Interview: Antony Costa

Antony Costa is currently starring as Milton in the new UK tour of Save The Last Dance For Me.

Taking audiences back through the ‘music and magic’ of the early 60s, the tour opened earlier this month and is currently booking to 17th September 2016.

Anthony previously played Mickey in the West End production of Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre and starred in the UK tour of Boogie Nights. He is best known as a member of British boy band Blue who enjoyed chart success with three number one albums and three top ten singles including their debut song ‘All Rise’. 

I recently spoke to Antony about returning to theatre, his favourite songs in Save The Last Dance For Me and why people shouldn’t judge something until they’ve seen it… 

How did your casting in Save The Last Dance For Me come about? 

Well I went to an audition first of all – I went to Bill Kenwright’s office. Tom de Keyser, the musical supervisor, was there and I’ve known him for many years from the Blood Brothers days. We chatted about the role, I sang my song from the show through and they kind of said, “Would you be interested?” and I said, “Yes absolutely!” It was so nice to be going back into the Bill Kenwright team again – they’re a great bunch of people. It’s the music that really attracted me to the show. It’s great nostalgic 60s music that will never die. It will always be in people’s hearts and in their heads!

Jason Denton returns to Save The Last Dance For Me

Jason Denton has returned to the UK tour of Save The Last Dance For Me. He is reprising his performance as Curtis due to the indisposition of Wayne Robinson.

Denton joins Lola Saunders as Jennifer, Antony Costa as Milton and Elizabeth Carter as Marie. 

The cast is completed by Sackie Osakonor, Rachel Nottingham, Kieran Kuypers, Joe McCourt, Andrew Joseph, Michael Kantola, Chris Coxon, Sheridan Lloyd, Josef Pitura-Riley, Alan Howell, Anna Campkin and Kate Hardistry.

Full casting announced for Save the Last Dance for Me UK tour

Further casting has been announced for the UK tour of Save the Last Dance for Me. 

Lola Saunders, a finalist on The X Factor 2014, will make her theatrical debut in the role of Jennifer starring alongside previously announced Antony Costa as Milton, with Wayne Robinson as Curtis and Elizabeth Carter returning to the role of Marie. 

Completing the cast are Sackie Osakonor, Rachel Nottingham, Kieran Kuypers, Joe McCourt, Andrew Joseph, Michael Kantola, Chris Coxon, Sheridan Lloyd, Josef Pitura-Riley, Alan Howell, Anna Campkin and Kate Hardistry.

The show is directed by Bill Kenwright with design by Mark Bailey, sound by Dan Samson, ligting by Tim Oliver, musical supervision by Tom de Keyser and choreography by Bill Deamer. The production will start its UK tour at Theatre Royal Windsor from 6th April.

Antony Costa to star in Save the Last Dance for Me

It has been announced that Antony Costa will play Milton in the latest UK tour of Save the Last Dance for Me.

Costa is best known as 1/4 of British boyband Blue. His theatre credits include The Who's Tommy (Blackpool Opera House), Blood Brothers (West End) and Boogie Nights (UK Tour).

Save the Last Dance for Me opens at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 12th April 2016 before visiting Malvern, Stoke, Glasgow, Sunderland, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Liverpool, Leeds, Cheltenham, Manchester, Tunbridge Wells, Swansea, Oxford and Cardiff.

Gossip: Goodnight Sweetheart for musical adaptation?

BBC News has claimed that the creators of sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart are hoping it will return... as a stage musical, twenty years after the first episode was aired. 

Writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran have said that while there are no plans to bring the show back to the small screen, they are "some way down the line of doing a stage musical". The production would follow in the footsteps of their other musicals 'Dreamboats and Petticoats' and 'Save The Last Dance For Me'. 

Review: Save The Last Dance For Me (UK Tour) at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Save The Last Dance For Me (UK Tour)

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Reviewed on Monday 26th August 2013

Save The Last Dance For Me is a new musical by the same writers, producers, creators and director of Dreamboats and Petticoats. The shows are scarily similar and both use the exact same formula. This wasn't my first time seeing Save The Last Dance For Me, and I have also seen Dreamboats and Petticoats a few times too and personally I think Dreamboats and Petticoats is a better show. However, I saw the Dreamboats and Petticoats tour a few weeks ago and it felt a little dated and extremely tired, whereas Save The Last Dance For Me certainly still feels fresh and is bursting with life.