Theatre
West End Wilma: How you could be the next Simba in The Lion King & more
Get the latest theatre news from our blogger West End Wilma…
Hello dears,
This week Les Misérables celebrated 30 years in the West End with a special charity gala performances with original cast members Colm Wilkingson, Frances Ruffelle, Patti Lupone and many more! I wasn’t there personally but it sounds like it was a fab night out!
Here’s what else has been happening this week…..
Win a pair of tickets to see The Play That Goes Wrong!
Now stumbling into their second catastrophic year, The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are putting on a 1920s murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does! The accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Click here for a chance to win tickets to see this show.
Tracie Bennett and Emma Williams star in West End transfer of Mrs Henderson Presents
Following a sell-out season at the Theatre Royal Bath this summer, Mrs Henderson Presents will open at the Noel Coward Theatre on Tuesday 9 February 2016, for a strictly limited season, with a press night on Tuesday 16 February 2016.
It’s London, 1937, and recently-widowed eccentric, Laura Henderson, is looking for a way of spending her time and money when her attention falls on a run-down former cinema in Great Windmill Street. Hiring feisty impresario Vivian Van Damm to look after the newly renovated Windmill Theatre, the improbable duo present a bill of non-stop variety acts. But as war looms something more is required to boost morale and box office. When Mrs Henderson comes up with the idea of The Windmill Girls – glamorous young women posing as nude statues – audiences flock. And as the Blitz hits London, The Windmill provides a refuge for all, boasting the spirit-raising slogan “We Never Close”. Click here to read more.
Photo: Nobby Clark
Miracle On 34th Street – UK tour announced
Based on one of the most popular and best-loved Christmas films of all time, classic musical Miracle On 34th Street will return for a third UK Tour, opening at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls on Thursday 29 October 2015.
Based on the 1947 motion picture, Miracle on 34th Street is the heart-warming story of Susan, a young girl who dreams of a father and brother to make her family whole, and Kris Kringle, a kindly old bearded man who claims he is the real Santa Claus. When employed as a Santa at a department store grotto, Kris quickly spreads a wave of love through New York City, but can he help make Susan’s wish come true? This dazzling musical is an uplifting family tale about what it truly means to believe.
Photo: Darren Bell
Are You The Next Simba? The Lion King To Hold Open Auditions
Disney’s award-winning musical The Lion King will be holding open auditions in London for roles in the West End production which is celebrating 16 triumphant years at London’s Lyceum Theatre. Auditions for male and female singers will take place on Saturday 7 November at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, Shaftesbury Avenue, while auditions for male and female dancers will take place on Saturday 21 November at Moonshot Centre, New Cross. Morning registration is at 10:00 and it is advised that auditionees arrive early. The afternoon registration is at 13:30. For full details click here.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory celebrate 1,000 performances by announcing extended booking period
The award-winning West End production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes, marked its 1000th performance in the West End this week, since opening in June 2013. To celebrate this milestone, producers have announced that the booking period for the show has been extended for a further six months, until 3 December 2016. The new booking period is on sale now.
Speak to you next week!
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Wilma x
West End Wilma
www.westendwilma.com
