BLOG: Has West End Bares failed to deliver diversity in their promotion?

On Thursday (25th July 2019), MADtrust announced the 10th Anniversary performance of West End Bares, this year the theme is ‘Stripped: Back to our Birthday Suits'. 

There is no denying that West End Bares does an amazing job; it creates awareness and ultimately raises a lot of money. The charity, having been around for 25 years now, “raises funds for HIV and AIDS projects that build awareness and provide care, support and education in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa”. Alongside West End Bares, they also run West End Eurovision, West End Christmas and put on cabarets throughout the year amongst other things. 

There have been issues raised on twitter about the inclusion and diversity of the West End Bares 2019 promotion. You can see from the poster that only a certain type of body image is represented.

This raises the question; ’Has West End Bares lost the true meaning of the event?’

THEN AND NOW: Little Shop of Horrors

Little Shop of Horrors opened at the Open Air Theatre, Regents Park in a production like we've never seen before. So as part of our new 'Then and Now' series we thought this show would be thee perfect one to kick things off. We decided to look back at the different productions we've been treated to over the years, both here and in the US. Take a look and share your favourite moments of the show with us on Twitter! @PocketSizeBlog #PocketThenNow

Seymour Krelborn

Lee Wilkof (1982), Hunter Foster (2003), Paul Keating (2006), Sam Lupton (2016) & Marc Antolin (2018)

Audrey 

Ellen Greene (1982), Kerry Butler (2003), Sheridan Smith (2006), Stephanie Clift (2016) & Jemima Rooper (2018)

FIRST LOOK: Funny Girl at the Menier Chocolate Factory starring Sheridan Smith

Double Olivier Award winner Sheridan Smith will return to London’s West End next year when the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Funny Girl transfers to the Savoy Theatre in April for a 12-week season.

The production, which also stars Gone With The Wind and From Here To Eternity star Darius Campbell, runs at the hit-making off-West End theatre from 20 November to 5 March, though tickets for that run are already sold out.

Funny Girl, which has not been staged in the West End since its premiere in the 60s, is the musical that shot Barbra Streisand to fame. It tells the story of Fanny Brice, who rose from being a music hall singer to becoming one of Broadway’s biggest stars. Though on stage she was loved, her off stage life was far more turbulent.

The new production is directed by Broadway’s Mayer and features a book revised from Isobel Lennart’s original by Kinky Boots writer Harvey Fierstein.

Producer Sonia Friedman commented: “2016 will mark the 50th anniversary of the original London production of Funny Girl. It's enormously exciting to be bringing this legendary musical back to the West End for the first time since 1966, in a brand new production starring the incredible Sheridan Smith.”

Funny Girl runs at the Savoy Theatre from 9 April to 2 July. 

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS 

15 of the most Memorable performances I've ever seen

I was looking through a bunch of my old programmes and it got me thinking about some of the fantastic performances I have seen over my years of going to the theatre. So I've put together a list of some of my most favourite and most memorable performances I've had the pleasure of watching. 

So, in no particular order... 

Oliver Thornton as Adam (Felicia) in Priscilla Queen of the Desert 

Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain