Big Interview: Nadim Naaman & Celinde Schoenmaker

Nadim Naaman and Celinde Schoenmaker are currently starring as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny and Christine Daaé in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Whilst appearing in Phantom, Nadim is working on his second solo album Sides which follows his 2013 debut album We All Want The Same. Sides features nine self-penned songs by Nadim as well as nine musical theatre tracks, including the title song from Phantom featuring Celinde.

Having understudied Raoul between 2010 and 2012, last year Nadim returned to The Phantom of the Opera to play the role full-time. His theatre credits include: Anthony in Sweeney Todd (Harrington Pie & Mash Shop), Rolf in The Sound Of Music (Palladium), Jamie in The Last Five Years (Pleasance), Charles Clarke in Titanic (Southwark Playhouse/Toronto), Anatoly in Chess (Union), understudy Alan/Alfie in One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Armand in Marguerite (Tabard), Andrei in Thirteen Days & Sam in Goodbye Barcelona (both Arcola) and James in James and The Giant Peach (Watermill).

Born in the Netherlands, Celinde made her West End debut as Fantine in Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre) and went on to play Jenny in Love Story in Holland. Before joining The Phantom of the Opera, Celinde reprised her performance in Les Misérables for a second run. She was cast as Molly in the Dutch production of Ghost , but sadly the show was later postponed.

Through the wonders of FaceTime, I recently spoke to Nadim and Celinde live in the recording studio. We discussed what people can expect from Nadim’s new album and why people might be surprised by their version of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. We also spoke about life behind the scenes in Phantom, their daily routines and whether we can expect any solo shows/albums from Celinde in the near future…

Nadim, this is album number two! Following the success of We All Want The Same, what did you set out to do with Sides?

Nadim: So We All Want The Same was as much of an experiment as anything else – it was the first time I had the balls to do something with songs I’d written. All the songs were written very independently from one another over a ten year period, whereas all of the original songs on this album have been written over the last eighteen months. The main difference is that this one is a combination of originals and covers. I wanted to reflect both sides of my musical personality because I’m a musical theatre performer, but I’m also very passionate about songwriting and creating new things. That’s how we came up with the concept of an album called Sides – there are nine new songs and nine musical theatre covers.

Review: Kings Of Broadway at the Palace Theatre

Kings Of Broadway 
Palace Theatre
Reviewed on Sunday 29th November 2015
★★★★★

On Sunday evening musical director Alex Parker and director Alastair Knights (aka the dream team) returned to the Palace Theatre with their latest concert Kings Of Broadway. The show celebrated music by three Broadway Gods: Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim and Jule Styne.

The Phantom of the Opera announces new West End cast

The West End production of The Phantom of the Opera will welcome a new cast at Her Majesty’s Theatre from Monday 7th September 2015, 

John Owen-Jones is returning as The Phantom for a limited run from Monday 7th September 2015 until Saturday 30th January 2016, having most recently played the part in the show's UK tour. He has played the role more times than any other actor in the West End production’s history.

Owen-Jones has also played the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables in the West End, on the 25th anniversary tour and on Broadway. He was the first British actor to play the role in the West End and on Broadway. He most recently appeared as Pirelli in the English National Opera production of Sweeney Todd. 

Review: Hundred Story City at the Delfont Room

Hundred Story City

Delfont Room

Reviewed on Friday 5th September 2014

★★★★

Hundred Story City in the sumptuous Delfont Room at the Prince Of Wales theatre provided a great showcase for its wickedly talented cast. Dubbed 'A Concert of Stories Set in New York City', the show opened with 'Rewrite This Story' from Hit List, one of the shows within the show featured on TV series 'Smash'. Alice Fearn and Rob Houchen (pictured above) provided the powerhouse vocals for this number and set the tone for the rest of the night: great songs, great harmonies and a great blend of voices. These two provided the winning combination of the evening.

Les Misérables announces major cast changes for January 2013

There will be major cast changes in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre. From Monday 14th January – Saturday 15th June 2013 Celinde Schoenmaker will play ‘Fantine’, and from Monday 28th January – Saturday 15th June 2013 Vicky Entwistle (pictured right) will play ‘Madame Thénardier’, Jamie Ward will play ‘Marius’ and Christopher Jacobsen will play ‘Enjolras’. Gerónimo Rauch will continue to star as ‘Jean Valjean’, Tam Mutu as ‘Javert’, Danielle Hope as ‘Eponine’, Samantha Dorsey as ‘Cosette’ and Cameron Blakely as ‘Monsieur Thenardier’.

Celinde Schoenmaker will be making her West End debut in the role of ‘Fantine’, having recently graduated from Fontys Conservatoire Tilburg in The Netherlands. 

Vicky Entwistle is best know for playing the role of ‘Janice Battersby’ in ITV’s long-running soap opera “Coronation Street”, a role she played for 13 years. Vicky’s recent stage credits include ‘Mrs Baldry’ in the 2012 tour of “Funny Peculiar” and ‘Woman 3’ in the UK tour of “The Vagina Monologues”, as well as starring as the ‘Wicked Queen’ in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” at the Blackpool Grand Theatre.