Strictly Ballroom – the musical adaptation of Baz Luhrman’s film comes to Sunderland Empire tonight - directed and co-choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood who we chatted to over the Summer, and now Steve Colman has spoken to one of the stars of the show - Strictly Come Dancing star Maisie Smith. 

This is her theatre debut but for the past 18 years we’ve seen her on screen – this phenomenally talented actor has been working since the age of four! She told us all about the early days of working on Albert Square too. Fast forward 18 years and she’s celebrating her 21st birthday on the road with this tour of Strictly Ballroom The Musical in the lead female role of Fran, alongside another Strictly legend Kevin Clifton.

Craig Revel Horwood said: "I’m delighted that the super talented Maisie Smith is joining Kevin Clifton on the Strictly Ballroom UK tour. I can’t wait to see them dance together again. Expect some sexy moves, sizzling costumes and a simply sensational evening! I know that they’ll both be FAB-U-LOUS!"

Strictly Ballroom The Musical, co-choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing’s Creative Director Jason Gilkison, tells the beguiling story of Scott Hastings, a talented, arrogant and rebellious young ballroom dancer – played by former Strictly Come Dancing professional and 2018 champion, Kevin Clifton. When Scott’s radical dance moves see him fall out of favour with the Australian Federation, he finds himself dancing with Fran (Maisie Smith), a beginner with no moves at all. Inspired by one another, this unlikely pair gather the courage to defy both convention and their families – and discover that, to be winners, the steps don’t need to be strictly ballroom.

Featuring a show-stopping book by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce, and bringing together a sublime cast of over 20 world class performers, Strictly Ballroom brings to life iconic songs, including Love is in the Air, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps and Time After Time with dynamic and joyous verve. This tour will also feature some amazing new songs by internationally acclaimed artists including Sia, David Foster and Eddie Perfect. The show’s scintillating singing, dazzling dancing and eye-popping costumes will combine together to bring audiences a story of heart, comedy and drama, and promises to be an unforgettable night under the glitter ball. 

This uplifting and courageous musical originated as a stage play that Baz Luhrmann devised with a group of classmates at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1984. Eight years later he made his screen directorial debut with ‘Strictly Ballroom’, the first instalment in Luhrmann’s acclaimed Red Curtain Trilogy. The vibrant film enjoyed staggering success, winning three awards at the 1993 BAFTA awards and a 1994 Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture, going on to become one of the most successful Australian films of all time, earning more than $80 million at the box office. In April 2014 Strictly Ballroom The Musical had its world premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom the Musical is a fabulous, feel-good evening full of sequins, singing and salsa. This unmissable kaleidoscope of glitz and glamour is a tonic for the soul and will send your heart soaring and toes tapping long after you leave the theatre!

Maisie Smith is Strictly Ballroom

Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner played the leads in the hit film of the Bodyguard but we have new stars taking up the roles here in the North East!

Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star Ayden Callaghan has joined the former Pussycat Doll, Melody Thornton to star in the hit musical version in the roles of Frank Farmer and Rachel Marron. The production opens at Sunderland Empire on Monday 13 February.

Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest hit songs of all time – I Will Always Love You. 

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, THE BODYGUARD, directed by Thea Sharrock with book by Oscar winning Alex Dinelaris, had its world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End and was nominated for four Olivier Awards. A sell out 18 month UK and Ireland tour followed, before the show returned to the West End at the Dominion Theatre ahead of a second sell out tour of the UK and Ireland in 2018/19.  

To date, THE BODYGUARD has played to over 3.6 million people in 15 countries and 45 US cities. Countries include the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, China, Canada, Italy, Australia, Spain, France, the US, Austria and Japan.

Tickets are available at www.ATGtickets.com/sunderland

Steve Colman Goes Backstage Of The Bodyguard

The UK and Ireland tour of Bartlett Sher’s critically acclaimed and multi award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe’s much loved My Fair Lady is visiting Sunderland Empire from the 1st - 11th February 2023.

Smooth Breakfast's Steve Colman went backstage with Adam Woodyatt to find out more!

The cast includes Michael D. Xavier as Henry Higgins, Charlotte Kennedy as Eliza Doolittle, Adam Woodyatt as Alfred P. Doolittle, Heather Jackson as Mrs Higgins, John Middleton as Colonel Pickering and Tom Liggins as Freddy Eynsford-Hill

Directed by Bartlett Sher, this sublime production, which premiered in the spring of 2018 at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, was the winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design, 5 Outer Critics’ Circle Awards including Best Musical Revival, the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Revival, and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Musical Revival and Costume Design.

My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed?

With a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, My Fair Lady boasts a score including the classic songs “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY premiered on Broadway in March 1956, winning 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history at the time. Following this success, the production transferred to London in 1958, where it played in the West End for five and a half years.

My Fair Lady has seen many notable revivals and adaptations, including the acclaimed 1964 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, which won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Most recently on the London stage, Cameron Mackintosh’s 2001 revival at Theatre Royal Drury Lane won three Olivier Awards, and later toured across the UK and Ireland in 2005.

My Fair lady graces Sunderland Empire’s stage from 1 – 11 February 2023. Tickets are available online at www.ATGtickets.com/sunderland.

Backstage With My Fair Lady's Adam Woodyatt

The National Theatre’s production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane is at Sunderland Empire from 28 February – 4 March 2023. Steve Colman went backstage with Finty Williams, one of the stars of the production.

Adapted by Joel Horwood and directed by Katy Rudd, this is a thrilling adventure of fantasy, myth and friendship written by Neil Gaiman. This first major stage adaptation of his work blends magic with memory in a tour-de-force of storytelling that takes audiences on an epic journey to a childhood once forgotten and the darkness that lurks at the very edge of it.

Returning to his childhood home, a man finds himself standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. He's transported to his 12th birthday when his remarkable friend Lettie claimed it wasn't a pond, but an ocean – a place where everything is possible...Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them.

Touring for a total of 38 weeks, this is the largest tour mounted by the National Theatre since before the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows a celebrated six-month run of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End, which opened in 2021 after the production received its world premiere in the Dorfman Theatre in late 2019. 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is suitable for ages 12+. 
 
The Ocean... is on at Sunderland Empire from Tuesday 28 February – Saturday 4 March 2023. Ticket and show details can be found at www.ATGtickets.com/sunderland.

Backstage of the Ocean AtThe End Of The Lane

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Smooth Radio North East's Steve Colman went aboard the flagship Bollette to learn more from Hotel Manager Karen Luppes.

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Behind the scenes of a Fred. Olsen cruise

Smash hit musical ANNIE is at Sunderland Empire from Monday 2nd - Saturday 7th October starring Craig Revel Horwood as ‘Miss Hannigan’ (until Friday - Jodie Prenger will assume the role while Craig does his Strictly judging on Saturday)and Smooth Breakfast's Steve Colman spoke to Craig backstage! 

Alongside him will be Alex Bourne as Oliver Warbucks, Paul French as Rooster, Amelia Adams as Grace Farrell, and Billie-Kay as Lily St. Regis. The title role of Annie is shared by Zoe Akinyosade, Harlie Barthram and Poppy Cunningham. They are joined by three teams of young performers who play the residents of Miss Hannigan’s orphanage.

Craig Revel Horwood is probably best known as a judge on all 20 series of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing. He returns to the part of Miss Hannigan having played the role to critical acclaim in this production in both the West End and on tour. His other West End Theatre credits include Munkustrap in Cats, Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and Harry in Crazy for You at the Prince Edward Theatre. Craig directed and choreographed Strictly Ballroom the Musical which is currently touring the UK and Ireland, and the 2016/17 tour of Sister Act the Musical, as well as the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour. He also choreographed the film Paddington 2.

Get more information from the official site here: https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire/

Craig Revel Horwood is back in the North East

Jennifer Ellison has joined The Official Take That Musical Greatest Days, with a book by award-winning playwright Tim Firth. The musical arrives at Sunderland Empire on 14 November 2023! 

The musical embarked on a major UK tour, coinciding with the summer 2023 release of the official movie version of this smash-hit musical, starring Aisling Bea and Jayde Adams.

Actress, singer, dancer and businesswoman Jennifer Ellison rose to prominence playing Emily Shadwick in the television soap opera Brookside and secured her place as a household name by playing Meg Giry in her international film debut, the 2004 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. Jennifer played Tracey in British horror movie The Cottage alongside other film and TV projects such as Lynda La Plante’s The Commander: Abduction, Liverpool Nativity for BBC Three, Hotel Babylon for BBC1, The Verdict, New Street Law, and The Brief. Jennifer’s other many TV appearances include the most recent series of SAS Who Dares Wins (Channel 4), Dancing On Ice (Semi-Finalist & National Tour), Hell's Kitchen (Winner), Celebrity challenge show - With a Little Help From My Friends (ITV), as judge on Dirty Dancing - Time of your Life (Living TV) and as a frequent guest on the ITV daytime show Loose Women. Jennifer also fronts the UK version of the hit US series Dance Moms for the Lifetime channel, which follows Jennifer at her very own dance school The Jennifer Ellison Fame Academy. 

Her other theatre credits include: Lina Lamond in Singin’ In The Rain (Palace Theatre), Paulette in Legally Blonde (UK Tour), Cora and Celia in Calendar Girls (UK Tour), Gloria in Boeing Boeing directed by Matthew Warchus (The Comedy Theatre) and Beth in The War Of The Worlds (UK Arena Tour). Pantomime includes Cinderella with Cilla Black and Les Dennis (Liverpool Empire), Wicked Queen in Snow White (Milton Keynes & Opera House, Blackpool) and Roxie Hart in Chicago (Adelphi Theatre, Cambridge Theatre, UK Tour & 10th Anniversary Gala).

Backstage of Greatest Days with Jennifer Ellison

Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing star, Catherine Tyldesley has made her musical theatre debut in the role of Blanche Barrow visiting Sunderland Empire this week.

Steve Colman went backstage with Catherine to find out more about this new production. Together they also looked back on Catherine's Strictly success, and discussed her future projects!

The UK & Ireland tour follows hot on the heels of two hell-raising hit seasons in London’s West End at the Arts Theatre and the Garrick Theatre. The eagerly awaited West End cast album was released in July and is available on all streaming platforms.

Bonnie & Clyde The Musical is the story of two small-town kids from the middle of nowhere who became the biggest folk heroes in all America. They craved adventure - and each other. Fearless, shameless, and alluring, this is the electrifying story of love, adventure and crime that captured the attention of an entire nation.

The production features music by Tony® nominee Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlett Pimpernell), lyrics by Tony® and Oscar® winner Don Black (Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love), a book by Emmy® Award nominee Ivan Menchell (Blended [movie], The Cemetery Club, Death Note The Musical).

Bonnie & Clyde hits Sunderland Empire’s stage from Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 March 2024. Tickets available from £13 at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland

Backstage Of Bonnie And Clyde With Catherine Tyldesley

Steve Colman took a trip behind the scenes of The Syndicate ahead of it's visit to Newcastle Theatre Royal from 11 May. He discovered that Kay Mellor's new stage play is a family affair, starring (and directed by) daughter Gaynor Faye and also featuring Gaynor's son Oliver Anthony!

The Syndicate is a new stage play by Kay Mellor that follows five supermarket employees whose lottery syndicate numbers come in, just as their jobs and livelihoods are under threat, starring Emmerdale’s Samantha Giles, Coronation Street’s Brooke Vincent and TV favourite Gaynor Faye!
Will a share of the jackpot make their future dreams come true, or their nightmares a reality? One thing’s for certain, the win of a lifetime will change the lives, loves and relationships of the syndicate members….. for ever.

Written by the iconic Kay Mellor and directed by Gaynor Faye, this moving comedy drama of love, joy, secrets and betrayal is based on the first TV series of The Syndicate and marks the world premiere of Kay Mellor’s final stage play, following on from the huge success of her other stage adaptations of Band of Gold and Fat Friends.  

The mother/daughter duo have collaborated on multiple writing and directing projects, with The Syndicate marking the directorial debut for Gaynor and honouring the extraordinary talents of her mother, one of Britain’s most successful writers and Kay’s unparalleled ability to make us laugh, cry and entertain us with her wonderful characters and stories.

Get more details and ticket information from the official site:https://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/whats-on/the-syndicate/

Backstage Of The Syndicate With Gaynor Faye And Oliver Anthony

Steve Colman took a trip backstage of An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical ahead of it's North East debut at Theatre Royal Newcastle. He was reunite with Hartlepool's Georgia Lennon - star of the show - who's excited for her return to the North East.
An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical invites you into a world where dreams and destinies intertwine! Set to a smash-hit soundtrack featuring the songs of Madonna, Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, Blondie, and many more, the power of music will carry you through the highs and lows of their extraordinary love story, including the award-winning (Love Lift Us) Up Where We Belong.
Get more details and tickets from the official site: officerandagentlemanthemusical.com/

Backstage Of An Officer And A Gentleman With Georgia Lennon

Your Relaxing Music Mix in the North East on 97.5FM &107.7FM. Join Steve Colman for #SmoothBreakfast Monday to Friday 6am-10am

Maisie Smith is Strictly Ballroom

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