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).

INTERVIEW: Dianne Pilkington, currently starring in The Only Fools and Horses and soon to star in Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Dianne Pilkington is currently playing Raquel in the musical version of The Only Fools and Horses at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. She will soon be appearing in the semi-staged concert version of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Cadogan Hall with Take Two Theatricals and Club 11. Her other credits include Elizabeth in Young Frankenstein (Garrick Theatre); Aunt Lily in Whisper House (The Other Palace); Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre); Sophie De Palma in Master Class (Vaudeville Theatre); Amalia in She Loves Me (Minerva Theatre, Chichester); Pamela/Margaret/Annabella in The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre); Glinda in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Grizabella in Cats (National Tour); Mary in Tonight’s the Night (Victoria Palace); Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (National Tour), Kim in the original cast of Boy George’s Taboo;  Protestant Girl in The Beautiful Game (Cambridge Theatre) and understudied and played Fantine and Cosette in Les Miserables (Palace Theatre).

You’re appearing in a semi-staged concert version of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Cadogan Hall with Take Two Theatricals and Club 11, tell us a bit about the show and what we can expect from this production.

The show is a classic, and has some of Roger & Hammerstein’s most beautiful songs in the score. It has been updated and will be the first time this new version has been performed here.

And you’re playing Marie, tell us a bit about her.

She’s pinned as a crazy lady, and all is not as it seems! She’s a wise woman, and wants to reward goodness and kindness.

You’re playing another Fairy, pretty close to the role that many people will know you from! How is it to return to a magical role again?

Ah, but she’s a Fairy, not a Witch! I can’t wait. At least this time I should be good at the magic bit...

INTERVIEW: Mazz Murray, currently starring as Donna in Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre

Mazz Murray is best known for her run as the Killer Queen and longest serving cast member in the West End musical, We Will Rock You. She is currently playing Donna in Mamma Mia at the Novello Theatre after having previously played Tanya in the same production. She has also not long finished playing Mama Morton in Chicago at the Phoenix Theatre. She made her theatre debut playing Patsy Cline in The Roy Orbison Story across the UK and has appeared in Rent, Smokey Joe's Café, Fame, Only The Lonely, Boogie Nights and Pippin.

You’re returning to MAMMA MIA! after having previously played Tanya. What made you want to return to this show? 

The opportunity to play Donna.

And how is it seeing the show from a different characters perspective? 

It’s like a completely different show and experience. 

What are your favourite moments from the show to perform as Donna and which ones did you love doing as Tanya? 

It’s so new at the moment - I’m enjoying all of it, especially singing the songs.

What have you enjoyed most about returning to this show? 

Gosh, seeing the wonderful friends again that are still here – both backstage/ onstage and front of house.

If Heathers the Musical was on 25 years ago...

With all the Heathers buzz thats going around it got us thinking, if this show was on 25 years ago who would be in it? Well, that made our minds go crazy and we had to put our dream casting into an article for you! Make sure you tweet us your thoughts and ideas! @PocketSizeBlog

Veronica Sawyer | Lea Salonga or Linzi Hateley

Carrie Hope Fletcher plays the role in this West End production and does it ever so brilliantly! Instantly we thought of Lea Salonga and Linzi Hateley, both would sing the role incredibly and I'm sure would have played it just as well as Ms Fletcher. 

Jason "J.D." Dean | Norman Bowman or Jason Donovan

The slightly crazy and misguided role is being played by Jamie Muscato in the shows London premiere, but after seeing Norman Bowman and Jason Donovan in countless shows over the years we're sure they would have been a perfect match back in the day!

THEN AND NOW: Chicago the Musical

Making its return to the West End stage, Chicago is one of the most famous musicals around the world. The show has attracted some very famous names to it including Ruthie Henshall (who is the only Woman to play all three leads), Bebe Neuwirth, Brandy, Jerry Springer, Mel B, Todrick Hall, Wendy Williams, Tase Diggs, Ashlee Simpson, Melanie Griffith, Patrick Swayze and most recently on the West End, Alexandra Burke. In this edition of 'Then And Now' we look back on the original Broadway production, the 1996 Broadway revival, the 2013 revival at the Leicester Curve, the current West End production and we also look back to numerous cast members who have featured in the West End run of the 1996 revival. Take a look and share your favourite moments of the show with us on Twitter! @PocketSizeBlog #PocketThenNow

Roxie Hart 

Gwen Verdon (1975), Ann Reinig (1996), Bonnie Langford (2006), Gemma Sutton (2013) & Sarah Soetaert (2018)

Velma Kelly 

Chita Rivera (1975), Bebe Neuwirth (1996), Leigh Zimmerman (2001), Verity Rushworth (2013) & Josefina Gabrielle (2018)

DREAM CASTING: Friends the Musical

If you're like me or the majority of people on my timeline, you'll have watched the entire series of Friends on Netflix a number of times. I think I may be on my 6th rerun of it?! But it got me thinking, If there was a musical who could be in it? So I took to the internet and made my dream cast list. Tweet us and let us know who you would like to see in the musical version of Friends! @PocketSizeBlog

Rachel Green | Emily Tierney 

Ross Geller | Gerard McCarthy 

Mazz Murray Joins Martin Kemp in CHICAGO, With New Booking Period Announced

Mazz Murray will join the West End cast of CHICAGO at the Phoenix Theatre, playing the title role of Mama Morton from Monday 2 July. Also joining the cast on 2 July will be the previously announced Martin Kemp as Billy Flynn. They will join Sarah Soetaert, Josefina Gabrielle and Paul Rider as Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly and Amos Hart respectively.

Martin Kemp will be staying in the London production of CHICAGO until 2 September 2018, with Sarah Soetaert, Josefina Gabrielle, Mazz Murray and Paul Rider staying until 11 August 2018.

A new booking period opens today, Tuesday 26 June, with tickets available for performances from Monday 8 October to Saturday 5 January 2019. 

Mazz Murray’s previous theatre credits include nine years as Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre), Tanya in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre), Mabel in Fame (Victoria Palace), Grandma Bertha in Pippin (Bridewell Theatre) and Dusty Springfield in A Girl Called Dusty (Duke of York’s Theatre). On television, she has appeared in EastEnders and Footballers’ Wives, and on film in John Boorman’s Hope & Glory and the soon-to-be-released Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. She has toured with Earth Wind & Fire and Billy Ocean as part of the band Woman the Band, and with Il Divo as a solo artist. Her debut solo album, Midnight Mazz, was released earlier this year.

15 of the Best West End Duos!

Following from last weeks feature (15 Most Memorable Performances I've seen) the Pocket team have been thinking about the best Duos that have been on the West End recently. 

So, in no particular order, here is our list... 

Sierra Boggess & Ramin Karimloo in Love Never Dies

Justin Lee Collins & Simon Lipkin in Rock of Ages

Goodbye WE WILL ROCK YOU! A look back at the productions history...

Having rocked over 6.5 million people in a record-breaking 12 years at London's Dominion Theatre, the smash hit Queen & Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You is due to close on 31 May 2014. Now the longest running show ever at the Dominion by a margin of nine years, the show takes its rightful place in West End history, sitting proudly in the Top 10 longest running musicals of all time.

The show has now been performed in 28 countries around the globe, and has been seen by a more than 16 million people.

From its opening night at the Dominion on 14 May 2002, We Will Rock You quickly became the overwhelming people’s choice of musical in the UK and overseas. In its second year at the Dominion it won top honours in five categories in the Theatregoers Choice awards presented by whatsonstage.com, including Best New Musical. In 2011, nine years after the curtain first went up, the show won the prestigious Olivier Audience Award, the only category voted for entirely by the public. The show went on to win a number of international awards for productions around the globe.