26th Apr2018

Bat Out of Hell (Theatre)

by timbaros

Patrick Sullivan as Blake, Andrew Polec as Strat & Giovanni Spano as Ledoux in BAT OUT OF HELL credit SpecularBat Out of Hell returns – and it’s just as rocked up and fantastic as it was when it played in London its first time around.

Bat Out of Hell had a sold out run at the London Coliseum last year, and it was practically begging to open again – and it has – this time in a bigger venue (Dominion Theatre). It’s the same story – a musical set to Meat Loaf’s mega-selling 1977 album of the same name. While some of the actors have not returned from it’s original run, it’s still a rocktastic, fun and mega exciting ride.
Raven (Christina Bennington – returning from the original show) is literally locked up in a mega mansion in the sky by her parents Falco (Rob Fowler) and Sloane (Sharon Sexton). Raven is a lonely girl – she’s not allowed outside at all – but she really wants to experience the outside world, to ride the subway, to meet a boy. In the outside world Strat (Andrew Polec) leads a gang of nomads and hangers on, and he’s always dreamt of catching the girl – particularly Raven, but she’s not available. So all sorts of musical mayhem takes place including Strat trying to kidnap Raven so that him and her can be together. Meanwhile, one of the gang members (a fabulous Danielle Steers – returning) is slowly falling in love with another gang member, while she’s actually a maid in the Falco household. She knows their secrets, and lies.
This is the story, in a nutshell, but the way it’s told is spectacular. Motorcycles, explosions, video projection, skimpy costumes, a convertible on stage that was formerly a dining room table, and said convertible plunging off the stage into the orchestra pit – it’s all musical mayhem – from a rock classic album, and it is just as good on stage as it is on the album and when it played at the Coliseum. The cast dance and prance on stage, and with most of the songs dealing with love, Bat Out of Hell is a love story set to rock music. It’s loud, it’s crazy, it’s superb!
BAT OUT OF HELL is currently booking until 27 October 2018.
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24th Apr2018

Chicago (Theatre)

by timbaros

A scene from Chicago The Musical @ Phoenix Theatre, London. (Taken 29-03-18) ©Tristram Kenton 03-18 (3 Raveley Street, LONDON NW5 2HX TEL 0207 267 5550  Mob 07973 617 355)email: tristram@tristramkenton.com

Cuba Gooding Jr. gets top billing in the new revival of ‘Chicago.’

But can Gooding sing and dance? Does it matter? ‘Chicago’ is still a show with lots of razzle and dazzle.
In it’s third visit to London (and after a UK tour) Chicago has landed in the perfect venue that is The Phoenix Theatre. And in this intimate theatre, we are treated to all sorts of glitz and glamour with Gooding adding the star wattage, but the rest of the cast shining brighter with their excellent theatrical talents.
Sarah Soetaert is absolutely fabulous as Roxy, a woman who shot her lover point blank, even though she’s got a loving (yet neglected) husband Amos (played by Paul Rider) at home. Roxy is sent to prison for murder where she encunters Velma Kelly (Josefina Gabrielle) who also is in the clink for murder. along with several other women, who all sing an excellent number called ‘Cell Block Tango,’ where they tell their murderous exploits stories, while they are all overseen by warden Matron ‘Mama’ Morton (Ruthie Henshall).
This is where Cuba Gooding Jr. comes in. He plays Billy Flynn, dashing and debonair, the lawyer who is hired by these famous murderesses to get them off murder charges. Yet he’s fickle, he is attracted to the hottest case, so he is not the loyal lawyer he should be.
It is, however, the music that makes Chicago extra special. Ignore the 1997 film (excellent all around with a perfect cast of Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger and Oscar winner Catherine Zeta Jones) and experience this show live for yourself. The numbers keep on coming (all by the superb Fred Ebb and John Kander) who did the book with Bob Fosse), and includes one of the best numbers in a musical ‘We Both Reached for the Gun.’ The sets, costumes, and staging are all perfect, as is the the cast and backup dancers/singers. I was lucky enough to have seen the 1997 Broadway show (with Anne Reinking and Bebe Neuwirth) and while this version is not as good, Chicago is still a magical and a very entertaining show.

Phoenix Theatre

110 Charing Cross Road

London WC2H 0JP

Box Office:0844 871 7629 / www.atgtickets.com/shows/chicago/phoenix-theatre

Ticket Prices:From £20.00

Performances:Monday-Saturday 8pm, Wednesday & Saturday 3pm

Booking Period:Currently Booking Until 23 June 2018

Running Time:2 hours, 25 minutes (with interval)

Website:ChicagoWestEnd.com

Twitter:@ChicagoOnStage

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21st Apr2018

Tina (Musical)

by timbaros

10. centre Adrienne Warren (Tina Turner) and the Cast of Tina. Photo by Manuel HarlanAdrienne Warren is astonishing as Tina Turner in the new musical aptly titled ‘Tina.’ Now playing at the Aldwych Theatre, ‘Tina’ charts the ups, and many downs, of Tina’s life. Born as Ann-Mae Bullock, in 1939, we are shown, first hand, how, as a little girl, she was brought up in a violent household where her father hit her mother, causing her mother to move away with her sister (leaving Ann-Mae behind).

Then we are all aware of Tina’s 16 year violent relationship with Ike Turner, a relationship that she got into when she was very young (16), and which produced two boys. But once this depressing part of the story concludes (depressing because of the emotion and violence) we get to the good stuff;  how Tina reinvented herself ( with the help of manager Roger Davies – played by Ryan 0’donnell) and became a music superstar all on her own, and then had several chart-topping hits in the 1980’s and 1990’s, raising her level to icon status.
All of this story is told in the songs of Tina (and Ike) Turner. “What’s Love Got to do with it” is strangely enough, sung in an airport lounge, while “I can’t Stand the Rain” is performed with, yes you guessed it, umbrellas, while there are other questionable sequences that don’t quite fit the music. And some of the wigs most of the men wear to reflect the time period look a bit silly and fake at best, plus a couple performers go a bit overboard in their acting in a couple dramatic scenes. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Ike Turner doesn’t quite nail the role. However it’s Warren’s show. Every time she opens her mouth and sings it’s electrifying, and without her the show would not be a hit. Warren is just simply amazing, simply the best, and at the end the audience is treated to a few more songs, and Warren truly does deserve the standing ovations she receives night after night after night. Warren is a star in her own right.
140,000 new tickets went on sale Wednesday 18 April 2018 and is now booking to 16 February 2019.
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11th Apr2018

The Service (Theatre)

by timbaros

The ServiceCafé de Paris in Central London is host to The Service – the best burlesque and cabaret show in town

The Service is a theatrical and highly immersive show that is unique in that it takes the audience back to the time that Café de Paris was a roaring club back in the 1920’s, through to the 40’s – it’s one of the world’s most renowned clubs.The Servicedisplays such jaw-dropping performances that capture the history of the club – it’s amazing nine decade history. The Service is fast-paced, hilarious, outrageous – it’s a fun and sexy night where the ghosts of every era of Café de Paris come alive.
Told by the very funny and sarcastic Reuben Kaye – the evening’s host and Maitre d’ – who guides us through the evening by a gang of performers who bewitch, bewilder, and excite the audience. it’s an unforgettable experience and an unforgettable night. And hot and sexy Craig Gadd ends the show in a moving and memorable performance of balancing on one hand while war footage is displayed on his chest – it’s a pinch me moment. Even Josephine Baker makes an appearance.The Serviceis must see cabaret in a venue made for cabaret.

THE CAST

Prepare to be captivated by the brilliant, award-winning, internationally acclaimed cast. Princess Margaret is played byBettsie Bon Bon– known as ‘the body of burlesque’ and voted Best Burlesque Performer 2016; whilstSammy Dinneen, aka the Valet, is one of the best and most technical hand balancers in the UK. Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson, the star of Britain’s black swing movement in the 1940s, is played byKorri Aulakh, who trained at the National Centre for Circus Arts and the National Circus School of Montreal.

Anna the Hulagan, who plays The Club Kid, is one of the UK’s leading hula hoop teachers, best known as ‘London’s cult hula hoop artiste’ (The Times). As the winner of the Triple Crown award at the World Burlesque Games, Hulagan delivers performances that are as fun as they are sexy.

For an unforgettable evening of entertainment, there is nowhere more magical to celebrate than at the world-famous Café de Paris.

Tickets for Café de Paris’ The Service can be purchased via Design My Night:

Café de Paris

The Service: 18:00 – 22:15 Nightclub: 22:15 – 03:00

3 Coventry St, London W1D 6B

The Service launched Friday 23rdMarch and takes place every Friday thereafter.

Ticket Information

General Admission – enjoy the show from Café de Paris mezzanine with waiter and bar

service – £20 per person

2 course dining (starter and a main) in the main ballroom – £55 per person

3 course dining (starter, main and dessert) in the main ballroom – £60 per person

Gold Package (6 guests minimum) – Reserved seats, canape platters & drinks – £75 per person

VIP dining – 3 course dining, half a bottle of prosecco per person and best seats: £80 per person 

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09th Apr2018

Olivier Awards (Theatre)

by timbaros
IMG_5115The Olivier Award winners (London theatre) were announced tonight in a glittering ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton won seven Olivier Award wins, with Giles Terera picking up Best Actor in a Musical and Michael Jibson winning Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance as King George. Other awards were for Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, Best New Musical, Best Choreography and Outstanding Achievement in Music.
Laura Donnelly won for Best Actress in a musical for her performance as Caitlin Carney in The Ferryman at the Royal Court and in the West End, while the Best Supporting Actress award went to Denise Gough for Angels in America, which recently opened on Broadway and originally ran at the National Theatre.
Bryan Cranston won the award for Best Actor in the National Theatre’s production of Network. Best Supporting Actor was won by Bertie Carvel, who starred in James Graham’s Ink, which transferred into the West End after opening at the Almeida. Graham also won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy for political play Labour of Love.
Jez Butterworth’s play The Ferryman picked up three awards, winning Best New Play and Best Director for Sam Mendes on top of Donnelly’s win for Best Actress.
Shirley Henderson and Sheila Atim both won awards for their performances in the new musical Girl from the North Country, which opened at the Old Vic last year before transferring to the Noël Coward Theatre.
The National Theatre won five awards for its productions in total. On top of wins for Gough and Cranston, Vicki Mortimer won Best Costume Design for work on Follies, which also won Best Musical Revival, while Angels in America won Best Play Revival.
Tonight’s show host was Catherine Tate, and special guest presenters included Patti Lupone, Chita Rivera and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Here is the full list of Olivier Award winners

BEST NEW PLAY
The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre
BEST NEW COMEDY
Labour Of Love at Noël Coward Theatre
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Flight Pattern by Crystal Pite for The Royal Ballet at Royal Opera House
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Francesca Velicu for her performance in English National Ballet’s production of Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre Du Printemps at Sadler’s Wells
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
Dick Whittington at London Palladium
BEST COSTUME DESIGN 
Vicki Mortimer for Follies at National Theatre, Olivier
BEST SOUND DESIGN 
Nevin Steinberg for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Bertie Carvel for Ink at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Denise Gough for Angels In America at National Theatre – Lyttelton
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Killology at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, a co-production with Sherman Theatre Cardiff
BEST SET DESIGN 
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions for An American In Paris at Dominion Theatre
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Howell Binkley for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST ACTOR 
Bryan Cranston for Network at National Theatre – Lyttelton
BEST ACTRESS 
Laura Donnelly for The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre
BEST DIRECTOR
Sam Mendes for The Ferryman at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Gielgud Theatre
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION 
Semiramide at Royal Opera House
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Joyce DiDonato and Daniela Barcellona for their performances in Semiramide at Royal Opera House
BEST REVIVAL
Angels In America at National Theatre – Lyttelton
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC
Hamilton – composer-lyricist: Lin-Manuel Miranda; orchestrator: Alex Lacamoire at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER 
Andy Blankenbuehler for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
Follies at National Theatre – Olivier
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Michael Jibson for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL 
Sheila Atim for Girl From The North Country at The Old Vic and the Noël Coward Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Shirley Henderson for Girl From The North Country at The Old Vic and the Noël Coward Theatre
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL 
Giles Terera for Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
BEST NEW MUSICAL 
Hamilton at Victoria Palace Theatre
IMG_5125.JPG
SPECIAL AWARD
David Lan
Photos by Oliver Popa and Tim Baros
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09th Apr2018

Stronger (DVD)

by timbaros
Stronger-MovieJake Gyllenhaal returns to the big screen this coming December in the new film ‘Stronger,’ which tells the true story of a man who was severely injured in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
Gyllenhaal plays Jeff Bauman, a young man who lives with his alcoholic mother Patty (played by Miranda Richardson) and is in an off and on relationship with Erin (Tatiana Maslany). On the day of the Boston Marathon, Jeff goes to cheer on Erin near the finish line when he, along with several other people, becomes victims of the bomb attacks by brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who planted two bombs along the route. So ‘Stronger’ details Jeff’s injuries, both physical and emotional, and his relationship with Erin in a film that is both touching, sentimental, very dramatic and inspirational.
It’s just another role in which Gyllenhaal excels in playing; a man who has to deal with adversity in the wake of tragic events, and who has to overcome a lot just to get to the other side. Gyllenhaal was brutal, buffed and mean in the boxing film ’Southpaw,’ making us almost believe that he was a real-life boxer. Gyllenhaal convincingly played a soldier in ‘Jarhead,’ a soldier caught in the chaos that was Operation Desert Storm. And Gyllenhaal was superb, and creepy, as a Los Angeles photographer in the acclaimed film ’Nightcrawler.’ But it was Gyllenhaal’s performance in 2005’s ‘Brokeback Mountain’ that brought Gyllenhaal a multitude of fans, and awards (and his sole Oscar nomination), in his role as a cowboy who falls in love with another cowboy. His performance was so nuanced and textured that it made it extremely hard to accept what happens to his character in the end. Gyllenhaal can take roles on, and be successful, dramatically changing, when he needs to, his appearance, or by just being himself. It’s the Gyllenhaal way.
‘Stronger’ opens in UK cinemas on December 8, 2017.
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