Tag: Lyric Theatre

Bugsy Malone To Re-Open The Lyric Hammersmith

Bugsy MaloneAlan Parker’s world renowned musical Bugsy Malone is set to re-open the Lyric Hammersmith next year, when the venue completes its multi-million pound redevelopment. The revival, which is directed by the Lyric’s Artistic Director Sean Holmes, will run from 11 April and is the first professional production of the musical to be staged in the UK for more than a decade.

Set in the Prohibition era of New York, the show tells the story of rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan as they wreak havoc with the help of custard pies and destructive splurge guns. After penniless ex-boxer Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown, the question on everyone’s lips is will he be able to resist seductive songstress Tallulah and stay out of trouble, while helping Fat Sam defend his business? Based on the acclaimed film of the same name, Bugsy Malone features music and lyrics by Paul Williams, choreography set by rising choreographer Drew McOnie and designs by Jon Bausor.

The newly refurbished venue, which is undergoing its first major reconstruction for 35 years, will also feature the Reuben Foundation Wing, a two-storey extension that will house a wide range of new facilities including dance, TV and recording studios, a screening cinema and a digital play space. For Artistic Director Holmes, Bugsy Malone is the perfect show to open the new Lyric. The project has taken years of planning and fundraising, and two years of construction work on site, but 2015 will see something special unveiled. The team at the theatre maintain that there won’t be another producing theatre in London quite like it and there will be no better place for young people and emerging artists to develop their creative talents.

Thriller Live’s Extension

Thriller LiveAlmost four years after his sudden death in 2009, the popular musical spectacular based on the hits of King of Pop Michael Jackson Thriller Live is set to carry on singing and dancing into 2014. Full of moon-walking, white gloves and grabbing of crotches, the musical has received a new extension to its run at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End.

The show opened in January 2009, and is currently taking bookings until 16 March 2014. As a musical each performance showcases the iconic songs and fantastic, and equally iconic, dancing of the Michael Jackson legend and legacy, re-writing the rules of dance and consequently increasing its popularity.

In huge contrast to some of the story-telling book-based musicals that are also currently playing in the capital, Thriller Live conveys lots of high energy dance, eye-popping graphics, videos and songs in order to take audiences on a journey through the career and music of Jackson. The production is also regularly updated to keep the performances and the performers fresh, and has recently added an exciting new opening which some of its first audience members may not have seen. The show is now in its fifth year of existence and is an incredibly heart-warming experience for all those involved, making the musical very popular.

As a result of the announcement of the show’s extension, Thriller Live will be closing in on the record of the longest running show in the Lyric theatre’s 125-year history. The record is currently held by Five Guys Named Moe, which ran at the venue in the West End from December 1990 to March 1995.