Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life and if you are planning a wedding in the near future then you’ll know there is much to consider. From the dress, the suits, the cake and the guest list to the organisation of the food, drinks and speeches there is a lot to get done. Amongst the official organisation for the day you may well have thought about what to do for your Stag and Hen breaks. Whether you’re after a relaxing break with the girls, an action filled adventure break or simply need a hotel to stay in overnight there are plenty of great ideas to choose from.
Why not have a go at mixology with a Cocktail Making course and discover some delicious flavours or pamper you and your friends with a relaxing spa break. For the boys there is a host of activities on offer, from Paintballing and Clay Pigeon shooting to White Water Rafting and Go-Karting or why not head out on a Golf Break
Its not all high octane though, there are plenty of hotels in fantastic cities across the UK and Europe where you can take things at your own pace and plan your ideal short break. From great city breaks, to attraction tickets and theatre breaks you can tailor your break to suit you.
Where will you be going on your stag or hen break, will it be an action packed adventure break or a quieter escape before the big day?
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. When it originally opened in the West End in October 1986 The Phantom of the Opera musical won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical. With an array of instantly recognisable songs including Phantom of the Opera, Think of Me, Music of the Night and All I ask of You, The Phantom of the Opera has become a legendary musical performed in over 14 languages and in more than 25 countries across the globe.
The Phantom legend started years earlier though with the release of Gaston Leroux French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra. First published as a serialisation in a local newspaper, Leroux’s novel received little attention and is often overlooked in favour of the film and stage productions. The illustrated publication in 1910 was the inspiration for the 1925 Universal studios film starring Lon Chaney. Since then the story has been adapted in print, screen and stage into some of the most iconic representations of the Phantom to date.
A story of love, terror and loss the Phantom of the Opera opens itself up to various interpretations. From Hammer Horror to rock musicals, TV serials and Hollywood blockbusters the Phantom has seen many different forms across the years, but it remains a popular and well loved story and for the past 25 years Lloyd Webbers Phantom of the Opera has entertained millions of people throughout the world.
If you are planning a London theatre break you can see the current production at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Haymarket. Alternatively why not see how the story continues in the sequel Love Never Dies or treat yourself to the star studded 25th anniversary production at the Royal Albert Hall.
Have you seen the Phantom? Which is your favourite adaptation?
2011 is most certainly an amazing year for theatre in London and across the world. London’s vibrant West End has seen the some incredible shows hit the stage such as the fantastic Shrek the Musical and Wizard of Oz Musical as well as some amazing cast additions to popular hits like Les Misérables, which has welcomed Alfie Boe and Matt Lucas. So if you are planning to head to London to try and catch some of these well known faces take a look to see who is appearing where and when.
Wicked the Musical recently confirmed that Rachel Tucker will continue in her role as Elphaba until 2012 as will Julie Legrand who plays Madame Morrible. Other current cast members including Louise Dearman, Mark Evans and Clive Carter will all wave goodbye to the musical on Saturday December 10th after a fantastic run.
Fans of Justin Lee Collins will be more than pleased to hear that the long haired comedian plans to take to the stage in Rock of Ages. Justin will be joined by X Factors Shayne Ward who will play the role of Stacee Jaxx when the show opens towards the end of August.
The classic Roald Dahl story of Matilda is heading for London’s Cambridge Theatre in October and features music from the incredibly talented Tim Minchin. Many of the original cast from the successful Stratford upon Avon run will reprise their roles for the London run which is sure to be a huge sell out success.
Phantom of the Opera is celebrating its 25th anniversary at the beginning of October and although it hasn’t yet been confirmed exactly who, rumour has it some very special guests will be making an appearance. The once in a lifetime Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary show is going to be magnificent and will well and truly light up the Royal Albert Hall.
It’s well known now that the amazing cast of Shrek the Musical are delighting kid’s young and old every night at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and that’s only one of the reasons it made it into our list! Nigel Lindsay, Richard Blackwood, Amanda Holden and Nigel Harman are fantastic in this musical and it is a must see for 2011.
So there you have just a few of the shows that are staring some famous faces from our TV’s. Have you seen any of these shows? Or are you planning to catch any of these West End debuts on a London Theatre Break?
This coming September marks a special anniversary for a very special show, Wicked the Musical will celebrate a remarkable 5years in London’s West End and it’s easy to why. For those of you who haven’t seen the show yet you are really missing out, it takes everything you thought about the land of Oz and turns it completely upside down and leaves you questioning everything.
Without giving anything away, Wicked follows the tale of two girls who despite their obvious differences become the very best of friends. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz the girl’s friendship reaches a crossroad and they take very different paths to fulfil their destinies as Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Since it opened on Broadway in 2003 Wicked the Musical has had nothing but incredible reviews and it continues to leave audiences spellbound. As the winner of the 2010 of the Laurence Olivier Award for most popular show it’s clear to see that this show will continue to be a big hit for years to come.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this incredible show.
In October 2011 one of the world’s best loved musicals will celebrate its 25th birthday in style with an unforgettable performance at the Royal Albert Hall. The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary will star the incredible Ramin Karimloo as ‘The Phantom’ and Sierra Boggess as ‘Christine’ as well as an orchestra and cast of over 200 people! We have also heard that along the way there will be some very special guest appearances.
Phantom has always been one of the most popular London theatre breaks and has been seen by over 100 million people worldwide. Originally making its West End debut in 1986 the show found its home in the beautiful Her Majesty’s Theatre and has resided there since. Having won over 50 major theatre awards on Broadway and the West End, the British production hit another milestone In October 2010 with the celebration of its 10,000th performance.
So as CameronMackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber get ready to celebrate 25 years of theatre history there is also a rumour that the show could be about to embark on a yearlong tour in 2011.
Will you be heading down to see Phantom at the Royal Albert Hall and who do you think the special guests will be?
All the shows in the West End at the moment seem to have one common theme, an incredible celebrity cast. Proving to be a successful mix with audiences traveling down to London here are my top picks of celebrity theatre shows.
Ghost the Musical
Ghost the Musical has the amazingly talented Richard Fleeshman better known from his days in Coronation Street and Legally Blonde the Musical starring as Sam Wheat and Cassie Levy known for her breathtaking roles in Hair, Wicked and Hairspray as his heartbroken girlfriend Molly Jensen. This romantic story is as beautiful and as moving as the original film.
Dreamboats and Petticoats
Sam Attwater who has previously starred in Eastender’s and is the winner of Dancing On Ice will join the Dreamboats and Petticoats cast. The story follows a group of musicians who enter a song writing contest to win the heart of a young lady.
Shrek is the must see musical of the year and with its all star cast it’s easy to see why. Since the opening last month Nigel Lindsay, Richard Blackwood, Amanda Holden and Nigel Harman have had nothing but glowing reviews from everyone who has been lucky enough to catch this show. The Britain’s got Talent audience were treated to a sample of the show on one of the final nights of the contents.
The nation watched as Danielle Hope was announced the winner of TV’s Over The Rainbow and she now takes to the stage as the role of Dorothy. The tale of Oz has been brought to life in a spectacular production by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. Featuring all the popular songs from the film, The Wizard of Oz is proving to be one of the big hits of 2011.
Much Ado About Nothing
David Tennant and Catherine Tate are appearing together for the first time in a new production of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. But to see this incredible duo you will have to act fast as the show closes on the 3rd of September.
But it doesn’t stop there, the list of shows with celebrities’ ranges from Betty Blue Eyes, Rock of Ages and The Ladykillers to Legally Blonde, Les Misérables and Lend me a Tenor.
Have you seen any shows with celebrities in? Or are you planning a trip to London to catch any of these?
In search of a theatre fix this summer then why not head to London and catch some of the best West End shows. With a great selection of award winning plays, outstanding musicals and laugh out loud comedy there is something to suit all tastes and budgets.
While already in previews the much anticipated Ghost the Musical officially opens on the 19th July. Following in the footsteps of other film to stage shows, like Dirty Dancing, Legally Blonde and Sister Act, the musical based on the 1990 film is set to become a huge hit.
With previews from the 31st August Rock of Ages features an array of Eighties Rock songs, including the chart topping Final Countdown, iconic We Built this City and the much loved Don’t Stop Believin’. Combining high intensity music with a superb summer setting Rock of Ages is the perfect show to enjoy in the summer heat.
From the latest shows to family favourites like Lion King and Shrek there is the perfect theatre break waiting for you. Whether travelling with children, on a romantic getaway or enjoying the Capital with friends the West End has a great selection of historic theatres showing a multitude of award winning shows.
What will you be seeing this summer? Is there any shows touring near you or will you be heading down to London to see your favourite West End production?
Ghost The Musical is currently previewing at the Piccadilly Theatre and Premieres on the 19th of July, Head of Theatre David Thomas recently caught the show and in a guest post gives us his thoughts:
It played the heart-strings like a virtuoso harpist, and then let loose the emotion in controlled explosions of torrents of laughter. But the hands of the audience said it better than I could ever hope to: wriggling, gripping, lip-twiddling, nape-scraping, knee-hugging…
- Aston Martin don’t make musicals, but if they did it would probably look like Ghost The Musical. There are a still a few ‘mechanical’ issues that need a little oiling, but when it growls and purrs you know what kind of animal it is.
And is that any surprise when you look at the songwriting partnership that has brought Ghost The Musical to the stage:
Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics
- one of the most successful and innovative song-writers of the past half-century
Music Industry Legend Glen Ballard
- he co-wrote and produced Alanis Morisette’s Jagged Little Pill as well as working on a couple of Michael Jackson album’s you may have heard of… Bad and Thriller (Glen also co-wrote a little Jackson number called Man In The Mirror)
- Yes, Ghost The Musical is based on the half-billion-dollar grossing movie starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg,
- No, you don’t need to see Ghost The Movie to enjoy Ghost The Musical,
More and more phones are becoming a nuisance at the cinema, concerts, theatre and so on. It is not only distracting for the audience, but also, and mainly, for those on stage.
A few years ago, the performance of ‘A Steady Rain’ staring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman was interrupted by someone’s phone ringing. Jackman reacted well in this case, by staying in character but asking the culprit to answer the phone, which is not done. Just as he was about to get back into the show, the phone rings again and both Craig and Jackman intervene asking the person to pick up. They make it sound funny and stay in character, but must have been highly aggravated. This was a nice example of handling of a ringing phone during a performance.
The actor Richard Griffiths spoke to a woman, whose phone rang during one of his performances in a West End play. He asked her to leave his performance of ‘Heroes’ after her phone rang a few times. He even went on to say “The 750 people here would be fully justified in suing you for ruining their afternoon.” He had also ordered a man to leave his performance of the ‘History Boys’ back in 2004, after the man’s phone rang 6 times.
Kevin Spacey, who is artistic director at the Old Vic in London, has also been disrupted by a ringing phone to which he responded well. He told the person whose phone was ringing to tell them that they were busy. For this, he got a round of applause!
Actors are not the only ones who are interrupted by phones ringing. During a speech, President, Barack Obama had to stop mid-sentence as someone’s phone, with an interesting choice of ringtone, went off. Again his reaction was good and he gets back into his speech rapidly.
In Australia, the Micaleff television show was disrupted by a woman’s phone ringing. Again the host reacted very well, and picked up the call himself. He managed to make the interruption funny, especially with the punch line.
So it is not really surprising now that Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Master of the Queen’s Music, is looking into fining people whose phone ring during performances.
So if you have ever had your theatre experience ruined by mobile phones ringing or been on the receiving end of actors turning sour like Richard Griffiths, we’d love to hear your stories. And, for those of you who are still not clear on the rules, why not check out our London Theatre Guide for top tips on theatre etiquette!
Lend Me a Tenor is a musical comedy of mistaken identity, charades and romance. Starring Matthew Kelly and directed by Olivier award-winning Ian Talbot this West End production is already taking London by storm. Head of Theatre David Thomas recently caught the show and in a guest post gives us his thoughts.
Let’s get one thing straight from the start:
This show will not change your life
Musical Comedy doesn’t work like that
What Musical Comedy does do, when it works, is seamlessly weave together laughter and song – so no one ingredient impedes or crowds out the other.
-and then you find yourself being carried head first (or feet first in the toe-tapping numbers) into a world where anything is possible (but not necessarily plausible).
That’s entertainment
That’s Lend Me A Tenor.
And you will seldom find such a talented and brilliantly-drilled cast in any genre, on any stage, in any year.
(Oh and don’t be put off by the “O” word – this is strictly Top of the Ops with Mario Lanza’s “Be My Love” brilliantly begetting this show’s “Be Yourself”).
I repeat: this show will not change your life
It will not make you six inches taller, win the undying love of your partner or reconnect you with a global current of common humanity…
There will be tears before bedtime – only with Lend Me a Tenor they will be tears of laughter.
