Category: News

It has recently been revealed that musical theatre stars Zizi Strallen and Matt Lee are set to lead the way in the Mary Poppins UK tour. Playing Mary Poppins and Bert respectively, the announcement was made by The Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye, often relied on for theatrical scoops.

The new Mary Poppins UK tour will open at the Leicester Curve on 13 October 2015, directed by Anthony Lyn and with choreography by Geoffrey Garratt. The show has a score by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman, with additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe; musical supervision is by Stephen Brooker.

The classic musical Mary Poppins originally opened in the West End in 2004 where it ran for three years at the Prince Edward theatre, whilst the Broadway production ran for over six years. The show has subsequently toured the world, visiting Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK and has been seen by over 11 million people. The iconic tale is a favourite for many, so a UK tour will be extremely welcome for both old and new audiences.

Zizi Strallen follows in the footsteps of her elder sister Scarlett who famously starred as Mary in the West End, on Broadway and in Australia, keeping the role firmly in the family. Zizi is currently starring as Lana in Matthew Bourne’s production of The Car Man: coincidentally choreographer Matthew Bourne has also danced in the musical of Mary Poppins.

Zizi’s extensive theatre credits include: Demeter in Cats (Palladium/UK tour), Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Leicester Curve), Kathy Cratchitt in Scrooge (Palladium), Zaneeta in The Music Man (Chichester), understudy Lisa in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych), understudy Regina in Rock of Ages (Shaftesbury/Garrick), Meg in Merrily We Roll Along (Menier/Harold Pinter) and Mona Lipschitz in Chicago (Leicester Curve).

2015’s Kids Week has seen a record-breaking start to its annual summer scheme, with an incredible 116,000 theatre tickets snapped up in the first 24 hours of this year’s launch. More than 40 West End shows are taking part in this year’s festival of family theatre fun, which runs throughout the whole month of August. Kids Week offers children and their families the chance to engage with theatre that they may not usually be able to, due to monetary or timely circumstances. With numerous ticket deals and further activities to take part in, Kids Week is not a scheme to be missed!

Now in its 18th year, Kids Week has a huge following and every year introduces thousands of young people to the magic of theatre. Workshops, question and answer sessions and backstage tours are just some of the other theatrical activities on offer in addition to the ticket offers available to children and their families. There are still more than 140,000 tickets available for anyone wanting to take advantage of the kids go free ticket campaign, offering a child aged 16 or younger the chance to see a top London show for free with every adult ticket purchased, plus up to a further two children’s tickets available at half price.

The Society of London Theatre, the organisation behind Official London Theatre and Kids Week, has been overwhelmed by the first days sales, however this success of Kids Week is testament to the organisation’s work, and dedication to the theatre and young people. It is clear the London theatre industry embraces Kids Week in its offer of unrivalled opportunities for children to engage in theatre, often giving them their first experience of the magic of live theatre.

Purchase Kids Week tickets at www.kidsweek.co.uk or by calling 0844 248 5151.

Tewkesbury’s Roses Theatre in the south west of England is set to stage a programme of outdoor work while the venue closes its doors over the summer in order to undertake an £800,000 renovation. Likening it to the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in the heart of the capital, weather permitting the work could see new audiences and new views on the Gloucestershire theatre.

The venue will continue to run two-thirds of its programme, including live music and film screenings, at the council-run Watson Hall while the theatre is shut for refurbishment from 2 July to 23 September, retaining its audiences for its shows and providing a solution to its renovation work which will take over the whole theatre. Although the venue did not programme any theatre over the summer in anticipation of the closure, it will stage three outdoor shows for the first time, in the nearby Victoria Pleasure Gardens.

Sustaining existing audiences and gaining new audiences is important to the theatre, part of the reason behind its revamp. As part of the renovation, the building will be extended to include a new double-storey foyer, in addition to roof repairs, improved disabled access and a refurbished coffee bar that will be able to serve food. The building’s exterior will also be given a facelift, to make the theatre a more welcoming space.

Once the funds for the project have been raised and the work has been completed, the theatre is sure to have a renewed sense of life and future inquisitive audiences, trying theatre for the first time at the venue. Ahead of this time, the theatre looks set to have a fulfilling summer ahead in staging some of its work outside – here’s hoping for an Indian summer in the UK!

The hit musical comedy is gearing up for a strictly limited run in the West End, following the departure of Gypsy from the Savoy a theatre later this year. Chichester Festival Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Guys and Dolls is set to transfer to the West End for the limited season of a 13 week run, from 10 December, opening after Gypsy – starring Imelda Staunton – closes on 28 November.

Protagonist Nathan Detroit is desperate: he needs money for an illegal dice game, and fast, as well as trying to maintain his 14 year engagement to nightclub singer Miss Adelaide, whose patience is running out. Enter notorious gambler Sky Masterson, a guy who can never turn down a bet, and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown, a doll with a heart of ice. Sky must romance Sarah by taking her to Havana for dinner and in return he’ll provide a dozen ‘sinners’ for Sarah’s mission. It seems this is one bet Nathan absolutely can’t lose? The New York tale of gamblers, gangsters and nightclub singers is a glorious evening featuring some of Broadway’s greatest show-stopping tunes, including Luck be a Lady.

The Chichester production which ran in August last year starred Sophie Thompson as Miss Adelaide and Jamie Parker as Sky Masterson (who will both transfer to the London production), Peter Polycarpou and Clare Foster. Along with dazzling choreography from world-renowned Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta, and the much-loved Andrew Wright (Singin’ in the Rain, Barnum), it is a production not to be missed. The show also has direction from the celebrated New Yorker Gordon Greenberg, musical direction from Gareth Valentine, design by Peter McKintosh and lighting and sound by Tim Mitchell and Paul Groothuis.

Guys and Dolls is just the ultimate feel-good show!

Many dancers are freelance: the system doesn’t suit everyone but for many it is the chance to hone in on skills and passions. The freelancing game is ultimately busy, not allowing dancers to ‘switch off’ or take a day off, as they are always working and on the go. During downtime, such as travel for example, this is used to go through choreography for the next rehearsal, scheduling the logistics of the next dance gig, or networking and promoting your personal brand on social media.

Freelance dancers may rehearse with a few companies or choreographers at a time, and may also have jobs on the side of dancing to supplement their income, in order to pay for rent, food, transport, everyday living and maybe even for some savings. Despite being your own boss as a freelance dancer, there is no denying it is a draining lifestyle. However the freedom of dancing with anyone you choose counters this, allowing you to become even more artistically challenged as a constantly developing dancer.

Many dancers are a member of a full-time company before becoming a freelance dancer, choosing to take their own paths. It might be appropriate to dip your toes in freelancing first, for example as a choreographer or teacher, before taking the plunge as a fully-fledged freelancer. This means dancers can more easily jump between different companies and genres of dance, giving the opportunity to network and build up country or even worldwide contacts.

It is important to therefore look after your body as it is both your instrument and your insurance: make sure it can sustain the hours of rehearsals that are required. As a freelancer you are responsible for keeping track of your schedule, going to class or warming up before rehearsal, budgeting and negotiating fees, and keeping each choreographer or director happy. Make sure your schedule is informed with lots of communication about rehearsals and performances, remaining organised. Keep focused on what you love and make the most of experiencing different work and dance genres to aid your artistic growth.

Officially launched on 1 June 2015, a private fundraiser was held at Sadler’s Wells, London, to present Project Polunin, and the project’s intentions. A performance choreographed by the iconic contemporary choreographer Russell Maliphant featured Sergei Polunin, Nehemiah Kish, Fumi Kaneko and Jason Reily. Sergei Polunin previously caused scandalous ructions at the Royal Ballet when he left the company with no warning, in a direction seemingly away from dance.

Now, however, Project Polunin will take him back to ballet and dance, to create new works for ballet through the collaboration of these dancers with contemporary artists, musicians and choreographers for both stage and film. Based in London, the ongoing project will foster the creation of new ballets and dances in conjunction with other artists from film, music, and other arts, and provide continuous support for dancers and choreographers.

Project Polunin will act as a catalyst for bringing together new and innovative arts professionals to propel the art of dance into an exciting new direction with the ultimate intention of bringing it to the public, and capturing the hearts and minds of the audience. In association with Sadler’s Wells, Project Polunin will work with some of the finest dancers of today. The project intends to make works that will captivate and inspire a whole new generation of dancers and audiences, and ultimately means that Polunin may be on his way back, a potential coup for his supporters who were shocked and saddened by his sudden departure from the industry.

In order to complete the film projects and the new dance productions of Project Polunin, Polunin himself has advocated that the project needs to gather the creative and financial support that is so essential to keeping ballet alive and pertinent. This is certainly encouraging that he may be entering back into the world of classical ballet, or at least dance.

The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de la Main) is one of the world’s most inventive contemporary circus companies, and is currently running at the Peacock Theatre in London’s West End. Its production TRACES has been well received by audiences, each rooting for the cast to fly higher, swoop lower and tumble faster. With some bungled tricks and a couple of missed hands, this feeling was made so much stronger as a bigger round of applause was gleaned from the audience.

TRACES combines traditional acrobatics with street elements, mixing theatre and contemporary dance, skateboarding, Chinese poles and Diablo. The acute mix of acrobatics, performance, song, piano and basketball kept the performance moving seamlessly, however the context of the performance and the cast was unclear and weak. Despite this, it is clear TRACES redefines the art of circus.

TRACES has been performed over 1,700 times in 23 countries, with London privy to the production until mid-July. The company originated in Quebec, a huge source for circus and entertainment of this kind. Another descendant of its circus school industry is the spectacular Cirque du Soleil, which adds strong narrative and entertainment to its highly skilled performances, each differing hugely.

Next The 7 Fingers is off on its world tour; the collective was formed ten years ago with its founding members Shana Caroll and Gypsy Snider choreographing this particular production. The feats are impressive which a variety of cast members undertaking the different elements. Even younger audiences can delight in the performers scaling tall Chinese poles and the comic relief from the danger by the talented, unique cast. Tumbling through metal hoops and being launched into the air by the others is all part and parcel of the show, a delight to see and a creation of anticipation for the next production of circus entertainment to hit the Peacock Theatre.