Review: An Evening With Ramin Karimloo at Islington Assembly Hall

An Evening With Ramin Karimloo 
Islington Assembly Hall
Reviewed on Wednesday 20th January 2016
★★★★

Over the past couple of years Ramin Karimloo has been busy kicking up a storm on Broadway; it had been far too long since his talents graced a London stage, but this week all has been rectified. Having played Union Chapel on Tuesday, last night Karimloo performed a second sold out concert at Islington Assembly Hall.

Ramin Karimloo announces second London concert

Ramin Karimloo has announced a second London concert after his first show sold out.

Karimloo will play Assembly Hall in Islington on Wednesday 20th January 2016 at 7pm with special guest Hadley Fraser. Click here for tickets.

The first sold out concert takes place on 19th January 2016 at London's Union Chapel where Karimloo will be joined by Ashleigh Gray. 

Karimloo is currently in Japan starring in The Prince of Broadway. He recently received tremendous acclaim for starring as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway, a role he has also played in the West End and in Toronto. 

Publicity images released for Kenneth Branagh's Harlequinade & All On Her Own

The first publicity images featuring the company of Harlequinade and All On Her Own have been released (see below). The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s never-before-seen Rattigan double bill will play in repertory alongside The Winter’s Tale from 17th October 2015 as part of the Plays at the Garrick season.

In the rarely seen comic gem Harlequinade, a classical theatre company attempts to produce The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet, while the intrigues and dalliances of the company members are accidently revealed with increasingly chaotic and hysterical consequences. Kenneth Branagh will play Harlequinade’s actor-manager Arthur Gosport in addition to co-directing the production with Rob Ashford.

Casting announced for Kenneth Branagh's The Winter's Tale & Harlequinade

Further casting has been announced for The Winter's Tale and Harlequinade which run in rep at the Garrick Theatre, opening the inaugural season of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company.

The cast includes Jessie Buckley as Perdita and Muriel Palmer, Miranda Raison as Hermione and Edna Selby, Tom Bateman as Florizel and Jack Wakefield and Hadley Fraser as Polixenes and First Halberdier, 

UPDATE: Jack Colgrave Hirst will play the Clown and Tom Palmer, Michael Pennington will play Anitgonus, Zoe Rainey will play Emilia, John Shrapnel will play Camillo and George Chudleigh, Kathryn Wilder will play Mopsa and Joyce Langland and Jimmy Yuill will play the Shepherd and Mr Burton.

They join the previously announced Kenneth Branagh as Leontes and Arthur Gosport, with Judi Dench playing Paulina in The Winter’s Tale.

Judi Dench, Mark Gatiss, Catherine Tate, Nina Sosanya, Hadley Fraser & Rosalie Craig + more cast in Donmar's The Vote

The Vote, a play for theatre and television by James Graham, will run at the Donmar Warehouse between 24th April and 6th May ahead of a live broadcast on 7th May on More4.

Catherine Tate, Mark Gatiss and Nina Sosanya

Following their collaboration on Privacy, writer James Graham and Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Josie Rourke will reunite for The Vote, a drama and unique television event set in a fictional polling station, during the final ninety minutes of voting on election day. 

An ensemble cast of actors will represent the team of polling station volunteers, polling officers, and the diverse array of characters that are the voting public.

Initial casting includes: Fisayo Akinade, Jade Anouka, Madalena Alberto, Nicholas Burns, Paul Chahidi, Jackie Clune, Pandora Colin, Rosalie Craig, Heather Craney, Judi Dench, Rachel Denning, Hadley Fraser, Mark Gatiss, Llewella Gideon, Alice Hewkin, Kadiff Kirwan, Aïcha Kossoko, Wanda Opalinska, Bill Paterson, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Nina Sosanya, Catherine Tate, Yusra Warsama, Timothy West and Finty Williams.

Full casting announced for City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse

Full casting for City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse has been announced. 

Joining the previously announced Samantha Barks, Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser are Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street), Tam Mutu (West End Frame Award winner for Les Mis, pictured right), Peter Polycarpou (Chichester's Guys and Dolls/The Pajama Game) and Rebecca Trehearn (Ghost/Dogfight).

They are joined by Nick Cavaliere, Cameron Cuffe, Marc Elliott, Adam Fogerty, Kadiff Kirwan, Sandra Marvin, Mark Penfold, Jennifer Saayeng, Jo Servi and Tim Walton.

City Of Angels opens on Tuesday 16th December 2014 (previews from 5th December) and runs until Saturday 7th February 2015.

Hadley Fraser & Caroline Sheen star in world premiere of Before After

It has been announced that Hadley Fraser and Caroline Sheen will star in the world premiere of Stuart Matthew Price and Timothy Knapman’s new romantic musical Before After at the St. James Studio.

Backed by the Arts Council, Before After will be workshopped for two weeks then will be performed to the paying public on Sunday 28th September at 3.00pm at St. James Studio. Industry insiders will be invited to see the show on Friday 26th September at 2.30pm.

Samantha Barks joins Hadley Fraser & Rosalie Craig in City Of Angels

It has been announced that Samantha Barks has joined the previously announced Hadley Fraser and Rosalie Craig in City Of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse.

The Donmar's Artistic Director, Josie Rourke, will direct Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart’s musical.

Following a successful sell-out run in Coriolanus, Fraser returns to the Donmar to play Stine. He stars opposite Craig (his fiancée). The Light Princess actress is making her Donmar debut as Gabby/Bobbi alongside Les Miserables' Barks as Mallory/Avril

The musical comedy is set in Broadway in the 1940s with two plots: a Hollywood comedy and a detective drama involving the world of a writer trying to turn his book into a screenplay and the world of the fictional film. It is a homage to the film noir genre of motion pictures in the 1940s.

GOSSIP: Hadley Fraser & Rosalie Craig to star in City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse?

According to the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye, Hadley Fraser and Rosalie Craig will star in City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse in October. Josie Rourke directs, marking her first musical at the renowned theatrical venue. Fraser and Craig recently announced their engagement.

Previews begin Saturday 4th October 2014.

Cy Coleman (music), David Zippel (lyrics) and Larry Gelbart's (book) musical premiered on Broadway in 1989 and later received a West End run in 1993. It won both the Tony and Olivier Award for Best Musical.

Gossip: From Here To Eternity to close next April, Chichester's The Pajama Game transferring to the Shaftesbury?

The Daily Mail has claimed that the West End production of Tim Rice's new musical, From Here To Eternity, will end its run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in April 2014, six months after it officially opened in the West End. The paper also suggests that the Chichester Festival Theatre production of The Pajama Game will transfer to the Shaftesbury from May 2014.

Darius Campbell and Rebecca Thornhill in From Here to Eternity

Tim Rice's first musical in a decade opened at the West End's Shaftesbury Theatre last month starring Darius Campbell, Siubhan Harrison, Robert Lonsdale, Ryan Sampson and Rebecca Thornhill. Adapted from James Jones's 1951 novel, the musical is described as a "gripping tale of illicit love and army life". From Here To Eternity unites the writing talents of Tim Rice (lyrics), Stuart Brayson (music) and Bill Oakes (book).

Theatre Gossip: Hadley Fraser and Joanna Riding to star in The Pajama Game?

According to The Daily Mail, The Pajama Game will open at Chichester Festival's Minerva Theatre in early 2013. In May 1954, the musical The Pajama Game opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 1,063 performances. It opened in the West End the following year and played Broadway most recently in a 2006 revival starring Kelli O'Hara and Harry Connick Jr.

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