We Will Rock You, the longest running rock musical, is in its 8th running year at the Dominion Theatre.
Writer Ben Elton teamed up with the members of the legendary band Queen to create the story of a futuristic world where rock music has been banned, and Globalisation has taken over. Only the Bohemians, the rebels in this society, are against the Company Computers generating music and deciding hits years in advance. They turn to a man named Galileo to try and save them from this “Ga Ga” world.
We Will Rock You has an outstanding score, featuring many of Queen’s greatest hits including, Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen and Radio Ga Ga.
We Will Rock You Performance Times:
Monday – Friday: 7.30pm
Saturday: 2.30pm & 7.30pm
(Additional matinee on the last Wednesday of every month at 2.30pm, and during school holidays.)
Fans dressed as Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit, topiary animals, and a red carpet dyed green set the scene for the Royal Premiere of Tim Burton’s 3D film Alice in Wonderland. The world premiere was held last night, Thursday, February 25, at the Leicester SquareOdeon Theatre in the West End of London.
Braving the rain, the film’s stars came out in good spirits. Anne Hathaway, who plays the White Queen, exclaimed to devoted – and drenched- fans, “I love London, I love the rain!” The film’s other star, Johnny Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter, was the highlight of the night for the teenage girls who flocked to the premiere to catch a glimpse of the heartthrob. He did not disappoint, as he signed autographs and posed for pictures for nearly an hour ignoring the rain. Depp has also stared in Director Burton’s other unconventional films including Sweeny Todd in 2007 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005.
British Designer, Vivienne Westwood, was a behind the scenes star of the evening – as Anne Hathaway, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, and Helena Bonham Carter adorned her designs for the event.
Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a twist on the classic children’s book by Lewis Carroll.The film takes place ten years after Alice’s original adventures in the children’s book. Burton explains, “We didn’t try to follow the stories. The versions I’ve always seen are a little girl who seems like a brat, wandering around with a bunch of weirdoes. With each of those characters, they’re all mad, but we tried to give them their own particular madness…So the idea was to take that material, set it in a different story making her a little bit older and exploring the idea of someone’s internal life.”
The film will be release in the UK on Wednesday, March 5.
The Forbidden London Magazine, a guide to London, launches in June 2010
The guide to London, due to be published in June 2010, will be distributed by leading airlines, hotels and businesses in Central London providing readers with the opportunity to discover new places to visit and things to do or see when in the capital.
The magazine is the inspiration of Forbidden London CEO James WJ Wilson who realised that London was missing a specialist free guide to help high net worth individuals enjoy the most from their time out in London.
“London is one of the top destinations in the world for visitors but there are currently no free printed guides that really highlight the high-end activities, products and services our clients seek.”
“By producing the Forbidden London Magazine we are looking at helping tourists and residents get the most out of the best London has to offer whether they have a passion for fashion, nightlife or more cultural pursuits.”
The magazine, to be published twice annually, will feature sections focused on Dining, Health & Beauty, Nightlife, Shopping, Sightseeing and Places to Stay.
Businesses in the Covent Garden, Mayfair, Soho and St James’s currently have the opportunity to apply for a listing in the forthcoming magazine by contacting Forbidden London.
Vivienne Westwood's Active Resistance to Propaganda
Directed by Andrew Steggall of The Motion Group, the production brings together a cast of actors and celebrities fresh from box office smash hits, to enact Vivienne’s call for a more cultured society, delivered by 25 characters from literature, art and history including Pinocchio, Aristotle and Alice from Wonderland.
Prior to the performance you are invited to view a special exhibition of unforgettable art inspired by the manifesto, curated by highly acclaimed underground artist Sanja Sakic. Immediately after the performance there will be a short Q&A session with Vivienne Westwood, followed by a champagne reception and an exquisite three course dinner accompanied by live music.
Climate change futurologist James Lovelock, author of The Vanishing Face of Gaia, will also be attending to share his thoughts on what the future holds for the human race – a concern very close to Vivienne’s heart. Guests will have the opportunity to show their support for positive change by learning more about the Prince’s Rainforest Project and the COP 15 conference on climate change.
The evening will conclude with a star-studded VIP afterparty at the HEYJOCLUB in Mayfair, where Vivienne, the star of the night, will be joining us.
A once in a lifetime evening not to be missed.
VENUE: The Bloomsbury Ballroom, Bloomsbury Square, London,
WC1B 4DA
DRESS CODE: BLACK TIE / SPIFFY CASUAL
TICKET PRICE: £250 + VAT PER PERSON; TABLES £2,050 + VAT (10 PEOPLE)INCLUDES ART EXHIBITION, PERFORMANCE, CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION, THREE COURSE DINNER AND FINE WINESPRIVATE TABLES AVAILABLE FOR PARTIES OF EIGHT OR MORE
Active Resistance Art Exhibition Tickets – £10 + VAT PER PERSON
Active Resistance Art Exhibition and Performance Tickets – £60 + VAT PER PERSON
Active Resistance VIP After-party Tickets – £30 + VAT PER PERSON
Actor and former model Anna Friel nearly forgot her lines when a spectator threw up over fellow members of the audience during a performance of Breakfast At Tiffany’s at a London theatre recently.
The sickly audience member vomited from the upper balcony of the London West End based Haymarket Theatre all over six people sitting below as Friel was halfway through a song.
But she proved to be a true professional and carried on with the job of entertaining as those involved in the incident were ushered out of the auditorium to be cleaned up. A search for the culprit then ensued. The embarrassed theatre goer was found and even managed to recover in time to return for the second half of the performance.
Friel has received rave reviews in the London papers for her performance in the adaptation of the Truman Capote novella, which runs until January 2010.
She strips for one scene as Holly Golightly – the role made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film of the book – a move which prompted a ban on the audience taking photos of her in the nude.
Former Baywatch celebrity Pamela Anderson was spotted with a mystery “rock star” last Tuesday night at VIPMayfair bar Whiskey Mist, just off Hertford Street.
The “rock star” in question was called “Alan”, the latest star of the Doritos Guitar Hero TV advertisement, who also took her on a shopping spree around the capital. Anderson was helping Alan, who is seen in the adverts aspiring to be a rock star, to achieve that status by being the sexy blonde rock chick on his arm as part of the promotion.
Earlier that day, she also visited the New Wimbledon Theatre where she will make her pantomime debut this Christmas as the genie in Aladdin.
But a source at the club, which is frequented by Premiership footballers and Prince Harry, said the 42-year-old actress didn’t even have a drink.
But at least she has a A-lad-in her life, even if it is “Alan”…
Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall will return to a London West End Theatre next year, alongside Spooks star Matthew Macfadyen.
The on-screen couple will play volatile former lovers, despite an 18-year age gap, in a new production of Noel Coward’s comedy, Private Lives.
The characters meet again five years after divorcing when both are honeymooning with new spouses in France and the spark is rekindled. Cattrall, 53, best known as Samantha in Sex and the City, is no stranger to divorce herself, having been married three times.
The play, directed by Richard Eyre, runs from Tuesday, 24th February 2010 at the Vaudeville Theatre, just off the Strand in Central London.
London Puppetry Festival 2009 is the first festival of puppetry to take place across London for over 25 years; unlike most puppet shows, all the work programmed is for adults.
Over 10 days a range of performances, masterclasses and symposia will take place at seven venues across the capital including a number of theatres. The Central School of Speech and Drama, Jacksons Lane, the Little Angel Theatre, Puppet Theatre Barge and others are to be used for the festival.
Organisers plan to explode the myths that currently surround puppetry in England, proving that puppets aren’t just for kids. It will showcase a diverse range of contemporary work from UK and international practitioners, bringing puppetry to new adult audiences – proving it’s not all about slapstick Punch and Judy shows.
The festival starts on Friday 30th October and continues until Sunday 8th November.
Forbidden London Clubs, in partnership with The Motion Group theatre company, are staging an all new theatrical production of Vivienne Westwood’s much publicised manifesto for cultural change, Active Resistance to Propaganda, at one of London’s most versatile venues to hire, Bloomsbury Ballroom, this December.
Andrew Steggall, a close friend of Vivienne Westwood, was approached to be part of the project by young political activist and entrepreneur James WJ Wilson – of Forbidden London – who saw the Director as a natural choice to help bring the production to the stage for the first time.
Andrew met Vivienne in 2003 as he explains: “She saw a production of ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ that I directed at the Old Vic. She’s a great believer in the power of theatre and I, a great believer in the power of Vivienne Westwood, was keen to get to know her.”
He continued: “She was already working on the Manifesto then I think and so I have been aware of its development over some time. Over the last couple of years I have been to a number of readings of it and was conscious of its potential to be at least semi-staged.”
Vivienne Westwood's Active Resistance to Propoganda Manifesto
Vivienne Westwood – an active and passionate environmental campaigner for The Prince’s Rainforest Project and the closest thing you will come to a living legend – is best known for her influential work in fashion. Considered by many to be the first lady of punk following the opening, with then partner Malcolm McLaren, of a boutique on Chelsea’s Kings Road (originally named Let It Rock and later Sex, Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die and Seditionaries) now known as World’s End.
The Dame also won the accolade of British Fashion Designer of the year in 1990, 1991 and 2006.
Active Resistance to Propaganda will be performed at London’s Bloomsbury Ballroom on Friday, 4th December.
Former boy band heart throb Stephen Gately has made the journey back to his home city of Dublin for the final time. Boyzone band members accompanied the body, all four boys bearing new tattoos reading ‘76 09′ in memory of Stephen’s life.
Ronan Keating spoke out for the first time since his friends death in an emotional statement.
He said, “Last Saturday our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother Stephen. He lived to perform and truly loved to be centre stage. You can be sure he’s looking down on us now wishing we’d move over so he could flash his smile to the cameras one last time.”
“What the future holds for the four of us now is too hard to think about but we know nothing will be the same without our dearest friend Stephen. Rest in peace, brother.”
It has been confirmed that Gately died of natural causes – a sudden build up of fluid in the lungs – thought to have been caused by a heart attack.
During Gately’s career he appeared in a number of musicals in London including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the West End and at the New London Theatre on Drury Lane and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium on Argyll Street in Soho which is next to one of the top London night clubs, Movida.
