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Acclaimed digital series The Theatre Channel returns with more West End talent

Acclaimed digital series The Theatre Channel returns with more West End talent

by | Apr 22, 2021

Above: Katie Deacon ©EdwardJohnson

Following acclaim for their spectacular musical-packed digital series, Adam Blanshay Productions’ The Theatre Channel is back with a sixth episode, featuring more theatrical legends and musical magic! The new episode, entitled ‘Showstoppers’, will kickstart proceedings with incredible performances from major West End talent including Danny Mac (Sunset Boulevard; Pretty Woman The Musical), Kerry Ellis (Wicked; We Will Rock You), and Layton Williams (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie; RENT). The series will be available to stream in a new partnership with Stream.Theatre from Friday 30th April, with tickets for Episode 6 now on sale.

Further talent involved includes dynamic sister duo Amber Davies (9 to 5; Love Island) and Jade Davies (Les Misérables; The Phantom of the Opera) as Side Show’s conjoined twins, alongside Katie Deacon (Mary Poppins; An American In Paris) showcasing the original A Chorus Line choreography by Michael Bennett. The track for this stunning rendition of Music and the Mirror has been provided by Antonio Banderas’ Malaga-based Theatre company Teatro del Soho, following their acclaimed Spanish-language revival. Academy Award and Tony nominee Antonio Banderas will also be sharing his knowledge of the production in an extra special exclusive interview for The Theatre Channel, featured in the episode.

The cast will be joined by the fantastic, revamped resident ensemble, ‘The New Café Five,’ comprised of Anthony Starr (Guys & Dolls, Sheffield Crucible), Danny Becker (The Prince Of Egypt, Dominion Theatre), Kayleigh Thadani (Disney’s Aladdin, Prince Edward Theatre), M-Jae Cleopatra Isaac (Billy Elliot, Victoria Palace) and Vicki Lee Taylor (A Chorus Line, London Palladium). The Theatre Café manager and performer, Jack Malin, will also be joining the troupe for their showstopping, toe-tapping number.

These incredible musical theatre performers will be led by director Thom Southerland (Titanic; Grey Gardens; Ragtime) and choreographer Ashley Nottingham (Spamalot; Singin’ In The Rain; Disney’s Newsies UK Premiere) with lighting design by Aaron J Dootson. The Theatre Channel are proud to be championing creative opportunities for freelancers and actors during this time.

Combining the thrill of stage and screen for an episodic musical revue of beloved classics, The Theatre Channel is an up close and intimate experience from the comfort of your home. The upcoming episode will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes content, as the original producers of A Chorus Line take a trip down memory lane in memorandum to Tony Award-winning choreographer Bob Avian. Staged and choreographed especially for film, the production is an unmissable event.

Producer Adam Blanshay comments, With the release of Episode 6: Showstoppers, we’re celebrating several milestones. First off, as the pandemic and theatre closures have extended far beyond what anyone initially imagined, we’re overjoyed to welcome our new resident ensemble, ‘The New Café Five,’ giving fresh opportunity to a remarkable new group of performers to finish the series with us. Moreover, based on growth and customer demand, we’re thrilled to now be launching our content on Stream.Theatre, which we hope will expand our viewership far and wide, and draw in countless new theatre fans. Lastly, we pay homage to the loving memory of Bob Avian, and have included a special feature on A Chorus Line – we are grateful to John Breglio, Baayork Lee, and Antonio Banderas for their collaboration.

Previous episodes (1 – 5) of The Theatre Channel will be available to purchase at Stream.Theatre to watch at your leisure. Previous episode titles include ‘Welcome to the Cafe’, ‘Musical Horrors’ and ‘Hopeful Holidays’. The next instalment, Episode 7, will celebrate the works of the unparalleled Rodgers and Hammerstein, with incredible casting to be announced soon.

 

 

 

The Theatre Channel

  • Dates: Episode 6 is available to view from Friday 30th April 2021
  • Access Tickets are £12 + booking fee and can be purchased online at www.thetheatrechannel.stream.
  • Past episodes are available ‘on demand’ for £9.50 + booking fee.

UK SCHEDULE: Friday 30 April – 7:30pm and 9:30pm Saturday 1 May – 2:30pm, 7:30pm and 9:30pm Sunday 2 May – 3pm and 7:30pm Monday 3 May – 7:30pm Tuesday 4 May – 7:30pm Wednesday 5 May – 7:30pm Thursday 6 May – 7:30pm Friday 7 May – 7:30pm and 9:30pm

US SCHEDULE: Friday 30 April – 8pm and 10pm Saturday 1 May – 3pm, 8pm and 10pm Sunday 2 May – 3pm and 7pm Monday 3 May – 8pm Tuesday 4 May – 8pm Wednesday 5 May – 8pm Thursday 6 May – 8pm Friday 7 May – 8pm and 10pm

  • Director Thom Southerland
  • Musical Supervisor Michael England
  • Choreography Ashley Nottingham
  • Lighting Design Aaron J Dootson
  • Production Design James Turner
  • Videography Ben Hewis
  • Sound Design Keegan Curran
  • Amber Davies and Jade Davies ‘Who Will Love Me As I Am’ and ‘I Will Never Leave You’ from Side Show
  • Katie Deacon ‘Music And The Mirror’ from A Chorus Line
  • Kerry Ellis ‘Always Starting Over’ from If/Then
  • Danny Mac ‘Moving Too Fast’ from The Last Five Years
  • Layton Williams ‘Hold Me In Your Heart’ from Kinky Boots
  • Jack Malin & ‘The New Café Five’ ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ from Annie Get Your Gun

Social Media: #TheTheatreChannel, @thetheatrechannel, @AdamBlanshayPro, @stream_theatre

Stephen Tompkinson & Jessica Johnson resume their UK Tour of Educating Rita

Stephen Tompkinson & Jessica Johnson resume their UK Tour of Educating Rita

by | Apr 20, 2021

Above: Jessica Johnson as Rita and Stephen Tompkinson as Frank in Educating Rita. Photo: Nobby Clark

The last interview Sardines did prior to the first lockdown was in Guildford with Stephen Tompkinson and Jessica Johnson.

Olivier and Tony Award-winning producer David Pugh is delighted to announce a new Summer 2021 tour of his critically acclaimed production of Willy Russell’s EDUCATING RITA, starring Stephen Tompkinson and Jessica Johnson as Frank and Rita and directed by Max Roberts.  The tour will open at the MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton on 20 July.

David Pugh said: “Rita is the most extraordinary character – she wanted to change and learn so much and that’s everything we’re all going through at the moment, to adapt to the world as it is now.  What we know is that EDUCATING RITA gives you a great night out at the theatre and that’s the best any of us can hope for.”

EDUCATING RITA tells the story of married hairdresser Rita, who enrols on an Open University course to expand her horizons, and her encounters with university tutor Frank. Frank is a frustrated poet, brilliant academic and dedicated drinker, who is less than enthusiastic about teaching Rita. However, Frank soon finds that his passion for literature is reignited by Rita, whose technical ability for the subject is limited by her lack of education, but whose enthusiasm Frank finds refreshing. The two soon realise how much they have to learn from each other.

Educating Rita was originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and played at the Warehouse Theatre, London in 1980, starring Julie Walters and Mark Kingston. Julie Walters reprised her role in the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning film opposite Michael Caine.

Born in Liverpool in 1947, Willy Russell left school at 15 and became a women’s hairdresser and part-time singer/songwriter before returning to education to retrain as a teacher. Russell’s other writing credits include the Olivier Award-winning musical Blood Brothers, and the hugely successful play Shirley Valentine, which won the Olivier Awards for Best New Comedy and Best New Actress, and a  Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play. The play was adapted for film and nominated for a host of BAFTA and Academy Awards. Willy Russell continues to be one of the most celebrated writers of his generation with works constantly in production throughout the world as well as in the UK.

Stephen Tompkinson’s television credits include ITV’s Torvill & Dean, BBC’s The Split, five series of DCI Banks, four series of Trollied, seven series of Wild at Heart, six series of Drop the Dead Donkey (British Comedy Award Winner for Best TV Comedy Actor) and three series of Ballykissangel, and his films include Phil in Brassed Off. His theatre work includes Spamalot, Rattle of a Simple Man and Arsenic and Old Lace in the West End, Cloaca and A Christmas Carol (Old Vic), Art and Tartuffe (National Tours).

Jessica Johnson’s theatre credits include Call Me Mary Poppins, Goth Weekend, Kings and Queens, Each Piece and Anti-Gravity at the Live Theatre, Newcastle. She previously played Rita in Rebecca Frecknall’s 2017 production of Educating Rita at the Gala Theatre, Durham. Her television credits include Wire In The Blood (ITV), Coronation Street (ITV) and Cuckoo (Channel 4).

Max Roberts is Emeritus Artistic Director of Newcastle’s Live Theatre. Under his direction, the Live Theatre has become one of the country’s most successful theatre companies with an outstanding reputation for developing new work. His Olivier Award-nominated production of Lee Hall’s Cooking With Elvis transferred to the West End’s Whitehall Theatre (now Trafalgar Studios) before touring nationally. He also directed The Pitman Painters, which transferred to the National Theatre and won Best Play at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards before opening on Broadway.

EDUCATING RITA has set and costume designs by Patrick Connellan, lighting design by Drummond Orr and sound design by David Flynn.

EDUCATING RITA is produced by David Pugh and is a Theatre by the Lake production.

2021 TOUR SCHEDULE

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