Category Archives: Show news

The Blues Brothers – Summer Special

HARTSHORN – HOOK PRODUCTIONS &

THE HIPPODROME PRESENT

AT THE HIPPODROME LEICESTER SQUARE

18 JULY – 26 AUGUST

 

Rock ‘n’ Roll phenomenon, The Blues Brothers, returns to the West End at the prestigious Hippodrome for a limited, soulful summer special from 18 July – 26 August.

The Hippodrome’s 230-seat cabaret theatre will host The Blues Brothers – Summer Special, which is produced by Hartshorn – Hook Productions and the London Hippodrome and directed by Joshua Mumby, with choreography by Lily Howkins and musical direction by James Robert Ball.

 

Full casting to be announced in due course.

 

Grab your shades and get ready to shake your tail feather because The Blues Brothers are making a sensational return to the London stage.

The Blues Brothers – Summer Special is a supercharged, rock ‘n’ roll party, destined to take the capital by storm during its exclusive summer run at The Hippodrome in the heart of the West End.

Featuring 20 of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll classics of all time – including Respect, Jailhouse Rock, Soul Man and Do You Love Me? – the show also includes some never-seen-before material created by the star of the original cult classic film Dan Aykroyd, and Judith Belushi.

Brought to the stage by Hartshorn – Hook Productions, The Blues Brothers are backed by the sassy Staxx Sisters with the tightest rhythm and blues band in the city.


 

BLUES BROTHERS – SUMMER SPECIAL

THE HIPPODROME

Tuesday 18 July – Saturday 26 August

 

Full details at:

 

www.hippodromecasino.com

 

The Band – Full Cast

The full cast are now announced for David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Take That’s UK Tour of Tim Firth’s new musical, THE BAND, with the music of Take That. The tour will begin at Manchester Opera House on 8 September, with a national press night on Tuesday 26 September 2017.

The advance box office for the tour has now topped a record-breaking £10million.

 

LtoR Jayne McKenna, Emily Joyce, Rachel Lumberg, Alison Fitzjohn
Back LtoR Nick Carsberg, Sario Solomon, Yazdan Qafouri; Front LtoR Curtis T Johns, Jayne McKenna, Emily Joyce, Rachel Lumberg, Alison Fitzjohn, AJ Bentley
Katy Clayton, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Faye Christall, Rachelle Diedericks, AJ Bentley, Sario Solomon, Sarah Kate Howarth, Yazadan Qafouri, Lauren Jacobs
LtoR Jayne McKenna, Emily Joyce, Rachel Lumberg, Alison Fitzjohn
LtoR Lauren Jacobs, Katy Clayton, Rachelle Diedericks, Faye Christall, Sarah Kate Howarth
LtoR Lauren Jacobs, Katy Clayton, Rachelle Diedericks, Faye Christall, Sarah Kate Howarth
LtoR Curtis T Johns, Nick Carsberg, AJ Bentley, Yazdan Qafouri, Sario Solomon
LtoR Jayne McKenna, Emily Joyce, Rachel Lumberg, Alison Fitzjohn

 

 

Joining the previously announced AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Solomon, collectively known as 5 to 5, winners of BBC’s Let It Shine, who will play The Band, Rachel Lumberg as Rachel and Faye Christall as Young Rachel, will be Emily Joyce as Heather, Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, Jayne McKenna as Zoe, Katy Clayton as Young Heather, Sarah Kate Howarth as Young Claire, Lauren Jacobs as Young Zoe, Rachelle Diedericks as Debbie, Martin Miller as Jeff and Andy Williams as Dave.

AJ Bentley studied dance before taking part in Let It Shine. Nick Carsberg was a classic car restorer before taking part in Let It Shine. Curtis T Johns has been a songwriter for the last eight years, writing for artists such as Matt Cardle and Ray Quinn. He also owns and runs a rugby club in his home city of Leeds. Yazdan Qafouri is originally from Iran, but was raised in the North East of England. Sario Solomon made his professional debut at the age of 11 in Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Rachel Lumberg’s most recent tours include This Is My Family, The Full Monty, Dandy Dick and Calendar Girls. Faye Christall’s theatre credits include Broken Biscuits (Paines Plough), Gone Viral (St James Theatre) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), and she is part of the Cirque Du Soleil Company.

Emily Joyce’s television credits include series regulars Jill in My Almost Famous Family, Sarah Fletcher in Mutual Friends and Janet Dawkins in My Hero. Her most recent theatre includes Judy in the West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Alison Fitzjohn has just finished as assistant director and performer in David Walliams’s tour of Gangsta Granny. She also played The Queen of Hearts/Duchess in the Olivier-nominated immersive production of Alice’s Adventures Underground by Les Enfants Terribles. Over the past 12 years, Alison has performed all over the world in Horrible Histories, Barmy Britain and Horrible Science. Jayne McKenna’s recent theatre credits include Rose Naracott in War Horse in the West End, Sylvia in This Happy Breed for the Peter Hall Company, Lily Gibb in Men Should Weep at the National and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth at the Northcott Theatre. She also appeared in the film version of the National Theatre’s production of London Road as Imelda.

Katy Clayton made her first TV appearance at the age of six on Coronation Street. She appeared in various TV shows such as Casualty, Shameless and Waterloo Road and played series regular Samantha Booth in Where the Heart Is for four years. Sarah Kate Howarth’s theatre credits include Copycat (Southwark Playhouse), Whistle Down The Wind (Union Theatre), Tess of the D’Urbervilles (New Wimbledon Theatre) and Spring Awakening (Edinburgh Fringe). Lauren Jacobs and Rachelle Diedericks will be making their professional debuts in THE BAND.

Martin Miller’s recent theatre includes Antonio in The Revenger’s Tragedy and Keith Haines in Darkness, both for Nottingham Playhouse, two UK tours of The Full Monty as Dave, and Alfred Hitchcock in The Lovesong of Alfred J Hitchcock (Leicester Curve, UK Tour and Brits Off Broadway). Andy Williams’s recent theatre credits include Arnold in Hir (Bush Theatre), Giles/Captain in Emma Rice’s production of Rebecca (Plymouth Theatre Royal/Tour), The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre), Ted Narracot in War Horse (New London Theatre) and Albert/Fred/Stephen in Kneehigh Theatre’s Brief Encounter.

 

 

For further show information and full tour details please visit:

 

www.thebandmusical.com

 

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