Andrew Lloyd Webber
New York or Middle Earth: the Choice is Yours in London’s West End
London’s West End is famous the world over for its first-class theatrical productions and renowned musical adaptations. From Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest production of The Sound of Music – starring TV’s ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria’ winner Connie Fisher – to the recent stage adaptation of the classic 1980s movie Dirty Dancing, London’s theatres attract visitors in their hoards. Moreover, London theatre breaks are especially popular with people interested in taking a short holiday in the UK’s bustling capital.
May 2007 sees the opening of two new plays in London’s West End that will have theatre fans across the UK chattering with excitement. The Theatre Royal on Drury Lane will be showing the world’s first adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Following on from the phenomenal success of Peter Jackson’s Oscar winning movie trilogy, the Theatre Royal’s new production of Tolkein’s epic masterpiece combines an ecstatic musical score with heart-stopping choreography and a spectacular stage design.
Featuring over 70 actors, singers and musicians, The Lord of the Rings stage play will follow Frodo Baggins on his amazing journey through Middle Earth – and the production looks likely to be a runaway success. Opening on May 9th, LOTR fans should make sure they book their tickets well in advance to secure a seat.
If enchanted rings and hairy hobbits aren’t quite your idea of an enjoyable night at the theatre, then you’re in luck: May also sees the opening of Fame at the Shaftsbury Theatre. The original high school musical, Fame revolves around a group of students in New York’s school for the Performing Arts. Like The Lord of the Rings, and starring Irene Cara, Fame was adapted into an Oscar winning film in 1980 and has since spawned generations of fans of both the film and the original stage musical alike.
The movie version of Fame was spawned from a successful TV series and the movies’ skyrocketing success gave rise to a host of films made in a similar genre, including Flashdance and Footloose. Today, many films, musicals and TV programmes aimed at teenagers still use the formula that Fame made so successful – the charting of the hopes and dreams of young, idealistic adolescents. Recent films such as Centre Stage and Disney’s High School Musical have followed a similar pattern, but none have so far rendered the timelessness and eternal appeal of the original Fame.
Opening on May 4th at the Shaftsbury Theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue, Fame promises a rollicking experience for any fan of the musical, the film – or simply anyone that desires a stunning stage musical experience! And, if you’re planning to visit London’s West End to see The Lord of the Rings or Fame this Spring, why not make a short theatre break out of it? That way you’ll get to take in London’s spectacular attractions and indulge in a spot of shopping while on a cultural weekend away.
Andrew Regan is a freelance online journalist who travels extensively.
About the Author
Andrew Regan is a freelance online journalist who travels extensively.
Stephen Sondheim & Andrew Lloyd Webber Dueling Piano
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M&M’s Candy Of The Opera Mug $24.99 Very rare Phantom Of The Opera related M&M’s ceramic mug… |
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M&M’s Wickedly Delicious Mug Very rare Wicked related M&M’s ceramic mug… |
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Andrew Lloyd Webber – 3×2 inch Fridge Magnet – large magnetic button – Magnet $4.99 Rectangular wrap-around refrigerator magnet and a glossy mylar cover.Large 2×3 inch rectangle fridge magnet or ‘buttons’ as they are sometimes known in the USA.Crop shown is automated for display purposes only. All magnets are hand finished and the best most appropriate crop will always be selected to best show the full image. Therefore, actual product may vary slightly from crop shown – this can … |
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The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray] $19.99 Let the spectacle astound you! In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Cameron Mackintosh produced a unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before. Inspired by the original staging by Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne, this lavish, fully-staged production set in the sumptuous Victorian splendor of London’s leg… |
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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies [Blu-ray] $19.96 The year is 1907. It is 10 years after the Phantom’s disappearance from the Paris Opera House. He has escaped to a new life in New York where he lives amongst the screaming joy rides and freak-shows of Coney Island. In this new electrically-charged world, he has finally found a place for his music to soar. All that is missing is his love – Christine Daa. Now one of the world’s finest sopranos, … |
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Les Miserables: The 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall $20.95 The 10th anniversary concert video of the international musical sensation Les Misérables might be the best thing to appease fans until a full-fledged movie comes along. Or it might be even better, as feature films are often subject to extramusical casting considerations and this 1995 dream cast is superb. Reprising their roles from the original London company are Colm Wilkinson (Valjean), Michael… |
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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [VHS] $3.39 Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it’s a savvy choice. It hasn’t been represented on film before, it’s short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny Osmond, who played over 1,800 performances across North America. Rather… |
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Cats – The Musical (Commemorative Edition) [VHS] $2.74 This pop-cultural phenomenon has been performed on stage for more than 50 million patrons in 26 countries for almost 18 years, churning more than $2 billion in ticket sales. Now that Cats has finally made it to the small screen, attention must be paid not just by fans of this critic-proof show, but also by those entertainment mavens who have somehow avoided Cats until now. The video version has be… |
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Jesus Christ Superstar [VHS] $4.50 Ted Neeley makes for a wimpy looking Jesus in Norman Jewison’s screen adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice “rock opera,” which was a smash on stage in the early ’70s. Jewison (Other People’s Money) adds some good exterior settings in the desert, but Webber and Rice’s dialogue-free story (everything is sung, as in a real opera), with its quasi-profundities about the inner demons of princi… |
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The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall $15.99 In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Cameron Mackintosh produced a unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before. Inspired by the original staging by Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne, this lavish, fully-staged production set in the sumptuous Victorian splendour of London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall featur… |