which stars Robert Lindsay. Taking a look at the top 10 sellers last week on Discount Theatre, Onassis ranks number 4, out of a possible 30 plus West End shows. Not bad for a straight play about a tyrannical Greek tycoon.
The other current show that is doing incredibly well is Yes, Prime Minister which depicts a coalition government that is trying to avoid a financial meltdown by doing deals with questionable world leaders. The subject matter will be very relevant to a lot of people I’m sure.
The cast of Yes, Prime Minister, currently playing at the Gielgud Theatre
Opening this week is When We Are Married, a British comedy written by JB Priestley, that brings a farcical treatment to a quaint Yorkshire village. And next week Oscar Wilde’s classic, and literary favourite, An Ideal Husband starts previewing, which stars Alexander Hanson and Samantha Bond.
There’s more great plays to come in the next few months, such as Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit starring Alison Steadman and Ruthie Henshall, and Clybourne Park which received great critical acclaim when it was at the Royal Court. For a full list of West End plays currently on sale click here.
You can also join the popular masses and save over 45% on Onassis at the Novello Theatre: Tickets normally £49.50 are reduced to £25.99 Monday to Thursday. Buy Onassis tickets here.
Ghost The Musical, is set to make its London premiere at the Piccadilly Theatre next June, and already there is a huge anticipation and excitement surrounding the production. Based on the Academy Award winning film of the same name which starred Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and the late Patrick Swayze, the story captivated many fans; now the romantic tale will be live on stage and include the quintessential song from the movie, ‘Unchained Melody’.
Discount Theatre was able to ask a few questions to Dave Stewart, who created the music and lyrics for the new production:
DT: You are one of the most sought after writers and producers in the music industry, what inspired you to take on a project like GHOST The Musical?
DS: Because I had a similar experience to Sam Wheat once - I was in hospital and had an ‘out of body experience’ like the character, where I had to decide to go to the light or not. Bruce (Joel Rubin’s) story is brilliant and I think it really works when you musicalize the themes in the story – it’s come very natural to Glen and I.
DT: Do you have a specific approach to writing and producing music?
DS: In the show, I’ve taken Bruce’s dialogue and rough lyrics and the intention of the song, along with Matthew’s brief, and started melody on guitar, Glen then goes on the keyboards and starts to shape the melody with me and we both start getting lyrics. Mostly it comes from deciding on a song title and going from there.
DT: If you could define the music you and Glen Ballard have created for GHOST The Musical in three words, what would they be?
DS: Catchy, Emotional, Cool
DT: What can future audiences expect from GHOST The Musical in London’s West End?
DS: A roller coaster of emotions really, and a great story told really well….but it’s best for them to find out for themselves and come along!
Ghost The Musical is definitely one of our top picks for 2011 and we (and many other people) can’t wait to see it! Ghost will start previewing at the Piccadilly Theatre on the 22nd June 2011 and is booking until the 28th January 2012. Tickets are available from £44.
