Theatre – Page 2 – Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

Elton John And Old Vic Productions

Pop icon Elton John and the theatrical Old Vic Productions have paired up to launch a theatre production company with a particular emphasis on creating original musicals. For fans of the music mogul, this will welcome even further exposure of John’s work, and equally that of musical theatre. Elton John is one of the most talented and influential artists of the generation, and to have him attached to Old Vic Productions is a particular coup. A new family show will be born of the partnership, featuring songs from John’s back catalogue.

‘Rocket Stage’ – as it is to be called – is a £10 million joint venture between Old Vic Productions – the co-producer of Billy Elliot the musical, which features music by John – and Rocket Pictures, the entertainment company created by John, David Furnish and Steve Hamilton-Shaw. Old Vic Productions will invest 25% into the company, with the remaining 75% from Rocket Pictures: the company will co-produce a series of shows in association with John, and the joint venture will have the rights to all John’s future musical theatre projects.

Rocket Stage is currently working on five new musicals, one of which will be a family show that will feature existing songs by John, alongside much new material too. The second creation will be a brand new show that will feature an entirely new score from John, demonstrating his talent is very much alive and kicking! Old Vic Productions will therefore co-produce all of the planned stage shows and general manage them in the UK. With so much investment from Old Vic Productions (£2.5million over three years) this will guarantee long term value for Old Vic Productions trough rights and royalties.

The Year Of Song And Dance 2015 – The Highlights

Dance in the Mainstream The year-long celebration of song and dance will begin with BalletBoyz: The Talent, documenting the work of dance company BalletBoyz, followed by the BBC Young Dancer 2015 in April with the final in May. In July, David Bintley, Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, will investigate how the foundations of ballet were laid during the reign of King Louis XIV of France, in The King Who Invented Ballet. The autumn will focus on the story of contemporary dance told through a group of young dancers in new documentary, Strictly Modern Dance.

In terms of dance highlights, BalletBoyz: The Talent will focus on the company using footage from its 2014 Roundhouse performances – the culmination of a two-year tour during which it was awarded ‘Best Independent Company’ at the National Dance Awards. The film will also include interviews with the dancers and choreographers along with insights into their creative processes and behind-the-scenes.

BBC Young Dancer follows, showcasing the UK’s best young dancers. The award has invited dancers to compete for six places in a televised Grand Final to be shown live in May. Four programmes featuring highlights from each of the Category Finals with introductions to the respective dance styles and behind-the-scenes content will also be shown, demonstrating the demands and dedication needed for dance. The Grand Final will be judged by a leading panel of dance experts; Matthew Bourne; Akram Khan; Wayne McGregor; Tamara Rojo; Kenrick Sandy; and Alistair Spalding.

David Bintley, Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, will investigate the foundations of dance during King Louis XIV’s reign. Bintley uncovers the critical social and cultural role ballet had in Louis XI’s French court, and across 17th-century Europe. Featuring specially shot dance sequences with insightful historical documentary, The King Who Invented Ballet brings to light the 300 year old history.

Strictly Modern Dance is the story of contemporary dance, told in a completely new way: through talented young dancers, aiming to bring an understanding of what contemporary dance is to a wider audience. Strictly Modern Dance will go on a journey with the students of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, one of Europe’s leading training centres, and will feature famous alumni. Talented young dancers will learn some of the most iconic modern dances from the last 100 years and experience the shifts in the history of contemporary dance as it challenged audiences, made history and revolutionised dance.

Follies With Henshall And Baranski

Follies Christine Baranski, Russell Watson and Ruthie Henshall are set to star in a concert production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Follies at the Royal Albert Hall on 28 April. Directed by Craig Revel Horwood, with choreography by Andrew Wright, the music for the production will be performed by the City of London Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Follies musical, performed in the West End in 1987, reached London after successful stage productions across the US, including in Manhattan, Los Angeles, Michigan, Texas, Washington and Massachusetts. Follies went on to experience a world-wide theatre revival between 2001 and 2013, where it was then performed at the Toulon Opera House in France.

The musical has its historical roots in 19th century Parisian musical theatre. Follies first hit Broadway in 1971 and enjoyed 522 performances across New York. Written by Sondheim, one of America’s most renowned musical theatre composers, Follies benefitted from Sondheim’s huge musical talent. Oscar Hammerstein II became a surrogate mentor to Sondheim, who was rapidly enchanted with musical theatre. The inspiration for Follies came from reading a New York Times article about showgirls from the real-life Ziegfeld Follies and their lives.

A story was created focusing on two ex-showgirls who attend a reunion act for the Weismann Follies. Based on the Ziegfeld Follies, which entertained America in the roaring 20s, the story tells us how showgirls performing in the US became celebrities very quickly. Despite this, fame was fickle, and short-lived for most.

Follies has been just as much a success recently as it was in the 1970s. It has thematic implications for feminism and women’s emancipation, which first struck a chord with the American political classes. The narrative focuses on the culture behind making stars of people overnight, and the fascination with celebrity life. Unsurprisingly, the musical won seven Tony Awards in 1972, including Best Score for Sondheim.

Multi-Screen Brighton Cinema Plans Retreat

The plans for new multi-screen Brighton cinema have made a hasty retreat after the developer made a swift turnaround on the plan to use a historic venue. Campaigners are now celebrating the dismissal of the plans, which aimed to convert the historic Brighton Hippodrome into a multi-screen cinema and shops.

Entertainment company Vue wrote to the Save Our Hippodrome group confirming plans to convert the Grade II listed building were not being pursued by the landlord. Vue’s managing director in the UK and Ireland confirmed the redevelopment would not go ahead, and consequently Vue will not be placing a cinema in the Brighton Hippodrome.

In a huge act of camaraderie, hundreds of people supported rallies organised by the Save Our Hippodrome campaign. The group objected to the planning application approved by Brighton and Hove City Council which would have seen developer Alaska Group, in partnership with Vue, use a historic site to essentially lose the history of the building through a cinema and shop complex. Thousands of people signed a petition against the move due to the belief the building would serve the area better as a theatre.

The news was revealed as the group filmed a campaign video outside the Brighton Hippodrome, however there may be other plans in store for the site after the victory of the Save Our Hippodrome campaign. More than 100 people, including members of the Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties, backed the recording, speaking about the campaign’s mission and the historical importance of the building. It is hoped that following the good news that the council will now work with the campaign in order to preserve the site even further.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Broadway’s School Of Rock

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical – School of Rock – is set to open on Broadway in December this year, great news for fans of the film of the same name. Based on the 2003 film, the musical will feature songs from it also, in addition to new music by Lloyd Webber. Previously the mogul had spoken about opening the musical on Broadway, rather than in the UK’s because of the more relaxed child performance rules.

In New York a child can be employed as an actor for six months to a year, without enforcing the triple casting rules of the UK: if a show finishes after 10pm a child can only perform eight nights every six weeks. In New York however, the rules governing children are less stringent, permitting child actors to work up to 9 hours a day.

When the show premieres on Broadway, it will mark an important point for composer Lloyd Webber, as his last show to open in New York before London was Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971. With School of Rock his next musical, it will become his first in more than 40 years to open on Broadway ahead of the West End. While the UK is Lloyd Webber’s home, opening in Broadway would be significant – School of Rock is an American story, so to open in the iconic city would pay homage to this.

The story of School of Rock is much about how music can empower children to take control and to achieve something huge. Like the UK, there are an abundance of talented musical theatre child performers in the US. It has been stated that casting for the show will begin in the US in January for the show to open the following winter.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Theatre… Or Real Life?

The Journal Tyne Theatre Theatre is renowned for providing an escape from the mundane everyday, by transporting audiences into a story which is nothing like their own. Stories of theatre can contain anything from the sublime to the ridiculous, but either way they are travel machines away from the world outside the theatre door. For much of the time, theatre creates an illusion for its audiences in which what is performed on stage becomes real in the minds of the audience.

Even if what is portrayed on stage is based on a true story or real events, the very essence of theatre usually means that the audience are transported there too, as they are taken on a journey by the actors. What happens when the action on stage is depicting something that did once happen? The theatrical ‘suspension of disbelief’ by the audience is no longer required, as they are educated in their seats about something very real.

Current West End productions in the capital include an array of narratives: those at the fantasy end of the spectrum, such as Wicked, Cats and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the middle ground including The Lion King, Miss Saigon and Les Misérables, and the far end of the scale, where little fiction is added to the events which are portrayed. The Scottsboro Boys, for example, tells the story of nine black men and how they were wrongly accused of raping two white women on a train, something which is still very raw.

Other musicals which also tell stories of real events include Jersey Boys and Sunny Afternoon, about musical bands, in addition to Made In Dagenham and Stephen Ward which tell stories of strength and scandal respectively. It is interesting to consider if productions of this type have a particular effect on audiences, and how their response differs following the viewing a production of this kind.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Dance Cuts In Belgium

In December there was the controversial announcement that the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, the most important opera house in Belgium and a source of some of Europe’s most cutting-edge productions, may stop all dance programming after a forthcoming production by iconic Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

Choreographers reacted strongly to this, the reason given that the cut is a result of the steep reduction in funding to the Brussels opera house since 2009, with further cuts announced in mid-October by the newly formed Belgian coalition government.

Senior management at the venue has not expressed a wish to stop producing dance, however the combination of less money and the need to further reduce personnel make prolonging dance difficult. Fewer technical staff will mean each production takes more time to prepare and will have to run for longer to recoup the costs. The venue has no resident dance company and now can no longer offer money to invest, and time on stage.

The potential break with dance is a huge blow to the theatre which has had exceptionally strong links to dance since 1960 with Maurice Béjart’s Ballet of the Twentieth Century. In 1988 American choreographer Mark Morris made a home for his company at the theatre and De Keersmaeker and her company, Rosas, followed in 1992, establishing an international reputation at La Monnaie. Dance has regularly been programmed and supported, including other Belgian and international choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Sasha Waltz.

Belgian choreographers in particular have expressed pessimism about dance’s future in Brussels, and whether their work can be continued there. Any current audiences in Belgium will be lost to other art forms and new ones must be established elsewhere.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Pantomime Presents…

Pantomime has received a facelift in recent years, a “rags to riches” transformation. The 80s and 90s saw a gradual decline in quality, and pantomime was regarded as a cheap entertainment option with some glitter to cover the cracks. Some of regional repertories and smaller companies kept the magic alive and reinvigorated it, however audiences began to demand better and slowly pantomime began to improve.

Pantomime is best when created with love and care, each made with a personal, relative method for the audience to connect to. Each production is particular to each audience in each town the pantomime plays in. The more personal the connection the better, so jokes and references are included that only the audience would relate to. The script ultimately pulls the strings of the pantomime together.

Before everything begins, sets, costumes and props are stored away from the previous year’s production and the work begins for the following year. The ‘big name’ is the first essential part of the pantomime, with their name being the attraction to most pantomime audiences. The star must bring a little bit extra that ensures that they can create a special kind of magic that connects with adults and children alike.

Keeping the writing fresh is important, followed by photo shoots, set building, music composition and then casting. Another key member of the team is the dame, which differs greatly between producing companies. For pantomime there must be pretence without pretence: everyone is ‘in’ on the joke but doesn’t give it away. Pantomime is a lot about illusion with no illusion: there is magic but the magic must be transparently human.

From there the rehearsals begin, set is built, sequins are sewed, and there are orchestra calls, choreography sessions, marketing and publicity, front of house dressing, all until the show begins!

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

A New Recruit For Cats?

Cats The Musical It has been rumoured that West End star Kerry Ellis is set to take over the role of Grizabella from pop princess Nicole Scherzinger in Cats at the London Palladium in 2015, a huge theatrical coup for musical theatre fans. Scherzinger has previously received mixed reactions from musical theatre-goers however for many, the most important aspect of the news is that Cats will most likely be extending further than it’s previously advertised 12 week run.

Ellis, best known for starring in Wicked in the West End and on Broadway, will play Grizabella from 9 February, according to the Daily Mail newspaper. Ellis trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey and has a firm place in the group of Laine’s successful alumni.

Cats the musical, which has returned to the West End after a 12 year period, opened to rave reviews at the Palladium in December, and is currently booking to 27 February 2015, although an extension is likely. The cast and creatives have been praised for the revival of the timeless production, with undefeated choreography from Dame Gillian Lynne who continues to surprise at nearly 90 years old.

For Ellis it was after appearing as one of Martine McCutcheon’s understudies in My Fair Lady that her breakthrough role came in 2002: she played Meat in the premiere of the Queen musical We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre to great acclaim. Her other credits include Wicked (for which she has won awards such as the 2008 WhatsOnStage Award for Best Takeover in a Role), Oliver!, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables and Rent, earning her a firm place in the line up of iconic musical theatre artists.

Gypsy In The West End

Gypsy - Imelda Staunton It has been revealed that Imelda Staunton will reprise her role as the iconic Momma Rose in Chichester Festival Theatre’s hit production of Gypsy when it transfers to the West End for a strictly limited season in spring 2015. This will be the first London production of Stephen Sondheim’s much-loved musical for more than 40 years, playing at the Savoy Theatre from 28 March.

Gypsy is often cited as one of Broadway’s greatest ever musicals: the rarely staged piece tells the true story of the ultimate showbiz mother Momma Rose who took her daughters Baby June and Louise across America in search of fame and fortune with their homespun vaudeville act. Momma Rose is forced to accept the demise of vaudeville and the rise of burlesque, as well as her daughters’ quest for freedom and individuality.

The musical features a book by West Side Story’s Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sondheim. It was inspired by the memoirs of the real-life Louise, Gypsy Rose Lee, and boasts a classic score of hits including Everything’s Coming Up Roses, Small World, Let Me Entertain You and Together (Wherever We Go).

Imelda Staunton is often referred to as one of Britain’s best-loved performers. Her credits on stage include Guys And Dolls, A Chorus Of Disapproval and Life X 3 at the National Theatre, Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Trafalgar Studios and A Delicate Balance at the Almeida. She is also a household name for her screen appearances, as Staunton has starred in films including Pride, the Harry Potter series, Maleficent, Vera Drake and The Awakening.

Further casting as to who will join Staunton in the West End transfer is yet to be announced. The production will follow Dirty Rotten Scoundrels into the Savoy Theatre, which ends it run on 7 March 2015.