After wowing audiences at Sadler’s Wells and receiving an Olivier Award nomination last year for his first ever UK performances the undisputed master of tap makes a much-anticipated return. After making his Broadway debut at the tender age of 12 alongside Sammy Davis Jr Glover’s mastery of tap soon saw him shoot to fame. Over the years he has worked on a truly diverse range of projects from pop videos for P Diddy to a film with Spike Lee not to mention picking up a Tony Award along the way. Glover’s unique style delivers much more than you might expect from a tap dance performance. Watching him tap out a bass rhythm with one foot and then simultaneously overlay complex riffs with the other is an awe-inspiring display of skill. His new show Bare Soundz once again explores the idea of tap as a percussive instrument with the dazzling rhythms he hammers out melding seamlessly into the music of the live band. Exploring jazz Caribbean beats and a host of other contemporary musical genres this rare UK appearance also features regular collaborators Marshall Davis Jr and Maurice Chestnut. “Glover hears music through his feet and plays with it like an angel” THE GUARDIAN “An artistically fearless tap dancer. The guy is a genius” THE SEATTLE TIMES
Price: £43.00
One of the truly great musicals Rodger and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL broke the mould with its gritty and courageous look at relationships. The gripping story of Billy Bigelow’s romance with Julie Jordan his sudden downfall and ultimately his path to redemption is beautifully told in a musical that contains some of the most moving and celebrated songs of all time including: If I Loved You June Is Bustin’ Out All Over and You’ll Never Walk Alone. This brand new productions stars Lesley Garrett Britain’s most popular soprano as Nettie with Jeremiah James best known as a member of theatrical ‘supergroup’ Teatro as Billy Bigelow and Alexandra Silber as Julie Jordan. This timeless and powerful musical is directed by award winning Lindsay Posner with stunning choreography by the world renowned Adam Cooper. It has a cast of 33 and an orchestra of 17.
‘You are in no man’s land. Which never moves which never changes which never grows older but which remains forever icy and silent’ From the pen of one of our greatest living playwrights comes Nobel Prize laureate Harold Pinter’s superb tragicomic gem about two aging writers Hirst and Spooner. After meeting on Hampstead Heath they return home for a late-night session of witty banter sinister power games and the worship of alcohol watched over by Hirst’s henchmen Briggs and Foster. Starring Michael Gambon David Bradley David Walliams in his West End debut and Nick Dunning this unique and haunting play directed by Rupert Goold is part mystery drama part homage to the ghosts of the past and the fiction of memory.
The Mariinsky Opera and Ballet toured the world for many years under the name of the Kirov. Now Sadler’s Wells is delighted to host this world famous company for the first time in the theatre’s history. Opera To mark the centenary this year of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) Artistic Director Valery Gergiev presents The Mariinsky (Kirov) Opera’s exquisite production of Rimsky’s fairytale opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan. The Tale of Tsar Saltan based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin was composed in 1900 as a centenary tribute to Russia’s great poet. It was the first opera to be performed in Moscow in the 20th Century and appropriately enough Sadler’s Wells presented its UK premiere in 1933. This production was created in 2005 using opulent costumes and lavish sets based on the original fairytale sketches of Ivan Bilibin designed for the Russian premiere. The opera featuring many of the company’s most outstanding young artists includes characters such as the Swan Princess and the evil sorcerer Chernomor plus the famous orchestral highlight Flight of the Bumblebee. This visit of the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet is presented in association with The Mariinsky Theatre Trust (UK).
“I didn’t take Raymond. I took half the money” When 16 year old Charlie Babbit borrows his dads car he calls the cops. Determined to make it on his own Charlie leaves. When his dad dies Charlie gets the car and some rose bushes but not the money. Hot on the trail of the cash Charlie discovers an unknown autistic brother Raymond with an extraordinary talent for numbers. Intent on saving his business Charlie takes Raymond on a rollercoaster journey involving Las Vegas gambling learning to dance kissing. Raymond discovers a world beyond the hospital gates and Charlie the meaning of unconditional love. Based on Barry Morrow’s original Oscar winning screenplay and re-imagined for the stage by Dan Gordon and director Terry Johnson the play examines the nature of love understanding and connection. Leading the cast in this funny heart-warming and touching contemporary story is Hollywood movie actor JOSH HARTNETT in his West End debut as Charlie and Olivier nominated actor ADAM GODLEY as Raymond. RAIN MAN – Exclusive behind the scenes footage
After an absence of four years Nuevo Ballet Espanol make a welcome return to the Peacock Theatre with their brand new production Sangre Flamenca. Nuevo Ballet Espanol and its artistic directors Rojas and Rodriguez have garnered praise throughout the world for their unique mix of contemporary dance and traditional flamenco. For this UK premiere the entire company of 11 dancers – five women and six men – performs a series of heart-racing bulerias tangos zapateado Jaleos and martinets in a virtuosic display of traditional flamenco and a distinctly 21st century edge. Music is played live by the 8-piece flamenco band Mahera who perform with the renowned ‘cantaora’ (singer) Maria del Mar Fernandez
In the heart of London just steps from famed Trafalgar Square is Benjamin Franklin House the world’s only remaining Franklin home. For nearly sixteen years between 1757 and 1775 Dr Benjamin Franklin – scientist diplomat philosopher inventor Founding Father of the United States and more – lived behind its doors. Benjamin Franklin House built circa 1730 is now open to the public as a dynamic museum and educational facility. The Historical Experience presents the excitement and uncertainty of Franklin’s London years using rooms where so much took place as staging for a drama which seamlessly integrates live performance cutting edge lighting sound and projection technology. School visitors explore the Student Science Centre featuring hands-on experimentation with Franklin’s London scientific discoveries juxtaposing past and present knowledge. The top floor Robert H. Smith Scholarship Centre is a focal point in Europe for Franklin and Franklin-related study featuring a full set of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin as catalogued by Yale University and an active symposia programme. While lodging at 36 Craven Street Franklin’s main occupation was mediating unrest between Britain and America but he also served as Deputy Postmaster for the Colonies; pursued his love of science (exploring bifocal spectacles the energy-saving Franklin stove); explored health (innoculation air baths cures for the common cold); music (inventing the delightful glass armonica for which Mozart Bach and Beethoven composed) and letters (articles epitaphs and his witty Craven Street Gazette) all while forging a hearty social life and close friendships with leading figures of the day.
Her Majesty The Queen opened the world’s first major museum dedicated to the life of Sir Winston Churchill on 10 February 2005. The Churchill Museum is an integral part of the historic Cabinet War Rooms located beneath the Treasury building in Whitehall where visitors from all over the world and from all age groups can explore the character and experiences of the man behind the legend. The museum examines how Churchill achieved his global iconic status and looks at the changing world in which he lived his long and extraordinary life. The museum combines cutting-edge technology rare and significant historical objects and thousands of images film and sound recordings to tell the story of Churchill’s ninety-year life. Visitors follow the successes and controversies the highs and lows and the joys and sorrows of this pre-eminent and multi-talented writer soldier and politician. The Churchill Museum is housed within the Cabinet War Rooms the very rooms from which Churchill directed Britain’s war effort in the nation’s darkest days. Take a step back in time first viewing the Cabinet Room and the Transatlantic Telephone Room which are left as they were when last used in 1945.
An inspirational story by Glenn Berenbeim following the lives of ordinary people trapped in the Warsaw Ghetto; IMAGINE THIS is a personal journey through one of the most devastating periods in world history. But this is a story of hope; where laugher rises above the tears; where freedom is found through imagination; where love knows no boundaries. With a soaring and lyrical score by Shuki Levy and David Goldsmith transporting you to the heart of this uplifting story IMAGINE THIS is exhilarating and passionate funny and optimistic. Poland 1942 and a group of actors in the Warsaw Ghetto stage plays to inspire hope and optimism within their community. However with rumours of a Final Solution in the air their play merges with the reality they are trying to escape and a dramatic love story unfolds.
The smash-hit musical GREASE has a brand new cast featuring special guest star RAY QUINN from ITV’s The X-Factor. Ray appeared on our screens in a head-to-head race with Leona Lewis to become X-Factor champion and now joins DANNY BAYNE (winner of ITV’s Grease Is The Word) as Danny and NICOLA BRAZIL (Wicked) as Sandy. GREASE features all the unforgettable hit songs from the movie including You’re The One That I Want Grease Is The Word Summer Nights Hopelessly Devoted To You Sandy and Greased Lightnin’. Don’t miss GREASE – IT’S ELECTRIFYIN’