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Transcript of Ambassador Magazine - Autumn 2009
The Ambassador Theatre Group
Autumn/Winter 2009
AmbassadorTickets.com
S P E C I A L I S S U E
SO MUCH FUN ITSHOULDN’T BE LEGAL
Sheridan SmithDuncan JamesJohn SimmMatt LucasJane AsherJoanna Pageand more...
The Ambassador Theatre Group
best
Leg
ally
Blo
nd
ep
ho
tog
rap
hy
by
Uli
Web
ber
�
Fuchsia Tombow fountain penFor love letters... or lecture notes.
£34.75 from Paperchase
John SimmSo cute... and a detective
as well! Guaranteed I’ll
be first in the queue for
Speaking in Tongues at
the Duke of York’s
Theatre this Autumn.
Box Office:
0844 871 7623
The London Review Bookshop and CaféLondon’s leading independent
bookstore is the perfect destination
for the intellectual girl about town,
with well-selected stock, informed
staff, readings, debates - and a
fabulous café. 14 Bury Place
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Bad gal mascaraIt’s like wearing a
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without the glue...
flutter away!! £14.50
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The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd.
AMBASSADOR GROUP PRODUCTIONS
AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP LONDON THEATRES
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Online booking at AmbassadorTickets.com
Jessamy Hadley EditorPat Westwell, Mark Shenton, Benedict Nightingale, Al Senter, Robin Stringer, Vicky Brown, Barry Grant, Dan Hadley,Mark Bouman, Neena Dhillon, David Bradbury ContributorsShaun Webb Design Design and Art Direction John Good Print
The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd 39 - 41 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H OAR
Legally Blonde Broadway’s hit musical comedy
comes to London - from 5 Dec at
the Savoy Theatre. I can’t wait.
�
�
�
�
OMIGOD You Guys - It’s Elle! 1The ultimate feel-good musical!
The Master At Work 3John Simm centre stage -
just where we want him
Oh Yes It Is! 5Jane Asher, Joanna Page, Claire
Sweeney- seduced by panto
Great Briton 7Little Britain’s Matt Lucas
tackles a tragic tale
The Car’s The Star 9Top gear as Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang goes on tour
What’s On In London 11
Competition 12Win a Legally Blonde-style party!
Basque In Glory 13Fish out your fishnets for the
Rocky Horror Show
Starry Nights 14Fabulous party people
Bags of Style 15The brief - have fun with
stylish accessories
Blonde Highlights 17Personal shopping, pampered
pets, a bit of bling... let Legally
Blonde guide you around the
capital
I shall go to the ball! See AmbassadorTickets.com
for the very best in panto
�
28-year-old Sheridan Smith is
already a West End veteran,
having made her debut there
aged just 16 when she starred
in the National Youth Music
Theatre’s production of Bugsy
Malone. ‘It was lucky that my
agent saw me in that,’ she notes
now, ‘as I don’t think I would
have been able to afford to go
to drama school! I blagged my
way into the business, and I’m
still blagging it!’ she jokes.
Actually, she’s being modest:
by the time she did Bugsy
Malone, she’d already earned her
stage dues, having appeared in
the title role of the musical
Annie no less than three times.
Though she may have missed
out on a formal training,
performing was in her blood
from an early age: ‘It’s all I ever
wanted to do!
I danced
from the
age of four
to 16, and
did
competitions.
I loved it, and I
always wanted
to be onstage.’
She also spent
three summers
with the National
Youth Music
Theatre: ‘I learnt a lot from
them. And what I’ve done ever
since is to take a little bit from
each job I do.’
She’s just filmed a Jonathan
Creek special with Alan Davies
that will be shown next Easter,
and uses it to prove the point:
‘He’s got detective acting down
to a tee - he’s a master at it. I can
see the cogs turning in his head.
So I’ve been watching how he
does it, and I’m always learning.’
A mega hit.’Wall Street Journal
She’s managed to learn from
some of the best, notching up an
impressive array of credits along
the way. She’s appeared on TV
in The Royle Family with Caroline
Aherne, and starred in such
acclaimed series as Two Pints
of Lager and a Packet of Crisps,
Grown Ups, Eyes Down (with
Paul O’Grady), Gavin and Stacey
and Benidorm - a new series of
the latter is now airing. ‘I play
a Scouse slapper in that, and
a Cockney chav in Gavin and
Stacey, so it’s been quite a
year,’ she quips.
And it is now crowned by the
leading role in another major
West End musical. Three years
ago she headlined as Audrey in
OMIGODYouGuys- It’s Elle!Sheridan Smith and Duncan James star in the award-winning Broadway sensation
Interview
A word fromDuncan James:Hi everyone - I’m really excited to be playing
Warner in Legally Blonde - it’s going to be fantastic!
From the minute the curtain comes up, you are
being entertained. There’s singing, dancing (and
dogs!) and I think that everybody is going to leave
the theatre with a huge, huge smile on their face.
Not a lot of Blue - but there’ll definitely be some
pink - see you there!
Savoy Theatre
Legally Blonde The MusicalFrom 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7687Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com
Interview by Mark Shenton
the Menier Chocolate Factory’s
production of Little Shop of
Horrors and admits that she was
daunted by the prospect: ‘When
I first came to London and
realised how amazing everyone
in the West End is, I didn’t think
I would be getting to play
leading ladies like this!’
The role of Elle Woods in
Legally Blonde is one she actively
chased.’ ‘When I heard it was
coming over from Broadway, I
got my agent to ring up and find
out when they were auditioning!
I then got the original cast
recording and listened to it every
day. My recall was in front of
about 15 people, including the
composer and writers, and I was
the most nervous I’ve ever been
in an audition. My legs were
literally shaking! But it went all
right, and they called me later
that day and said I had the part -
and I screamed for the next hour!’
She adds, ‘I loved the film, but
this is even better - it’s more pink
and camp and fabulous as a
musical!’ She’s had to put herself
in serious training for the role -
she’s taken singing lessons and
has hired a personal trainer, too.
‘You have to be fit, and I have
a very healthy appetite and I
love chocolate and crisps, but at
least I’ll be working it off! I hope
I can carry on eating burgers!’
Unlike her character Elle, who
heads to Harvard to study law,
Sheridan says about herself,
‘Elle’s much more intelligent
than me. Everyone sees her as a
dumb blonde but actually she’s
pretty bright.’
‘A non-stop sugarrush of a show.’New York Times
Sheridan identifies with Elle,
whom she calls ‘so adorable, so
positive and so loyal: she loves
her friends and family, and I
hope I’m similar in a way. I love
going home to Epworth, outside
Doncaster - I’m really a country
bumpkin. But Elle is very pink
and girly, whereas I’m a bit more
of a tomboy.’ And Legally Blonde
couldn’t be a better showcase for
her: ‘There’s so much comedy
and pathos and dancing and
singing and live dogs too - plus
I get to kiss Duncan James every
night. It couldn’t get any better!’
UP CLOSEMeet Duncan James at our
after-show Q&A: Sunday 17
and Sunday 24 Jan 2010 only!
Supported by
Interview
3
John Simm is known to the world
as the time-travelling detective
in Life on Mars, one of David
Tennant’s more formidable foes
in Dr Who and other characters
that demonstrate the strength
of British television. But I last
recall seeing him in 2007 at the
Trafalgar Studios as a nerdy loner
and agoraphobic called Elling.
Looking and sounding like a
blend of a white mouse and
the late Kenneth Williams, he
half-padded, half-scuttled out of
the wardrobe in which he’d slept
the night to present a portrait
of prissy disdain so meticulous it
extended to his voice, his uptight
carriage, even a twitching of
the mouth.
Elling marked Simm’s return
to the theatre after an absence
of 11 years and brought him
a deserved Olivier nomination.
And now here he is at the Duke
of York’s in a play that gives him
no less than two chances to
prove again that he’s as much
at home onstage as onscreen.
Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in
Tongues, in which Simm is both
Leon, a detective anguishing
over a sexual lapse that imperils
his marriage, and Nick, an
ordinary bloke wrongly
suspected of murder.
When we met between
rehearsals Simm looked his usual
dapper self but was, he
apologetically said, having bouts
of insomnia that explained why
his head felt like scrambled eggs.
But maybe that wasn’t surprising,
since he thought that a guilt-
ridden Leon would be having
sleepless nights. Usually Simm
can, as he said, ‘go home and
leave the role at the door’, but
The Master At WorkJohn Simm on the highly charged thriller Speaking In Tongues
Interview by
Benedict Nightingale
Photography by
Johan Persson and
Mark Campbell
that’s when he has spent the day
doing short takes in front of the
camera. One of the reasons he’s
returned to the theatre is that,
instead of learning and then
forgetting his lines, he could
explore character in depth,
carry an entire role in his head -
and become the troubled Leon
as fully as he became the
oddball Elling.
But the main reason is the
challenge of a tricky but
fascinating play. Bovell asks his
actors to double their roles,
plays tricks with time, and uses
overlapping dialogue that’s
tough to learn and demands
musical precision to deliver. At
one point, Simm’s onstage Nick
even has to be interviewed by
Simm’s offstage Leon. ‘I was
beginning to find film work too
easy. The muscle I used to keep
lines in my head was getting far
too relaxed. I needed a kick up
the arse and to get back to work,
work, work. I needed to feel
those awful nerves you get on
first nights, when you say, what
on earth am I doing to myself?
But that’s exhilarating and makes
you feel alive.’
That’s a sign of the creative
restlessness that led Simm to
annoy the BBC by turning down
a third series of the hugely
successful Life on Mars and to
tell me now that, at 39, he’s
not ready to retreat to the
comfort zone of playing, say, a
nice detective in Jersey for year
after year. Mark you, he found
playing Elling eight times a
week exhausting, especially
on matinee days. ‘I’d never done
such a long run and there were
times when I felt, I can’t do this
any more. But other actors have
told me that’s normal: you’re
terrified at first, then it’s really
enjoyable for quite a while, then
you feel you’ve hit a brick wall,
then you know it’s the home
run and you enjoy it again.’
For reasons he can’t
understand, though maybe
because he lives what he calls
‘quite a boring life’, preferring
the company of his wife and
young children to celebrity
antics, Simm has a reputation
for disliking interviews. Well, I
have to say he’s one of the least
defensive people I’ve met. He’s
also as unpretentious as he surely
was when, the son of a musician,
he came down from Darwin,
Lancashire, to join students he
found dauntingly sophisticated
and intellectual at London’s
Drama Centre. He willingly
admits he’s self-educated, a big
reader of the classics, and thinks
one of the joys of the job is the
research that comes with it:
devouring Dostoevsky when he
played Raskolnikov in Crime
and Punishment on TV, learning
everything about Van Gogh
when he took that part.
His next project could be a
film adaptation of a major novel,
one whose identity he can’t yet
reveal but potentially as fulfilling
as Edward Sexby, the 17th-
century puritan he played in
The Devil’s Whore. After that,
who knows? Hollywood is well
aware of him, though the
investigative reporter he played
in State of Play on the small
screen ended up going to Russell
Crowe on the big one. But he’d
love to have a go at Hamlet,
‘before it’s too late’, and other
classic roles. And why not? The
living theatre may unsettle him -
‘I’m terrified of this play, I’m
terrified of being back onstage’ -
but it’s where many of us want
him to be.
Duke of York’s Theatre
Speaking in TonguesBy Andrew BovellStarring John Simm, Ian Hart,Lucy Cohu and Kerry FoxBox Office 0844 871 7623Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com 4
‘ I needed to feel those awful nerves you get on first nights, when you say, whaton earth am I doing to myself? But that’s exhilarating and makes you feel alive.’
Top image: Elling
Bottom image: Life on Mars
5
Feature by
Mark Shenton 6
Theatre Royal, Brighton
Peter Pan4 Dec 2009 -3 Jan 2010
Box Office 08448 717 650
New Victoria Theatre, Woking
CinderellaStarring Joanna Page,
Michael Aspel and Jon Lee
Further major star casting tba
4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010
Box Office 0844 871 7645
Milton Keynes Theatre
CinderellaStarring Bobby Davro, Anthea
Turner and Louise Dearman
4 Dec 2009 -17 Jan 2010
Box Office 0844 871 7652
Churchill Theatre, Bromley
Sleeping BeautyStarring Claire Sweeney
4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010
Box Office 0844 871 7620
New Wimbledon Theatre
AladdinStar cast to be announced!
4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010
Box Office 0844 871 7646
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent
Dick WhittingtonStarring Jonathan Wilkes,
Sheila Ferguson and Christian
Patterson
10 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010
Box Office 0844 871 7649
Kings Theatre, Glasgow
AladdinStarring Gerard Kelly, Karen
Dunbar, Keith Jack and
Gavin Mitchell
4 Dec 2009 -17 Jan 2010
Box Office 0844 871 7648
Richmond Theatre
Snow WhiteStarring Jane Asher, Tim Vine
and Sapphire Elia
4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010
Box Office 0844 871 7651
Variety is the spice of life, and
lately it has been staging a TV
comeback thanks to the
popularity of such TV reality
entertainment shows as X Factor,
Britain’s Got Talent and Strictly
Come Dancing. But now that
live variety has virtually fallen
off the end of the pier, the sole
survivor of its interactive, family-
orientated traditions in the
theatre may well be pantomime.
The last few years have seen
its resurgence as a creative force:
far from being seen off by the
competition of digital-era
entertainments, panto has
staged a comeback and is now
more popular than ever. There’s
been huge investment on both
sides of the footlights, and actors
love being in them as much as
audiences love watching them.
It’s the sense of being part of a
long tradition. As Claire Sweeney
- herself a veteran of TV’s Strictly
Come Dancing, as well as
Celebrity Big Brother - puts it,
‘What I love about it is quite
personal. Pantomime was my
first introduction to the theatre
as a child, and it’s such a joy to
see kids in the theatre, believing
in magic and paying attention! If
that’s their first introduction
to the theatre, that’s fantastic!’
Claire is appearing this year
as Carrion, the Wicked Fairy, in
Sleeping Beauty at Bromley’s
Churchill Theatre, and says, ‘I
prefer it to being Principal Boy.
It’s a far juicier role - it’s fun to
be evil. They’ve made me the
most wonderful costume for
the part – it’s a joy to be both
glamorous and evil. I wouldn’t
say I am typecast!’
But it isn’t just about having
fun. It’s also, for the actors,
incredibly hard work. ‘You have
to keep your resilience up,’
OhYes It Is!From Cinderella to Wicked Queen - there’s no business like panto business
Claire points out.
‘Doing two
shows every
day, sometimes
in the middle
of it you can
feel like it’s
a grind. But
you’ve got to
keep it alive
and sparky.’
For Joanna
Page, best known for her
TV role in Gavin and Stacey
and who this year is starring in
the title role of Cinderella at
Woking’s New Victoria Theatre,
appearing in pantomime is a
special treat.
‘I just love it’, she says - ‘I love
Christmas and I love working in
theatre, but normally I don’t get
the chance to sing and dance
and have fun like that. But this
is how I first got into performing,
so it’s good to get to have fun
again. The rest of the year you
don’t get a chance to do that.’
But like Claire, she points
out it is also gruelling: ‘It’s
absolutely exhausting. It can be
very physical and demanding.
But it’s so wonderful to go out
there and feel the buzz in the
audience that you forget how
tired you are! To see all the
children with their little glow
sticks, shouting out to you,
and excited to be there, feels
so special.’
Jane Asher, who this year
will be appearing as The Wicked
Witch in Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs at Richmond
Theatre, is returning to the
panto after a long absence. ‘I did
Cinderella at Bromley when I was
about 17 - I can still remember
the pink glittery wig I wore in
the transformation scene and
that there were lots of white
ponies, with all the ensuing
problems that having live
animals onstage can cause!’
She’s delighted to be
returning, not least because,
as she puts it, ‘I now have four
lovely step-grandchildren, and
they’re excited about the idea
of granny doing a panto!’ But
she’s taking it very seriously:
‘One of the most important
things about doing panto - and
it’s often forgotten - is that it
can’t all be about the actors
having a laugh. Of course it
should be deeply silly and corny
and there have to be lots of
jokes and references to TV, but
if I see actors mucking about,
that makes me upset. You always
have to remember who you are
doing the show for, and young
audiences in particular will
have eagle eyes. They’re a
very perceptive and important
audience, and for many of
them it will also be their first
experience of theatre.’
Playing the Wicked Witch,
‘a woman who was once good
looking but who is not what she
used to be’, is she notes, ‘not a
big stretch! Sadly, you’ve got all
those mirrors that tell you the
truth and you can’t quite face
it!’ But Jane, who juggles her
acting with running a thriving
sideline in cakes, isn’t resting on
her laurels, for her life is all
about facing reality: ‘If someone
had said twenty years ago I’d
be running a cake business, I
wouldn’t have believed it. It’s
very surreal how these things
happen in life - you don’t plan
for anything, you just lurch from
one thing to another, and what
was a hobby became a business.’
But the two worlds may collide
in Richmond: ‘I expect there to
be lots of lovely cake jokes in
the panto!’, she quips.
Interview
Supporting the Theatres for Theatres Appeal
in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital
www.gosh.org
© 2007 Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
Registered charity no 235825
Presented by
and
‘It’s so wonderful to go out there and feel
the buzz in the audience that you forget how tired
you are! To see all thechildren with their little
glow sticks, shouting outto you, and excited to bethere, feels so special.’
From l-r: Jane Asher, Claire
Sweeney & Joanna Page
of Reeves and Mortimer’s
Shooting Stars (BBC2), his superb
comic characterisations in Little
Britain were a revelation. Lucas is
no stranger to live performance,
of course, with his pedigree in
stand-up and the transfer of
Little Britain to the stage.
However, he now has to inhabit
the leading character and
maintain it for several hours
in the theatre.
Lucas argues that previous
treatments of the fifteen year
Orton-Halliwell relationship,
as reflected in John Lahr’s
Orton biography and in the
subsequent Stephen Frears
film version, have failed to
do justice to Halliwell.
‘Previously, in the book and
in the film, Kenneth comes across
as a kind of curmudgeon. He and
Orton were in what we’d now
call a co-dependent relationship.
But a lot of people, including
Orton’s sister Leonie and friends
who knew them at RADA, tell a
slightly different story. Kenneth
was very much a mentor for
Orton and they had a very happy
life together in the early days,
at least. But then Orton started
having a bit of success and
Halliwell got left behind.’
Bob Mortimer, who reportedly
spotted Lucas doing stand-up
in a North London pub and then
helped him on his way up the
show business ladder, famously
described Lucas as the angriest
person he’d ever met. As a gay,
Jewish, overweight, bald young
man, Lucas may have been
entitled to feel a little vexed at
belonging to so many persecuted
minorities. That rage would
appear to have vanished with
the acclaim given to Little
Britain, however, and fury
must be hard to sustain with a
reputed £15 million in the bank.
Although opinions differ
about the impact made by Little
Britain USA, both Lucas and
Walliams appear to be significant
players in Hollywood with
a screenwriting deal with
Dreamworks, among other
commitments. And Lucas will
be seen next year as both
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
in Tim Burton’s all-star realisation
of Alice in Wonderland.
‘My game plan is never to
have a game plan’ says Lucas.
‘I’ve been offered other jobs
but they have mostly been in
the comedy mainstream and I
feel that I’ve rather done that.
I’ve already pressed those
buttons. David and I remain best
friends. We’re writing together
and Little Britain will come back.
Why not? We love doing it.’
Those expecting Lucas to be
a zany funster offstage will be
disappointed. What is striking
about him is his steely
professionalism. For all the flaky
characters he’s played, there is
something of the businessman
about him with a shrewd
understanding of his own worth
and a hard-headed analysis of
showbiz realities.
‘People invest time and money
in me and so I have an obligation
to deliver to those people to the
best of my ability. I’m not
interested in reviews or audience
figures. What does concern me
is giving the best performance
I can.’
Interview
7
Matt Lucas is entombed in his
quarters at a boutique hotel
in Brighton, conscientiously
dispensing answers to journalists.
At the time of writing, Lucas is
on a brief pre-London tour of
Prick Up Your Ears, Simon Bent’s
play about the tragic relationship
between Joe Orton and his lover
Kenneth Halliwell. Lucas plays
Halliwell with Chris New as
Orton and Gwen Taylor as
their neighbour in Daniel
Kramer’s production.
Lucas sounds positive about
what is effectively his first
starring role in the West End.
The play has at last been
presented to an audience who
lapped it up and Lucas’s natural
performing instinct ‘You mean
I’m a show-off?’ has done
the rest.
‘I’m having a great time’ he
says. ‘I’ve never done anything
like this before and so it’s
been very useful to have had
what amounts to five weeks
of previews.’
Lucas had been looking for a
suitable stage project for some
time before Prick Up Your Ears
appeared in the frame.
‘David (Walliams) was in
Pinter’s No Man’s Land in the
West End last year and I found
that very inspiring. I’d also seen
Daniel Kramer’s fantastic
production of Bent a couple of
years ago with Chris New and I
decided that I’d like to work
with them one day. I knew that
I’d learn a lot from both Daniel
and Chris and I felt that it would
make me raise my game.’
To those who only knew Lucas
in his lurid Babygro astride a set
of drums in the madcap world
Great BritonThere is more to Matt Lucas than meets the eye
Interview by
Al Senter
Photography by
Catherine Ashmore
Comedy Theatre
Prick Up Your EarsStarring Matt Lucas, Chris New and Gwen TaylorBox Office 0844 8717622Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com 8
‘ Doing this play has been quite a challenge for me’ he says. ‘There’s nowhere for me to hide and I shalleither sink or swim. I could have gone for a muchsafer choice, I suppose, a silly farce or something. But what would have been the point of that? ’
Image courtesy of BBC/PETT
Productions
9
When Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
opened at the London Palladium
in 2002, it was said that the show
could not possibly tour. It was
far too big and technologically
complex to be packaged and
put on the road.
The ‘flying’ car, which boasts
the title of the single most
expensive stage prop ever
created at a cost of £750,000,
was the bugbear. At the
Palladium, the non-functioning
revolve had been removed to
make room for the car in the
‘garage’ under the stage. How
could that be replicated on tour?
Yet seven years later, as if by
magic, Chitty is flitting round
the country on a 15-month tour.
Co-producer Michael Rose is
still amazed at the achievement.
‘I am sitting in the theatre in
Woking on a Tuesday afternoon
watching a dress rehearsal with
the orchestra in the pit and all
the bits working, and conscious
that the show had only
completed its Norwich run on
Saturday night. I am thinking,
God, these people are clever.
How do they do that? This is
not a small show.’
The achievement is down to
the original creative team still
working on the show which
includes the key contribution of
Delstar Engineering and Stage
Technologies, the company
responsible for the flying
mechanism. It has devised a new,
much lighter system for touring
which parks the car at the back
of the stage instead of under it.
Rose was always convinced
that, if the team could come up
with a flying method which lost
none of the magic of the
The Car’sThe StarThe original phantasmagorical machine goes on tour
Feature by
Robin Stringer
Photography by
Alistair Muir
original, then the show was not
that different from any other
musical.
Of course, it does also involve
umpteen scene changes not to
mention 11 dogs and their
handlers, who travel with the
show, and 20 children and
their chaperones, who have
to be recruited in each venue
nine weeks ahead of opening
and then rehearsed.
Nevertheless, the technical
innovations, which introduced
a massive portable steel deck
hiding many of Chitty’s secrets
and designed to fit into the
smallest venue on the tour,
have enabled a show that once
took two weeks to move to
be transferred in a few days.
By the time the British tour
was being planned, that
turnaround time had already
been achieved by the American
touring version of the show and
key British personnel were flown
out to the United States to pick
the brains of their American
counterparts.
In the interim, the opportunity
was also taken to improve the
writing and structure of the
show. Adrian Noble and his
production team came back to
re-direct it and Rose believes it
now has greater clarity, pace
and energy than before.
Even with these dramatic
improvements, Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang remains a mighty
big show to tour. It took £3
million to stage and it still takes
12 45ft trucks and 100 crew to
move it and set it up at the
next venue. Inevitably, in such
a technologically complicated,
computer-driven production
with a cast of over 30 and
an orchestra of 14 as well as
children and dogs, there will be
glitches. But problems have been
ironed out in the course of the
show’s various manifestations
and other trivial slip-ups often
go unnoticed by audiences.
Some, however, cannot be
anticipated. Animals, though
well trained, have minds of their
own. Rose remembers one hot
summer night at the Palladium
when two dogs got caught in
front of the front cloth when
they should have disappeared
backstage with their fellows.
In the heat of the moment
and in full view of the audience,
passion overcame them. ‘The
audience were ecstatic,’ Rose
recalls. ‘The dogs had put the
bang bang into Chitty Chitty.’
But there is only one star of
this show, and it’s Chitty herself.
‘If anyone gets too grand, Chitty
reminds us,’ says Rose. ‘She just
puts her foot down - or her
wheel down - and stops. It very
rarely happens now because
the technology has improved
so much and the show has
been running for so long.’
When it does happen, it
can be less to do with the
engineering and more to do
with human fallibility. During
one Palladium show, a double
instead of a single push on a
button sent Chitty backwards
instead of forwards at a critical
moment and it crashed into
the ship.
‘I remember standing at the
back of the circle,’ Rose recalled.
‘We had Prince Charles and
Camilla Parker Bowles in that
night. I just wanted the ground
to open up.’
But there’s no getting round
the fact that he is proud of his
team and the incredible
organisational feat that is the
Chitty tour. He likes to think that
it has revised one of theatre’s
oldest adages: that actors should
never work with animals or
children - or flying cars.
10
Chitty ChittyBang BangKings Theatre, Glasgow20 Oct - 14 Nov 2009Box Office 0844 871 7648
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent17 Nov - 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7649
Milton Keynes Theatre23 Feb 2010 - 13 Mar 2010Box Office 0844 871 7652
New Wimbledon Theatre16 Mar 2010 - 3 Apr 2010Box Office 0844 871 7646
Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com
Backstage
Chitty Chitty Bang Bangremains a mighty bigshow to tour. It took £3million to stage and itstill takes 12 45ft trucksand 100 crew to moveit and set it up at thenext venue.
‘
’
What’s On
11 Book your tickets online at AmbassadorTickets.com- no per ticket fee
What’s On
COMEDY THEATRE 0844 871 7622
Prick Up Your EarsStarring Matt Lucas, Chris New and Gwen Taylor
PLAYHOUSE THEATRE 0844 871 7631
La Cage Aux FollesThe smash hit musical from The Menier Chocolate FactoryStarring John Barrowman
DONMAR WAREHOUSE 0844 871 7624
Life Is A DreamBy Pedro Calderon de la Barcain a new version by Helen Edmundson
DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE 0844 871 7623
Speaking in TonguesBy Andrew BovellStarring John Simm, Ian Hart,Lucy Cohu and Kerry Fox
FORTUNE THEATRE 0844 871 7626
The Woman in Black‘A brilliant spine-chiller’The Guardian
OLD VIC 0870 060 6628
Inherit The WindCast includes Kevin Spacey
PHOENIX THEATRE 0844 871 7629Willy Russell’s
Blood BrothersStarring Mel C (The Spice Girls)
‘Brings the audience to itsfeet and roaring its approval’ Daily Mail
PICCADILLY THEATRE 0844 871 7630
GreaseStarring Ray Quinn (winner of ITV’s Dancing On Ice, The X Factor)as Danny and Emma Stephens as Sandy
SAVOY THEATRE 0844 871 7687
Legally Blonde The MusicalStarring Sheridan Smithand Duncan JamesFrom 5 December
TRAFALGAR STUDIO 1 0844 871 7632
Othello By William Shakespeare Starring Lenny Henry���� ‘A triumph’ Daily Telegraph
TRAFALGAR STUDIO 2 0844 871 7632
Perfect PitchWest End showcase and one-offgala concert of ‘Through The Door’ 3 - 8 November
YOUNG VIC 0844 871 7608Irving Berlin’s
Annie Get Your GunStarring Jane Horrocks and Julian Ovenden
SHAFTESBURY THEATRE 0844 871 7615
HairsprayStarring Brian Conley
‘The musical with everything. A triumph!’ Observer
TRAFALGAR STUDIO 2 0844 871 7632
My Real War 1914-?Starring Philip Desmeules5 - 31 October
Studio 2 has been made possibleby a generous donation fromChristina Smith
Buy Your West End Tickets Here
12
TERMS AND CONDITIONS One winner will be drawn at
random after the closing date. The
prize includes six tickets (Mon - Thurs
performances between 8 Dec and
7 Jan excluding 28 - 31 Dec only),
to see Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Theatre plus six meals at Planet
Hollywood, a bottle of pink
champagne and goody bags for
all members of the group. Winners
will be notified by Friday 6 Nov.
Prize is subject to availability, non
transferable and non redeemable
for a cash value. Not open to
employees of Ambassador Theatre
Group Ltd. Editor’s decision is final.
Savoy Theatre
Legally Blonde The MusicalStarring Sheridan Smith and Duncan JamesFrom 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7687Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com
Add a bit of sparkle to your
winter festivities and win a
fabulous night out in London
for you and your friends!
Based on the hit movie of the
same name, Legally Blonde The
Musical is the award-winning
Broadway sensation created by
a top-of-their-class creative team,
led by Tony award-winning
director and Olivier Award
nominated choreographer Jerry
Mitchell (Hairspray).
This all-singing, all-dancing,
feel-good musical comedy will
be the highlight of your year!
Legally Blonde The Musical will
take you from the social whirl
of California Campus life to
Harvard’s Halls of Justice with
the West End’s brightest new
heroine (and of course, her
Chihuahua, Bruiser).
And to make your evening
even more special, your group
can look forward to a meal at
West End destination restaurant
Planet Hollywood and celebrity
treatment at the theatre with
a bottle of pink champagne and
party bags. Planet Hollywood’s
new state-of-the-art restaurant
WIN A
STYLE PARTY!
on Haymarket features three
exciting themed areas; the
Bond room, Cabanas and the
British room with memorabilia
dedicated to each theme. Ideally
located for many of the West
End Theatres, why not go along
and give it a try!
To win six tickets for Legally
Blonde at the Savoy Theatre
together with a night out to
remember in London, simply
answer the following question:
Q: In the film of Legally Blonde -
which American actress
played Elle?
Please return your answer,
not forgetting your name,
address and telephone number
to Ben Prudhoe, The Ambassador
Theatre Group Ltd, The
Ambassador Theatre Group,
39-41 Charing Cross Road
London WC2H 0AR before
Monday 2 November.
Competition
THEPERFECTFESTIVEPARTY!
they all shout the same thing
at once, and the newbie starts
to wonder whether they are
not actually on stage and if they
should have sat further back.
Just go with the flow, Brad!
Maybe leave the callbacks to
the professionals - but you could
always do the Timewarp with
everyone else.
Isn’t it a bit rude?
A bit.
What’s special about this tour?
Seeing Rocky Horror Picture
Show at a cinema is all very well,
but the live performance is in a
totally different league. Devotees
say this new tour looks like a
fine vintage with a strong cast.
Where can I get a ticket?
From AmbassadorTickets.com.
Tour stops are Woking, Brighton,
Bromley and Glasgow: but book
ahead to avoid the queue!
Basque inGloryRocky Horrow Show on tour: how to, where to - do you dare to?
It’s back, and the message boards
are buzzing. Across the UK, the
rattle of sewing machines can be
heard late into the night, as fans
knock up a costume for the much
anticipated new tour of the
Rocky Horror Show.
Never been? Tut-tut. It’s a
British cult classic, and although
it might seem a bit daunting for
so-called ‘virgins’, you too can
take a jump to the left (or a step
to the right, depending on your
current orientation). Just use our
handy guide, and you’ll feel
perfectly at home.
Oh God, it’s fancy dress isn’t it?
Relax, no-one’s going to make
you do anything. Rocky Horror
Show is about letting your hair
down. Many people go as their
own sweet selves, but if you do
want to slip into something more
comfortable, you won’t be alone.
Once you’ve dressed as a
chambermaid, or decked him-
indoors out in stockings and
suspenders, you’re likely to go on
having a good time.
But will I bump into my boss?
Probably. Rocky Horror is a secret
that was out a long time ago.
The audience comes from all
walks of life, so that guy doing
the hula-hula to Sweet
Transvestite from Transsexual
Transylvania is more likely to
be a Hairy Heterosexual from
H-Heavenly Hemel Hempstead.
Is everyone there in the know?
Audience participation is what
has made Rocky Horror a smash
hit for thirty years. Newcomers
often look around in panic as
other audience members break
all known rules of theatre
attendance. They get up and
dance. They sing along. They
shout things out. Sometimes,
News
13
Feature by
Dan Hadley
Cast members John Simm,
Ian Hart, Lucy Cohu and Kerry
Fox were joined by friends and
colleagues from the worlds of
TV and film: John’s co-star in
Dr Who David Tennant mingled
with Philip Glenister (Life on
Mars) and Andrea Riseborough
(The Devil’s Whore). Dominic
West (The Wire) rubbed
shoulders with TV presenter
Angus Deayton, producer Jessica
de Rothschild, Stephen Mangan
(Green Wing) and Simon and
Yasmin Le Bon.
A powerful study of infidelity
and interwoven lives, Speaking
in Tongues has its West End
premiere at the Duke of York’s
Theatre in St. Martin’s Lane.
Photography by Paul Clapp
A galaxy of stars met to mark
the first night of Andrew Bovell’s
tense thriller Speaking in Tongues
in September. Jewel was the
venue chosen for this glittering
gathering - and hidden away in
the cobbled backstreets of old
Covent Garden, moody lighting,
cool music and cocktails set the
scene for an evening of
celebration.
Starry NightLondon’s theatreland in full swing this Autumn
David Tennant
Ian Hart & John Simm
Philip Glenister
& Beth Goddard
Yasmin & Simon Le Bon
Stephen Mangan
Andrea Riseborough
Jessica de Rothschild
& Jeanne Marine
Dominic West
Angus Deayton
14
The Churchill, Bromley12 - 17 Oct 2009
Box Office 0844 871 7620
New Victoria Theatre, Woking19 - 24 Oct 2009
Box Office 0844 871 7645
Theatre Royal Brighton26 - 31 Oct 2009
Box Office 0844 871 7650
Kings Theatre, Glasgow23 - 28 Nov 2009
Box Office 0844 871 7648
Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com
Satin Untold dress £55
Sonia Rykiel cardigan £185
Both at House of Fraser
houseoffraser.co.uk
Pink and green leopard scarf £22 at Urban Outfitters
urbanoutfitters.co.uk
Audley suede shoe boot£129 audley.com
Wallpaper city guides £4.95
per book at most book shops
Smythson ‘With love & kisses’notebook £35 at Selfridges
selfridges.com
Diamante collar and lead set£19.95 from urbanpup.com
Filofax backing Breast Cancercampaign £43 at Paperchase
paperchase.co.uk
Juicy Couture Terry zip wallet£85 at Selfridges
Diamante ring £8 at Topshop
topshop.com
Avedon Fashion 1944 -2000£60 at most book shops
Dents suede gloves £35 at Selfridges
Leather bowling bag £55 at Marks and Spencers
Heart shaped handbag £22 at Topshop
Smythson heart key chain £29 at Selfridges
Benefit make up Bathina body balm £22.50
Some Kind-a Gorgeous
foundation £20.50
Bad Gal pencil £13.50
benefitcosmetics.co.uk
Sequin top £60 at Topshop
Untold satin skirt £35
at House of Fraser
Patent Mary-Jane shoes with ribbon bow £59 at Kurt Geiger
kurtgeiger.com
London sunglasses £15 at Topshop
Multi-coloured patterned t-shirt£90 at Paul Smith
paulsmith.co.uk
Pink Acne slim leg chino£140 at Liberty liberty.co.uk
Pink converse trainers£34.99 at Office office.co.uk
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Style
Bagsof Style‘Be pretty in pink!’saysLegally Blonde’s Elle
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All prices quoted are given as a guide
only and may be subject to change by
individual retailers.
Feature by Mark Bouman
17 18
salutes 40 years of delivering
unique costume jewellery to
Londoners. Accessible prices
and a sparkling array of pieces
mean that girls & boys alike can
indulge in ‘bling’ that would
make Elle and her sorority
sisters proud.
For an effective way to
update your look, why not
try personal shopping with
established stylists The Glass
Slipper? Specialising in providing
tailored services to groups of
teenagers - maximum of four
accompanied by an adult - the
team aims to boost confidence
by showing teens where and
how they can develop an
individual sense of style. Mums
and younger children aged 12
upwards can also book a day
of guided retail therapy for
advice on the London
shops worth dropping into
and items that are
guaranteed to flatter.
Staying one step ahead
of high-street trends
comes as second nature
at Old Spitalfields Market,
the East End hotspot
renowned for its creative
and bohemian fashion.
Visit on Fridays to browse
a range of stalls, many of which
are run by the designers who’ve
actually made the clothes and
accessories.
Girl’s Best FriendFor animal lovers such as Elle,
London is a wonderful
destination in which to
encounter creatures of all shapes
and sizes. A prime example is the
tranquil London Wetland Centre
in Barnes. Here families can come
to spot Shoveler and Gadwall
ducks, elusive bitterns and other
bird species that have migrated
thousands of miles to enjoy the
capital’s mild winter weather.
Nature enthusiasts young and
old can’t help but be fascinated
by the unique attractions
installed at the Horniman
Museum. Off the beaten track
in Forest Hill, this free institution
has an aquarium showcasing
diverse underwater worlds, a
Nature Base exhibition featuring
a transparent beehive, colonies
of mice and beetles, plus the
Natural History Gallery telling
the story of life on earth.
Set in 32 acres of countryside
in the Isle of Dogs, Mudchute
Park & Farm is home to a superb
collection of furry and feathered
friends including llamas and rare
breeds like Gloucester Old Spot
pigs. Vouchers can be booked in
advance for animal encounters,
petting sessions and farm tours,
while the welcoming kitchen
serves up seasonal, home-cooked
food. Just remember to bring a
pair of wellies.
Finally, why not spoil your pet
as Elle does her chihuahua
Bruiser by heading down to
Mungo & Maud on Elizabeth
Street? A purveyor of luxury
accessories for cats and dogs, the
store sells bowls, collars, beds,
toys, clothing and even a line
of dog shampoo and fragrance.
Make-Over MagicKeep up appearances in the
manner of Elle by treating
yourself to a change of hair
colour. Karine Jackson, the 2007
London Hairdresser of the Year,
has a calm oasis of a salon in
Covent Garden where she
expertly works with big brand
names such as L’Oréal, and
specialises in ammonia-free
organic colour systems for an
eco-friendly alternative to
swapping shades.
Of course, great hair and
make-up go hand-in-hand but it’s
not always easy keeping up with
the latest trends. That’s why a
mother and daughter package at
Rouge make-up school could be
the perfect way to spend quality
time together while picking up
new techniques from
professionals.
At Benefit boutiques in
London you can try brow waxing
and tinting, spray tanning and
make-up parties - perfect for
teen treats.
Lift the spirits of the whole
family with an expert
photoshoot at New ID.
Professional photographers are
on hand to consult with families
before employing a variety of
props and backgrounds to
capture the group’s natural
character. The session finishes
with a private viewing of the
portraits taken and a
complimentary CD image.
As Elle knows only too well,
looking good on the outside
means taking care of the inside
so why not get youngsters on
the right track by introducing
them to weekend dance classes
at Pineapple Performing Arts
School? Musical theatre, ballet
and street dance are available
at drop-in level.
Round off your day out by
taking a group of friends to
Legally Blonde and having a ball.
For a fabulously fun Christmas or
New Year treat call Ambassador
Groups on 020 7845 5537 for
special party discounts.
Feature by
Neena Dhillon
Blonde HighlightsLegally Blonde’s Elle falls head over heels for London
Going Out
Let the West End’s favourite
blonde heroine lead the way this
autumn with three Elle Woods-
style guides to making the most
of the capital.
Shop Till You DropThere’s no better place to
experience the pleasures of
shopping than at Selfridges,
particularly as the famous
department store celebrates its
centenary year. Autumn sees the
opening of a brand new space -
3rd Central - dedicated to the
coolest denim and contemporary
fashion collections. Elsewhere
youth-friendly brands also figure
highly with offerings from the
likes of Topshop, Superfine and
Justin Timberlake’s clothing
range, William Rast.
Marking an important
anniversary, Butler & Wilson
Selfridges
Horniman Museum
Images top l-r
Mungo & Maud
Girls on a spending spree
Old Spitalfields Market
selfridges.com
butlerandwilson.co.uk
theglassslipper.co.uk
oldspitalfieldsmarket.com
wwt.org.uk
horniman.ac.uk
mudchute.org
mungoandmaud.com
karinejackson.co.uk
rougemakeupschool.com
benefitcosmetics.co.uk
newidstudios.com
pineapplearts.com
Savoy Theatre
Legally Blonde The MusicalStarring Sheridan Smith and Duncan JamesFrom 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7687Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.comButler & Wilson
Karine Jackson
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