Tommy Steele will be introducing Magical Moments of the Musicals at the British Film Institute Southbank London (NFT 1) on Sunday 1st December at 4pm.
Booking opens to the general public on 12th November.
For more information click on:
The British Film Institute Southbank, London celebrates the panto season with screenings of some panto productions from the TV archives this December.
Aladdin And His Wonderful Lamp, first shown on the BBC in 1966 with Arthur Askey, Roy Castle, Charlie Cairoli, Alan Curtis and Mary Millar heading the cast will be screened on Sunday 1st Dec at 2.50pm in NFT3
Cinderella: The Shoe Must Go On, first shown on ITV in 1986 with Danny La Rue, Roy Kinnear, Brian Conley and our own Roy Hudd will be screened on Friday 20th December at 6.20pm in NFT3 This will be joined by Spitting Image: The Panto, from 1993.
Jack And The Beanstalk, first shown on ITV in 1998 with Paul Merton, Julian Clary, Julie Walters and Neil Morrisey, plus The Panto Set – a documentary from 2003 – will be screened on Sunday 22nd December at 3.20pm.
The Crackerjack Pantomime: Robinson Crusoe, first shown on BBC in 1975 with Don Maclean, Peter Glaze, Ed Stewart and Jan Hunt, plus The Goodies: Snow White 2, from 1981, will be screened on Saturday 28th December at 3.30pm.
Tickets go on sale on 12th November. For more information click on the link below:]
https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/
The Collen Players Christmas Music Hall will take place at St Collen’s Church Hall, Llangollen on 29th November at 6.30pm. Tickets are £15 and include a festive supper. To book, call 01978 861768.
Before radio, before television, before movies, there was Music Hall. This was the People’s Entertainment in the golden decade before the Great War.
The Fun Factory is a historical comedy about the history of comedy, in which our hero Arthur Dandoe enters the world of music hall and The Fred Karno Company.
Along the way Arthur encounters intense rivalry (Charlie Chaplin), passionate romance (Tilly Beckett) and great friendship (Stan Laurel),
“Richly enjoyable… packed with intriguing details about a vanished world of entertainment” THE GUARDIAN
Transferring fresh from its acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Paradise Lodge is the musical comedy based on writer Steve Cooper’s experience of caring for his mother-in-law as she lived with dementia. This show is a relatable and compassionate piece that creates an immediate connection with anyone who has had experience with dementia.
Eric and Kylie, a dysfunctional ukulele musical duo called The Doodlebugs, embark on their first gig together at the Paradise Lodge Care Home. Told in a series of touching flashbacks and some comic songs from the wartime era, Paradise Lodge transports Vi, Ronnie and the audience back to a time when they had all their lives in front of them – to when they thought they would live forever.
Trying to make sense of dementia and its impact on those affected, Paradise Lodge explores the nature of identity, reality and loss, with a bit of Beyoncé’s Single Ladies thrown in for good measure. A hilarious, heart-wrenching production, it will have audiences laughing, crying and singing their hearts out.
The show is playing from 22nd -24th October at 7.30pm at the Chiswick Playhouse (formerly the Tabard Theatre), 2 Bath Road, London, W4 1LW.
For more information go to:
Renee Zellweger as Judy in the film of the same name
Rosalyn Wilder with Jessie Buckley who plays Rosalyn in the new film Judy
Judy Garland: The Final Rainbow is the title of Archive On 4’s programme tomorrow evening on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm. which will feature BMHS member Rosalyn Wilder who wrote two excellent articles on Robert Nesbitt and the Talk Of The Town for the Society’s magazine The Call Boy
Renée Zellweger introduces a programme exploring Judy Garland’s last concerts at London’s the Talk of The Town in 1969 – the subject of a new feature film.
Weaving together newly restored archive recordings and eye-witness accounts, we separate the woman from the myth, examine her exceptional talent, exploitation and troubled relationship with Hollywood.
Judy Garland was one of the 20th century’s greatest entertainers. A living legend. But in late December 1968, embattled and in poor health, she arrived in London for a five week run at the Talk of The Town in Leicester Square, for £2,500 a week. London was her place of sanctuary, she had performed spectacular comeback concerts in the city in 1951, 1957, 1960 and 1964.
When Renée Zellweger was preparing to play Judy in a new biopic, directed by Rupert Goold, little-heard archive concert recordings and first hand accounts were key to understanding the singer’s state of mind during those final performances. Judy Garland died of an accidental overdose in her Chelsea home six months later, aged 47.
Rosalyn Wilder was the young production assistant tasked with getting Judy on stage each night at the Talk of The Town. Looking back now, Rosalyn describes the stress of that responsibility, but she is also deeply sympathetic – it was clear Judy’s personal life had spiralled out of control. Michael Hirst, the venue’s general manager, also remembers Garland’s 5 week engagement for its unpredictability.
For jazz pianist Dave Lee, now 93, his experiences working with Judy couldn’t be more different. Starting in 1960, he worked with her over a six year period. The Judy Garland he encountered was bouncy, happy and fun – but with an incredible talent for picking the wrong men.
We also hear from Judy director Rupert Goold, New York composer Johnny Meyer who gave Garland shelter in the summer of 1968, film critic David Benedict, and audio engineer John Haley who has restored many rare Judy Garland recordings.
The George Edwardes Musical Comedy Society is presenting Miss Hook Of Holland at Westminster Reference Library on Wednesday 23rd October at 2.00pm