The description for ‘Bangers’ on the Arcola Theatre’s website describes the show as a  ‘5* Edinburgh smash hit’ and promises an ‘exhilarating night of original music, lyrical storytelling, and pure UK garage vibes’. It poses the question ‘How do the bangers we grew up listening to shape who we are today?’.

The show was written by Danusia Samal and directed by Chris Sonnex. ‘Bangers’ features original tracks that take inspiration from the music that defined the early 2000s as well as today’s R&B and Garage scene that has gripped so much of the UK. Samal’s writing is ‘constructed in the style of an album – and you can’t help but want to sway along to the songs’ writes the Guardian in a review of the musical from 2020. The show ‘follows the highs and lows of two strangers struggling with their own pasts, while hurtling towards the future’. It is set in urban London and tells a story of ‘love, sex, and the power of music’.

It boasts a truly recognisable cast which includes Tanya-Loretta Dee who has appeared in shows like Eastenders, Peaky Blinders and Doctors. She will be joined by returning cast members and writer of the show Danusia Samal who can be seen in The Serial Killer’s Wife and Jim Caesar who appeared in Netflix’s drama mini-series, Baby Reindeer as well as one of the UK’s most loves murder mystery series, Death in Paradise and also The Witcher.

Originally commissioned by London’s Soho Theatre, the team are partnering up with Arcola, Cardboard Citizens, and Cardboard Collective to create a ‘community-driven wrap-around activity’ in which events will be set up to support and encourage emerging artists and young creatives who’ve a passion for theatre and music. The community programme will also provide aid and a safe space for those struggling with themes that are touched on in the show ‘such as housing insecurity, homelessness, and the challenges of growing up in urban areas’ as mixmag writes

‘Bangers’ vows to provide an unforgettable night of exhilarating music and anyone who is a fan of the electronic scene should definitely give it a watch. ‘Bangers’ bodes a striking experience for audiences with a number of five star reviews including the Guardian deeming it ‘galvanising and effortless, this is a must-see for music heads and non-music heads alike’. The ‘DJ’ or narrator of the performance is said to interact with the audience, creating an immersive affair as if you were at the nightclub yourself.

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Each show lasts for 70 minutes and will kick off at the theatre on the 17th of July, continuing for three weeks until the 10th of August. Tickets are selling from £12 and can be purchased from the link here along more details on the show.

Within the newspaper interview Chambers stated, “I’m working on another musical with Rob, as we did ‘The Boy in the Dress’ which was on in Stratford. It’ll take about two years to come out though, as things take a long time, as you need to get the team together.” Chambers did not further discuss the project but simply described the new project as a “departure” from Williams’ usual and previous styles.

Williams and Chambers are long-standing musical partners who have worked together on various projects and tracks. Their collaborative work consists of a long list that stretches through many years. Chambers, acclaimed songwriter and Williams, ex Take That boyband member have co-written many of Williams’ songs. The duo’s discography includes such hits as “Rock DJ”, “Let Me Entertain You”, “Feel” and triple-platinum single “Angels”.

Chambers has worked with Williams throughout his solo career which has spanned over twelve solo albums. Chambers lent his craft as songwriter and producer to Williams’ debut solo album Life Thru a Lens and teamed up with the singer on Williams’ most recent release. The singer’s twelve studio album The Christmas Present was released on 22nd November 2019 and featured a new track written by the duo entitled “Best Christmas Ever”.

The creative partners have also worked together in live shows; Chambers joined the singer on stage at the O2 Arena during William’s 2012 tour. The pair embarked on a tour together again in 2013, the artists travelled through Europe, Asia and Australia during the Swings Both Ways tour. Chambers joined Williams on tour again in 2015 during the Let Me Entertain You tour. The tour marked Williams’ eleventh concert tour and took both artists around the world. The artists also took their talent to the festival circuit during the Summer of 2016 before embarking on The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour which began in 2017.

In 2018 Williams and Chambers announced that they had written music and lyrics for an upcoming musical, Chambers refers to the musical in the interview. ‘The Boy In The Dress’ was adapted from the children’s book with the same title by David Walliams and was produced and written for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The production was both a critical and commercial success and ran for a season of 18 weeks. Following Chamber’s recent interview, fans of music and theatre alike are all marking down the days until the upcoming project’s premiere.

Believe again in 2022: The Cher Show is coming to the UK and Ireland

Get ready to Turn Back Time and celebrate the icon herself in this fiercely fabulous new musical! So #CherTheLove and follow along for more tour venues soon: https://t.co/Q8W6ByUEHh pic.twitter.com/rQvpZPQvPY

— The Cher Show (@TheCherShowUK) May 21, 2021

According to Leicestershire Live, the musical will follow the life story of Cher from “her rise from a young child with big dreams to the dizzying heights of global stardom, and documents her relationships with her mother, singer Sonny Bono, and fashion designer and costumier Bob Mackie.” And it will do so with her hits as the soundtrack, featuring songs like “Turn Back Time”, “I Got You Babe”, “Strong Enough”, “The Shoop Shoop Song” and “Believe”. Fans should be thrilled with this production, as several of Cher’s biggest fans are working on the show themselves. Phillips said of getting to work on the project:

“I have been a fan of Cher since I first heard ‘I Got You Babe’ in the mid-60s and cannot wait to direct her musical. I love stories about strong inspirational legends like Cher and I am proud to be joined in the creative team by two women who have already made a huge impact in their careers. This exciting show will be a non-stop journey of Cher’s rollercoaster life, bringing to the audience Cher’s iconic songs, glorious dance numbers, unique costumes and her epic drama. All they need to do is come along and Believe.”

For Mabuse, a similar sentiment is expressed about getting to work on a show about such a living legend, saying, “My mum is a big Cher fan and I just remember us playing songs, like Strong Enough, and feeling so empowered as little girls and being in wonder of her outfits and her looks and the confidence that she had. To be asked to actually choreograph her musical, it’s such an honour…I’m going to try and make it as Cher as possible.”

The show will begin on 15 April 2022 and will continue until 1 April 2023. It will be making stops in the following cities: Sunderland, Hull, Sheffield, Manchester, Belfast, Blackpool, Nottingham, Canterbury, Plymouth, Dublin, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Southend, Cardiff, Stoke, Woking, Dartford, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Wolverhampton, Bradford, Brighton, York, Ipswich, Southampton, Northampton, Liverpool, Bristol, Wimbledon, Darlington, Torquay, Oxford, Llandudno, Norwich and Carlisle. Tickets for the opening show went on sale at midday today, and some of the other shows have tickets available now as well. You can get more information and make purchases here.

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The revival of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will commence on 1^st July 2021 and will run until 5^th September 2021. Burke will be playing the role of the narrator and alongside her west-end veteran co-stars will be bringing a magical 10 week run to the London Palladium.

The singer’s co-stars include Jason Donovan, Australian actor and soap-star icon who will be reprising his role of Pharaoh and Jac Yarrow, who will also be reprising his role as Joseph. Both Donovan and Yarrow started as their characters in a past production from 2019. During the 2019 run of the show, Burke’s role of the narrator was played by West-End queen, Sheridan Smith, who has also starred in multiple West-End musicals including ‘Legally Blonde‘ and ‘Funny Girl‘.

The musical, which was originally performed in the early 1970s, has had multiple revivals due to the immense popularity of the production. Revivals of the musical have included the 1982 Broadway production and has enjoyed numerous runs on the West End. As well as his 2019 performance as Pharaoh, Donovan has also played the role of Joseph during the early nineties. Alexandra Burke is also no stranger to treading the boards, the ‘Bad Boys’ singer made her West End debut on 2^nd June 2014 in ‘The Bodyguard’ as the leading role, Rachel Marron, the role made famous by Whitney Houston from the famed film with the same title. Burke has also started in multiple musicals including ‘Sister Act The Musical’ and in 2018 she guest starred as Roxie Hart in a eight week run of ‘Chicago’.

Burke, whose vocal styles have been compared to Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera, rose to fame through her X-Factor win during the fifth series in 2008. The 32-year-old singer won the talent show with her winner’s single, ‘Hallelujah’, which became the UK Christmas number one of 2008. Her debut album ‘Overcome’, was released 19^th October 2009 and gave Burke four number one singles and three Brit award nominations. Burke is also set to return to the stage with another production, she was set to star in the stage adaptation of ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding The Musical’, but due to COVID the production has been postponed until later this year.

The new revival of the popular musical, ‘Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ is sure to bring the celebrated production to a brand-new audience as well as ignite interest in any musical theatre fan. And with such a star-studded cast alongside Burke, tickets are sure to sell out fast.

Click here to purchase tickets.

.@Sia announces 14-track ‘Music’ album, drops heart-swelling trailer https://t.co/Riqn7zyQ09

— billboard (@billboard) November 19, 2020

Hannah Marshall, who is an autistic woman from North Carolina,  launched the online petition last Friday following the films premier. She said to NME, “As an autistic individual, I am asking that this film is cancelled. It is extremely offensive to myself and other autistic individuals. Sia has shown no remorse for her inaccurate and hurtful betrayal of the community. This film will not have a major impact on history. Cancelling it will express that intolerance to neurodivergence is unacceptable in today’s society. Sia and her associates have additional avenues for funds; they will survive even if no money is made from this film.”

Other supporters shared their views on the petition, which received over 500 signings as of Tuesday afternoon. One of the supporters signing the petition on change.org said, “Beyond disappointed that Sia felt empowered to perpetuate outdated and false ideas of how people with autism behave/see the world. I wish she would have used her platform to amplify the voices of people with autism instead of making an entire movie based on her “own unique view of the community.”

A number of people In response to the criticism on social media, NME reported Sia to have said that the actress she worked worked with on the film was a “beautiful young girl non-verbal on the spectrum” and said she  “found [the project] unpleasant and stressful.”  She added that, “The movie is both a love letter to caregivers and to the autism community. I have my own unique view of the community, and felt it is underrepresented and compelled to make it. If that makes me a shit I’m a shit, but my intentions are awesome.”

The rights to It’s A Wonderful Life were gained by Bill Kenwright, a British theatre producer with credits that include Blood Brothers and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It has been three years since McCartney was approached by Kenwright about the idea for a musical.

“Like many of these things this all started with an email,” said Paul. “Writing a musical is not something that had ever really appealed to me but Bill and I met up with Lee Hall and had a chat and I found myself thinking this could be interesting and fun.”

In receiving ideas from Paul for the musical, Bill said that the demos he received, “exceeded expectations”.

The film, voted as Britain’s favourite Christmas film in polls by Odeon Cinemas and Radio Times, was described by the former Beatles singer as being, “a universal story we can all relate to”.

Lee Hall has acclaimed It’s A Wonderful Life as his favourite film, saying, “It has absolutely everything: comedy, pathos and a rare humanity which has touched generation after generation. Yet it just couldn’t be more relevant. To give it a life on the stage is an immense privilege, but to do it with Paul McCartney is off the scale. Paul’s wit, emotional honesty and melodic brilliance brings a whole new depth and breadth to the classic tale. I feel as if an angel must be looking after me.”

Meanwhile, Paul McCartney reunited with the last of his Beatles bandmates, Ringo Starr, at the Dodger Stadium in LA for the last night of his US tour on July 13, performing well known hits ‘Helter Skelter’ and ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.