thelondoncomic: Paul McCaffrey is named London's hot new stand-up of the year

by Alexa Baracaia. Monday, 01 December 2008

SIX weeks ago he packed up his life in Brighton and left for London, to pursue his dream of becoming a comedy star.

Today, Paul McCaffrey is celebrating after being named thelondonpaper's hot new stand-up of the year.

The 34-year-old beat off tough competition from four fellow shortlisted acts in the sell-out live final of our inaugural thelondoncomic competition at Soho Theatre last night.

Now he is set to perform a major solo gig alongside top funnyman Russell Kane at the Dean Street venue on 27 February.

He said: "This is absolutely amazing. I only moved to London six weeks ago, thinking it was now or never to push the comedy career, and within days I'd seen the competition in thelondonpaper. I can't believe I've won it. This is nothing like the six people in a pub stuff I've done in the past."

McCaffrey, who lives in Walthamstow and works for a charity telephone fundraising firm, added: "I'd like to jack my job in and pursue comedy full-time. We'll just have to see where this all leads now."

Judges including Soho Theatre comedy producer Steve Lock, comedian Nick Mohammed and Bafta-nominated producer Gary Reich - who has worked with Sacha Baron Cohen and the Mighty Boosh boys - picked their two favourites from the five finalists: McCaffrey and French comic Marcel Lucont, 29.

But, in the end, the decision was down to the audience - and they overwhelmingly voted McCaffrey thelondoncomic winner.

Judge xxx said: "Overall the competition was xxxxxxx but Paul was xxxxxxx"

Last night's gig was hosted by controversial US comic Scott Capurro, who raved: "The standard of all the finalists was ricidulously high."

Courtesy: BBC.co.uk

West End pays tribute to Pinter

Actors starring in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land in London's West End have paid tribute on stage to the playwright, who died on Christmas Eve.

First West End role for graduate

Evelyn Hoskins attended Preston Primary, Preston school and Yeovil College before studying acting at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth.

Ms Hoskins will make her debut at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre on 23 January 2009.

The production received eight Tony Awards during its Broadway run.

Spring Awakening is set against a backdrop of religious and parental repression in 19th Century Germany.

Nail-biting wait

Based on the Frank Wedekind play of 1891, it tells the story of young friends on a voyage of personal discovery and sexual awakening.

Following almost a year of castings, Evelyn was selected for the part after attending a week-long workshop at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre with the director, Michael Mayer, and other prospective cast members.

"We had to learn songs from the production and rehearse scenes together. It was unbelievably tough and very intense, but one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had in my life," she said.

"They took the video of us all back to the United States for the creative team over there to look at and to make the final decision."

After an additional nail-biting week, Evelyn received the news that she had won the part.

"I have never been so nervous in my life," she said. "When I finally heard the news that I had got the part I was in shock."

Courtesy: BBC.co.uk

Highlights of 2009: West End Theatre

By Alice Jones
Friday, 2 January 2009

The hoary old complaint that there aren't enough straight plays in the West End should be put firmly to bed in 2009. At Wyndham's, the Donmar continues its heavyweight season with Madame de Sade. Risky, perhaps, but the casting – Judi Dench, Frances Barber and Rosamund Pike – is solid gold. It will be followed, in June, by Jude Law's Hamlet. Other upcoming classics include A View from the Bridge, with Ken Stott and Hayley Atwell, and Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, while James McAvoy stars in Three Days of Rain at the Apollo in February.

Elsewhere, Nicholas Hytner directs Helen Mirren and Dominic Cooper in Phaedra at the National in June. And at the Old Vic, Kevin Spacey has programmed a meaty season, starting with Richard Dreyfuss in Complicit, a new political drama. It's followed by Sam Mendes, as his transatlantic company, including Simon Russell Beale, Rebecca Hall and Ethan Hawke, tackle The Cherry Orchard and The Winter's Tale.

As for newer talents, I'm excited by the Royal Court slate, which has new plays from Polly Stenham (That Face) and Marius von Mayenburg (Ugly One). It's also thrilling to see that experimental experts Complicite, Improbable and Paines Plough are all back soon with, respectively, a Japanese collaboration (Shun-kin, Barbican), a Pan-inspired romp (Panic, Barbican) and a City Boy drama (Roaring Trade, Soho Theatre).

Outside London, the RSC launches its exciting three-year Russian partnership. Lenny Henry's debut in the Northern Broadsides' touring Othello will be worth a look and Leicester's new Curve hits its stride with The Pillowman and Tim Supple's As You Like It, a follow-up to his spell-binding A Midsummer Night's Dream. And musicals are far from dead. Sister Act, Priscilla Queen of the Desert (starring Jason Donovan) and the Broadway hit Spring Awakening are all coming up. But first up is Cameron Mackintosh's Oliver!. Who could possibly ask for more?

Courtesy: Independent.co.uk

Wicked The Musical - Highlights

Somebody whom I don't know personally, remarked, "It's too bad that Mr Mason is so arrogant and full of himself 'cause he is really funny, but the 'you should feel honored to be in my presence' attitude probably turns people off him quite unnecessarily. Yes, too bad..." I don't think he is that bad as Mr Stranger has depicted him. Check out this video of Jackie Mason:

2008 Winners' Workshop

I was just randomly checking through BBC.co.uk to know something more about West End Theatreland and what could be so much exciting that all the winners of 2008 Musical Theatre Bursary Winners are already in two day workshop with best industry professionals. The BBC.co.uk informs, "The Jerwood Space was the place to be when the 2008 Musical Theatre Bursary winners met for a two day workshop with industry professionals. Here you can see a snapshot of what went on during the day or you can look at the photo gallery."

For more information, please check out 2008 Winners' Workshop

With the help of Theatre247, OfficialLondonTheatre.co.uk have collected together video reports from some of the recent hottest theatre shows in London right now. To view one of these short videos and find out more about a featured production click on the screen above. (Courtesy: OfficialLondonTheatre.co.uk)

London West End Theatre – 2007 Review of the Year

The words ‘credit crunch’ and ‘financial crisis’ are only too common as the media enters its annual period of reflection and looks back and review the year. While the recent knock to the consumer’s confidence has had an impact on London theatre with a number of early closures, in review 2008 is more notable for its successes than its failures in the West End.

The year kicked off on a surreal note with with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber wandering into Channel 4’s Hollyoaks to find a new Maria for The Sound of Music. The bizarre life-reflecting-art-reflecting-life scenario resulted in Summer Strallen stepping into Connie Fisher’s postulant shoes at the London Palladium.

Happily, ALW turned his back on acting and returned to judging the BBC’s talent search for his next project, joining Cameron Mackintosh to cast Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. This series, I’d Do Anything, sought to cast two roles, with Gwion Jones, Harry Stott and Laurence Jeffcoate chosen to alternate as Oliver, and Jodie Prenger being voted the public’s Nancy. The Blackpool lass is attracting fans from across the country to see her perform with many choosing to book Oliver theatre and hotel packages.

2008 has been a rollercoaster for West End theatre, a feeling only emphasised by constant media reminders of the shaky economic climate. The public’s unwillingness to risk their money on new shows was blamed for the dismal failures of the musicals Gone With the Wind and Imagine This, and for a spate of early closures this autumn, with Riflemind, Eurobeat, Girl with a Pearl Earring and Never Forget all closing their doors well before their contracts were up. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for new shows, as 2008’s runaway musical successes Jersey Boys

and Zorro will testify.

By the end of the year, these tragedies have been outweighed by some breathtaking triumphs, and 2008 is the year the West End has shown Broadway how its done. Wicked’s Kerry Ellis caused a sensation when she transferred to the New York production in June, while her London replacement Alexia Khadime sent UK audiences into a frenzy. Wicked theatre breaks

 continue to sell like hotcakes as demand for the show grows outside of London.

By far the biggest success story of 2008 was for Mamma Mia!, 

which has not only branched out beyond London, but beyond its genre. While ecstatic kids rushed to regional theatres to see Disney’s High School Musical on the stage, the grown ups were stampeding the cinema as Mamma Mia! the Movie became the biggest blockbuster of the summer. With a stellar cast including Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, Mamma Mia! has beaten 1998’s Titanic to become the highest grossing film ever to be released in the UK. The Stockholm premiere saw the four members of Abba together in public for the first time in over twenty years and the frantic hype worldwide has driven even more fans into what is already an international stage sensation.

So, ever-optimistic, and providing welcome escapism in these dark economic times, the West End’s 2009 looks to be another triumphant year.

THEATRELAND – Discover Entertainment at the West End!

Theatrical tradition in Britain was introduced by Romans. During the medieval period, Mystery plays and Miracle plays were the two popular forms and both are solely focused on Biblical stories and legends on saints. This medieval theatrical tradition was stretched from 10th century to 16th century reaching the height of popularity in the 15th century. After 16th century the medieval theatrical tradition was marred by the rise of professional theatres. 

During the reign of Elizabeth I, British theatres had seen a great revolution with revelation of playwrights like Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and John Webster. Since then British theatres have changed a lot. British Theatrical Tradition has not been overshadowed under the growing influence of movie and television shows. This has been evident from the growing popularity of big late Victorian or Edwardian architecturally made theatre buildings and crowded evening roads at London's main theatre district (located in the heart of the West End of the city centre.)Theatre lovers from all over the world are largely influenced by some of these largest and best maintained theatres. 

Most of the theatres in West End run show for several weeks, although show running mostly depends on the popularity of the show and ticket selling. As per the tradition it has been found that musicals tend to have longer runs than dramas. Les Miserables is the longest ever running musicals in the West End history till date. “It overtook Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, which closed in 2002 after running for 8,949 performances and 21 years, as the longest running West End musical of all time on 8 October 2006. Other long-runners include Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, still running after 21 years, and Willy Russell's Blood Brothers, currently in its 20th year. However the non-musical Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap is the longest running show in the world, and has been showing since 1952 (Courtesy: WikiPedia.org).” All the theatres in West Land are privately owned and they are considered as highly commercial theatres.

Theatre tourism policy has been a boom for West End London’s economic growth. Tourists from various parts of the world largely visit West End London just to have a feel of entertainment in theatres. Both theatre entertainment industry and tourism sector in West End London has created several opportunities for both locals as well as tourists to make the most out of West End London. For tourists although the name would suggest that the West End includes absolutely all of west London, it is actually a quite specific district lying to the west of The City. In its true definition, the area is quite small stretching from Tottenham Court Road in the east to Park Lane in the west. 

Notes for Readers:

Of the 40 commercial theatres in London’s West End, 30 are in Westminster and the remainder are in Camden. Overall the theatres contribute £1.5billion a year to London’s economy and more than half of all overseas visitors cite the prospect of going to the theatre as one of the deciding factors in coming to London.

Westminster City Council launched the Theatreland Initiative in 2005 to strengthen the identity of the theatre district.

The Theatreland district incorporates Shaftesbury Avenue, St Martin’s Lane/St Martin’s Cross, Charing Cross Road, Covent Garden and the Strand in Westminster as well as Seven Dials in the London Borough of Camden. (Courtesy: WestMinster.Gov.UK)