REVIEW: West End Bares Turned On

This is the eleventh year of the fundraising events for the Make a Difference (MAD) Trust, a UK based charity with a vision of a world free from HIV and AIDS. Since its first show in 2010 WEST END BARES has raised over £350,000. This year the funds from the streamed event will go directly to help those on stage and behind the scenes who are experiencing financial hardship while theatres are closed due to the Pandemic. The Trust has helped 250 theatre workers already this year. 

This year's show called WEST END BARES: TURNED ON features the best of the West End and beyond and was filmed in accordance with Covid safety guidelines. It was directed by Will Lucas, with choreography from Jenny Legg (9 to 5), Aaron David Jenkins (Wicked), Fletcher Dobinson (Cats) and David Grewcock (Singin’ In The Rain). Each directed a different segment of the forty-minute show which took it inspirations from the idea of turning on different TV channels. Each channel became a choreographed routine with scantily clad dancers in witty parodies of the original shows. There is a strong opening zoom routine from the bedrooms of four performers Courtney Bowen, Nicholas McClean, Sophie Evans and Zizi Strallen with 'Turned on' in what proved to be the best song of the evening.

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?’

GRAHAM NORTON returns to host WEST END BARES 2017

The Make A Difference Trust is delighted to announce that following two triumphant years,Graham Norton will return as host of this year’s WEST END BARES: RUBY STRIPPERS at the Novello Theatre on Sunday 29 October at 7.00pm and 9.30pm.

The Make A Difference Trust is also thrilled to announce the first of Graham’s star co-hosts; Adam Garcia (The Exorcist, Murder on the Orient Express [2017], Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Tap Dogs, Saturday Night Fever, Coyote Ugly); Summer Strallen (Young Frankenstein, Love Never Dies, The Sound of Music, Hollyoaks); Dianne Pilkington (Young Frankenstein, Mamma Mia!, Wicked, Taboo); Tom Allen (Live At The Apollo, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Just A Minute);Celinde Schoenmaker (The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables) and Oliver Savile(Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia!). More celebrity guest hosts and West End stars to be announced soon.

Guest presenters announced for West End Bares 'Nudedunnit?!'

Stars of stage and screen Jake Canuso, James Dreyfuss, Matt Evers, Jill Halfpenny, Helen Lederer, Harriet Thorpe are amongst the special guest presenters to be announced* for this year’s West End Bares ‘Nudedunnit?!’ gala performances at Café de Paris in London’s West End on Sunday 7 September (*further names to be announced shortly). Tickets are available from www.westendbares.com.

Now in its fifth year, West End Bares sees performers from across the heart of London’s West End volunteering to put on a show and strip in aid of The Make A Difference Trust (MAD Trust) - the entertainment industry charity dedicated to helping people living with HIV and AIDS in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa.