REVIEW: Camelot at the Watermill Theatre

The Watermill has led the way with its short season of outdoor theatre in its delightful grounds. Following its tongue in cheek version of The Hound of the Baskerville, the artistic director, Paul Hart has directed a concert version of the 1960 musical Camelot by Lerner and Loewe with his usual trademark actor-musician casting. It is a simple but charmingly effective staging that showcases the fabulous score.

I am predisposed to enjoy the evening partly because of the warm welcome and consistently high standards the Watermill productions deliver but mainly as the show brings back strong memories of the 1982 production of Camelot with Richard Harris as Arthur and Fiona Fullerton as Guinevere at the Apollo Victoria, which remains one of my all-time favourite musical productions. Harris's powerful charismatic stage presence made up for his lack of singing voice and he rang every emotional response from his final rallying call to young Tom to carry the legend of the knights of the round table home.

10 Year Challenge: Some of our Favourite West End Performers!

There's a craze going around at the moment called 'The 10 Year challenge' and as we're welcoming in the new decade, we looked back at some of our favourite performers and did it for them! Check our the list of amazing actors below and the journey they've gone on from 2010 to 2020 and tweet us your favourite 10 year challenge or send us ones we've left off!

Lucie Jones

As Cosette in the London production of Les Miserables and as Jenna in Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre. Other credits include Emily in A Christmas Carol (Lyceum); Lou in Girlfriends (LMTO); Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (UK tour); Maureen Johnson in RENT the Musical (The Other Palace and UK tour); Holly in The Wedding Singer (UK tour); Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve/South Korea – DIMF Best Actress in a Musical Award); Molly Jensen in Ghost: The Musical (Asian tour); Victoria in American Psycho the Musical (Almeida) and Meatloaf in We Will Rock You (world arena tour).

Melanie La Barrie 

As Mrs Phelps in the original cast of Matilda and as the Nurse in the original London cast of & Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Other credits include Madame Morrible in Wicked (Apollo Victoria); Mrs Phelps in Matilda (RSC Stratford and Cambridge); The Lorax (Old Vic); Martha Watson in White Christmas (West Yorkshire Playhouse); General Cartwright in Guys & Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre); Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Liverpool Playhouse); Madame Thernardier in Les Miserables (Queens); Pearl in Daddy Cool (Shaftesbury) and Mrs Corry in Mary Poppins (Prince Edward).

Alistair McGowan to Play Lead Role in UNDER MILK WOOD at The Watermill Theatre

'It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobbled streets silent…'

The Watermill Theatre announces the cast for Dylan Thomas’ comic masterpiece, Under Milk Wood, A Play for Voices…, which runs from 25 October to 4 November. Alistair McGowan (West End, RSC, Lyric, TV, Radio 4) will lead the company in a production which forms part of the theatre’s 50th anniversary programme. Under Milk Woodwas The Watermill’s first professional production in 1967 with a cast that included David Jason.

Directed by Brendan O'Hea, McGowan will be the First Voice in a company playing multiple roles that includes Steffan Cennydd (Reverend Eli Jenkins), Ross Ford (Mr. Pugh), Lynn Hunter (Captain Cat), Charlotte O’Leary(Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard) and Caroline Sheen (Polly Garter), who appeared as Polly Baker in The Watermill’s 2016 production of Crazy For You.

West End stars Hadley Fraser and Caroline Sheen to launch new musical BEFORE AFTER

West End stars Hadley Fraser and Caroline Sheen are to feature in the world premiere of Stuart Matthew Price and Timothy Knapman’s new romantic musical, Before After, at St. James Studio.

Everybody has one great lost love. They broke our hearts, they haunt our dreams and we will never, ever forget it. But what if fate gave you another chance? Do you think you’d get things right the second time around? In Before After, Ami (Caroline Sheen) meets Ben (Hadley Fraser) by a tree on a beautiful hillside. She reconises him instantly - he was once the love of her life. But Ben doesn’t recognise her. As we watch their love grow in both the past and the present, might they finally find their happy ever after after all? He’s the right man in the right place - but is this the right time?

Les Miserables the Musical: Theatre Review

On October 3rd 2011, Les Miserables celebrated its 26th anniversary making it the longest running musical in the West End. With the show having been performed in numerous places around the world it has also been translated into twenty one languages and performed in thirty eight countries.

The story follows Jean Valjean who is sentenced to 19 years in prison for stealing some bread. 

On his release he is taken in for the night by a Bishop who feeds him and provides him with shelter for the night, Jean Valjean gets up in the night and steals from him. He gets caught but the Bishop assures the authorities that they were a gift and he didn't steal them. The Bishop then tells Jean Valjean that he will have to change his ways because God has given him a second chance. Jean Valjean then takes on a new name and makes a new life for himself; he becomes a very successful business man and adopts a child, Cosette, who was given to him by her mother Fantine. Fantine was fired from her job because she was supporting a child who lived with two carers, she turns to prostitution but is saved by Jean Valjean and her dying wish is to have Cosette taken in by Jean Valjean in his care. Jean Valjean has to pay the two pub landlords who have used all the money they have received from Fantine on their own daughter, Eponine, to take Cosette off their hands.