Carrie Dunn - Page 38

The heart's desire of stars...

Jennifer Ellison, once Roxie Hart in Chicago and Meg Giry in the film version of The Phantom of the Opera, leads the line-up of contestants for this year's Dancing on Ice reality TV competition.

It's 2012! Happy New Year to you all. What are your resolutions for the 12 months ahead? We asked some of our favourite theatrical types what they'll be trying to do - or not - this year...

Russell will appear alongside Gareth Gates, Kerry Ellis, Oliver Thornton and Brenda Edwards in the Biblical-inspired musical Children of Eden, by Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz and John?Caird, which is being revived in the West End for one night only in a spectacular star-studded charity gala at the Prince of Wales?Theatre on Sunday 29 January.

What we're looking forward to in 2012

It's that time of year again - when critics and bloggers alike put forward their highlights and low points of the year's theatre. As I can't pass a bandwagon without jumping on it, here is my best - and worst - of 2011.

My 2011 theatrical exploits, while not as numerous as I'd like, have been enjoyable on the whole and happily have involved the West End, the London and Edinburgh Fringes and Broadway. In an attempt to summarise I have come up with a few arbitrary and inconsistent categories into which to put some of the shows I've seen.

One of BBC TV's most popular and fondly remembered sitcoms, BIRDS OF A FEATHER ran for almost 10 years until 1998. Set in Chigwell, it chronicled the misadventures of Sharon Theodopolopoudos and Tracy Stubbs (Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson) and their man-eating neighbour, Dorien Green (Lesley Joseph).

Catch Adam Cooper and the cast of West End-bound SINGIN' IN THE RAIN perform on tonight's ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE - Wednesday 14 December, 7.30pm on ITV1.

Digital Theatre announces William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing as its latest release available to watch online or download to the desktop, available from today (13 December 2011) at www.digitaltheatre.com.

Following a run at The Lowry in Salford, Leonard Bernstein's musical comedy, WONDERFUL TOWN, directed by The Royal Exchange Theatre Artistic Director BRAHAM MURRAY and starring CONNIE FISHER, will tour the UK for 11 weeks. Tickets for all venues are now on sale.

Peter Ellis - Chief Supt Brownlow in ITV1's The Bill - directs his real-life wife, Anita Parry, in the London premiere of her one-woman 2010 Edinburgh Festival hit comedy, What Would?Helen?Mirren Do?.

Eve Best returns to The Old Vic in March 2012, in John Webster's great Jacobean tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi, directed by Jamie Lloyd. She last appeared at The Old Vic in London and on Broadway opposite Kevin Spacey in A Moon for the Misbegotten in the 2006/2007 Season.

The winners of the 2011 BWW:UK Awards are thrilled with their recognition by the theatre-going public! Here are some more thank yous from the winners...

After yesterday's announcements of the 2011 BWW:UK Award winners, there are celebrations across theatreland!

The Tony Award-winning production of American Idiot will tour the UK in 2012, opening in Southampton in October next year and tour across the UK and Ireland, before closing at London's Hammersmith Apollo.

After yesterday's announcement that Zach Braff's show All New People would be playing the Duke of York's next year for a ten-week run, it's no surprise that Backbeat has announced its early closure at the theatre. It's not yet clear whether the Beatles show will be moving to another venue.

The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and Transport for London (TfL) have today (30 November) released a special travel guide for theatre goers during next summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games.

All New People will open at the Duke of York's Theatre on 22 February 2012. Before arriving in London for a strictly limited 10-week run, audiences in Manchester and Glasgow will get the chance to enjoy the play when it is staged at the Manchester Opera House, between 8 - 11 February and the King's Theatre, Glasgow, between 14 - 18 February.

Les Mis Gives…at Christmas is hosted by Scott Garnham, joined this time by fellow comperes Carl Mullaney and Hadley Fraser. The cabaret audience will be treated to some fun, intimate performances from some of the show's stars including Caroline Sheen, Liam Tamne, James Charlton, Mary Cormack, Fra Fee, Craig Mathers, Lisa-Anne Wood and more.