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Charity singles galore

A trio of charity singles supporting some great causes over Christmas

Martin Dickinson is releasing a cover of ‘You Raise Me Up’  as a charity single for Shooting Star Children’s Hospice. The track is released on Friday 11th December and features an introduction from the marvellous Brenda Edwards and a choir featuring Kimberley Ensor, Charlotte O’Rourke, Louise Young, Jordan Lee Davies and Danny Whitehead.

Two versions of the single will be available – a full version/radio edit and a music video will arrive on streaming platforms including iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.

West End star Alice Fearn, Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowell, performers and musicians from London’s musical theatre scene have come together to release a Christmas Charity single to generate awareness of heart failure, along with raising funds for the Pumping Marvellous Foundation, the UK’s only patient-led heart failure charity.

‘Music will live in our Hearts’ was written by award-winning musical theatre composer and songwriter Pippa Cleary (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾), lyrics by Mark Nathan, and a choir of West End performersand musicians who donated their time to appear on the single, including Flora Spencer-Longhurst, Laura Barnard, Lee Van Geeleen, Adam Hepworth, Sam Oladeinde, Stephenson Ardern-Sodje, Meesha Turner, Natalie Dunne, Nick Lautman and Ellie Ann Lowe.

You can find at the links below: Amazon Music – https://amzn.to/36PppGi; iTunes – https://apple.co/39MiLT3; Spotify – https://spoti.fi/39JviGZ; and YouTube – https://youtu.be/bFOzpn1LqKk.

And last but by no means least, ‘Christmas Again’ is a new song written by Anna Hale, Joe McNeice and Matthew Spalding and from which all profits will go to Theatre Support Fund+ and will then be distributed to Acting For Others, The Fleabag Support Fund and the NHS COVID-19 Urgent Appeal.

The track features, Mark Anderson, Marc Antolin, Luke Bayer, Tracie Bennett, Norman Bowman, Alex Cardall, Oscar Conlon-Morrey, Matthew Croke, Adam Davidson, Janie Dee, Alice Fearn, Tyrone Huntley, Rachel John, Ryan Kopel, Rebecca Lock, Jack Loxton, Robert Madge, Rebecca McKinnis, Claire Moore, Martha Pothen, Joanna Riding, Clive Rowe, Savannah Stevenson, Noah Thomas, Harriet Thorpe, Sally Ann Triplett and Lauren Ward.

You can buy the song via Apple Music and iTunes, and stream it via Spotify.

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News: Dear Audience coffee table book announced

If you’re still writing your lists for Santa, then Dear Audience could be just what you’re looking for. A theatrical coffee table book filled with over 140 pages showcasing the Arts industry, with exclusive imagery, personalised letters to audiences and much more besides.

There’s a veritable who’s who of stage folk involved, from Sally Ann Triplett, Michael Xavier and Frances Rufelle to Oliver Tompsett, Linzi Hateley and Andy Coxon, and the book has been put together by Sophie Ross and Danny Kaan’s Digi Creative. Pre-orders can be made now and are guaranteed for Christmas delivery.

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News: Friday theatre update from the National Theatre, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Roles We’ll Never Play

Friday theatre news from the National Theatre, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Roles We’ll Never Play

In a canny move, the National Theatre is bringing panto to its main stage as Jude Christian and Cariad Lloyd’s hilarious and heartfelt version of Dick Whittington, first staged at Lyric Hammersmith in 2018 and freshly updated for 2020, will open in the socially distanced Olivier theatre on 11th December.  

Directed by Ned Bennett, this wild and inventive production explores what it is like to come from a small town and arrive in a big city today, exploring the ideas of community and togetherness. Initial casting includes Dickie Beau, Amy Booth-Steel, Lawrence Hodgson-Mullings​, Georgina Onuorah, and Cleve September.  

They have also announced the next show to open as part of the Olivier in-the-round season in February 2021 is Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, in a co-production with Fictionhouse. Directed by Dominic Cooke, Kramer’s largely autobiographical play about the AIDS crisis in 1980 New York has not been performed professionally in London since its European premiere in 1986. Ben Daniels will perform the role of Ned Weeks, the co-founder of an AIDS advocacy group fighting to change the world around him, with Danny Lee Wynter as Tommy Boatwright, Daniel Monks as Mickey Marcus and Stanley Townsend as Ben Weeks. Vicki Mortimer is Set Designer and Paule Constable is Lighting Designer.  

Tickets for The Normal Heart will go on sale from the end of November.  Continue reading “News: Friday theatre update from the National Theatre, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Roles We’ll Never Play”

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News: Open air theatre casting news aplenty

St Anne Comes Home, St Pauls Church
29th-30th August

Iris Theatre’s summer season continues with this new folk musical by Jack Miles, which numbers Jordan Castle (The Light in the Piazza), Rebecca McKinnis (Dear Evan Hansen), and Mathew Craig (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4) in its cast.

C-o-n-t-a-c-t, outdoors in London
31st August – 10th October 

C-o-n-t-a-c-t is an immersive outdoor performance with a 3D sound design which audiences will listen to on their own headphones,The play will see performances from Charles Angiama (The Exonerated; My Week with Marilyn),  Louis Bernard (Radieuse Vermine), Chloe Gentles (Beautiful – The Carol King Musical), Max Gold (Endeavour; Poldark), Richard Heap (Buried Child; The Summer Before Everything), Aoife Kennan (ITV’s Victoria; For Services Rendered), Katja Quist (Earthquakes In London) and Laura White (The Play That Goes Wrong). The cast will alternate between three London locations; Tower Bridge, Greenwich and Clapham Common.

Roles We’ll Never Play, Turbine Theatre
13th September

The Turbine’s summer season will feature this one-off concert with performers delving deep into their wishlists – the company includes Natalie Paris, Tom Duern, Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky, Rodney Vubya, Lauren Byrne, Bernadette Bangura, Luke Bayer, Idriss Kargbo, Courtney Bowman, Michael Mather, Matthew Croke, Kelly Agbowu, Elander Moore, Eve Norris and Pearce Barron.

The Last Five Years, Minack Theatre
14th-19th September

Omar F Okai’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s two-hander will star Emma Kingston (Evita, In The Heights) as Cathy and Waylon Jacobs (Hamilton, Memphis) as Jamie.

 

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News: Stiles and Drewe Prize to host online concert

A host of West End stars have been enlisted to perform the shortlist of 15 compositions in the running for the 2020 Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize in a virtual concert to be streamed today (5th July 2020).

Recorded by each singer in isolation, the videos which have been produced by Bartek Podkowa and mix engineer Kevin Porée will be presented as a virtual concert with the winning song announced in the online ceremony. Continue reading “News: Stiles and Drewe Prize to host online concert”

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News: Line-up announced for Elliot Davis virtual concert

The Barn Theatre has announced that Busted and Son of Dork co-founder James Bourne will join an all-star West End line up for their third virtual concert, The Barn Theatre Presents: The Music of Elliot Davis, which will celebrate the work of Loserville composer Elliot Davis.

The concert, which will be hosted by Barn Theatre producer Jamie Chapman Dixon, is the third edition of the Barn Theatre in Cirencester’s virtual concert series, The Barn Presents, which celebrates the work of British musical theatre composers. Continue reading “News: Line-up announced for Elliot Davis virtual concert”

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News: Performers announced for The Interval Act livestream series

The Interval Act has been set up by The Theatre Cafe to keep audiences engaged with productions running in the West End, celebrating their cast, crew and all people associated with your favourite shows! The Interval Act will give you a range of performances from concert style to variety to getting to know your favourite West End show even more. Donations from the small cost to view willgo to the artist and the industry charity, Acting for Others.

First up, there’s a mini-concert from West End star Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Soho Cinders) a West End dance workshop from Jon Reynolds (9 to 5, Kinky Boots), a performance from Broadway star Siobhan Dillon (Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon) and a West End dance workshop from Six the Musical star Cherelle Jay.

More acts will be announced throughout June too and tickets for the livestreams will be just £5.

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News: casting for MTFestUK 2020

It’s like the Superbowl, but for fans of musical theatre. Book your tickets at the Turbine Theatre here.

Jet Set Go! (3rd-5th February)

This show about a transatlantic cabin crew has been bopping around since 2008 so its interesting to see how it gets refreshed more than a decade late. Appearing in it this time round will be Siubhan Harrison, Lizzy Connolly, Michael Mather, Tyrone Huntley and Simon Bailey.

Jet Set Go! is directed by & Juliet’s Luke Sheppard with music, book and lyrics by Adrian Mole’s Pippa Cleary and Jake Brunger. Continue reading “News: casting for MTFestUK 2020”