Cynthia Erivo | Interview

Cynthia Erivo trained at RADA and she is currently playing the role of Deloris Van Carter in the UK Tour of the West End hit, Sister Act. Before that she played Madeleine in the Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Gielgud Theatre. Her other credits include Ellie Jackson in Marine Parade, Leila in I was Looking at the Ceiling and then I saw the Sky and Constance in The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain. Cynthia also was a support act for American Idol winner Fantasia Burrino and was nominated for a BEFFTA for best female act 2010. I caught up with Cynthia on her busy tour schedule to talk about her...

How and when did you realise you wanted to perform?
As cliché as it sounds, I knew I was going to be a performer when I was five, it's actually one of my clearest memories..... I was asked to sing silent night on my own in the nativity play that year, and I remember that after I ?nished singing there was applause, I remember loving how it felt to hear that and see people happy..... I was hooked.

Were your family and friends supportive about your career decision?
They always have they always will be, they've been with me every step of the way.

Jumpy: Theatre Review

Jumpy, Written by April De Angelis, opened at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court in late 2011 with the production recently transferring to the West End, opening on the 16^thAugust at the Duke of York's Theatre. The story follows Hilary who is a working mum who has settled with her family in London, within the play she faces a divorce from her husband and a rocky relationship with her 15 year old daughter. The storyline made me feel like it was going to be like a soap on stage, it was far from it. April De Angelis writing in this play is fantastic, she's got a serious drama that everyone can watch and relate to but has made it into a comedy. Whilst watching it I could see a lot of myself, my family and most likely every other family in the country portrayed in this play! Very much the same sort of humour as the BBC series 'My Family'.
It is filled with laughs all throughout, however it has a very serious tone; it speaks out to anyone who's struggled at any point in their life.

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.

Jersey Boys the Musical: Theatre Review

Before making it over the West End, Jersey Boys was already a hit over in the States. The Broadway production opened in 2005 and is now the 19^thlongest running Broadway show. The show started its first National Tour at the end of 2006 and after this, productions opened in Chicago, Las Vegas, Australia and New Zealand.
The West End production opened in 2008 at the Prince Edward Theatre where it is still playing. The show features songs from the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli to tell the story of their journey to stardom; you see how the group was formed, their rise in fame and eventually their breakup.
The show has been divided up cleverly into 'four seasons' in which each member of the group narrates each section.
The production is directed by Des NcAnuff who seems to really understand how to stage a production, he really worked with this show well and his direction really complemented the story, as did Sergio Trujillo's choreography.
The scenic design was interesting, at first I thought it looked a bit pants but the lights, screens and other small pieces of scenery made each location different and in the end it really worked, Klara Zieglerova did a great job. Very Clever.
Jess Goldstein did a perfect job on the costume design, everything seemed spot on and I kind of wanted to take some of the outfit's home!

Andrew Wright | Interview

Andrew Wright has become one of the West End's favourite choreographers recently, with productions that have astounded the public. His choreographer credits include Singin' In The Rain (Palace Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre), 42nd Street (Chichester Festival Theatre and The Curve, Leicester), Wonderful Town(National Tour), The Showgirl Within(Garrick Theatre), Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi(Liverpool Playhouse, Union Theatre and Trafalgar Studios) ,By Jeeves(Landor Theatre) and many many more! His performance credits include Scrooge(London Palladium), Mary Poppins (Prince Edward), Anything Goes (Drury Lane), Cats (New London), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Dominion and National Tour), A Chorus Line (Derby Playhouse and National Tour) and many more! His list of credits are endless, a career that anyone would be very jealous of! He was also nominated for an Olivier Award in early 2012 for Singin' in the Rain. Taking time out of very busy life, Andrew had the time to answer a few questions!

How did you first get into Dance?I went to a local dance school in Somerset and also danced at my main school, Millfield. However I didn't start to professionally train until the age of 17 at Arts Ed, London.

Is there any advice you'd give to any aspiring dancers out there?That there is no short cut to success. Put the hours of training in. The more skills you have to offer the better your chance of employment is.

Wonderful Town the Musical: Theatre Review

Wonderful Town is based on the novel My Sister Eileen, which itself is based on a collection of short stories by Ruth McKenney. It was then made into a play, then a film, then the musical! The musical originally ran on Broadway in 1953 and closed the following year. A production then opened in London in 1955 and starred the likes of Shani Wallace and Sid James and a revival opened in 1986 at the Queens Theatre. A Broadway production opened in 2003 staring Donna Murphy (Later Brooke Shields) which earned her a Tony Award nomination.

Recently we saw the return of the show when it toured the UK, this production starred 'How do you solve a problem like Maria?' winner Connie Fisher.

Wonderful Town follows the story of two sisters, Eileen and Ruth both of which want to make it in New York. Ruth who is an aspiring journalist and Eileen who wants to be an Actress move into the city and end up having a very hard time, they can't seem to catch a break. Eileen uses her charm to try and help Ruth in her bid to become a professional journalist but that goes wrong as someone who claims to have been able to help was just using the situation to get to Eileen, the Marilyn Monroe type character.

Mamma Mia! the Musical: Theatre Review

Mamma Mia! is a musical based around the songs of ABBA, It first opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in 1999 and later transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004. The musical will be moving to its third home in September to the Novello Theatre. A film version of the musical starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried and many more Hollywood names was released in 2008 and is the UKs highest ever grossing film.

The story follows Sophie, who is getting married to her Fiancé Sky, She wants her father to be present at her wedding but she doesn't know who he is. She steals her mother's diary and reads the entries from the time when she was conceived and she finds out she has three possible dads. She invites them all to the wedding and when her mother, Donna, finds out they are all at her hotel she goes mad! The production is directed by Phyllida Lloyd who does a brilliant job at working with the set which was designed by Mark Thompson, the set is two white curved walls that move around to create different locations. This clever piece of design makes the production for me; too much set would have ruined this musical so Marks designs work brilliantly within this show. Howard Harrison also produced a fantastic lighting design in this show; it worked remarkably with the other design aspects of the production. Although the design is very simple, it's perfect. Something that people often don't think about when watching this production is how such a simple design could work as great as it did.

A Midsummer Nights Dream: Theatre Review

Linking a classic Shakespeare play to the Traveller culture which most people know about from the hit TV show 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' sounds like a bizarre and almost ridiculous idea. But it works. For the 2012 season at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre they are doing two shows in repetition, Ragtime and A Midsummer Night's Dream and I had the pleasure of attending a preview for A Midsummer Night's Dream. This theatre seems like the perfect place to put on this play, and of course it is. You're outside in one of London's most beautiful parks, add a few coloured lights to it and it would be the most enchanting setting for this play. Not in this production, obviously they have the beauty aspects that they use to full advantage (how could you not?!) but add in two caravans, a crane and a load of gypsies then you've got this adaptation of one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. The Open Air Theatre is currently in their 80^thSeason and continues to amaze audiences with their productions. Their most recent and most famous ones include the Olivier Award Winning productions Crazy For You, Into The Woods and Hello, Dolly! Their decision to do yet another production of A Midsummer Night's Dream may not come as a surprise but when you see what they've done with the piece, you'll never forget it.

Ghost the Musical: Theatre Review

The image of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore behind the pottery wheel is one of the most iconic images in Hollywood history; to translate this onto the stage could have turned out to be an awful way of making some money off the GHOST franchise or it could have been an amazing musical.
Ghost the musical first opened in Manchester for a 'pre West End' run, then opening in London at the Piccadilly Theatre. The show has since opened on Broadway and they are even panning on taking the production to Australia soon. When the show opened it received ok reviews, from what critics had said it wasn't that great of a musical but it was good entertainment. From what I heard from other people, it was amazing. I'm not one to have my mind made up by other people but I wasn't rushing to get a ticket to the show. However, when the opportunity had come up to see it I didn't turn it down. I was sceptical about the show and am still thinking I might struggle to put what I think about it into words.

There is a hype surrounding the show which I'm sure everyone knows about! Unfortunately the show doesn't live up to this, in fact it doesn't even come close to it. The show is ok, not much more can be said to be honest. Not everyone has seen the original film (I haven't... don't judge!) but you know a rough outline of the storyline even if you haven't watched it.

Marianne Benedict | Interview

Marianne Benedict is currently gracing the stage as The Wicked Witch of The West in The Wizard of Oz in which she took over the role from Hannah Waddingham, She was part of the original ensemble in the show and was recently promoted to full time Wicked Witch. She graduated from Arts Educational, Her credits range from playing Vivian in Dirty Dancing, Understudying the role of Killer Queen in We Will Rock You and Debbie in Debbie Does Dallas. Her other include Miss Mackintosh in The Sunshine Boys, Catherine in The Girl Dusty, Gloria and resident MD in Return to the Forbidden Planet, Sophie in the Misfits (film workshop), Alice and understudy Bonnie in Loveshack, Stella and understudy Polly Baker in Crazy for You and singer in West End Musical Theatre Celebration. I was lucky enough to catch up with her and talk to her about her career...

When and how did you realise that you wanted to perform for a living? Very early on in life, I never stopped singing and dancing around at home and putting on shows.

You attended Arts Educational, what did you learn from them that you still practise or use in your career today? So so much. It really is a fantastic college and I still hear words of wisdom from the staff ringing in my ears.

Is there anything that you didn't learn whist in training that you think is important for young performers to know? You can't possibly learn what it's really truly like to work in this business. Only by getting out there and doing it will you know.

Sweeney Todd the Musical: Theatre Review

The classic musical Sweeney Todd which was recently turned into a Hollywood movie starring Johnny Deep and Helena Bonham Carter in 2007 was first staged on Broadway in 1979 and closed the following year earning itself Nine Tony Award nominations, winning eight of them including Best Musical. The show transferred to London in 1980 closing later that year; despite the mixed reviews the show won Best Musical at the Olivier Awards. The show has since then had multiple revivals on Broadway in 1989 and 2005 and in London in 1993, 2004 and the most recent Chichester Production which transferred to the West End in March 2012.

The show recieved positive reviews from critics and was labelled a must see by everyone who saw it, so it was only right that the production made its way over to London so West End audiences could experience it. The score by Stephen Sondheim is intelligent and interesting, his lyrics are very powerful and every song was a moving moment for all characters. However I can't help but feel a few of the songs were a bit much to take in a at times, I zoned out in a few of them and was thinking about what I was going to have for dinner the next day. But they were delivered brilliantly by the cast and were modernised greatly in this production while still keeping the original essence that Sondheim intended to have.

Alexia Khadime | Interview

Alexia Khadime is currently playing Eponine in Les Miserable at the Queens Theatre. Alexia's West End debut was in The Lion King where she appeared in the Ensemble and covered the role of Nala which she later returned to the show to play full time after her time playing Candy in the UK Tour of Whistle Down the Wind. She played the role of Nala for four years until she left the show in 2008. From June to November in 2008 she took over the role of Elphaba in Wicked while Kerry Ellis went over to Broadway to play the role, she later returned to the role in May 2009 and was succeeded by Rachel Tucker in 2010. After Wicked she was in Welcome to the Thebes at the Royal National Theatre and played Deb in Ordinary Days at Trafalgar Studios. Her TV credits include Grange Hill, The Bill, The Queens Nose and Comin' Atcha. She can be heard on Act One - Songs From The Musicals Of Alexander S. Bermange, her own single 'Ring' and the Amazing Grace and Pride film soundtracks. She was very kind to fit us in with her very busy schedule and to talk about her wonderful career...

Your career ranges from a wide variety of things, you must be very proud of all the things you've done in the past! Are there any special memories you have collected from these that stick out from the rest?

They are all just so different. What I like is they individually have helped me to grow as a performer so they all stick out for me. Something's have been bigger than other but hey all just really count a lot.

From doing TV and theatre you are obviously very familiar with the similarities and differences, what are your favourite and least favourite things about both?I like with theatre you get one chance and you can't say CUT. Least favourite thing is not getting to see family very much as we have 1 day off a week. TV is exciting because it's always changing like new lines etc, so you're always growing. Least favourite thing is the days can be very very very long and sometimes there lots of waiting around. I remember having call time at 6am and not finishing till really late!

Singin' in the Rain the Musical: Theatre Review

Singin' in the Rain is one of Hollywood's most loved and treasured musicals, although it caused controversy because Debbie Reynolds voice was ironically dubbed in parts, it still remains among people's favourite musicals of all time. Bringing an adaption of the iconic film to the West End would always be a risky thing because you'd have to get it right; otherwise you'd be seen to be making a joke of one of the most loved films from the past 100 years. The show was first put on in London in 1983 where it ran about 2 and a half years at the London Palladium, this adaption then went on tour in the UK in 1994. A Broadway production also played New York in 1985 through to 1986 with London revivals in 2000 and 2004.

In 2011 another revival was put on as part of the Chichester Festival in 2011, the show then announced it would be transferring to the West End where it would replace Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre. Don Lockwood is a Hollywood legend in 1927, alongside Lina Lamont; they make the perfect 'Hollywood couple'. They are huge hits until movies introduce sound into their pictures because Lina has the worst voice! Luckily Don bumps into a young actress called Kathy Sleden, they come up with the idea to dub Lina's voice with Kathy's. Don and Kathy soon fall in love, much to Lina's disapproval because this could ruin her career. By the end of the show Lina is soon shown as the fake she is to the public and Kathy finally gets the attention she deserves.

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.

Hannah Levane | Interview

Hannah Levane trained at the BRIT School of Performing Arts before going on to train at Arts Educational. Her credits include Keisha in Flashdance, Teacher and Alternate Killer Queen in We Will Rock You, Taylor in Disney's Tour of High School Musical and Annie and covering the roles of Bess and Clara in Porgy and Bess. She is currently about to embark on a UK Tour playing Michelle and covering the lead role of Deloris Van Carter. I was lucky enough to catch up with her before the Tour starts for a chat...

You've been performing for a few years now, but what age did you realise that you wanted to perform?
I was taken to all different types of shows as a kid back in the days when kids went free a lot of the time it was a great way of my mum and I enjoying something together, I saw operas and plays, ballets, concerts and big west end shows as well, I remember being about 6 or 7 and asking my mum after seeing a show once "do people earn money doing that" she said yes, and told me that some people make a great life from doing it and are actors all their lives. I remember thinking yes please that's the life for me and I told her so straight away. "mummy I'm going to do that, I'm going to be an actor".

Wicked the Musical: Theatre Review

Wicked the Musical has recently celebrated its fifth birthday in the West End, the show has proven very popular with musical theatre fans as they continue to sustain a very strong fan base who remain dedicated to the show and support it constantly. I have reviewed this show twice before, but I recently saw the show with the new cast. A lot of the cast have left the show since I last saw it, so I wasinterested to be invited back to check them out.

Rachel Tucker has remained with the production since coming into the company in March 2010; ever since she first started she has just got better and better. She is as strong as she has ever been. What I love about Tucker's interpretation of Elphaba is that she understands the role, a lot of the portrayals I have seen have been based around the singing aspect of the role and the actress's I've seen don't have that much depth in their Elphaba, where as Rachel's does. Her rendition of Defying Gravity and No Good Deed was the best I have ever heard; her voice fills the theatre and is delightful while having an edge to it which gives you shivers down your spine. Her chemistry with Gina Beck (Glinda) was also wonderful; they have had some time to settle in since they have started and their characters definitely work amazingly together and have a certain connection which hasn't been portrayed like that before.

Gina Beck plays a fresh Glinda, her voice is pure and a wonder to the ears. Glinda's comedic parts in the show were done incredibly by her and she picked up on everything, in my opinion she is the only Glinda in the London production that has actually paid attention to who Glinda actually is, rather than focus on what happens to her on her journey in the show. She had a great presence as Glinda and her journey through the show also really contributed to her interpretation of the role.

Matilda the Musical: Theatre Review

Matilda the Musical was originally staged in Stratford-Upon-Avon by the RSC at the Courtyard theatre, the production recently moved to the Cambridge Theatre in London (replacing Chicago). The production seems to be based more on Roald Dahl's original book than the film which translates onto the stage perfectly. The story follows a young girl (Matilda) who loves books and tells how she defeats the horrible people in her life, a story which all children and adults love with a heart-warming message.

It would be one of the last things I would ever think of to put on stage, but with Tim Minchin's Music and Lyrics and Dennis Kelly's book it works fantastically. The music is very good, but in all fairness it's not a score that's going to be remembered forever, you'll be humming the songs after the show but unless you buy the soundtrack then you'll forget the tunes pretty quickly. None the less, Tim Minchin has done a brilliant job with this musical and his writting is very intellegent.

The visual side of the show was absolutely stunning, it must be the best design I have ever seen on a West End stage. The set poured off the stage, surrounding the proscenium arch in boxes which looked fantastic and a spectacular lighting design to complement this. The continuous theme of books throughout was also a nice touch; it gave the production that edge which left you spell bound. The production has really been modernised and that's exactly what it needed, I did think they might try and set the show in a specific date but it's really been brought into the 21^stCentury and has brought a new life into the much loved, classic book.

Chicago the Musical: Theatre Review

The original production of Chicago first played on Broadway in 1975 with Chorography by Bob Fosse; it then opened at the Cambridge theatre in London in 1979. The show was revived on Broadway in 1996 with the production opening at the Adelphi Theatre in 1997; it then transferred to its original home (The Cambridge Theatre) in 2006 with it recently transferring again to the Garrick Theatre.The musical still has the original essence that Bob Fosse wanted, thanks to Ann Reinking's choreography. The show is timeless, the mix between the modern aspects of the show and the classic 1920s elements are wonderful.

The orchestra were absolutely fantastic, perfectly placed in the middle of John Lee Beatty's simple but beautiful and fitting set. But the thing that impressed me the most about this production was the brilliant lighting design by Ken Billington, absolutely incredible. I don't take notice of things like lighting design usually but in this production it was stunning. The production which re-opened on November 7^that the Garrick Theatre is staring Ugly Betty star, America Ferrera. America brought a new flavour to Roxie Hart, the role has been played by so many people that it could be hard to find new life in her but she done this fantastically. She played the role with sweetness and a beauty that made you love her; I do wish she could have played the role with a little more sass though. America has a good voice (however may need to work on her movement) and although she did have a strong cold, still sounded good.

Crazy for You the Musical: Theatre Review

Crazy for you is the Smash hit Gershwin Classic which has recently been revived in the West End after being a part of the 2011 Summer Season at Regents Park the production had transferred to the Novello Theatre where it's been running from the 7^thOctober and booking until July 28^th2012.
The production oases the classic Broadway quality that we all secretly love in a musical! It's one of those timeless musicals that will have you humming when you leave the theatre.

The musical is brought to life by using a Mamma Mia style set that twists and turns to transform each and every location, from Broadway to Nevada the set fits perfectly. The story line had all the qualities of the classic Broadway shows we love but I do feel it was a tad loose and could do with tightening up in some places. The characters seemed very unfinished and undeveloped, not due to the actors but due to the way the story was written. I can't really imagine why this musical was part of the Regents Park summer season because it doesn't really scream to me as a production that would work in a space like that, but in the Novello Theatre it works brilliantly.

Wicked the Musical: Theatre Review

Wicked the musical opened on Broadway in 2003 with productions in Los Angeles, Japan, Chicago, Germany and Australia.
The London production opened in 2006 with Original Broadway cast member, Idina Menzel. The story follows Glinda the Good and The Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) before Dorothy arrived in Oz. The musical comes from Gregory Maguire, the story explains why everything is the way it is in the land of Oz. It explains why Glinda is good, why the Witch is wicked, why the scarecrow has no brain, why the Lion is cowardly, why the tin man has no heart and everything thinkable in The Wizard of Oz is included in Wicked.
I recently made a trip back to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see the show again, the show has everything that a musical should have, and it's universal. The balance between the humour and the emotional sides of the show are brilliant, it's a show that includes every emotion. It also has appeal to everyone, for children this show would be a fantastic spectacle and for adults it's an interesting insight to their favourite childhood story. I recently saw the show on September 24^thand it was one of the best performances I've seen from the Wicked Company. This is because we have a few understudies on, two of which it was only their third show on.