London Theatre Blog

With so much content beaming freely across the web, consumers have never had such unfettered access to entertainment. Dilating bandwiths have meant data transfers have shrunk to infinitesimal speeds and, as entire fleets of pirate P2P websites and media data streamers career off all over the place, the notion of actually paying for entertainment is quickly becoming rather odious.

With a West End theatre seat costing you easily in excess of 20GBP, the economic future of live drama is looking decidedly well, shaky. Pair this with the increasing dependence that West End shows have on celebrity and many have forecasted murky waters ahead.

Matt Wolf from the Guardian describes the recent Hollywood invasion of the West End as the “visiting celebrity cavalcade” come to rescue the dwindling audiences dribbling through the gate. A few years ago, Sheriden Morley described in the New York Times how the influx of celebrity had “turned London audiences, once the best and most perceptive in the world, into mindless stargazers.”

Pretty stern stuff isn’t it? But then, that might not be the whole story. After all, can we really declare that traditional theatre has lost its bite?

It certainly hadn’t just over ten years ago, when Sarah Kane’s Blasted premiered at the Royal Court. The fury that splashed over the front pages of nearly every national newspaper the next morning was burnt into the mind of anyone that dared to assume that theatre had lost its power to shock. The violence in the play is no worse than is found in the tamest of Tarantino flicks so why the outrage?

Quite simply, in the cinema, on television or on DVD, the action happens elsewhere, in a shifting world behind a screen. In the theatre, the action is right in front of you; you can hear it, feel it and, if you were really so inclined, you could reach out and touch it. You can watch actors enact the most brutal or intimate scenes on hi-res plasma screens anywhere, but only in the theatre can they watch you right back.

What’s more, It might not just be the available ‘experience’ that saddles defiantly in theatre’s corner. Theatre, it seems, has quietly started embedding itself within popular culture. Although slightly fewer than its predecessors, Ofcom insists that the BBC’s hunt to cast a new West End version of Oliver!, “I’d Do Anything”, steadily attracts over 5 million viewers. Match this with the recent crop of copycat shows like “Hairspray: The School Musical”, which is currently preparing to air on SkyOne, and it may look like there’s fight in the old girl yet.

To many, theatre may not seem like the most viable economic prospect; who would want to pay for entertainment when they can get huge budget content streamed to their home for next to nothing? But then that may be the whole point, where as ‘content’ can be zipped, transfered and then unzipped at any computer the world over, theatre cannot.

Theatre will be affected by technological advances, of course it will, and it may need to change in order to progress, but it cannot be trampled over by the digital stampede because it is a totally different entertainment animal. Streamers may supersede television schedules and force licence fee funded institutions into remission, but it cannot replace what it cannot do to begin with. Theatre is temporal, magical, immediate, personal and not, under any circumstances, available to download.

Movie reviews, Upcoming Movies, In theatres, etc.

When the theatre first opened on Oct. 15, 1930, the super-cinema was called the New Victoria Cinema and played a George Arils film in Old English, which was based on a John Galsworthy stage play. The Apollo Victoria was equipped with a theatre organ, which was played opening night by Reginald Foort. Aside from the films shown, the theatre also offered variety shows to the public. Soon after the theatre’s opening, the management diminished the number of variety shows and began to specialize in film showings and the occasional performance by big bands. In June 1939, the cinema became one of three sites in London used to present The Epsom Derby in live, experimental transmissions.

The theatre closed temporarily, due to World War II, from September 1940 to May 1941, but did not suffer any serious damage and reopened quickly thereafter. In the 1950’s, plans were made to demolish the theatre, but these plans fell through the venue was used for a combination of live shows, films, and ballet.
Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre
In November 1975, the cinema played its final show, a double showing of “Legend of the Werewolf,” starring Peter Cushing, and “Vampire Circus,” starring Adrienne Corri. The theatre was closed after this showing, and underwent extensive renovations. It reopened in 1981, renamed the Apollo Victoria Theatre, and specialized in presenting concerts, the first of which was performed by Shirley Bassey. Other musical acts shown during the early 1980’s include Bucks Fizz, Dean Martin and Liza Minelli. During this time, the theatre also began staging musical theatre performances.

Theatrical performances in the last two-and-a-half decades or so include “The Sound of Music,” which ran from Aug. 17, 1981, to Sept. 18, 1982; “Camelot,” running from November 1982 to February 1983; “Fiddler on the Roof,” which ran from June to October 1983; 1984’s “Starlight Express,” a show which required the theatre to undergo interior modification to allow roller-skating performers to skate through the audience, running for an extremely successful 18 years; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Bombay Dreams” in 2002; “Saturday Night Fever,” shown in 2004, “Movin’ Out,” a musical based on the songs of Billy Joel, in 2006; and Stephen Schwartz’s “Wicked,” which is playing currently and which began its run Sept. 27, 2006. “Wicked,” has proven to be exceptionally successful for the theatre, as it pulled in £761,000, a record-breaking amount, during the first eight performances of the show and has, to date, grossed more than £50 million in London.

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If you fancy visiting the Apollo Victoria Theatre or buying London Theatre Tickets visit the website.

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The first major stage of making a successful application to drama school is finding the performing arts training programme which is best suited to you at this time. Focus on your current performance skills and your career aspirations. For example, if you can sing and act but not dance and you want to be a ‘triple-threat’ musical theatre performer, don’t apply for a course which has a crucial dance component. Instead, I would recommend finding a one-year foundation level course which will help you to develop your dance skills or focussing on your singing and acting skills and finding a courses which just focuses on these disciplines.

Once you have done your homework into the courses which suit your skills, requirements and career aspirations, you can think about submitting your application forms. In my experience, the people who apply for ten or even more courses in the same year are less successful overall than those who focus on three or four applications. So I recommend narrowing your choices down to the courses which you think are most suited to you at this time and then focussing on submitting excellent application forms for these institutions.

Your application form should be completely truthful about the skills and experience you have in the performing arts – any enhancement of the truth will be spotted as soon as you start to perform at audition. Your opportunity to impressive the admissions team reading your application form is in your personal statement. Spend time getting this right – it’s really important! Make sure you demonstrate your reliability, commitment to the arts and strong work ethic which are important traits of all performing arts students. In addition, you should highlight special performances and projects you have done and, importantly, indicate why this has made you a stronger performer. Unique performance skills are also worth mentioning even when applying for the more traditional drama schools.

When you get your audition date, begin preparing right away. Don’t leave it to last minute and make your decisions about your monologues and singing repertoire quickly so you can get to work on them. Seek advice on your monologue and song choices to make sure you are not only presenting the most suitable material for you but also for the drama school you are applying to.

For more advice and guidance to help you make a successful application to drama school, register free at MyStageDoor.co.uk. Register today and get free access to training tips, leading advice for the performing arts, industry news, info on events in your area and the opportunity to meet other like-minded performers.
High School Musical

Author:
Maxwell David is one of London\’s leading performing arts specialists and Co-Founder of MyStageDoor.co.uk, the platform for aspiring performers. Aspiring performers can register free at mystagedoor.co.uk and get unlimited access to training tips, career advice for the performing arts, info on events in their area, industry news and the opportunity to meet other like-minded performers.

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When it comes to booking theatre tickets it is quite the other story, people seldom like to stand in long lines that could go on virtually for an hour and wait their turn at the ticket counter. When they do reach the window they find that the seats they wanted so much have been taken up by someone else already. This can create a lot of frustration.
Theatre Ticket Album
However there is another alternative to buying theatre tickets. You can check out theatre tickets online, you will find that you can save time, the hard work and the frustration. You can pay online through the credit card. You can also check out other time and venue where the theatre program is being performed. This way you can find out the appropriate day when the theatre program will take place and which you can visit.

If you are worried about whether or not you will be able to find out the place you want to sit at, you can check out the charts where they will let you know the rate of each seating arrangement. You will also know the seating arrangement. If there are smaller children going to go with you, the seats should be such which they find comfortable.

Many a times, there are some of the world’s most renowned events taking place at the theatre at such times booking theatre tickets online can prove to be a great boon, this way you will be able to find proper place and book tickets well in advance before the charts close down. such tickets could be a little expensive, therefore, you may need to shell out a little more money than you pay for the local artists and theatre groups.
American Girl Molly Emily Movie Theatre Seats Popcorn Licorice tickets
There are many theatre groups performing world wide, therefore, you would want to know which one is performing near you place and when if you are interested in a particular group. This information can be provided to you by the websites that sell online tickets. Subscribing to their newsletter will help you know all the upcoming theatre performances. You can also check out which one you can attend. You can check out favorite theatre groups and dramas and plan accordingly to enjoy theatre.

If you do not want the newsletter to continue you can cancel it, this process is easy. Theatre tickets can also be given away as gifts to people near to you, if you are aware of the person’s favorites you can choose and pick your gift. Gifting theatre tickets to some premium performances will make your gift a most memorable event for that person.

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Online Ticket Agency selling tickets to events nationwide. Visit http://www.warehousetickets.net

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The first incarnation of the theatre came to light after the Puritan Interregnum, which was an 11-year ban on “frivolous” pastimes, including theatre. It opened May 7, 1663, and was known as the “King’s Playhouse” by many. The original building was a wooden structure made of three tiers, 112 feet long and 59 feet wide. At maximum capacity, it could hold 700 patrons. The performances during this time typically took place around 3 p.m. in order to make use of the daylight. There was no roof over the audience pit, which oftentimes left those attending plays at the mercy of the elements.
Live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
When the first theatre was destroyed by fire in 1672, the second theatre, named the “Theatre Royale in Drury Lane,” opened in 1794. This theatre lasted almost 120 years but was demolished in 1791 to make room for a bigger theatre, which opened in 1794. This theatre only lasted 15 years, as it also burned down in 1809.

The theatre building still existing today opened on Oct. 10, 1812. It seats about 2,237 people which, despite still being considered a large theatre, makes it approximately 550 seats smaller than the previous building.

Since its opening, it has been visited by Shakespearean actors, comedians, musical composer and performers and even the Monty Python comedy troupe, who recorded a concert album there. World War II forced the theatre to temporarily close and during the war, the theatre was used as headquarters for the Entertainments National Service Association. Although the theatre suffered minor bomb damage, it reopened in 1946 with Noel Coward’s “Pacific 1860.”

Since the war, it has produced mainly musical theatre, including several Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals including “Oklahoma!” In 1946, “South Pacific” in 1951 and “The King and I” in 1953. Other productions have included “My Fair Lady,” which had a five-year run beginning in 1958; “42nd Street” from 1984 to 1989; Miss Saigon from 1989 to 1999; and, more recently, “The Producers,” which closed in January 2007; a musical adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings,” which closed July 19, 2008; and “Oliver!” which began directly after the closing of “The Lord of the Rings.” The Drury Lane theatre is currently owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

It is often referred to as one of the world’s most haunted theatres. One of the most famous spirits alleged to haunt the theatre is that of the “Man in Grey,” a man whose skeleton was found in a walled-up room in 1848. Other supposed ghosts within the theatre include the spirits of comedian Joe Grimaldi and actor Charles Macklin.

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If you fancy some tickets for the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane or any other London Theatre Tickets visit the website.

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Since it would have been impossible to use cranes from within the O2 dome structure, the roof of the arena was actually constructed on the ground of the venue and lifted upon completion, allowing the rest of the arena to be built around the already completed roof. The O2 arena, despite having only been open since 2007, has already played host to several music and sporting events.

The arena is comprised of three seating areas, the upper and lower tiers, built in the same manner as an amphitheatre, and the floor. Arena management claims there is a clear view to be had from any seat in the arena. The arena is also located in a low emission zone in London and, as such, was designed to be environmentally friendly. Within the venue, steps are taken to reduce carbon emissions. Some of these steps include recycling used cooking oil from the food vendors and composting waste food.

The first performance in the O2 arena, which took place June 23, 2007, was an event strictly for the O2 staff. The “O2 Premiere” private event consisted of performances by Peter Kay, Tom Jones, Kaiser Chiefs and Basement Jaxx. The venue opened to the public June 24, 2007, with a concert performed by Bon Jovi.
KEANE O2 Arena 21st July 2007 – Custom Framed Original Concert Ad – Framed Music Poster/Print
On Dec. 10, 2007, Led Zepplin played their first show in 25 years at the arena. Five days later, on Dec. 25, the Spice Girls played their first British concert in almost 10 years in their original five-piece group form at the arena.

In April of the next year, the Olympic torch passed the site during its relay in London and the arena hosted WWE tapings for ECW, SmackDown, and Raw; and in August, Tiësto became the first DJ to entirely sell out the venue in advance of the actual show.

The arena has hosted, aside from sporting events including ice skating, wrestling and boxing, several musical acts, including The Eagles, Prince, Smashing Pumpkins, and Justin Timberlake.

Since its opening, the entire O2 structure has been shown at several times in several different movie and television presentations. In the 2005 film “Green Street,” the O2 can be seen during the final fight scene. In 2006’s “The Da Vinci Code,” the O2 is featured prominently in the background during one sequence. In the James Bond film “The World is Not Enough,” the O2 was the structure that aided James Bond in reaching his hot air balloon destination. In season seven of “The Amazing Race,” the O2 was the location of a roadblock for the contestants, during which they had to properly drive a double-decker bus.

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The first few years of the theatre saw the performance of the first modern English opera, “The Mountain Sylph” the same year of its opening. This performance was followed by “Fair Rosamun,” performed in 1837, “Farinelli” in 1839 and “Blanche of Jersey,” shown in 1840.

Michael Balfe managed the theatre from 1841 to 1843, producing National Opera, but this proved to be unsuccessful. The works of Charles Dickens became associated with the theatre at this time, and an adaptation of “Martin Chuzzlewit” ran for more than 100 performances between 1844 and 1845.

Madame Lucia Elizabeth Vestris managed the theatre from 1847 to 1855 and produced shows by James Planché and the adaptation of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Tom Taylor. It was then managed by Charles Fechter from 1863 to 1867.
Canvas Print, Sherlock Holmes: The Lyceum Theatre, London – 12 x 18
In 1871, under manager Hezekiah Linthicum Bateman, the theatre produced shows starring Sir Henry Irving. In 1874, “Hamlet” ran for 200 nights with Irving in the starring role. Upon Bateman’s death in 1878, Irving took over the theatre. During his tenure as manager, several popular shows were played, including “The Merchant of Venice,” “King Lear,” and “Much Ado About Nothing.”
1904 saw the rebuilding of the theatre’s interior and the theatre began presenting music and variety shows, trying to compete with the London Coliseum and the Palace Theatre. This, however, was not successful, and the theatre began, once again, showcasing strictly drama. In 1919, more alterations were made and dramas continued playing for 10 months out of every year.

In 1937, the theatre was converted into a cinema, but only one film, “The Gang Show,” was ever shown, in April of 1937. The following month, the space was converted back into a live theatre venue.

The London City Council bought the building in 1939, planning to demolish it. After the war, the demolition plans were abandoned, and the building was reopened as a ballroom. During the 1960s and 1970s, the space was used as a concert venue and for television broadcasts.

The theatre shut down in 1986. Owner Brent Walker leased the space but eventually gave up the lease, allowing the theatre to be restored and in 1996, the space was reconverted into a theatre with the capabilities to present large-scale musicals or opera. “The Lion King” musical has been playing since 1999.

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The theatre was, for many years, home to the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Carte family ran it for more than a century. D’Oyly Carte’s son, Rupert, modernized and rebuilt the theatre in 1929 and in 1993, following a fire, it was rebuilt again. The original design for the theatre was came from C.J. Phipps.

It closed in 1903 and reopened in February 1904 with John Leigh and Edward Laurillard acting as managers. They remained in the managerial positions until December 1906, when the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company returned to the site for repertory seasons between 1906 and 1909. At this point, C.H. Workman took over the manager position until 1911.

The theatre was managed by George Augustus Richardson from November 1911 to Feburary 1915, at which point D’Oyly Carte’s son, Rupert D’Oyly Carte, took over. Rupert decided to bring the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company back to the theatre at this time and he also hired Malcolm Sargent and Geoffrey Toye as guest conductors and Isidore Godfrey and Harry Norris as musical directors.
Savoy Theatre was closed June 3, 1929, and the interior of the building was rebuilt completely. The original capacity of the theatre was 1,292, but was reduced to 986 by 1912. The new theatre designed allowed for 1,200 people. The theatre was reopened Oct. 21, 1929, and presented a production of “The Gondoliers.”
Historic Print (M): [Savoy Theatre and Hotel Dunlop, Boardwalk and Ocean Ave., Atlantic City, New Jersey] /
Gilbert and Sullivan seasons ran at the Savoy Theatre on and off from 1929 to 2003. The theatre also featured “Blithe Spirit” in 1941, which ran for 1,997 consecutive performances.
Management of the theatre went to Sir Hugh Wotner in 1948. The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company ceased operations in 1982 and the last heir of the D’Oyly Carte family died in 1985, effectively ending the family line.

During renovations in 1990, a fire destroyed the building, sans the stage and backstage area. It reopened July 19, 1993, and the newly rebuilt theatre currently seats 1,158. During the renovations, a swimming pool was added above the stage and another story was added about the theatre.

Since 1993, some shows at the theatre have included “Relative Values,” “Travesties,” the musical “She Loves Me,” “Dead Funny,” and “Coward’s Hay Fever.” In 2000, the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company was shortly reconstituted and produced “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “Pirates of Penzance.” The company followed these with “The Barber Seville” in 2004.

Currently, the theatre (located at The Strand, Westminster, London, WC2R 0ET), is showing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel,” a show which debuted Nov. 29, 2008.

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If you fancy some tickets for The Savoy Theatre or any other London Theatre Tickets visit the website.

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