Details announced for first 2014 West End Frame Award

We can exclusively reveal that the first 2014 West End Frame Award category will be 'Funniest West End Show'. Sometimes audiences go to the theatre to be moved, sometimes they go for escapism, but our brand new award is about celebrating shows which provide theatregoers with a fun night out.

Voting for Funniest West End Show will open on Monday 3rd March and close on Thursday 13th March, with the result being announced on Friday 14th March 2014. The nominees will be announced this weekend.

Interview: Robert Lindsay & Rufus Hound

Robert Lindsay and Rufus Hound are currently starring in one of this year’s most highly anticipated musicals, the UK premiere of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The production is currently playing to regional audiences prior to its West End opening in April.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which also stars Samantha Bond, John Marquez and Katherine Kingsley, is the inaugural production for Jerry Mitchell Productions. The show is based on the legendary 1988 film which famously starred Michael Caine and Steve Martin. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2005 but has since been reconceived and reimagined for British audiences.

Robert and Rufus play conmen Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson who compete for the riches and heart of the young impressionable heiress Christine Colgate. The roles were originally played by Michael Caine and Steve Martin who starred in the 1988 film directed by Frank Oz.

Feature: West End stars choose desert island musical theatre songs

Regular readers will know that over the past few months, when interviewing musical theatre stars we've asked them which three musical theatre songs they would take with them to a desert island. So, as part of our second birthday celebrations we have decided to combine all of their answers... enjoy!

Interview: Amy Booth-Steel

Amy Booth-Steel is currently preparing to star as Joyce Chilvers in the UK Tour of Betty Blue Eyes.

Betty Blue Eyes opens on Friday 14th March at the Mercury Theatre before embarking on a 5 month tour across England in a new co-production between Mercury Theatre Colchester, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Salisbury Playhouse and West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Amy, who finished twelfth in BBC Talent show I’d Do Anything, was involved in the original workshop stages of Tori Amos’ debut musical, The Light Princess and went on to play Piper in the show’s recent run at the National Theatre. 

Amy’s theatre credits also include Dolly in One Man Two Guvnors (UK Tour), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Watermill), She Stoops To Conquer (National), Ex (Soho), RSC 50th Birthday Celebrations, Swallows and Amazons (Bristol Old Vic), Sister Act (London Palladium) and The Sound Of Music (London Palladium).

Recently I spoke to Amy during a break from rehearsals about the all-new production of Betty Blue Eyes, starring in The Light Princess and how I’d Do Anything led to her association with the National Theatre…

How much did you know about Betty Blue Eyes prior to your involvement in this new touring production?

I had seen the show in the West End and thought it was absolutely amazing and was sad when it didn’t continue. I thought it was brilliant when I found out it had a new life! The score and the story are so lovely, it’s so nice that it is carrying on!

Big Interview: Kenny Doughty, currently starring in The Full Monty

Kenny Doughty is currently leading the cast of the West End transfer of The Full Monty which opens at the Noel Coward Theatre tonight (25th February 2014).

The Full Monty has been adapted by Oscar-winning writer Simon Beaufoy from his own screenplay about a group of unemployed steel workers who form a troupe of male strippers. The play also stars Craig Gazey (Lumper), Simon Rouse (Gerald), Kieran O’Brien (Guy), Roger Morlidge (Dave) and Sidney Cole (Horse).

Kenny’s theatre credits include: Small Change (Sherman, Cardiff), Troilus & Cressida (Old Vic), Accomplices (National Theatre at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield) and Present Laughter (Royal Exchange).

Just a few of his extensive television credits include: Stella, Paradox, New Tricks, Spooks Code 9, Empress’ New Clothes, Shameless, Goldplated and Blue Murder. Kenny’s film credits include: Snowpiercer, I Against I, The Strange Case of Wilheim Reich, Asylum Blackout, City Rats, The Crew, Irreversi and he won Best Actor Award at Palm Beach International Film Festival for Aryan Couple.

I recently went backstage at the Noel Coward theatre to speak to Kenny in his dressing room about why it’s the perfect time to bring The Full Monty to the West End, the huge response the play receives from audiences and how he felt when his mother-in-law brought a coach load of women from Manchester to see the show…

The Full Monty was a huge success last year. What was it like having a break and then returning to the show? Did it feel strange at first?

It was only strange because I had missed it! We made a few tweaks during the interim and we’ve just had a lovely month back on the road so it was nice to reacquaint ourselves with what we had done before and then come into the West End. This time round I feel like we’ve really got the play back, there were certain moments towards the end of last year’s tour when the theatres got so big that we forgot the story. We had done it so often so it’s been great to re-focus, re-rehearse it and really come back to what the play is about.

Big Interview: Leanne Jones

Next month Leanne Jones will reprise her performance in Molly Wobbly’s Tit Factory which receives a concert staging at the Phoenix Artist Club between Saturday 8th and Wednesday 19th March 2014.

Leanne previously starred in the world premiere of Paul Boyd's musical at the Lyric Theatre Belfast and subsequent season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012. It was originally planned for Boyd's musical to receive its London première at the Hackney Empire last September. However, the run was cancelled last minute when an investor pulled out.

Leanne won Best Actress in a Musical at the Olivier Awards in 2008 for her portrayal of Tracy Turnblad in the West End premiere of Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre. 

Her theatre credits also include: Saucy Jack and The Space Vixens (Leicester Square Theatre), The Sunny Side Of The Street (Jermyn Street Theatre), Bedroom Farce (New Wolsey Theatre), You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Tabard Theatre) and Tick Tick Boom (Union Theatre). She was recently seen auditioning for will.i.am, Kylie Minogue, Sir Tom Jones and Ricky Wilson on BBC1 talent show The Voice.

I recently spoke to Leanne about her return to Molly Wobbly, what people can expect from the show and why she thinks it has the potential to become a cult classic as well as the incredible response she received after performing on The Voice, why auditioning for the talent show was an interesting experience, Hairspray and the highs and lows of her career…

What made you want to return to Molly Wobbly?

Timing, and wanting to support the project massively. I was doing Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens last summer and it was really weird because they were flyering outside our show and then a day or two later it all went tits up – pardon the pun - and I felt really sad for them, especially my friends in the cast and Paul – it was devastating for them. So when I heard it was coming back and they were doing this concert version I was like “if I can make it work I’ll be there”.

Interview: Cheryl Baker

Cheryl Baker is currently starring as Mrs Cunningham in the UK Tour of new musical Happy Days. Directed and choreographed by Olivier Award nominee Andrew Wright, Happy Days was heavily featured on last year’s Channel 4 ‘The Sound of Musicals’ documentary as producer Amy Anzel put her life on the line to get the show up and running.

As a member of the pop group Bucks Fizz, Cheryl Baker won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 and has subsequently had more than 20 hit records including three number ones. She made her theatrical debut in Footloose’s UK Tour which transferred into the West End. Chery recently took part in Celebrity Masterchef and finished as the runner-up on Pop Star To Opera Star in 2011. 

I recently spoke to Cheryl backstage in her dressing room as she prepared for a performance of Happy Days about why she immediately agreed to star in the musical, why she finds touring life tough, how she deals with nerves and what it’s like to receive such incredible support from fans…

Have you enjoyed creating the role of Mrs Cunningham for the new musical adaptation of Happy Days?

Well the funny thing is although we’ve created this new show, we’ve also had to emulate – well copy – the actual series which was on in the 70s and 80s! The show has been written by Garry Marshall who also wrote the series and it was very important to our producer, Amy [Anzel], that the characters were as close to the TV series as possible, so we’ve all had to do our research and watched Happy Days on repeat on our iPads, or whatever, to see how our characters speak and what their mannerisms are. Back in the 70s we loved everything about the show in the UK, there was nothing like it! We loved The Fonz with his leather jacket and motorbike, the American style of clothes that they wore – our costumes in the show are just fantastic.

West End Frame’s Second Birthday: How we’re celebrating

Hello and welcome to West End Frame’s second birthday celebrations! 

We have lots of exciting things to publish today, including:

• Robert Lindsay reveals who persuaded him to star in Me and My Girl
• Rufus Hound discusses his career move into theatre
• Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker talks stage fright and all things Happy Days
• The Olivier Award winning Leanne Jones discusses her recent appearance on The Voice
• Kenny Doughty reveals all about starring in The Full Monty
• West End & Broadway stars – including Oliver Thornton, Eden Espinosa, Louise Dearman and Killian Donnelly – reveal which three musical theatre songs they would take with them to a desert island
• PLUS we announce details of the first 2014 West End Frame Award!