Hairspray might not be leaving the Shaftesbury Theatre until the end of this month, but its successor has already started booking.

Flashdance The Musical doesn’t move into the Shaftesbury Theatre until September, but tickets are now onsale. Set in Pittsburgh, USA, Flashdance tells the story of 18 year old Alex, a welder by day and ‘flashdancer’ by night, whose dream is to obtain a place at the prestigious Shipley Dance Academy. Based on the 1983 film, the music embodies the era and features such hits ‘Maniac’, along with ‘Manhunt’, ‘Gloria’, and ‘I Love Rock and Roll’. And a bonus element is that ex Strictly Come Dancing Judge Arlene Phillips has choreographed all of the dance moves in this highly anticipated stage version.

Go and track down your legwarmers and high-top Reeboks. You know you want to.

Flashdance starts previewing on the 27th September at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London and is booking until the 26th February 2011. By your Flashdance tickets here.

It came as a bit of a shock….one of the most loved shows in recent memory is now closing? How could this be?

Yes, Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre is closing on the 28th March. We are in mourning at Discount Theatre towers…….sniff.

Despite the sad news, I suppose it was actually quite a successful production when you really look at it. Hairspray has been running for about 18 months, which is about 17 months longer than any other recent production at the Shaftesbury Theatre. And when it opened, the critics raved, only boosting its popularity among theatregoers.

So, what will be next to inhabit the Shaftesbury Theatre? Rumours point to the stage version of Flashdance, which could appeal to devotees of Fame and Footloose. Other sources claim that it could be Broadway hit Rock Of Ages.

Hairspray will also be remembered for the show that defied the Shaftesbury curse, and was able to put bums on seats with its fun, broad appeal.

It’s not time to say goodbye yet….top price tickets are reduced to £37.50 for the near future. However, you have been warned that this is your last chance to see a fantastic show!

Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre will close on the 28th March 2010. Book your discounted Hairspray tickets here.

Is the West End changing tact, trying to emulate its cousin in New York?

At Discount Theatre, we’ve noticed that a number of shows are introducing a Sunday show (usually a matinee) and having a weeknight off in return. This makes perfect sense when you consider that theatre is a leisure pastime and most people do not work Saturday and Sunday.

Generally speaking, the West End had run a generic schedule of Monday to Saturday evening, a Saturday matinee and a weekday matinee, equalling eight performances a week with Sunday as a rest day.
On Broadway, you can guarantee that most shows will run on Sundays and traditionally Monday was the day of rest for the actors (although nowadays anything goes and quite often you will see Tuesday or Wednesday as the night off)

Personally, I don’t understand why West End producers haven’ t thought about this sooner. Tourists who take weekend trips to London usually stay for most of Sunday; leaving only Saturday to see the show. Saturdays are notoriously busy, with productions booked months in advance, so any hope of buying a ticket on the day goes out the window. To open up on Sundays as well, gives the paying public much more choice and if it is a matinee, the actors will still have the night off.

For years the staple of Sunday matinees in the West End were either Stomp or The Lion King. Desperate people milling around Leicester Square on a Sunday were left out as they didn’t realise that most theatres were dark. Now we are seeing Thriller, Jersey Boys, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Prick Up your Ears already performing or introducing a Sunday show in the next few months, which is great news for the consumers.

Finally The West End seems to be thinking about the routines of punters. Now, if we could just get the government to revoke Sunday trading hours so we can go grocery shopping after 4pm, life would be bliss!

Check out the great shows with Sunday performances here.

This month we bring you the news and gossip including Kevin Spacey’s latest venture at the Old Vic, the return of West End favorite to the Adelphi Theatre and the next production coming to the Open Air theatre, just in time for what hopefully should be some summer weather.

*Click on the play Button Below to Hear the Podcast*

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Show Notes

The News

• Thriller Live - A musical tribute to Michael Jackson.
• Too Close to the Sun - A musical dramatisation of  Ernest Hemingway’s last years.
• The Rat Pack - One of the most loved shows of recent memory will be back at the Adelphi Theatre for a limited run.
• Inherit The Wind - Kevin Spacey is back!
• Hairspray - West End Legend Michael Ball is currently dressing up as a woman on stage in Hairspray, but he is preparing to hand the role over to Brian Conley.
• Prick Up Your Ears - Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame will play Kenneth Halliwell in this new play
• Hello Dolly! - A Broadway classic is set to run in one of London’s most sought after venues; The Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park.

Spotlight Show

• The Woman In Black - The thriller Woman in Black has celebrated 20 years running at the Fortune Theatre, which makes it the 2nd longest West End play, behind Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap which has lasted 57 years in the West End.

Gossip

• The Bodyguard The Musical - If all goes ahead, it’s due to appear in the West End in the Spring of 2011 and will no doubt feature one of the biggest selling singles of all time “ I Will Always Love You”.
• Minsky’s - Bob Martin of Drowsy Chaperone fame has written a new musical set in 1930’s New York about a burlesque house that the local authority is trying to shut down.
• Les Miserables Tour - The tour will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Les Mis and will include new sets and costumes, but will not include Susan Boyle singing “I Dreamed a Dream”

Offer of the Month

• This month we are featuring a very special promotion in which customers receive a free hotel 3 star hotel room when a top price ticket is bought for selected shows. Valid from the 6th July to the 12th September,  the free hotel offer  includes many top selling shows, including Hairspray, Sister Act and Wicked.  With prices as low as £45 per person, per night this is a fantastic offer you won’t want to miss.  Space is limited, so check out discount theatre today!

We’ll be back next month with more news, reviews and interviews about all of the events happening in London’s West End. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out www.discounttheatre.com, for great offers to suit everyone. Until next time…

We all know what happens to the winners of such find-the-next-West-End-star reality television programmes as Any Dream Will Do, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? and I’d Do Anything… they grace the stage with the sweet-sounding singing and delightful dancing for months and months and months… Lee ‘Joseph’ Mead is still getting knickers of amazing colours (and sizes) thrown at him at the Adelphi Theatre, Connie ‘Maria’ Fisher enjoyed a year and a half at the London Palladium before moving on to other projects, and the nation is holding its breath for Jodie ‘Nancy’ Prenger to take us back to Dickensian London in OLIVER!.

But what happens to the losers? Oooh, no, that sounds too harsh – let’s call ‘em ‘close runners-up’. Where are they now? Well, I’m happy to say a lot of them are doing very well (he says smoothly, as if he has Sex and the City-style cocktail nights with them all on a regular basis)…

Rachel Tucker

Who narrowly missed being cast as Nancy, has just landed herself her first West End leading lady role. The Belfast-born brunette bombshell (not easy to say after a few SATC-style cocktails) takes over the part of the sassy rebel ‘Meat’ in Queen and Ben Elton’s hit musical WE WILL ROCK YOU from Monday 22nd September.  She told me (okay, so she told everyone else, too): “It is a dream part. WE WILL ROCK YOU is one of my favourite shows. I first saw it when I was a student at the Royal Academy [name-dropper], and loved it. I am beside myself with excitement. I just can’t believe it.” Well, believe it, baby, ‘cos I’m gonna be there on the front row with a pair of highly aerodynamic Y-fronts at the ready… As the great Freddie Mercury once sung: “I am a sex machine ready to reload, like an atom bomb, about to oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, explode.” Read more