JULIE ATHERTON joins cast of Verrallations at the Pheasantry

Julie Atherton will be joining the cast of VERRALLATIONS at the Pheasantry. Julie  made her West End debut in he lead role of Sophie in MammaMia!, some of her other credits include Sister Mary Robert in the UK Tour of Sister Act, Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in the original West End production of Avenue Q (Noel Coward Theatre & Gielgud Theatre), Susan in Tick Tick Boom (Duchess theatre), Cathy in The Last 5 Years (Theatre Royal, Haymarket & The Duchess Theatre),  Serena in the national tour of Fame, Claire in Ordinary Days  (Finborough  Theatre & Trafalgar Studios) and Kolokolo bird in Just So(Chichester Festival). 

‘Verrallations’ sees Kane Verrall celebrate classic songs from the Golden Age of musical films in a love letter to the legends and heroes who inspired his penchant for musical theatre. Featuring songs made famous by stars such as Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Angela Lansbury and Fred Astaire, including an MGM Medley and more than a few numbers for even the most devoted Broadway Babies.

Christmas in New York: Theatre Review

Christmas in New York has been brought back by Speckulation Entertainment after a four year absence. This year Broadway Leading Lady, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba, Eden Espinosa headlines the event. Besides playing Elphaba in Wicked to extensive acclaim on Broadway, in LA and San Francisco, Espinosa's other credits include playing Maureen in the closing cast of RENT on Broadway and the title role in Brooklyn the musical. Joined by a West End line up including Tori Allen-Martin (RENT, Hair), Lucy May Barker (Sweeney Todd, Spring Awakening), Andy Coxon (Les Miserables, Rocky Horror Show), Scott Garnham (I Can’t Sing!, Les Miserables), Luke Kempner (Avenue Q, South Pacific) and Zoe Rainey (Wicked, Hairspray) with special guest Julie Atherton (Sister Act, Avenue Q). The show played the Palace Theatre in Manchester on the 7th December before returning to the West End, playing the Palace Theatre where The Commitments currently resides. 

Sister Act the Musical UK Tour: Theatre Review

Sister Act the Musical first premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in California in late 2006 and moved to the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in early 2007. The production was labelled as Broadway success from this first production. It transferred to the West End in mid 2009 and closed in October 2010 and was replaced by The Wizard of Oz, the Broadway production opened in April 2011 and closed in late August 2012.Other productions are planned for Stuttgart, The Netherlands, Paris, Australia, Mexico, Spain and many more.
The first UK Tour of the show opened at the Manchester Opera House in September 2011 and tours until October 2012. The story follows Deloris Van Carter, she auditions for a nightclub when she witnesses a murder and has to be put away in hiding. She gets put in a Nunnery where she is appointed the leader of the choir, this is something she begins to feel passionate about and she grows closer to her fellow Sisters. Based on the 1992 film, which itself just screams “Make me into a musical!!!” The show undertook a lot of changes when it moved to Broadway and these are included in this touring production, the show felt and looked like a touring production however this didn’t take away from the enjoyment and quality of the piece.

The In-Between: CD Review

The In-between is an up-coming musical written by Laura Tisdall. The show follows the story of Flick who has a sister named Alice. Their parents died in a car crash when they were both young so Alice has had to become a mother figure to Flick. Flick goes off the rails and rebels against her sister and one day she finds herself in the 'in-between' which is the space between parallel worlds. Flick must decide if she wants t go back to the world she knows with her Sister or go to the world where she can start again.
Laura has released a Concept album which is something that used to be done a lot; Andrew Lloyd Webber has done this with shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.This new musical has a rock theme which means all seven tracks on the album are anthems in their own right. The thing which makes an incredible musical song is something that tells a story but then can easily stand on its own feet. The only show that I can think of which features more than about two songs with these qualities is Wicked; on this album they all have this quality.