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Archive for the ‘Musicals’ Category

London musicals are world famous, with established productions enjoying long runs in London’s best theatres. From comedy and dance to mystery and drama, the choice of musicals in London is superb. Book today to see a London musical and experience the magic of London theatre

Les Miserables

As London’s longest running musical, Les Miserables is perhaps the most famous of all London musicals. Having enjoyed a hugely successful 25-year run, Les Mis continues to draw the crowds to London’s Queen’s Theatre. This epic tale of love and destruction features an incredible score and is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Billy Elliot the Musical

Prepare to tap your toes and stamp your feet along to one of the liveliest London musicals! Billy Elliot the Musical is a superb adaptation of Stephen Daldry’s hugely successful film. With music by Elton John, the show is as popular with London theatre goers today as it was when it first opened in 2005 at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre. This much-loved London musical has won a string of awards during its 5-year run, including Best New Musical.

Mamma Mia!

For one of the ultimate feel-good London musicals, take a trip down the aisle with Mamma Mia! Its 11-year run in London’s West End has seen audiences young and old dancing and singing along to Abba’s greatest hits. This musical extravaganza is currently playing at London’s Prince of Wales Theatre.

The Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s must-see London musical The Phantom of the Opera has been enjoyed by millions worldwide since it first opened in London’s West End in 1986. Renewed interest in this timeless musical is now expected, as its much-anticipated sequel, Love Never Dies has recently opened at London’s Adelphi Theatre.

We Will Rock You

Prepare to rock out at Ben Elton’s fantastic musical, which is based on songs by legendary British band Queen. We Will Rock You is one of the most popular London musicals. It has also become the longest running musical at the Dominion Theatre, one of London’s largest theatre venues. As well as delighting London audiences, We Will Rock You has also enjoyed a successful UK tour.

The Lion King

A firm favourite with London audiences of all ages, The Lion King is a fantastic musical adaptation of the Disney classic. With amazing costumes and uplifting music by Elton John, this London musical’s not to be missed! The Lion King has remained at London’s Lyceum Theatre since its West End debut in 1999.

Chicago

Having been running for many years as one of the West End’s top musicals and with many infamous male and female leads, it’s no wonder that Chicago is still in demand. It features all the classics from All that Jazz, Cell Block Tango and Razzle Dazzle. Always glamorous and a must see

Dirty Dancing

Every girl’s favourite film made it to the theatre and has proven to be just as popular. The beauty of this performance is that despite the fact that the audience know the story so well, the joy of seeing it in the theatre is the liveliness and vigour to which the dances and songs are performed. Sing and clap along to (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Do You Love Me?, In the Still of the Night and Hey! Baby.

Author Bio: Click here for more information about London West End Musicals and to book tickets

Written by Chris Tomkins

Romanian born French playwright Eugene Ionesco died in 1994, but his musical Exit the King lives on, and is currently being played at the Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, in New York. Described as a “Loopy Tragedy” by the New York Post, this musical is far from traditional and definitely falls well within its given title of “absurdist.” The musical follows well in line with Ionesco’s other works, rejecting logical plot, character development, and thought to create an anarchic form that was completely his own; in this way making him a sort of Dr. Seuss for the adult theater-goers.

The musical tells the story of King Berenger who has lived an incredibly long life, but has somehow managed to ruin his entire country in the process. This king who once ruled and incredible kingdom that was thriving and brilliant is now only the ruler of a meager few thousand, and most of these are elderly or aging. Despite the fact that he has lived much longer than anyone really has a right to, this king is terrified of dying to the point where he refuses to believe the inevitable, at least at first.

Geoffrey Rush is currently brilliantly portraying this king, and doing a marvelous job at fraying at the edges as his kingdom frays around him. Rush is an Australian Academy Award and Emmy Award winning actor who has appeared in Shakespearean plays, he has also appeared in an number of Broadway plays and musicals and has an impressive movie character repertoire as well. His movie appearances include Captain Barbosa in the Pirates of the Carribean trilogy and Inspector Javert in Les Mis?rable. During his career he has won an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and a number of other important awards and nominations. His awards also include an Australian Academy Award and an Emmy Award.

Susan Sarandon is staring alongside Rush, playing the part of his wife Queen Marguerite, who is trying to shove the king into his grave, as he continues to try and thwart death. Sarandon’s incredible acting repertoire has stayed largely in the movies, although she has appeared on Broadway once before in An Evening With Richard Nixon and…a satirical play. In film Sarandon is an Academy Award-winning actress with an Oscar Award for Best Actress, and several Emmy and Oscar nominations to name only a few.

Exit the King tickets are tickets to one of the most incredible acting and theatrical experiences of the year. With two of today’s finest actors on the set, anything is possible and anything can and will happen! This is also a great way to experience the revival of a musical by one of the 21st Century’s greatest playwrights. Eug?ne Ionesco, whose plays were an iconic and important production of his time. His ability to fly in the face of convention has created stories and theatrical presentations that are increasingly relevant as the years go by. Look for tickets at http://www.stubhub.com/exit-the-king-broadway-tickets today!

Author Bio: This article was written by Phoebe Wickliffe and sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Exit the King Broadway tickets as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, concert tickets theatrical performances and special events.

Amazon.co.uk Review

Foursquare in the gritty-but-hearwarming tradition of Brassed Off and The Full Monty comes Billy Elliot, the first film of noted British theatrical director Stephen Daldry. The setting is County Durham in 1984, and things ‘oop North are even grimmer than usual: the miners’ strike is in full rancorous swing and 11-year-old Billy’s dad and older brother, miners both, are staunch on the picket lines. Billy’s got problems of his own. His dad’s scraped together the (more…)

Billy Elliot is a heartwarming story about a young boy who longs, and loves, to dance. His incredible natural talent is unleashed when he has a chance to participate in ballet classes at his school, and that is how a star is born. Bill turns out to be more than just a good dancer, he is a great dancer, and has an incredible passion for the Ballet. This musical version is touching and beautiful, and stars three different and equally talented young men who play the part of Billy Elliot on alternating nights.

The story has much more to it than just a young boy who loves to dance, because Billy Elliot comes from a mining family, and it is seen as being his destiny to take the road underground as well. The story has a political undertone to it, as it is set during the very powerful government of Margaret Thatcher. During this time a miner’s strike ensued over plans to close the Cortonwood colliery in Yorkshire. Not long afte it became clear that more than one mine was facing the ax and during that time more than half of the miners in Britain walked out of the mines and refused to work until their jobs were secured.

The fight for the mines was long and bitter, in response to the strike the conservative government stockpiled 50 million tons of coal, meaning that it would take months before the effects of the miner’s strike would be felt by the rest of the country. In the musical Billy Elliot’s father is one of the miners who leads the strike at his mine, and becomes influential in negotiations over when the miners will return to work.

It is against this backdrop that Billy, whose mother is dead, begins to find comfort in ballet as he takes classes from a lady at his school along with some of the other girls. When the teacher realizes his extraordinary talent, she begins to campaign with Billy’s father to allow him to pursue his talent more seriously. At first furious that his son has been learning such things, and terrified that he will become what he calls a “poof” Billy’s dad angrily demands that Billy stops lessons. But eventually he comes to realize his son’s talent when he sees him dance for the first time.

After he discovers his son’s true talent, Billy’s father will go to whatever lengths necessary to make sure that Billy is able to have a better life than he has had. In the end the audience comes to realize that the musical is as much about the community that the musical is set in, as it is about Billy himself. Even though the miner’s strike in 1984 and 1985 failed, this musical and the film that inspired it stand as a sort of tribute to the miners and their families who suffered during that period of time.

Billy Elliot New York tickets are currently available and are constantly raved about by theatre-goers who have already seen the musical on stage. Tickets can be hard to come by, so be sure to get yours at http://www.stubhub.com/billy-elliot-new-york-tickets/. This is a great opportunity to experience one of the most exciting events in theatre this year.

Author Bio: This article was written by Phoebe Wickliffe and sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Billy Elliot New York tickets as well as many other kinds of theatrical performances, concert tickets, sports tickets, and special events.

Amazon.co.uk

Special Features Sing-along with Annie Act-along with Annie ‘My Hollywood Adventure with Aileen Quinn’ Featurette ‘The Hard-Knock Life’ PLAY! Music Video Set Top Game The Age of Annie Oliver features: Oliver sing-alongs and dance-alongs Interactive Quizzes ‘Meeting Oliver’ and ‘Meeting Fagin’ featurettes Interactive Map of London Charles Dickens timeline Plus: ‘Oliver’s scrapbook – an acitivity book with fun and games for everyone!

Synopsis

A music (more…)

There are few Americans that have not, at some point in their lives experienced the musical Annie, one of the most loveable stories ever to appear on stage. Few little girls have not, at some point in their lives, sung along with Annie as she raised her voice in song, singing the lyrics:
“It’s the hard-knock life for us
It’s the hard-knock life for us
No one cares for you asmidge
When you’re in an orphanage
It’s the hard-knock life…”

And for many singing along with Annie to the much more hopeful tune of “Tomorrow” is another rite of passage into the ranks of the American youth. The chorus is an especial favorite, when Annie sings:
“The sun’ll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
‘Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You’re always a day a way!”

The songs and music of this hit musical have been with us for over thirty years, and they do not seem to ever go fully out of style. The musical had its roots in the Union-Tribune Comic strip Little Orphan Annie that appeared in the ’60s and ’70s. In 1971 a collection of the comics was bought by lyricist and director Martin Charnin, who started to conceive of a musical comedy based on that very strip. Eventually he was able to convince librettist Thomas Meehan and the composer Charles Strouse to join him in his project, and Annie the musical was born.

These men were hard-pressed to get their musical onto a stage, as no producer believed that their project stood a chance of succeeding. But finally, they found a venue for the show at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, where Andrea McArdle was the first little girl to play the part of Annie. There it won the attention of Mike Nichols who decided to produce it on Broadway. It opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977 and that year won seven Tonys including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. Annie was a big hit with theatre goers and has continued to be a theatre favorite today.

A sequel to Annie titled Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge when it opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. but was later renamed simply Annie 2 when it moved on to the Goodspeed Opera House and while it was on national tour. When it moved to Broadway, it was again re-titled Annie Warbucks and won excellent reviews on Broadway.

Annie was first made into a movie in 1982, when it starred Aileen Quinn as Annie. The movie version was nominated for two Oscar Awards and three Golden Globes, Aileen won the Best Young Motion Picture Actress Award at the Young Artist Awards that year. A TV version was made in 1999, starring Alicia Morton as Annie.

Annie is currently on tour around the US, and can be seen in many cities throughout the mid-west and the east this winter and spring. Annie other cities tickets are now available at http://www.stubhub.com/annie-other-cities-tickets and are a great way to enjoy some wonderful entertainment with the whole family.

Author Bio: This article was written by Phoebe Wickliffe and sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Annie Other Cities tickets as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, concert tickets, theatrical performances and special events.

On November 16, 1959, a new musical premiered on the stage and gripped the heart of theater-goers in America. The musical was the Sound of Music with music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, the book for the musical was written by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse. To those of us reading those names today it is a wonder that the musical did not simply take flight the moment it began, with such a heady group of musical masters heading it up from the get-go.

The musical was roughly based on the von Trapp family, who had come to America from Austria to escape the German invasion of their country. When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the von Trapps left Austria on the basis of their principles and moved to the U.S. The musical is somewhat fictionalized in order to appeal ot American audiences but is still a delightful experience in the theatre, and is one musical that definitely should be experienced live in the theatre, even for those who have come to love the film.

After all, how many times has the opening, and title, song of the musical been sung and enjoyed by audiences throughout the generations since the musical first hit the stage? The words:
“The hills are alive,
With the sound of music,
With songs they have sung,
For a thousand years.
The hills fill my heart,
With the sound of music
My heart wants to sing ever song it hears.”

Are a great favorite among theater goers of every kind, although they particularly capture the imagination of the young, the romantic and those who simply love nature, and can understand what the librettist was talking about.

And another favorite is the song sung by the oldest daughter in the musical, Liesl, who sings “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” to the boy that she has fallen in love with, Rolf:
“I am sixteen going on seventeen
I know that I’m na?ve
Fellows I meet may tell me I’m sweet
And willingly I believe
I am sixteen going on seventeen
Innocent as a rose
Bachelor dandies drinkers of brandies
What do I know of those?”

These words are a favorite theme song for girls everywhere when they turn 16. The musical is definitely one that is loved and enjoyed by theatre-goers of all ages and stages in life.

Sound of Music Toronto tickets are now available for the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Ontario and are a great experience for the whole family to enjoy, so don’t hesitate when looking for the best seats in the house and head over to StubHub. The show will be playing at the theatre through March 29th, and is certain to be a favorite purchase for theatre-goers in Toronto and the surrounding area. Tickets are certain to sell out, so be sure and check out tickets available at http://www.stubhub.com/the-sound-of-music-toronto-tickets as they are certain to have tickets to see this fantastic show available at all times, and as always, enjoy!

Author Bio: This article was written by Phoebe Wickliffe and sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells The Sound of Music Toronto tickets as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, theatrical performances, concert tickets and special events.

Sometimes you read something on the internet and even though it’s posted on several “reputable” sites, by several different writers, you still don’t believe it’s true.

A month ago I experienced this phenomenon when I read that Sean Penn was cast in the new Three Stooges movie. I experienced it again in regards to the new Spider-man musical that’s heading to Broadway.

Surprisingly, I completely believe Spider-man would provide fodder for the musical stage. Like Hollywood, Broadway’s profit margins are so thin they can’t take many chances on new material. They have to use well-known source material in order to secure the financial backing necessary to produce a Broadway show.

Of course, I might have chosen a Disney movie or gone the route of a cheesy jukebox musical instead of having everyone’s favorite web slinger croon and prance around on stage.

Spider-man is probably the most sarcastic superhero around and musical theater is the one medium that eschews sarcasm. After all, it’s hard to be acerbic when you’re expressing your feelings in song.

What shocked me about “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark,” a musical directed by Julie Taymor, is the show’s composer. It’s none other than Messrs. Bono and Edge.

Taymor and Bono worked together on her Beatles musical, “Across the Universe.” For the project Bono covered two Beatles’ classics, “I Am the Walrus” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

Still, Taymor must have some incriminating pictures of the U2 duo, or maybe she’s has pull with the Malibu city council and can help the Edge build those houses. Either way, this project seems an odd undertaking for the coolest-half of the coolest rock band in the world.

Nationwide casting calls are currently underway although rumors had Rachel Evan Wood slated to play Mary Jane. However, Taymor dismissed the speculation stating she wants to go with unknown actors.

The casting process began April 9th in Orlando and ends May 27th in Austin, Texas. When it’s all said and done, casting directors will have visited six U.S. cities.

What are they looking for besides someone that tingles their Spidey senses? Well they’re looking for “performers with dynamic rock/pop voices including those with experience in bands and as solo performers.” Fortunately, that leaves out Tobey Maguire.

The musical, which begins previews in 2010 (but of course Spiderman tickets go on sale this June), caused a bit of stir on the internet over the announcement that it included a “lead female villain.”

It makes sense, Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin, Venom, Carnage, Electro, the Sandman, the Vulture, the Hobgoblin and Sam Raimi would be too hard to recreate for the stage.

The casting call described the show’s villain as “Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern/Bulgarian/Greek twist.” You have to love the way entertainment types mix and match characteristics; I have no idea what they are talking about.

Some speculated that the unnamed villainess is Dr. Victoria Von Doom while others claimed it’s Black Cat. Another thinks it’s Hillary Clinton. According to several sources the new bad girl, created specifically for the show, is Swiss Miss (the name doesn’t fit the description though).

The nerds at Aint It Cool News had an interesting post claiming the villainess is a new character called Arachne. She’s your typical time traveling beauty that turned herself into a “spider for her hubris.”

Who knows, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.

Author Bio: Ryan Hogan writes for ClickitTicket.com, a website that sells affordable Broadway tickets to shows like Spider-Man the Musical.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical is invading stages across the nation just in time for Christmas this year, once again disrupting the holiday spirit with the devilish jade-colored Grinch and his evil antics. The Grinch and the musical both will soar into Boston the day after Christmas, and Beantown is preparing for the exciting show with one great big Grinch package for anyone interested in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical tickets.

Boston Hilton Family Hotels are serving up a Grinch Hotel Package for the show that includes two tickets to see Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical and overnight accommodations at either the Hilton Boston Back Bay or Doubletree Hotel Boston Downtown, and on top of all that the hotels are also offering a Grinch-themed pre-fixe menu available for the days the show runs. At the price of $40, How the Grinch Stole Christmas fans can enjoy a meal that begins with Mount Crumpit Ravioli with an entree of Whos’ Rare Roast Beef and ends with a Cindy Lou Who’s Mint Chip Ice-Cream Sandwich dessert.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical will conquer Boston from November 26 thru December 28 at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, and this isn’t the first time for the seasonal Broadway performance to hit the road. The musical is a rendition of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a heartwarming story of a black-hearted Grinch on a mission to steal Christmas from the Whos only to be filled with the holiday spirit instead. The story revolves around the Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” and its popularity around Christmastime sparked a revolution with the theater realm in the 1998, when San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre started performing a musical rendition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas every year. Eventually, Broadway caught onto the growing trend and in 2006 Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical debuted at the Hilton Theatre, beginning its second round in the winter of 2007.

This year’s cast of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical will travel to Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre November 11-23 before heading to Boston from November 26-December 28, and with the incredible Icelandic film and stage actor Stefan Karl taking the role of the Grinch, this is one short-running performance that is sure to spark nationwide acclaim. Other actors joining the Christmas-hating Grinch on stage for the holiday performances include Walter Charles (Sweeney Todd) as Old Max and Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Spelling Bee, Ragtime) as Young Max, also featuring Lexie DeBlasio and May Goldman both sharing the role of Cindy Lou Who. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical is a holiday favorite among generations of Americans, and “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” will resound from theater venues along the East Coast this winter as hearts melt despite the frosty weather.

This article is sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/ and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/dr-seuss-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-the-musical-tickets/, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Undoubtedly a staple of Broadway theater, West Side Story has earned its reputation for challenging social commentary and entertaining songs. Even theater patrons have to admit that it’s take on gang life is a little bit colorful-and perhaps even laughable-when compared to the reality. There’s certainly plenty of grit in the story, or at least by the standards of the time it was written in, and there is murder, which is portrayed as grim and meaningless. Anyone with West Side Story tickets these days has to watch the show with a bit of a smirk at times. It’s like comparing the reality of Cops to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video.

West Side Story’s 1961 film adaptation shared the Broadway play’s sensibility. But there have been several other movies since then that have taken an overly theatrical or even glorified view of gang life in New York. Here’s just a few of them.

The Warriors, 1979

Directed by Walter Hill, who would go on to produce some of the most thrilling, gritty action films of the ’80s, The Warriors’ opening scene sets the bar for theatrical gang life pretty high. At a conference of New York’s gangs (held in a graveyard), the leader of one of the strongest gangs urges a united front that would allow all of them to rule the city. In the crowd there are The Warriors, a group of Coney Island-based kids with leather sleeveless jackets, feathers and beads; the Hi-Hats, a group of mimes; and the Baseball Furies, a gang that wears face paint and baseball outfits. With other colorful, bizarre gangs fleshing out the story, and what appears to be the absence of any rule of law throughout the film, it’s a pretty unrealistic, almost surreal but entertaining perspective of gang life in New York in the ’70s.

The Wanderers, 1979

Coming out the same year as The Warriors, but with a much smaller cult following, The Wanderers looks at gang life in a glamorized ’60s. Like The Warriors, the film seems to relish showing off the bizarre cliques that tended to divide along racial lines. Loosely based on real gangs that ran in the neighborhoods throughout the late ’50s and early ’60s, there’s the Irish Ducky Boys, the Italian Wanderers, the African-American Del Bombers, and the Chinese Wongs (the last group being described as “twenty-seven guys all named Wong”).

Rumble Fish, 1983

Francis Ford Coppola’s arty gang flick takes a pinch of the nostalgia for the early ’60s that The Wanderers thrived on and adds an oddly experimental slant to the picture. The jarring camera angles and swooping shots, along with the picture being shot in monochrome, with a few choice objects in certain scenes being in color, have made this a favorite of film buffs. Even though the hoods in this film sigh over days past, when the gangs ran the streets, it’s kind of hard to believe any actual New York gang would appreciate Coppola’s art-film view of street life.

Gangs of New York, 2002

Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York only seems to get better with time, but that’s largely because the epic story of American street life has so much detail and substance to it. Reaching back to the 1860s, Scorsese has created a brilliant panorama of the races, creeds and colors that fuel the American dream-and always have. The gangs in this picture are divided along the lines of territory and race as well as ideology, pitting the Dead Rabbits-and Irish gang-against the Native Americans, a group of Protestant xenophobes led by the aptly named Bill the Butcher. Based upon the historical book of the same name, this is the most well-researched and historically accurate of the films on this list, though there are certainly enough Hollywood flourishes to keep things interesting.

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Written by Andrew Good and sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com. StubHub sells sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world. Don’t miss West Side Story at http://www.stubhub.com/west-side-story-tickets/.