Latest news with #AChorusLine
Glasgow Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Legally Blonde: The Musical coming to Glasgow
Producers ROYO and Curve have announced that a brand-new Made at Curve production of Legally Blonde: The Musical will have its Scottish premiere at the King's Theatre in Glasgow. The show will run from April 6 to 11, 2026. READ NEXT: 'So so exciting': Signage appears for new pub and diner in Glasgow (Image: Image: Newsquest) Based on the novel of the same name by Amanda Browning and the iconic 2001 film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge, the musical features a book by Heather Hach and original music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin. The musical , which will be directed by Curve's Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Kinky Boots, The Wizard of Oz, A Chorus Line) follows Elle Woods on her transformation from 'It Girl' fashionista to legal ace at Harvard Law School, all in the name of love. Elle must prove she is more than blonde ambition, swap the changing rooms for the courtroom and learn that 'being true to yourself never goes out of style. READ NEXT: Stars of The Sopranos to headline 'must-see' show in Glasgow Curve's Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: 'Legally Blonde is firmly established in the musical theatre repertoire as a contemporary classic and it's a pleasure to be reunited with 'Little Miss Woods' in the 2020s. "Laurence O'Keefe, Nell Benjamin and Heather Hach's electrifying musical about empowerment, equality and the folly of judging a book by its cover remains pitch perfect and as relevant as ever. "We can't wait to share the show with audiences across the UK and Europe after Elle takes over Curve early 2026." Casting and further creatives involved in the production are yet to be announced.
Toronto Star
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
‘A Strange Loop' is the greatest American musical of the decade. But does it translate for Canadian audiences at Soulpepper?
Every decade or so, the American theatre is graced with a musical that revolutionizes the art form. Works like 'Oklahoma!' (1943), 'A Chorus Line' (1975), 'Rent' (1996) and 'Hamilton' (2015), all seminal pieces of art that forced us to reconsider what a musical could be.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alumni hope to raise hype, funds to restore historic Greer Garson Theatre at midtown
By his own admission Tom Bartos is a better actor than he is a singer or dancer, but he still has fond memories of performing in a 1990 production of A Chorus Line as a student at the College of Santa Fe. Directed by one of the members of the musical's original Broadway run, the production kicked off the 25th season at the college's Greer Garson Theatre. 'We had to extend it a couple times, I believe, because it was selling out,' Bartos recalled in a recent interview. 'It was such a joyous, celebratory time for the theater.' In the ensuing 35 years, the college changed hands and subsequently went out of business, leaving the performing arts space Bartos remembers so fondly standing empty. As city officials conduct initial efforts to bring the theater back to life at the now city-owned midtown campus on St. Michael's Drive, he and a group of alumni are working to rally support. 'Everything I have now, everything I've learned or I've been able to achieve now, is because of that theater, because of that school, and I want to try to pay it back,' said Bartos, who now works as a video editor and has an Emmy for covering the 2022 Winter Olympics. Garson_Theatre_exterior.jpg (copy) The entrance to the Greer Garson Theatre Center in July 2024. Bartos is president of the newly formed Greer Garson Performing Arts Alliance, a nonprofit made up primarily of alumni from St. Michael's College, the College of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. He said he views the organization as an advocacy group to gin up community support — and hopefully money — for a new iteration of the historic theater. The city is also taking steps to explore the theater's future. On Wednesday, the City Council approved a budget adjustment resolution to move $794,164 in lodgers tax revenue into the Arts and Culture Department's budget, $60,000 of which will go toward a feasibility study of future restoration and use of the Greer Garson as part of the redevelopment of former college campus. Arts and Culture Director Chelsey Johnson said the study will focus on the physical condition of the building and what a future management model could look like. Opened in 1965 and named after the Academy Award-winning actress Greer Garson, the theater at the College of Santa Fe was designed by Phillippe Register, who was responsible for many of the other iconic buildings on campus as well. At 32,628 square feet, the performing arts complex includes a main theater with an orchestra pit and seating for more than 500 people, a black box performance space that seats 90, and rehearsal rooms, classrooms and storage space. 020525 jw garson theatre Opened in 1965 and named after the Academy Award-winning actress Greer Garson, the theater at the College of Santa Fe was designed by Phillippe Register, who was responsible for many of the other iconic buildings on campus as well. The performing arts complex has been completely vacant since the Santa Fe University of Art and Design closed its doors in 2018 and would need significant upgrades to make it useable, Johnson said. 'It's been used by film crews as a wardrobe space, primarily, but because there's no sprinkler system in it, it's not up to code,' she said. 'So in order to be used even by them they have to have a fire safety professional on site at all times.' A request for proposals for a contractor for the study states the city ultimately seeks 'a developer and operator with the capacity and experience to rehabilitate and operate the Greer Garson Theatre' as a public theater with a range of community-focused programming, citing the Public Theater and Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City as models. The request for proposals states the city will dispose of the property in 'as-in condition.' The scope of work for the contractor includes conducting a building assessment, and creating redevelopment and operations and management strategies. Participation of city departments — including Tourism, Arts and Culture and Economic Development — and local performing arts organizations is stipulated, with LiveArts, the Santa Fe Art Institute, Creative Santa Fe and the Center for Contemporary Arts being specifically named as external stakeholders. 020525 jw garson theatre Members of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Commission get a look around the Greer Garson Theatre during a Feb. 5 tour of the midtown campus. On Wednesday, the City Council approved a budget adjustment resolution to move $794,164 in lodgers tax revenue into the Arts and Culture Department's budget, $60,000 of which will go toward a feasibility study of future restoration and use of the theater as part of the redevelopment of former college campus. The city was initially pursuing entering into an exclusive negotiated agreement with LiveArts for the redevelopment of the theater, similar to its plans for a film studio and visual arts center on the midtown campus. LiveArts was the only applicant who entered a proposal for the theater, and in March 2024 the city announced in a news release the bid was canceled after the two entities 'mutually agreed that the best path forward is for the City to redevelop the theater.' Johnson said the negotiations with LiveArts happened before she joined the city, but her understanding is that things didn't come together the way the parties hoped. 'It turned out to not be so feasible, which is, I think, partly why we're doing this actual feasibility study to really have a clear sense of what will help us to successfully redevelop and reactivate it,' she said. Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director Daniel Hernandez said LiveArts remains an important partner and will have a seat at the table. 'We're going to include them in this conversation,' he said. SKM_450i24040217460 Actress Greer Garson outside her namesake venue in 1975. Hernandez said honoring the heritage of buildings like the Greer Garson Theatre is crucial to development at midtown. 'They're the landmarks for the future of midtown because they hold so much memory for people,' he said. 'People want to come back to midtown specifically to see these buildings.' The request for proposals sets a four-month timeline for the work, and Johnson said her hope is for the feasibility study to be completed by this fall, after which the findings will be shared with city councilors. Hernandez said an organization has been selected to complete the work and a contract is in the process of being finalized. He said the contractor is national a firm that serves as an arts and culture consultant but which also has a background in arts-focused affordable housing. 'We're excited to bring them on board,' he said. Along with the feasibility study, Hernandez said the city is also working with alum Kelly Kuhn to host some outdoor concerts in the midtown quad this fall. Hernandez said he's excited by the interest college alumni have for the project. To date, Bartos said, the Greer Garson Performing Arts Alliance has more than 200 members, mostly alumni from the 1980s and 1990s. The colleges 'didn't really keep up with alumni relations, so we're kind of doing double duty and trying to find all these people and track them down,' Bartos said. SKM_450i24040217480 The Greer Garson Theatre under construction, circa 1965. Part of reaching out to alumni from across the country as well as building connections within the local arts scene is exploring who or what entities might be able to support the project financially, Bartos said, noting that money will play a big role in any discussions of the Greer's future. 'With film it's easier because movies can make money,' he said. '… Live theater is a little different, especially in this town, since it's more visual art focused.' However, Bartos said he's optimistic a coalition of groups will come together so the Greer can resume its place in the city's arts and culture scene. 'If there's a way to bring people back ... it doesn't need to be preserved in amber or anything,' he said. 'It's going to change, but just as long as there's life on campus, I think that'd be a great thing that the alumni could be proud of.'
The Guardian
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The moment I knew: when he said I love you, it took me days to build up the nerve to respond
Lachlan says he first noticed me when I was working as an usher at the Eternity Playhouse theatre in Sydney before Covid, but I first remember meeting him in December 2021 when we started rehearsals for A Chorus Line together. I was instantly attracted to this handsome, talented guy. When I found out he loved the ocean, surfing and skateboarding – like me – I knew he was a triple threat twice over. These aren't the kind of interests you encounter too often working in musical theatre, so we bonded quickly. I made the first move and asked for his number. Not long after rehearsals started we were all plunged back into Covid lockdowns. My tentative Instagram chat check-ins with Lachlan soon turned into two-hour video calls every other day. By the time we were back at rehearsals, we had gotten to know each other well, but it had all been very friendly. Then Lachlan injured himself on opening night and had to pull out of the show, but we stayed in touch. The season ended and I got a role on Home and Away. We caught up for an epic paddleboard session at Cronulla beach and he bought me lunch to say congratulations on the new gig. I had no idea what all this meant. I had a huge crush on him, but he was so polite and chill I really couldn't gauge his feelings. A few weeks later I was as giddy as a schoolgirl when he called me out of the blue. It was usually me who initiated our chats. He asked me out to dinner, but I still couldn't work out what was going on. On the Thursday he called to firm up plans. He'd booked a restaurant and offered to come and pick me up. This was all new to me. I felt so spoiled. On the night I wore a denim jumpsuit; I was sweating with anticipation, just so unhinged, wondering: 'What is going on with me? This is crazy.' For the first two hours I was on the ceiling – I could not calm down. I was hella nervous yet still not convinced I was on a date. In hindsight obviously it was a bloody date, but I just hadn't experienced such a thing, so I didn't want to get my hopes up. When Lachlan paid for my meal I returned to a heightened state of excitement and confusion and had to ask him if we could just go to the beach so I could try and chill out. We headed to Maroubra, and as we took our shoes off and headed towards the water, our hands slid together. My first thought was: 'OK, we're on. This is definitely a date; you don't hold hands with your mates.' Sitting on the sand and gazing out into the ocean, I decided it was time to shoot my shot. 'I really want to kiss you,' I blurted out. Despite being emotionally bowled over by this entire rollercoaster, as Lachlan turned my chin towards him, I was instantly calmer. A few weeks later we were on the phone yet again. I was recounting some story from my day when he said: 'Oh my god, I love you!' I had no idea how to take it, so I ignored it. It took me days to build up the nerve to respond. After rehearsing saying 'I love you too' all the way to work, I finally called and delivered it to him. I have no recollection of his response because I basically hung up on him after that. Job done. It was the moment of no return. I knew I was a goner. The next few years were a mixture of long distance and long hours while Lachlan toured with Hamilton and I stayed at Home and Away. It was hard work, but a dream come true for both of us. We hung in there as a couple. At the end of last year we bought a place together in Sydney and have come full circle, working together again – this time on Guys & Dolls. We spend much less time on the phone. Angelina Thomson and Lachlan Dearing perform in Opera Australia's Guys & Dolls on Sydney Harbour until 20 April. Do you have a romantic realisation you'd like to share? From quiet domestic scenes to dramatic revelations, Guardian Australia wants to hear about the moment you knew you were in love. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
Telegraph
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
From Lofty to Mary the Punk, the forgotten EastEnders tell their stories
When the BBC decided to launch a 'bi-weekly drama' set in the fictional borough of Walford in London's East End, it was impossible to imagine the TV fixture it was to become. Created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland, and with a cast of just 26, the show launched on February 19 1985. Its gritty setting and edgy storylines captured the viewing public's imagination and within months it was attracting more than 20 million viewers. Those golden days may be over, but as the series turns 40, four original cast members share their memories of the birth of the soap. Linda Davidson Linda, now 60, played punk single mum Mary Smith until 1988. She moved into the tech world, heading up BBC Online, launching E4 and becoming Global Production Director of Discovery Networks, among other things. She now runs Outside Thinkers ( an organisation which creates fertile work environments for the care-experienced. I was a dancer in a working men's club in Liverpool, and then I decided to come down to London and be an actor. My best friend Julie was coming too, but when we got to Lime Street, I got on the train – and she didn't. I was just leaving drama school, and I saw a tiny advert in The Stage, looking for actresses that lived in London but didn't have a London accent. I applied, and at that point it was called East Eight. I didn't have a telephone, and they arranged to call me at the phone box at the end of my road to tell me whether I'd got the job or not. Tony had seen a young woman who was a tiny, vulnerable little thing pushing a pram. She had all this punk makeup on, which was her camouflage. That was Mary, an antidote to the excesses of the Eighties. When they made me up for the press pictures, Julia came down with a flannel and wiped all makeup off because she said I looked too pretty. She wanted her to look frightening and frightened. From then on, I had massive input into Mary. I was 20 years old; I thought it was an incredible gift. Above all, I loved working with June Brown. We remained very, very close friends until she died. I miss her so much. Because I was brought up in care – in and out from the age of six to 13, she taught me things like using the right knife and fork in a restaurant. She had a profound effect on me. When the show took off, it was mental. We launched in February and by June we were the most famous people in Britain. You couldn't go anywhere. I went to the premiere of A Chorus Line, starring Michael Douglas, and I was mobbed. He was going, 'Who is she?' There was tabloid scrutiny. The guy that came to fit my carpet turned out to be a tabloid journalist. If I get recognised now, it's rather sweet, but back then it felt very intrusive. And then, there was the matter of who was selling stories to the newspapers which spread distrust among the cast. I was accused, though it turned out to be Leslie Grantham. I had a massive sense of injustice around it. Everyone always described the cast as a family, and because I'd been abandoned by my own family, it was a massive rejection. I left partly because of that, and partly because I didn't like being famous. There are great aspects – I was able to buy my flat and made some incredible friendships, but I got offered this Steven Berkoff play and theatre was something that I'd wanted to do. I did regret leaving at times. There was a point in my early 30s when I was really broke. I had a roof over my head, but I didn't have any money. But if I hadn't left, I wouldn't have done all these incredible things. Shreela Ghosh Shreela played shopkeeper Naima Jeffery from the first episode until leaving in 1987. Initially a traditional Bangladeshi wife, Naima ended up liberating herself and leaving her cheating husband Saeed. Now 62, she runs the Charles Wallace India Trust which gives grants to young Indian students and academics working in the arts and humanities. I was in India visiting my mum, and my agent rang and told me Julia Smith wanted to see me. I thought it was just another BBC serial, I was in no rush. But to my huge surprise when I met Julia she said they'd written this part with me in mind. I know she had a reputation as a dragon, but she was very kind to me. I became pregnant quite early on, which had not been planned, and I was able to bring my month-old baby to the studios and was given a very nice dressing room where my baby and I lived happily for months on end. We started shooting in autumn 1984 and until it became a ratings success, we were quite happy out in Elstree. No one had any idea it was going to be huge. And then it became a 'thing'. There were the usual things like fan mail and personal appearances, but none of that was particularly important to me. If you're a single, working mum, you have other priorities. I wouldn't say I had a great deal of input into Naima – there wasn't much consultation. I was quite critical of the way she chopped and changed. I didn't feel the writers had a grasp on what an Asian woman's life was like, but I was never shy about speaking up. I never felt that I was representing Asian womanhood, just as a character like Pauline Fowler wasn't all East End women. But I would get letters from young Asian women wanting to become actors. It was like, if she can do it, why can't I? The cast were like either a dysfunctional family or a happy repertory company. I got along very well with everyone, Wendy Richard, Tom Watt, Paul J Medford and Anita Dobson were all great. I didn't have a great relationship with Andrew Johnson [who played Saeed Jeffery], to be completely honest. I've no idea where he is now. I chose to leave. I was young, I had dreams – I was foolish! I should have stayed a bit longer. Now I look back and think, 'God, how silly were you?' But I enjoyed doing theatre. So after leaving, I did panto, which I loved and would never have done were it not for EastEnders. Then I went to the Bristol Old Vic and played [female wrestler] Totterdown Tanzi and broke my arm. The show had to be pulled and that was it. I just decided that I didn't want to do any more acting. But it's really exciting having been part of something that has become a staple of British culture. Who wouldn't want that? Tom Watt Tom, 68, played barman Lofty Holloway for three years until leaving in 1988. He's now a journalist and broadcaster and has published 10 books. I was running a touring theatre company in Manchester, and I was getting lots of TV extra work for Granada and Yorkshire, but I wasn't making any money. I moved back to London and got cast in a kids TV show pilot with Brian Cant. A guy at my agency, Rio Fanning, mentioned that the BBC were doing this new thing, so I went along. The kids show didn't happen, but EastEnders did. I had to lie about my age and the character was nothing like me, but the writing was of a very high standard, and I thought it was something I could really work with. And it was gainful employment. Obviously, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. There were people who I hit it off with, pretty much straight away: Leslie Grantham ('Dirty' Den Watts), Bill Treacher (Arthur Fowler), Anita Dobson (Angie Watts), Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts). Working with Sue Tully came a bit later. I think the world of her. She's a straight down-the-line human being and a really good actor. Then the show took off. Almost overnight, people were coming up to me every day – it was constant. You couldn't go to the shops. You get kidded into a sense of your own importance, but you soon realise that it's Lofty they want and not you, and you stop being up your own a---e. In economic terms, you'd earn more for personal appearances in an evening than for a week on EastEnders! There were a lot of opportunities. I even did an electropop cover of Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues [released as a single in 1986], which is not exactly what soap opera people do as a rule. Lofty was an amazing character to play, even if I didn't always feel it at the time. To play a comic character whom they allowed to become a fully rounded dramatic one was brilliant. When I got to the end of the first year of my three-year contract, I felt he was played out and I should move on. But Julia Smith said they had the next five years sketched out for Lofty and if I committed to my contract, they'd compress those five years into two, and that's exactly what happened. Those two years were brilliant, it was all the Lofty and Michelle stuff [when the kind-hearted barman offered the isolated teenage mother a shoulder to cry on – they later married], but I had that deadline in my mind. Any time I had off I would go and do theatre, and I was doing some presenting. I never regretted it, because I did some really exciting things, and I have a lot to be grateful for. I've been back to EastEnders a couple of times for funerals. I believe I'm a 'professional mourner'. I would love to go back and have another proper go. Otherwise, I'll just wait for another character to fall off the perch. Paul J Medford Paul J Medford, 58, played teenager Kelvin Carpenter until 1987 then spent decades in West End musicals. He now lives in Los Angeles and is VP of Unscripted, Current Series, at TV channel Nickelodeon. I was 16, just left school and had a job with [1980s pop band] Kid Creole and the Coconuts, doing a little movie. I had also got into The Duke Ellington School of Art in Washington DC. While I was waiting for my visa, I auditioned for a show called East Eight. My agent said it was like an episodic Play for Today. I thought I'd earn a bit of money before I went but it turned out to be more of a commitment than I thought. I called the school, and they said, do it. I remember the press call and the name of the show still wasn't revealed, and seeing Wendy Richard, and thinking, 'Wow! That's Wendy Richard from Are You Being Served?'. But it was just another job to me. No one realised it was going to be such a big thing. Life didn't change that much. I'd been in showbiz since I was five, so I had already got used to my anonymity being taken away. But it was a tremendous amount of work. I remember going at 10 in the morning and still being there at 10 at night most days. But I can't say that it wasn't fun. We would go to Stringfellows or some nightclub uptown. I went out a lot with Tish [Dean] and Sue [Tully]. As far as storylines went, the writers were all of a certain age and they tried their best to write Kelvin as a young teenager who didn't have a chip on his shoulder. I spent quite a lot of time in the East End socially, so I would go back and say this costume isn't what they're wearing in Bethnal Green. The East End was much cooler than the writers knew it to be. The band story was a lot of fun [Medford and Dean had a Top 20 hit with Something Outa Nothing as part of a storyline which saw Kelvin, Sharon, Ian Beale and others form a group called The Banned]. But the highlight of any day was hanging out with June Brown. Sitting with her having a cigarette telling a story – she was a joy. When the time came to leave, I wanted time off to go and do West End shows but it wasn't possible, so I had to make a choice. I went to Julia, and she said we'll write you out straight away. I broke contract but she was very gracious about it. No one ever gave me a job like on the strength of EastEnders. Everybody had to audition whether they had a profile or not, but I had no regrets. Did I know I'd end up here? Sort of. When I was leaving school, my friend Beverley and I wrote cards to each other saying, 'See you in Hollywood!'. Now we're both here. I look back at EastEnders as being intense but fun. I was at the beginning of something groundbreaking, and that's always wonderful.
