Mamma Mia extends booking to April 2015 & celebrates 15th birthday

The West End production of Mamma Mia has extended its booking period at the Novello Theatre until Saturday 25th April 2015. The musical celebrates its 15th birthday in London on Sunday (6th April).

Kim Ismay, Dianne Pilkington & Jane Milligan

As we previously revealed, Abba's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who have rarely performed together since Abba disbanded in 1982, will join the cast of Mamma Mia in a musical finale at this year's Olivier Awards. This historic performance will be televised as part of the highlights show, being broadcast on ITV at 22:15 on Sunday 13th April.

Editor's Blog: A West End Theatre Holiday (Part 2)

Click here to read Part 1 of this piece.

On Thursday afternoon I arrived at the Harold Pinter Theatre to see my first play of the year, Jez Butterworth’s Mojo starring Brendan Coyle, Rupert Grint, Tom Rhys Harries, Daniel Mays, Colin Morgan and Ben Whishaw. The reviews and word of mouth have built up the production to be absolutely mind blowingly brilliant, but personally I do not think it is. Mojo is incredibly interesting but takes too long to become gritty and gripping. 

The second act of Mojo is considerably stronger than the first and Ben Whishaw gives the most insanely exceptional performance. This was my first time seeing Ben perform live and you can't help but be drawn to him each time he steps on stage, regardless of what else is going on. Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, who is making his West End debut, gives a good performance. I could easily spot the Harry Potter fans, especially during the bows - I have never heard such a roar in a theatre after an afternoon performance, especially after such a heavy play! It is, of course, fantastic that the talented cast are attracting different audiences to the West End (most of whom had seen the production four or five times already).

Review: Mamma Mia at the Novello Theatre

Mamma Mia

Novello Theatre

Reviewed Friday 10th January 2014

Mamma Mia is quite simply one of the most underrated shows in the West End. Jukebox musicals are sometimes pushed aside, but as Mamma Mia prepares to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary it remains smooth, slick and hugely uplifting.

Interview: Dianne Pilkington

On Monday 10th June 2013 Dianne Pilkington is joining the West End cast of Mamma Mia to play Donna as part of the largest cast change in the production's history.

Dianne's recent West End credits include Master Class at the Vaudeville Theatre, The 39 Steps at the Criterion Theatre and she is well known for starring as Glinda in the West End production of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre for three years. She also recently appeared in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of Les Miserables.

Mamma Mia is Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the storytelling magic of Abba’s timeless songs with an enchanting tale of family and friendship unfolding on a Greek island paradise. To date, it has been seen by more than 54 million people in 38 productions in 14 different languages grossing more than $2 billion at the box office. 

Last week I spoke to Dianne about how she is feeling about joining the show, her time in Wicked and what it was like working alongside Hollywood royalty while filming the Les Miserables movie...

What was it that first attracted you to the role of Donna?

I saw the show for the first time a few years ago and I remember just sitting there knowing that I wanted to play the part. She’s a very strong woman and there are a lot of stories relating to friendship which run through the show which is something which appeals to me – and obviously something which is similar to Wicked. It’s also funny because it’s like I’ve grown up (laughs)! It’s now time for me to be playing mothers rather than daughters!

Review: The In-Between Concept Album

 

The In-Between Concept Album
Music, Lyrics & Book by Laura Tisdall

http://www.theinbetweenmusical.com/

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I sat down to listen to The In-Between Concept Album for the first time. Obviously I was excited by who was involved - stars from musicals including Wicked, Les Misérables and We Will Rock You. However the true star of The In-Between is its composer, Laura Tisdall. Her music is enchanting.

The first song on the concept album, 'She's My Sister' is one of my favourites. It introduces us to clashing sisters Alice and Flick who consider their love-hate relationship during the song. It is sung by Dianne Pilkington & Cassandra Compton who don't just sing the song - they act every single word. This enables you to picture exactly what is going on the whole time, as if you are watching it being performed. Their voices compliment each other perfectly and trust me, after listening to this song once you will never be able to get it out of your head! It is extremely catchy.

'Never Expect' is the second song on the concept album, during the song Flick extols the virtues of being average. This song shows how incredible Sabrina Aloueche's voice is. She sings with such power and emotion. This song demonstrates how inspiration has come from other musicals although it also brings something new to the table. The In-Between has a distinct sound which is consistent throughout the concept album. While each song is different you could hear the song somewhere and straight away identify the song as being from The In-Between. This shows how clever Laura Tisdall's writing really is.

'Out Of Your World' is another extremely catchy song, sung by Daniel Boys. This song introduces us to Calicus. The song is about him offering Flick the chance to travel another word. Daniel's voice really draws you into the world of the In-Between, making you forget about about the real world for 2 minutes and 26 seconds. It is one of those songs that you realise you are humming around the house and think 'hang on - what is this song'. The In-Between would be one of those musicals that you leave singing all the songs on the train because after just one listen you remember them.

'When I Was Nineteen' is sung by Julie Atherton. The sons is about Alice, Flick's sister, looking back on her family's troubled past. You don't just listen to this song - you live it. When I listen to this song it touches something inside of me, enabling me to feel each and every emotion of the song. It is refreshing to hear such a simple song being so powerful. This song is extremely moving and it was not until the silence after the song finished that I realised how much it had touched me. When I Was Nineteen is simply stunning.

One of the most popular songs on the album is 'Beyond The Door'. Hadley Fraser was the perfect choice for this song! The song has so much depth. It is about Calicus, who is unable to forget Flick, wondering what life is like outside of the In-Between and how finds himself tempted to look through one of the exit doors into the worlds. You can take the song metaphorically enabling the song to mean something different to each and every person who listens to it. The song builds tremendously and like 'When I Was Nineteen' has a long lasting effect once the song is over. As Hadley Fraser sings  with such intensity, while listening to him I freeze and can do nothing but concentrate on what he is singing. This is something not all singers can accomplish. 

I love 'Someone You'd Be Proud Of' because anyone can relate to it. Everyone can think of a moment in their life which is similar to the situation Flick finds herself in. This song is the one I connected to the most. I also think Lauren Samuels' voice is breath taking. She starts off singing so soft and beautifully before slowly building up and belting out the most heart wrenching notes, once again showing us how versatile she is. If this show was to be performed on stage I would love to see Lauren portraying role of Flick. 

The final song on the concept album, 'Not Alone' really does leave you wanting to know how the story ends. While Laura Tisdall is keeping what happens to conclude the story a closely guarded secret this song definitely leaves you wanting more. Alexia Khadime & Liam Tamne's voices together create magic.

The In-Between concept album opens your eyes to the next generation of theatre. It comforting getting to know new characters, new music and a brand new composer. As The In-Between has proven to be incredibly popular among theatre fans on social networks and at West End Live I am confident it won't be to long before we can buy tickets to see the show in the West End...

The concept album is available to buy from www.dresscircle.co.uk or can be bought on iTunes
The music can be heard online at www.theinbetweenmusical.com
Like The In-Between on Facebook www.facebook.com/theinbetweemusical
Follow The In-Between on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/TIB_Musical

Daniel Boys, Dianne Pilkington and Lauren Samuels to attend 'The In-Between' album signing at Dress Circle

A CD version of the concept album for new musical The In-Between is being released by Dress Circle on Saturday 23 June 2012.The album will be launched with an in-store signing at Dress Circle to be attended by three of West End Stars who feature on the album -  Daniel Boys,  Dianne Pilkington and Lauren Samuels. The singing will run from 11am to 12 noon.

Initially released solely online in mid February, the album has since received over 35,000 views on YouTube, despite having no commercial backing.The recording’s line-up is completed by other leading performers Sabrina Aloueche, Julie Atherton, Cassandra Compton, Hadley Fraser, Alexia Khadime and Liam Tamne.

A quirky tale of love, friendship and letting go, The In-Between is a fantasy musical telling the story of nineteen-year-old misfit, Flick Wimple, a perpetual underachiever who stumbles through the wrong doorway and finds herself trapped in between parallel worlds.Desperately searching for a way home, Flick must overcome new challenges as she finds help in unexpected places and is forced to confront her troubled past…

The In-Between has music, lyrics and book by Laura Tisdall, whose previous credits include Bill Kenwright’s UK tour of The Haunting and Kerry Ellis and Brian May’s Anthems: The Concert.

Daniel Boys was a finalist on the BBC programme Any Dream Will Do and was in the West End Cast Of Avenue Q. Diana Pilkington has had an amazing career in the West End. Her more recent credits include Master Class, The 39 Steps & Wicked. Lauren Samuels was a finalist in the BBC programme Over The Rainbow, coming third. She has since led the casts of We Will Rock You and Grease in the West End and recently came second place in our 'Best Performance Of A Song In A Musical' poll for her performance of Somebody To Love in We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre. Sabrina Aloueche was also meant to be present at the signing but can no longer attend due to commitments with David King's Bohemian Rhapsody which will be touring the UK this spring.

I have been listening to the music from the album and have to say I cannot get the song's out of my head!. I can't wait to write my review of the album next Month. I thoroughly you recommend you have a listen. All the details you need are as follows:

The concept album is available to pre-order from www.dresscircle.co.uk
The music can be heard online at www.theinbetweenmusical.com
Like The In-Between on Facebook www.facebook.com/theinbetweemusical
Follow The In-Between on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/TIB_Musical
All artists appear subject to professional engagements.
Update: The In-Between will also be performing at West End Live on Saturday 23 June and Sunday 24 June. Click here to find out more