Jon Robyns & Cassie Compton to star in The Wedding Singer UK tour

A new UK tour of The Wedding Singer will open at the Leicester Curve on 6th February.

The cast includes Jon Robyns as Robbie Hart, Ray Quinn as Glen, Cassie Compton as Julia, Roxanne Pallett as Holly, Ruth Madoc as Grandma Rosie and Samuel Holmes as George with further casting to be announced. 

The Wedding Singer 2017 UK tour will be directed and choreographed by Nick Winston. Set and costumes are by Francis O’Connor, musical supervision is by Sarah Travis whilst musical direction and orchestrations are by George Dyer. Lighting is by Ben Cracknell with sound by Richard Brooker, video by Jack Henry James and casting by Jim Arnold. 

Sneak peek at... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Production images have been released for the West Yorkshire Playhouse run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The musical is currently in previews ahead of press night on 10th December. Check out the pictures below (click image to enlarge).

The cast includes Jon Robyns as Caractacus Potts, Amy Griffiths as Truly Scrumptious, Don Gallagher as Lord Scrumptious/Baron Bomburst, Tamsin Carroll as Baroness Bomburst, Stephen Matthews as The Childcatcher, Andy Hockley as Grandpa Potts, Ewen Cummins as The Toymaker/Mr Coggins, Sam Harrison as Boris and Scott Paige as Goran.

Completing the cast are: Kathryn Barnes, Rosanna Bates, Alex Louize Bird, Abigail Climer, Jade Davies, Matt Gillett, Ewan Gillies, Joanna Goodwin, Christopher D Hunt, Paul Iveson, Nia Jermin, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Mollie Melia-Redgrave, Perry O’Dea, Matt Overfield, Ross Russell, Craig Turner and Robert Wilkes.

Review: Dessa Rose at Trafalgar Studios 2

Dessa Rose 
Trafalgar Studios 2
Reviewed on Thursday 31st July 2014
★★★

Following two young women on their journey to acceptance, Dessa Rose is an intriguingly spiritual piece of theatre. The musical centres around Dessa, a young black slave, and Ruth, a young white mother, who form an unlikely alliance. 

Their unique friendship sees the pair looking out for each other in various situations. Based on Sherley Anne Williams' novel, the story is told as Ruth and Dessa relive their ordeals and pass on their story to their grandchildren. 

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's score is influenced by blues, folk, hymns and gospel music. These styles have been fused with musical theatre to create an incredibly refreshing style. 

This was my first time seeing a musical inside the tiny studio space at Trafalgar Studios and I was intrigued to see where the band would be positioned. Musicians are dotted around the space, with one even tucked away in the corner of the entrance. Whilst this looks a little odd, the sound is mesmerising - it is rare to hear instruments being played all around you.

Review: The Great British Musicals at the St James Theatre

The Great British Musicals

St James Theatre

Reviewed on Saturday 5th July 2014 (evening)

Last week The Great British Musicals was staged at the St James Theatre for three performances only. Celebrating the very best of British musicals over the decades, the evening was hosted by Nicholas Parsons - and what Nicholas Parsons doesn’t know about the history of British musical theatre isn't worth knowing!

Interview: Dan Looney & Jon Robyns

On Sunday 13th July, The Confession Room is being staged at the St James Studio for one night only. 

Described as an “outrageously funny new British musical”, Dan Looney (pictured right) and Patrick Wilde’s show is about a group of people who come together to spill their most embarrassing secrets and stories. 

I recently met with Dan and the show’s leading man, Jon Robyns, to discuss the creation of The Confession Room, what people can expect from the show and the state of new writing in British musical theatre.

Dan, who is also an actor and singer, has appeared in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's production of Guys & Dolls (Cadogan Hall), Darling Of The Day (Union Theatre), Get That Beat (Tristan Bates Theatre) and The Concrete Jungle (Arts Ed). SimG records worked with Dan on the concept album of The Confession Room last year which was released to huge acclaim. As a composer and lyricist, Dan is currently busy working on various projects.

Jon (pictured left) created the roles of Princeton and Rod in the original West End production of Avenue Q. His theatre credits also include: The Last Five Years (Greenwich), Dickens Abridged (Arts), Sir Galahad in Spamalot (Harold Pinter/Playhouse/UK Tour), Hollis Bessemer in Road Show (Menier), Enjolras in Les Miserables (25th Anniversary UK Tour), Marius in Les Miserables (Queen's), Mark in Rent (English Theatre Frankfurt) and understudy Chris in Miss Saigon (UK Tour). Later this year Jon will alternate Huey in the West End premiere of Memphis.

Dan, following the success of the concept album, how are you feeling about The Confession Room's staging at the St James Studio?

Dan Looney: Excited! It’s a strange one because it’s been a long time coming. We’ve done a couple of test performances in front of audiences before and it’s gone down really well, so to get it in front of another audience at a really nice venue with the cast we want is really cool. A lot of the songs come through on the album but sometimes they don’t work without an audience out of context. It will be good to get them out there properly. 

Louise Dearman & Jon Robyns join The Great British Musicals concert at the St James Theatre

Louise Dearman and Jon Robyns have joined the cast of The Great British Musicals - In Concert at the St. James Theatre. The show celebrates the very best of British musicals over the decades.

Louise Dearman, who recently starred in Water Babies at the Leicester Curve Theatre, is the first and only actress in the world to have played both Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked. Her theatre credits also include: Eva Peron in Evita (national tour), Grizabella in Cats (Cyprus), Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (national tour), Lucy Harris in Jekyll and Hyde (national tour), The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (national tour) and Jan in Grease (national tour/Victoria Palace).

Jon Robyns stars in concert staging of new musical The Confession Room

The Confession Room will be staged as a one-off concert at the St. James Studio on Sunday 13th July. 

West End star Jon Robyns (pictured right) will lead the cast. Paul Foster directs with musical direction by Tim Evans. Described as an "outrageously funny original British musical," Dan Looney and Patrick Wilde's musical is about a group of people who come together to spill their most embarrassing secrets and stories. 

These confessions range from a guy who admits to having a 'slightly different' ex-girlfriend, to a girl who is tired of being treated like a 'ditsy blonde'. Adding to the plot a mysterious newcomer and a counsellor who has numerous issues of her own, The Confession Room is full of delight, tragedy and surprises. 

Review: The Last Five Years at the Greenwich Theatre

The Last Five Years

Greenwich Theatre

Reviewed on Saturday 17th May 2014

I was majorly excited after discovering The Last Five Years was returning to London, it’s a musical I've heard so much about. Following its premiere in Chicago in 2001, The Last Five Years was staged off-Broadway in 2002 and has since been performed all over the world.

Review: Dickens Abridged at the Arts Theatre

Dickens Abridged

Arts Theatre

Reviewed on Monday 2nd December 2013

Dickens Abridged is the most exciting show I have seen for a very long time, it is incredibly refreshing to see such a creative production in the West End. Adam Long's piece thinks outside the box in every way possible.