Musical theatre legend Ruthie Henshall, best known for her starring roles in productions such as Chicago and Les Miserables, is performing as part of the From West End to Broadway programme at Cadogan Hall in an intimate performance in August. In addition to an audience with Ruthie, the star will also be performing alongside her special guest, musical theatre icon and Broadway star Kerry Ellis. Originally training at Laine Theatre Arts, which also presented Ruthie to the musical theatre world, Kerry Ellis then went on to carve herself out a commendable career behind the microphone, particularly as green witch Elphaba in the London cast of Wicked, which she joined in 2006.
At Cadogan Hall however, Ruthie and her band will take the audience on a musical journey through her extraordinary career, from working with Lionel Bart, playing in Chicago on Broadway and starring in many other musical theatre productions, to receiving her Olivier Award. The evening will draw from a broad range of genres, from the Great American Songbook to contemporary scores which are significant to Ruthie now: Don’t Rain On My Parade, I Dreamed A Dream, All That Jazz, Electricity, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Adelaide’s Lament, I’ve Loved These Days, Vincent (Starry Starry Night) and many more of her favourites from iconic stage productions.
This particular show for Ruthie is both new and personal, and her chance to tell her story in her own words as well as performing some of the defining songs of her life, which she has performed onstage and experienced off stage. The evening will be accompanied by Ruthie’s own musicians: Paul Schofield (piano/Music Director), Lewis Andrews (bass/guitar) and Steve Maclachlan (drums). Ruthie’s career has been both extensive and extremely impressive, so this intimate evening is a rare glimpse into the star’s glittering career and personal highlights.
The beautiful Willemijn Verkaik is set to will join the cast of Wicked the musical in London this year, bringing her esteemed performance as Elphaba to West End audiences following more than 1,000 appearances as the witch in productions all over the world. The Dutch musical theatre star has played the role in productions of the hit show in Holland, Germany and on Broadway, making her the only actress to have ever performed the role in more than one language. Wicked, and musical theatre in general, looks set to take over the world!
The Broadway musical Newsies is said to be hitting the capital’s West End with leaps, kicks and turns in the spring of 2014. As a result of this exciting transfer, the hit show, by Harvey Fierstein, will be scouting for UK dance talent to fill the dancing shoes of the production’s esteemed Broadway dancers.
Some of today’s most renowned musical theatre artists will be paying tribute to the music of George Gershwin by performing at a concert in September. Michael Ball, Kerry Ellis and Gina Beck, amongst many others, are set to celebrate his music through Summertime – An Evening of Gershwin which will be part of the Live by the Lake season at Kenwood House, north London, later in the year.
The classic production Anything Goes is back on the musical theatre scene and is currently on tour across North America, visiting St. Louis, Washington, Schenectady, Toronto, Costa Mesa, Portland, Spokane and Seattle. This splendid new production produced by the Roundhouse Theatre Company will feature all the iconic tracks such as ‘I get a Kick out of You’, ‘It’s De-Lovely’ and ‘Anything Goes’, with the legendary Cole Porter the genius behind the music and lyrics of this sassy Broadway musical.
Kids Week, organised by the company behind Official London Theatre, Society of London Theatre, is now in its 16th year and aims to encourage families to experience the magic of theatre and welcome children through the West End’s doors. For 2013, the Kids Week team has announced a huge 34 top London shows as part of the line-up, offering free tickets to children aged 16 and under with every adult ticket purchased.
The hit West End musical that went on to tour the UK, Dirty Dancing, is set to replace Viva Forever! at the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End, depicting a story of talent shows and friendships set to the music of the iconic Spice Girls. Despite this pull, the new musical is set to close its doors later this summer and welcome Dirty Dancing, which previously played in London at the Aldwych Theatre from 2006 until 2011 and has since been touring the UK. The much-loved musical will finish touring in June at the Manchester Opera House before returning to London and opening at the Piccadilly Theatre from July.
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Since Cats the musical opened on the West End stage in 1981 it has become one of the world’s best known and best loved musicals. Originally directed by Trevor Nunn, the show has since been presented in over 20 countries and in around 250 cities, including diverse destinations such as Buenos Aires, Seoul, Helsinki and Singapore, and has been translated into 10 languages for audiences all over the world. The show has translated into Japanese, German, (three versions for Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Hungarian, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, Swedish, French, Spanish (two versions for Mexico and Argentina) and Italian, with the Swiss production requiring a bilingual cast who performed in German and English on alternate nights