TheatreRadio

Tim McArthur Interviews... Matt Rawle

Sunday 6th August
5pm BST
Repeated twice daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Matt Rawle, who is currently starring as Che in Michael Grandage's new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical, Evita.

As well as playing some fantastic music from the upcoming Evita 2006 London Cast Recording, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in!

Matt made his West End debut in Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, understudying and playing the role of Chris. Next, he played the title role in Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward Theatre. He has since become one of a small group of performers who have appeared in all three Boublil & Schonberg musicals, completing the trio with a run as Marius in the UK tour of Les Miserables in 1999.

After taking a break from theatre, Matt Rawle returned to the stage and once again took up the role of Marius in director Matthew Ryan's new version of the show in Copenhagen. Back on the UK stage, in 2004, he joined the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to play Sir Lancelot in Camelot and Flute in A Midsummer's Night Dream.

To book tickets for Evita, click here

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Tim McArthur Interviews... Rachel McDowall

Sunday 30th July
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Rachel McDowall, who is currently wowing audiences as Ulla in The Producers at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in!

Rachel took over the role of long-legged Ulla from Leigh Zimmerman, having understudied the part in the original cast. Her previous theatrical experience includes Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Aladdin and 50 Musical Years Of Stage And Screen. Joining Rachel in the current cast of The Producers are Cory English as Max Bialystock and Reece Shearsmith as Leo Bloom.

The smash hit Mel Brooks musical The Producers will close in London on 6th January 2007. It opened on 9th November 2004 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to unanimously stunning reviews, a record advance and sell-out business. Since opening in the West End, The Producers has won the Olivier, the Evening Standard and the Critics’ Circle Awards for ‘Best Musical’.

To book tickets for The Producers, click here

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Tim McArthur Interviews... Jon Lee

Sunday 23rd July
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Jon Lee, who has recently returned to the role of Marius in Les Miserables at the Queens Theatre. Jon is also an Ambassador of Kids Week 2006. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in!

Jon Lee began his journey to fame at the age of 12, playing the title role in Oliver! at London Palladium alongside Jonathan Pryce as Fagin.

Jon's other theatre credits include playing Julian in a national tour of The Famous Five, headlining a gala performance of Notes From New York at The Trafalgar studios and, most famously, playing the challenging role of Marius in Cameron Mackintosh's production of Les Miserables at The Palace Theatre, for which he won great critical acclaim. 2005 saw Jon take the leading role of Sam in new musical Love Shack with Faye Tozer and Noel Sullivan.

In 1999, Jon became a member of pop sensation S Club 7, where he enjoyed four years of hit singles, arena tours and awards including two Brit Awards and Record Of The Year. Jon gained a generation of loyal fans and sold over 13 million records.

To book tickets for Les Miserables, click here

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Tim McArthur Interviews... Suzanne Shaw

Sunday 16th July
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Suzanne Shaw, who is currently starring as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show at the Playhouse Theatre. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in!

Richard O’Brien’s legendary musical, The Rocky Horror Show, has returned to the West End for a limited season until 22nd July. Suzanne Shaw came to prominence as a member of the pop group Hear’Say, but has subsequently done a great deal of television work and was seen in the 2005 West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The Rocky Horror Show was recently voted the most popular entertainment in the history of the Royal Court Theatre, which was celebrated with a star-studded performance of the show at the Royal Court Theatre in aid of Amnesty, for which tickets were changing hands at astronomical figures.

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Tim McArthur Interviews... Maureen Lipman

Sunday 9th July
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Maureen Lipman, who is set to star in a tribute gala to Dan Crawford, the late artistic director of the Kings Head Theatre, at the Novello Theatre on Sunday 16th July.

For one night only a host of stars will come together at Londons Novello Theatre in celebration of Dan Crawfords life and work, whose maverick genius and unrelenting artistic passion earned him the distinction of being thought of by many as the father of the Capitals fringe theatre scene.

The Gala evening will showcase a dazzling array of musical tributes to this much-loved and respected Artistic Director whose loyalty, delightful eccentricity and revolutionary work ignited the careers of so many leading performers such as Anthony Sher, Victoria Wood, Steven Berkoff, Hugh Grant and Quentin Crisp.

The host of stars performing will include Don Black, Peter Bowles, Sharon D Clarke, Janie Dee, Anita Dobson, Louise Gold, Henry Goodman, Richard E Grant, Patricia Hodge, Bonnie Langford, Denis Lawson, Jon Lee, Ewan McGregor, Susie McKenna, Julia McKenzie, Linda Marlowe, Brian May, Robert Meadmore, Kim Medcalf, Sheridan Morley, Maz Murray, Paul O’Grady, Angela Richards, Wendy Toye, Sally Ann Triplett, Sam West and many more.

For more information, click here

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Tim McArthur Interviews... Blowing Whistles

Sunday 2nd July
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Matthew Todd, author of Blowing Whistles, a new play currently at the Sound Theatre, along with Neil Henry, one of its three stars. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in.

As a stand up comedian, Matthew runs and hosts the sometime comedy club False Titters which the Evening Standard called ‘one of the most exciting new nights in London’. A finalist of the Mardi Gras Comedy competition and the London Comedy Festival Big Big Big New Act competition, he has performed alongside Jimmy Carr, Gina Yashere, Tina C, Alan Carr and Al Murray, the Pub Landlord. He is Associate Editor of Attitude magazine, having been Deputy Editor from 1999 – 2004, where he has interviewed Ricky Gervais, Joan Rivers, Joe Mantello and Madonna, amongst many others. For the last two years Matthew has been a director of the Pride Arts festival which aims to give London a gay arts event that will offer a platform and opportunities to new gay writers, producers and performers.

On the eve of London’s Gay Pride day, and their anniversary, thirty something gay couple Nigel and Jamie log onto the internet and decide to celebrate. As with so many online purchases, once delivered the couple begin to question whether a night of casual sex is exactly what their relationship needs.

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Tim McArthur Interviews… Earl Carpenter & Rebecca Thornhill

Sunday 25th June
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by husband and wife duo, Earl Carpenter (The Phantom in Phantom of the Opera) and Rebecca Thornhill (Julie in Show Boat), both of whom are set to star in Summer Showstoppers from 23rd July. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in.

Earl Carpenter has played leading roles in an extensive number of West End musicals that include Darryl Van Horne in The Witches of Eastwick, Beast and Gaston in Beauty and The Beast and Courfeyrac in Les Miserables. Since February 2005 Earl has been starring as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster musical, The Phantom of the Opera, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, which will celebrate its landmark twentieth anniversary in the West End this September.

Rebecca Thornhill has a prolific number of credits to her name including cabarets, concerts and musical theatre. Amongst her leading roles in the West End she has played Lina Lamont in the Royal National Theatre’s production of Singing in the Rain (for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2002), Roxie Hart in Chicago with David Hasselhoff, Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime, Fantine in Les Miserables and Sukie Rougemont in The Witches of Eastwick.

Rebecca recently toured in a one-woman production, Showstopper, which paid tribute to the legendary dubbing singer Marni Nixon. Rebecca will be bringing this successful production to the Jermyn Theatre this August following her appearance as Julie in the blockbuster musical Show Boat at the Royal Albert Hall in June.

From Sunday 23rd July you can catch the very first online audio broadcast of the star-studded musical extravaganza, Summer Showstoppers, recorded live with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

This unique two-hour medley features some of the best loved musicals including Cats, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, Mary Poppins, Anything Goes, Saturday Night Fever, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Singin’ In The Rain, Starlight Express, Evita and We Will Rock You.

The talented line-up of principal artistes includes Earl Carpenter (The Phantom in Phantom of the Opera), Anita Louise Combe (Roxie in Chicago), Kerry Ellis (Elphaba in Wicked), Chris Holland (Gordon in Dirty Dancing), Ramin Karimloo (Chris in Miss Saigon) and Rebecca Thornhill (Julie in Show Boat).

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Tim McArthur Interviews... Jason Moore

Sunday 18th June
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Jason Moore, director of Avenue Q, the unholy comedic alliance of humans and puppets now playing at the Noel Coward Theatre. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in.

Jason’s Broadway credits incude: Avenue Q (Tony nomination, Best Director). Off-Broadway: Avenue Q, The Crumple Zone. Associate director: Les Misérables (Broadway, national tour), Ragtime (Vancouver). Writer: The Floatplane Notebooks (Charlotte Repertory Theatre). TV: episodes of "Dawson's Creek," "Everwood" and "One Tree Hill." Upcoming projects: A live-action movie musical of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame for ABC TV and Shrek: The Musical on Broadway in 2007.

Live may suck on Avenue Q, but for a bright-eyed college graduate called Princeton, this is his new neighbourhood. A tiny bank balance and a variety of weird and wonderful friends and neighbours lead Princeton on a hilarious journey of self-discovery. Performed by an unholy comedic alliance of humans and puppets(!), Avenue Q was the winner of the 2004 Tony Award® for Best New Musical, Best Book Of A Musical and Best Original Score.

Avenue Q is the result of a collaboration between Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. The pair began writing Avenue Q in 1999, thinking that their idea would make for a great TV series. Three years later it opened off-Broadway, and after extending 4 times at the Vineyard Theatre, it transferred to Broadway.

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Tim McArthur Interviews... Valerie Cutko

Sunday 11th June
5pm BST
Repeated daily at 2pm BST and 10pm BST

This week on TheatreRadio, Tim McArthur is joined by Valerie Cutko, who is set to star alongside Oliver Tompsett at the Theatre Museum on 29th June. As well as playing some fantastic music, Tim has a pair of tickets to give away, so make sure you tune in.

Completing the first season of Transatlantic Talent: Best of Both Worlds are two tall, titillating talents, who are both respected West End performers with repertoires extending far beyond the traditional musical theatre idiom.

Baltimore-born Valerie Cutko has featured on Broadway in Grand Hotel and in Nine and Fanny at the Papermill Playhouse. Her UK theatre credits include Silk Stockings at Sadler’s Wells, My Fair Lady at the National Theatre and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Beautiful and Damned, Phantom of the Opera and Camelot. She has performed her solo cabaret at London venues including Jermyn Street, the Pit Bar at the Old Vic, Too2Much, the Zetter and Lauderdale House. She appeared in the film of Phantom of the Opera and recently performed in the UK première of Michael John LaChiusa’s Lucky Nurse. 

24 year old newcomer Oliver Tompsett, who has previously performed the work of Michael John LaChiusa in the West End’s critically acclaimed Notes from New York series at the Trafalgar Studios, is currently appearing in The Royal Hunt of the Sun at the National Theatre, with previous credits including the role of Sky in Mamma Mia in the West End.

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