The West End Frame Show: Theatre News, Reviews & Chat

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The West End Frame Show: Theatre News, Reviews & Chat episodes

July 13, 2020 S3 Ep12 (ft. Fred Smiley): #TurnUpLondon, History Has Its Eyes On You, Wicked, Book of Mormon, Godspell + more!
Performer Fred Smiley (The Book of Mormon) joins us to co-host The West End Frame Show!

In this episode, Andrew & Fred discuss Turn Up (Cadogan Hall) and History Has Its Eyes On You (Disney+), as well as the latest news about outdoor theatre, Godspell, Showstoppers, Wicked and The Southwark Playhouse.

After touring the UK as Simon Senior in Kinky Boots, Fred recently made his West End debut in The Book of Mormon. He’s one of the hosts of "The TBH Podcast".

Follow Fred on Twitter: @Fred_Smiley
Follow Fred on Instagram: @FredSmiley

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
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40 min
July 06, 2020 S3 Ep11 (ft. Marianka Swain): Hamilton on Disney+, Government £1.57bn Investment, Into The Unknown, Every Little Step + more!
Arts journalist Marianka Swain (UK Editor-in-Chief of BroadwayWorld) co-hosts an action-packed episode of The West End Frame Show!

In this episode, Andrew & Marianka dedicate an entire segment to the Hamilton film (Disney+) and also discuss Into The Unknown: The Making of Frozen II (Disney+) & Every Little Step (A Chorus Line documentary - Amazon Prime).

This week there is news about the Government's £1.57bn one-off investment in UK culture and the launch of a new UK Theatre Fund headed up by The Society Of London Theatre & Sam Mendes with a £500,000 donation from Netflix to help theatre workers who have been unable to support themselves through the pandemic, particularly those who have been ineligible for Government aid and have not been able to work since theatres closed.

There's also lots of news about Songs For A New World, The Mousetrap, Turn Up & Alice Fearn's garden!

Marianka Swain is a London-based arts journalist and editor. She is the UK Editor-in-Chief of BroadwayWorld, writes a popular Strictly Come Dancing blog for Dancing Times magazine, and contributes to outlets such as The i Paper, the Telegraph, theartsdesk, the Ham & High, and TodayTix. Marianka returns to The West End Frame Show, having previously co-hosted S1 Ep11.

Follow Marianka on Twitter: @mkmswain
Visit Marianka's website: www.mkmswain.com

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
49 min
June 29, 2020 S3 Ep10 (ft. Jenny Gayner): SIX drive-in tour, Falsettos, The Last Five Years, Ian McKellen, TKTS ticket booth + more!
To celebrate one year of The West End Frame Show, original co-host Jenny Gayner returns for another stagey catchup!

In this episode, Andrew & Jenny discuss The Last Five Years (Lambert Jackson Productions) & Falsettos (BroadwayHD) as well as the latest news about Oliver Dowden's roadmap to reopen theatres, the return of SIX, The Phantom of the Opera, Hamlet at the Theatre Royal Windsor starring Ian McKellen, Sleepless at Troubadour Wembley Park and Lin-Manuel Miranda's new Disney movie.

Last year Jenny toured the UK as Lily in the UK touring production of Annie. Her theatre credits also include Gangsta Granny (West End/UK tour), Miss Wilson in Gary Barlow & Tim Firth’s musical The Girls (West End), Lina Lamont in Singin’ in The Rain & Brooke Windham in Legally Blonde (Kilworth House Theatre), Hunyak/cover Roxie Hart in Chicago (West End), Kristine Urich in A Chorus Line (Lowry Theatre), Laker Girl in Spamalot (West End), Ginny in Alan Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking (International tour), Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (European tour), Chloe in Sophie Kinsella’s Sleeping Arrangements (Landor), Lorraine Flemming in 42nd Street (Octagon Theatre) and she performed in her sell out one woman show All About The Girl at (The Pheasantry).

Jenny discusses how she has adapted into lockdown life, how she got into the industry, saying goodbye to Annie and lots more.

Follow Jenny on Instagram/Twitter: @jennygayner

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
50 min
June 22, 2020 S3 Ep9 (ft. Joshua Lovell): Peter Pan LIVE, Turn Up, Hamilton Trailer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Falsettos + more!
Actor Joshua Lovell (The Book of Mormon/Kinky Boots) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!

In this episode, Andrew & Joshua discuss Peter Pan LIVE (The Shows Must Go On) & the Hamilton trailer (Disney+) as well as the latest news about British Theatre, Turn Up at Cadogan Hall & In The Wings.

Joshua's theatre credits include: Annie (Toronto), The Book of Mormon (West End), Mack & Mabel (Chichester/UK Tour), Follies (Royal Albert Hall), Singin' in the Rain (UK Tour), Pipe Dream (Union Theatre), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Dubai), White Christmas (Manchester) & Soho Cinders (Soho Theatre).
Most recently he toured the UK as the referee Angel in Kinky Boots before whizzing off to Paris to star in Stephen Mear’s production of Funny Girl (Théâtre Marigny).

Joshua talks about touring in Kinky Boots, what he has been up to during lockdown & the time Christine Baranski offered to buy him a sandwich..!

Follow Joshua on Social Media:
Instagram/Twitter: @joshualovell90

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
44 min
June 15, 2020 S3 Ep8 (ft. Shanay Holmes): The Wiz LIVE, Dear Evan Hansen movie, Sara Bareilles, West End Musical Brunch, The Bail Project + more!
Actress & Producer Shanay Holmes co-hosts The West End Frame Show!

In this episode, Andrew & Shanay discuss The Wiz LIVE (The Shows Must Go On) & Staged (BBC) and there's lots of news about the Dear Evan Hansen film, Sara Bareilles' new Apple TV+ show & Vicki Manser's debut single topping the charts.

Andrew & Shanay also continue the Black Lives Matter conversation, discussing the theatre industry, casting and why we need to do more to ensure we have black producers and creatives at the top of our industry.

Alongside her performing career, Shanay is a producer and business owner. She is the founder of West End Musical Brunch. Last Friday (12th June), Shanay hosted a Musical Marathon for West End Musical Brunch which raised £4,500 for The Bail Project.

After making her professional debut in Thriller Live (Lyric Theatre), Shanay went on to become the youngest person to play Rachael Maron in The Bodyguard (Adelphi Theatre). Her theatre credits also include: Close To You (Criterion Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar (Open Air Theatre), Joanne in the 20th anniversary production of Rent (UK Tour/The Other Palace), Glinda in The Wizard of Oz (Birmingham Rep) and Narrator in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Kilworth House).

Most recently she played Marian in The Bridges of Madison County (Menier Chocolate Factory) and Laura in High Fidelity (Turbine Theatre). Shanay is also an acclaimed singer/songwriter. She previously appeared on S1 Ep3 of our interviews podcast In The Frame.

To book tickets/buy gift vouchers for West End Musical Brunch, visit www.westendmusicalbrunch.co.uk

For more information and to donate to The Bail Project, visit www.bailproject.org

To watch Decent Exposure with Alexia Khadime & Rachel John, visit www.youtu.be/D9ll-sV2IOs

To listen to Shanay's episode of In The Frame, visit www.westendframe.co.uk/2019/10/25/interview-shanay-holmes-starring-in-high-fidelity/

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 3 min
June 08, 2020 S3 Ep7: #BlackLivesMatter
In this week's episode, West End Frame Editor Andrew Tomlins discusses Black Lives Matter and racism within the theatre industry, including discussion about the UK's leading drama schools and experiences from black performers in the West End. In addition, we celebrate the #StandByMeChallenge which has seen theatrical community's from around the world coming together in solidarity.

Useful Links (as discussed during the episode):

Asmeret Ghebremichael: I’m tired of being the token Black friend.
https://broadwaynews.com/2020/06/04/opinion-im-tired-of-being-the-token-black-friend/

The Stage: Racism in the UK’s top Drama Schools.
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/drama-school-racism-students-call-out-top-schools-and-reveal-stories-of-abuse

Black Lives Matter: Ways You Can Help (Sign, Donate & Educate).
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co

Also in this episode, Andrew discusses A Monster Calls (The Old Vic) and news about The Wiz, The Theatre Fund and Chicago The Musical.

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 min
June 01, 2020 S3 Ep6 (ft. Lisa Martland): Ben Platt, A Streetcar Named Desire, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Hairspray LIVE, Merrily We Roll Along documentary + more!
Journalist Lisa Martland (Founding Editor of www.MusicalTheatreReview.com and former Deputy Editor of The Stage) returns to co-host The West End Frame Show!

In this bumper episode, Andrew & Lisa discuss Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall (Netflix), Hairspray LIVE (The Shows Must Go On), A Streetcar Named Desire (Young Vic/NT At Home), Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC/Channel 4) & Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened (Netflix documentary).

There's lots of news about The Phantom of the Opera, The Old Vic & The Last Five Years PLUS we have some exciting West End Frame news about our interviews podcast, IN THE FRAME!
Lisa Martland is an acclaimed theatre journalist. She spent many years at The Stage newspaper, including five years as Deputy Editor, and went on to create one of the UK’s top theatre websites, www.MusicalTheatreReview.com.
Additionally Lisa works with Stage Faves and My Theatre Mates. She previous hosted our Broadway Special in Series One.
Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr
May 25, 2020 S3 Ep5 (ft. Leon Craig): Smash Musical, Bombshell Concert, Sound of Music LIVE, Disney's Aladdin, Drive In Cinema + more!
Leon Craig (Sandra Bollock in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) co-hosts The West End Frame Show! Leon recently understudied the Genie and played Babkak in Disney's Aladdin.

Andrew & Leon discuss Bombshell in Concert (Broadway Concert for The Actors Fund) & The Sound of Music LIVE (The Shows Must Go On); there's lots of news about SMASH, Troubadour Meridian Water, Newfound Hope Songs & West End LIVE + Leon discusses joining Jamie, the challenges of playing Genie & his collection of pantomime Dame costumes.

Just a few of Leon's other theatre credits include; Audrey II in Little Shop Of Horrors (Salisbury/Colchester), Sid/Inventor in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK tour), Montel/Jesus in Jerry Springer The Opera (West End), Chuck Brown in Over the Rainbow (UK tour), Queen Of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (UK tour), King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar (World Arena tour), Rodney in My Big Gay Italian Wedding (Greenwich), Melvin P Thorpe in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Union) and over 14 pantomimes as Dame.

Make sure you follow Leon on social media;
Insta: @leoncraigofficial.
Twitter: @LeonCraig1.

You can tune into Leon's chat show A Brew and a Biscuit via his Instagram on Fridays at 8pm.

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
52 min
May 18, 2020 S3 Ep4 (ft. Mark Dugdale): Hamilton, Cats, Fun Home, Come From Away, Frozen + more!
Mark Dugdale (Kevin T in Come From Away) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!

In this episode, Andrew & Mark discuss Cats The Musical (1998 filmed production) and Fun Home (Victory Gardens achieve); there's lots of news about Frozen, Hamilton & A Monster Calls PLUS we play charity single "We're Unstoppable" by Stiff & Kitch and James Taylor.

Mark also discusses all things Come From Away, getting up to antics with Rachel Tucker, learning bass guitar for The Commitments and his dream of playing Beverley Bass... plus lots more!

Mark was a standby in the original West End cast of Come From Away, and earlier this year took over as Kevin T (& others) full time.

Mark's West End credits include: Jersey Boys (Piccadilly), The Commitments (Palace), We Will Rock You (Dominion), Les Misérables (Sondeim) and Chicago (Cambridge). He has also appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air), Jest End (Leicester Square), Have a Nice Life (Union), Alice: The Musical, Beauty and the Beast and Merry Christmas Betty Ford (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), The Threepenny Opera (Opera Northern Ireland) plus the UK tours of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Boy Friend (UK Tour).

Make sure you follow Mark on social media;
Insta: @duggy01
Twitter: @Markdugdale1

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
47 min
May 11, 2020 S3 Ep3 (ft. Keith Jack): By Jeeves, Fleabag starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Pieces Of String, Disney+, Rachel Tucker + more!
West End actor Keith Jack joins us to co-host The West End Frame Show!

In this episode, Andrew & Keith discuss By Jeeves (The Shows Must Go On), Fleabag (Wyndham's Theatre, NT Live recording) & Pieces Of String (Mercury Theatre Colchester).

There's news about Rachel Tucker, Lizzie Bea, Barber Shop Chronicles & Harry Potter PLUS Keith discusses his top picks from Disney+, touring the UK with Fame and performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In 2007, Keith Jack finished second on Any Dream Will Do (BBC) and later went on to play both the Narrator and Joseph in the UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

His other theatre credits include Only The Brave, Sincerely Mr Toad, HMS Pinafore & Forever Plaid as well as numerous pantomimes. He has also released four albums and regularly performs concerts across the UK. Most recently Keith starred as Nick in FAME which toured the UK before transferring to the West End for a run at the Peacock Theatre followed by a season at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. FAME is now available to stream via BroadwayHD.

Keith is performing a live solo concert via his Facebook Page this Sunday 17th May in aid of Marie Curie UK.

Hosted by Andrew Tomlins.

Thanks for listening!

Visit www.westendframe.co.uk to stay up-to-date with our podcasting adventures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
38 min

About The West End Frame Show: Theatre News, Reviews & Chat

From the publisher's feed

Your weekly stagey catchup! Join West End Frame Editor, Andrew Tomlins, and industry co-hosts for a round-up of the latest theatre news and reviews. Special guests include West End performers,…