The Ambassador Theatre Group

Autumn/Winter 2009

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S P E C I A L I S S U E

SO MUCH FUN ITSHOULDN’T BE LEGAL

Sheridan SmithDuncan JamesJohn SimmMatt LucasJane AsherJoanna Pageand more...

The Ambassador Theatre Group

best

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John SimmSo cute... and a detective

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Speaking in Tongues at

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Theatre this Autumn.

Box Office:

0844 871 7623

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The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd.

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Jessamy Hadley EditorPat Westwell, Mark Shenton, Benedict Nightingale, Al Senter, Robin Stringer, Vicky Brown, Barry Grant, Dan Hadley,Mark Bouman, Neena Dhillon, David Bradbury ContributorsShaun Webb Design Design and Art Direction John Good Print

The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd 39 - 41 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H OAR

Legally Blonde Broadway’s hit musical comedy

comes to London - from 5 Dec at

the Savoy Theatre. I can’t wait.

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OMIGOD You Guys - It’s Elle! 1The ultimate feel-good musical!

The Master At Work 3John Simm centre stage -

just where we want him

Oh Yes It Is! 5Jane Asher, Joanna Page, Claire

Sweeney- seduced by panto

Great Briton 7Little Britain’s Matt Lucas

tackles a tragic tale

The Car’s The Star 9Top gear as Chitty Chitty

Bang Bang goes on tour

What’s On In London 11

Competition 12Win a Legally Blonde-style party!

Basque In Glory 13Fish out your fishnets for the

Rocky Horror Show

Starry Nights 14Fabulous party people

Bags of Style 15The brief - have fun with

stylish accessories

Blonde Highlights 17Personal shopping, pampered

pets, a bit of bling... let Legally

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I shall go to the ball! See AmbassadorTickets.com

for the very best in panto

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28-year-old Sheridan Smith is

already a West End veteran,

having made her debut there

aged just 16 when she starred

in the National Youth Music

Theatre’s production of Bugsy

Malone. ‘It was lucky that my

agent saw me in that,’ she notes

now, ‘as I don’t think I would

have been able to afford to go

to drama school! I blagged my

way into the business, and I’m

still blagging it!’ she jokes.

Actually, she’s being modest:

by the time she did Bugsy

Malone, she’d already earned her

stage dues, having appeared in

the title role of the musical

Annie no less than three times.

Though she may have missed

out on a formal training,

performing was in her blood

from an early age: ‘It’s all I ever

wanted to do!

I danced

from the

age of four

to 16, and

did

competitions.

I loved it, and I

always wanted

to be onstage.’

She also spent

three summers

with the National

Youth Music

Theatre: ‘I learnt a lot from

them. And what I’ve done ever

since is to take a little bit from

each job I do.’

She’s just filmed a Jonathan

Creek special with Alan Davies

that will be shown next Easter,

and uses it to prove the point:

‘He’s got detective acting down

to a tee - he’s a master at it. I can

see the cogs turning in his head.

So I’ve been watching how he

does it, and I’m always learning.’

A mega hit.’Wall Street Journal

She’s managed to learn from

some of the best, notching up an

impressive array of credits along

the way. She’s appeared on TV

in The Royle Family with Caroline

Aherne, and starred in such

acclaimed series as Two Pints

of Lager and a Packet of Crisps,

Grown Ups, Eyes Down (with

Paul O’Grady), Gavin and Stacey

and Benidorm - a new series of

the latter is now airing. ‘I play

a Scouse slapper in that, and

a Cockney chav in Gavin and

Stacey, so it’s been quite a

year,’ she quips.

And it is now crowned by the

leading role in another major

West End musical. Three years

ago she headlined as Audrey in

OMIGODYouGuys- It’s Elle!Sheridan Smith and Duncan James star in the award-winning Broadway sensation

Interview

A word fromDuncan James:Hi everyone - I’m really excited to be playing

Warner in Legally Blonde - it’s going to be fantastic!

From the minute the curtain comes up, you are

being entertained. There’s singing, dancing (and

dogs!) and I think that everybody is going to leave

the theatre with a huge, huge smile on their face.

Not a lot of Blue - but there’ll definitely be some

pink - see you there!

Savoy Theatre

Legally Blonde The MusicalFrom 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7687Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com

Interview by Mark Shenton

the Menier Chocolate Factory’s

production of Little Shop of

Horrors and admits that she was

daunted by the prospect: ‘When

I first came to London and

realised how amazing everyone

in the West End is, I didn’t think

I would be getting to play

leading ladies like this!’

The role of Elle Woods in

Legally Blonde is one she actively

chased.’ ‘When I heard it was

coming over from Broadway, I

got my agent to ring up and find

out when they were auditioning!

I then got the original cast

recording and listened to it every

day. My recall was in front of

about 15 people, including the

composer and writers, and I was

the most nervous I’ve ever been

in an audition. My legs were

literally shaking! But it went all

right, and they called me later

that day and said I had the part -

and I screamed for the next hour!’

She adds, ‘I loved the film, but

this is even better - it’s more pink

and camp and fabulous as a

musical!’ She’s had to put herself

in serious training for the role -

she’s taken singing lessons and

has hired a personal trainer, too.

‘You have to be fit, and I have

a very healthy appetite and I

love chocolate and crisps, but at

least I’ll be working it off! I hope

I can carry on eating burgers!’

Unlike her character Elle, who

heads to Harvard to study law,

Sheridan says about herself,

‘Elle’s much more intelligent

than me. Everyone sees her as a

dumb blonde but actually she’s

pretty bright.’

‘A non-stop sugarrush of a show.’New York Times

Sheridan identifies with Elle,

whom she calls ‘so adorable, so

positive and so loyal: she loves

her friends and family, and I

hope I’m similar in a way. I love

going home to Epworth, outside

Doncaster - I’m really a country

bumpkin. But Elle is very pink

and girly, whereas I’m a bit more

of a tomboy.’ And Legally Blonde

couldn’t be a better showcase for

her: ‘There’s so much comedy

and pathos and dancing and

singing and live dogs too - plus

I get to kiss Duncan James every

night. It couldn’t get any better!’

UP CLOSEMeet Duncan James at our

after-show Q&A: Sunday 17

and Sunday 24 Jan 2010 only!

Supported by

Interview

3

John Simm is known to the world

as the time-travelling detective

in Life on Mars, one of David

Tennant’s more formidable foes

in Dr Who and other characters

that demonstrate the strength

of British television. But I last

recall seeing him in 2007 at the

Trafalgar Studios as a nerdy loner

and agoraphobic called Elling.

Looking and sounding like a

blend of a white mouse and

the late Kenneth Williams, he

half-padded, half-scuttled out of

the wardrobe in which he’d slept

the night to present a portrait

of prissy disdain so meticulous it

extended to his voice, his uptight

carriage, even a twitching of

the mouth.

Elling marked Simm’s return

to the theatre after an absence

of 11 years and brought him

a deserved Olivier nomination.

And now here he is at the Duke

of York’s in a play that gives him

no less than two chances to

prove again that he’s as much

at home onstage as onscreen.

Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in

Tongues, in which Simm is both

Leon, a detective anguishing

over a sexual lapse that imperils

his marriage, and Nick, an

ordinary bloke wrongly

suspected of murder.

When we met between

rehearsals Simm looked his usual

dapper self but was, he

apologetically said, having bouts

of insomnia that explained why

his head felt like scrambled eggs.

But maybe that wasn’t surprising,

since he thought that a guilt-

ridden Leon would be having

sleepless nights. Usually Simm

can, as he said, ‘go home and

leave the role at the door’, but

The Master At WorkJohn Simm on the highly charged thriller Speaking In Tongues

Interview by

Benedict Nightingale

Photography by

Johan Persson and

Mark Campbell

that’s when he has spent the day

doing short takes in front of the

camera. One of the reasons he’s

returned to the theatre is that,

instead of learning and then

forgetting his lines, he could

explore character in depth,

carry an entire role in his head -

and become the troubled Leon

as fully as he became the

oddball Elling.

But the main reason is the

challenge of a tricky but

fascinating play. Bovell asks his

actors to double their roles,

plays tricks with time, and uses

overlapping dialogue that’s

tough to learn and demands

musical precision to deliver. At

one point, Simm’s onstage Nick

even has to be interviewed by

Simm’s offstage Leon. ‘I was

beginning to find film work too

easy. The muscle I used to keep

lines in my head was getting far

too relaxed. I needed a kick up

the arse and to get back to work,

work, work. I needed to feel

those awful nerves you get on

first nights, when you say, what

on earth am I doing to myself?

But that’s exhilarating and makes

you feel alive.’

That’s a sign of the creative

restlessness that led Simm to

annoy the BBC by turning down

a third series of the hugely

successful Life on Mars and to

tell me now that, at 39, he’s

not ready to retreat to the

comfort zone of playing, say, a

nice detective in Jersey for year

after year. Mark you, he found

playing Elling eight times a

week exhausting, especially

on matinee days. ‘I’d never done

such a long run and there were

times when I felt, I can’t do this

any more. But other actors have

told me that’s normal: you’re

terrified at first, then it’s really

enjoyable for quite a while, then

you feel you’ve hit a brick wall,

then you know it’s the home

run and you enjoy it again.’

For reasons he can’t

understand, though maybe

because he lives what he calls

‘quite a boring life’, preferring

the company of his wife and

young children to celebrity

antics, Simm has a reputation

for disliking interviews. Well, I

have to say he’s one of the least

defensive people I’ve met. He’s

also as unpretentious as he surely

was when, the son of a musician,

he came down from Darwin,

Lancashire, to join students he

found dauntingly sophisticated

and intellectual at London’s

Drama Centre. He willingly

admits he’s self-educated, a big

reader of the classics, and thinks

one of the joys of the job is the

research that comes with it:

devouring Dostoevsky when he

played Raskolnikov in Crime

and Punishment on TV, learning

everything about Van Gogh

when he took that part.

His next project could be a

film adaptation of a major novel,

one whose identity he can’t yet

reveal but potentially as fulfilling

as Edward Sexby, the 17th-

century puritan he played in

The Devil’s Whore. After that,

who knows? Hollywood is well

aware of him, though the

investigative reporter he played

in State of Play on the small

screen ended up going to Russell

Crowe on the big one. But he’d

love to have a go at Hamlet,

‘before it’s too late’, and other

classic roles. And why not? The

living theatre may unsettle him -

‘I’m terrified of this play, I’m

terrified of being back onstage’ -

but it’s where many of us want

him to be.

Duke of York’s Theatre

Speaking in TonguesBy Andrew BovellStarring John Simm, Ian Hart,Lucy Cohu and Kerry FoxBox Office 0844 871 7623Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com 4

‘ I needed to feel those awful nerves you get on first nights, when you say, whaton earth am I doing to myself? But that’s exhilarating and makes you feel alive.’

Top image: Elling

Bottom image: Life on Mars

5

Feature by

Mark Shenton 6

Theatre Royal, Brighton

Peter Pan4 Dec 2009 -3 Jan 2010

Box Office 08448 717 650

New Victoria Theatre, Woking

CinderellaStarring Joanna Page,

Michael Aspel and Jon Lee

Further major star casting tba

4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010

Box Office 0844 871 7645

Milton Keynes Theatre

CinderellaStarring Bobby Davro, Anthea

Turner and Louise Dearman

4 Dec 2009 -17 Jan 2010

Box Office 0844 871 7652

Churchill Theatre, Bromley

Sleeping BeautyStarring Claire Sweeney

4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010

Box Office 0844 871 7620

New Wimbledon Theatre

AladdinStar cast to be announced!

4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010

Box Office 0844 871 7646

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent

Dick WhittingtonStarring Jonathan Wilkes,

Sheila Ferguson and Christian

Patterson

10 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010

Box Office 0844 871 7649

Kings Theatre, Glasgow

AladdinStarring Gerard Kelly, Karen

Dunbar, Keith Jack and

Gavin Mitchell

4 Dec 2009 -17 Jan 2010

Box Office 0844 871 7648

Richmond Theatre

Snow WhiteStarring Jane Asher, Tim Vine

and Sapphire Elia

4 Dec 2009 -10 Jan 2010

Box Office 0844 871 7651

Variety is the spice of life, and

lately it has been staging a TV

comeback thanks to the

popularity of such TV reality

entertainment shows as X Factor,

Britain’s Got Talent and Strictly

Come Dancing. But now that

live variety has virtually fallen

off the end of the pier, the sole

survivor of its interactive, family-

orientated traditions in the

theatre may well be pantomime.

The last few years have seen

its resurgence as a creative force:

far from being seen off by the

competition of digital-era

entertainments, panto has

staged a comeback and is now

more popular than ever. There’s

been huge investment on both

sides of the footlights, and actors

love being in them as much as

audiences love watching them.

It’s the sense of being part of a

long tradition. As Claire Sweeney

- herself a veteran of TV’s Strictly

Come Dancing, as well as

Celebrity Big Brother - puts it,

‘What I love about it is quite

personal. Pantomime was my

first introduction to the theatre

as a child, and it’s such a joy to

see kids in the theatre, believing

in magic and paying attention! If

that’s their first introduction

to the theatre, that’s fantastic!’

Claire is appearing this year

as Carrion, the Wicked Fairy, in

Sleeping Beauty at Bromley’s

Churchill Theatre, and says, ‘I

prefer it to being Principal Boy.

It’s a far juicier role - it’s fun to

be evil. They’ve made me the

most wonderful costume for

the part – it’s a joy to be both

glamorous and evil. I wouldn’t

say I am typecast!’

But it isn’t just about having

fun. It’s also, for the actors,

incredibly hard work. ‘You have

to keep your resilience up,’

OhYes It Is!From Cinderella to Wicked Queen - there’s no business like panto business

Claire points out.

‘Doing two

shows every

day, sometimes

in the middle

of it you can

feel like it’s

a grind. But

you’ve got to

keep it alive

and sparky.’

For Joanna

Page, best known for her

TV role in Gavin and Stacey

and who this year is starring in

the title role of Cinderella at

Woking’s New Victoria Theatre,

appearing in pantomime is a

special treat.

‘I just love it’, she says - ‘I love

Christmas and I love working in

theatre, but normally I don’t get

the chance to sing and dance

and have fun like that. But this

is how I first got into performing,

so it’s good to get to have fun

again. The rest of the year you

don’t get a chance to do that.’

But like Claire, she points

out it is also gruelling: ‘It’s

absolutely exhausting. It can be

very physical and demanding.

But it’s so wonderful to go out

there and feel the buzz in the

audience that you forget how

tired you are! To see all the

children with their little glow

sticks, shouting out to you,

and excited to be there, feels

so special.’

Jane Asher, who this year

will be appearing as The Wicked

Witch in Snow White and the

Seven Dwarfs at Richmond

Theatre, is returning to the

panto after a long absence. ‘I did

Cinderella at Bromley when I was

about 17 - I can still remember

the pink glittery wig I wore in

the transformation scene and

that there were lots of white

ponies, with all the ensuing

problems that having live

animals onstage can cause!’

She’s delighted to be

returning, not least because,

as she puts it, ‘I now have four

lovely step-grandchildren, and

they’re excited about the idea

of granny doing a panto!’ But

she’s taking it very seriously:

‘One of the most important

things about doing panto - and

it’s often forgotten - is that it

can’t all be about the actors

having a laugh. Of course it

should be deeply silly and corny

and there have to be lots of

jokes and references to TV, but

if I see actors mucking about,

that makes me upset. You always

have to remember who you are

doing the show for, and young

audiences in particular will

have eagle eyes. They’re a

very perceptive and important

audience, and for many of

them it will also be their first

experience of theatre.’

Playing the Wicked Witch,

‘a woman who was once good

looking but who is not what she

used to be’, is she notes, ‘not a

big stretch! Sadly, you’ve got all

those mirrors that tell you the

truth and you can’t quite face

it!’ But Jane, who juggles her

acting with running a thriving

sideline in cakes, isn’t resting on

her laurels, for her life is all

about facing reality: ‘If someone

had said twenty years ago I’d

be running a cake business, I

wouldn’t have believed it. It’s

very surreal how these things

happen in life - you don’t plan

for anything, you just lurch from

one thing to another, and what

was a hobby became a business.’

But the two worlds may collide

in Richmond: ‘I expect there to

be lots of lovely cake jokes in

the panto!’, she quips.

Interview

Supporting the Theatres for Theatres Appeal

in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital

www.gosh.org

© 2007 Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Registered charity no 235825

Presented by

and

‘It’s so wonderful to go out there and feel

the buzz in the audience that you forget how tired

you are! To see all thechildren with their little

glow sticks, shouting outto you, and excited to bethere, feels so special.’

From l-r: Jane Asher, Claire

Sweeney & Joanna Page

of Reeves and Mortimer’s

Shooting Stars (BBC2), his superb

comic characterisations in Little

Britain were a revelation. Lucas is

no stranger to live performance,

of course, with his pedigree in

stand-up and the transfer of

Little Britain to the stage.

However, he now has to inhabit

the leading character and

maintain it for several hours

in the theatre.

Lucas argues that previous

treatments of the fifteen year

Orton-Halliwell relationship,

as reflected in John Lahr’s

Orton biography and in the

subsequent Stephen Frears

film version, have failed to

do justice to Halliwell.

‘Previously, in the book and

in the film, Kenneth comes across

as a kind of curmudgeon. He and

Orton were in what we’d now

call a co-dependent relationship.

But a lot of people, including

Orton’s sister Leonie and friends

who knew them at RADA, tell a

slightly different story. Kenneth

was very much a mentor for

Orton and they had a very happy

life together in the early days,

at least. But then Orton started

having a bit of success and

Halliwell got left behind.’

Bob Mortimer, who reportedly

spotted Lucas doing stand-up

in a North London pub and then

helped him on his way up the

show business ladder, famously

described Lucas as the angriest

person he’d ever met. As a gay,

Jewish, overweight, bald young

man, Lucas may have been

entitled to feel a little vexed at

belonging to so many persecuted

minorities. That rage would

appear to have vanished with

the acclaim given to Little

Britain, however, and fury

must be hard to sustain with a

reputed £15 million in the bank.

Although opinions differ

about the impact made by Little

Britain USA, both Lucas and

Walliams appear to be significant

players in Hollywood with

a screenwriting deal with

Dreamworks, among other

commitments. And Lucas will

be seen next year as both

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

in Tim Burton’s all-star realisation

of Alice in Wonderland.

‘My game plan is never to

have a game plan’ says Lucas.

‘I’ve been offered other jobs

but they have mostly been in

the comedy mainstream and I

feel that I’ve rather done that.

I’ve already pressed those

buttons. David and I remain best

friends. We’re writing together

and Little Britain will come back.

Why not? We love doing it.’

Those expecting Lucas to be

a zany funster offstage will be

disappointed. What is striking

about him is his steely

professionalism. For all the flaky

characters he’s played, there is

something of the businessman

about him with a shrewd

understanding of his own worth

and a hard-headed analysis of

showbiz realities.

‘People invest time and money

in me and so I have an obligation

to deliver to those people to the

best of my ability. I’m not

interested in reviews or audience

figures. What does concern me

is giving the best performance

I can.’

Interview

7

Matt Lucas is entombed in his

quarters at a boutique hotel

in Brighton, conscientiously

dispensing answers to journalists.

At the time of writing, Lucas is

on a brief pre-London tour of

Prick Up Your Ears, Simon Bent’s

play about the tragic relationship

between Joe Orton and his lover

Kenneth Halliwell. Lucas plays

Halliwell with Chris New as

Orton and Gwen Taylor as

their neighbour in Daniel

Kramer’s production.

Lucas sounds positive about

what is effectively his first

starring role in the West End.

The play has at last been

presented to an audience who

lapped it up and Lucas’s natural

performing instinct ‘You mean

I’m a show-off?’ has done

the rest.

‘I’m having a great time’ he

says. ‘I’ve never done anything

like this before and so it’s

been very useful to have had

what amounts to five weeks

of previews.’

Lucas had been looking for a

suitable stage project for some

time before Prick Up Your Ears

appeared in the frame.

‘David (Walliams) was in

Pinter’s No Man’s Land in the

West End last year and I found

that very inspiring. I’d also seen

Daniel Kramer’s fantastic

production of Bent a couple of

years ago with Chris New and I

decided that I’d like to work

with them one day. I knew that

I’d learn a lot from both Daniel

and Chris and I felt that it would

make me raise my game.’

To those who only knew Lucas

in his lurid Babygro astride a set

of drums in the madcap world

Great BritonThere is more to Matt Lucas than meets the eye

Interview by

Al Senter

Photography by

Catherine Ashmore

Comedy Theatre

Prick Up Your EarsStarring Matt Lucas, Chris New and Gwen TaylorBox Office 0844 8717622Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com 8

‘ Doing this play has been quite a challenge for me’ he says. ‘There’s nowhere for me to hide and I shalleither sink or swim. I could have gone for a muchsafer choice, I suppose, a silly farce or something. But what would have been the point of that? ’

Image courtesy of BBC/PETT

Productions

9

When Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

opened at the London Palladium

in 2002, it was said that the show

could not possibly tour. It was

far too big and technologically

complex to be packaged and

put on the road.

The ‘flying’ car, which boasts

the title of the single most

expensive stage prop ever

created at a cost of £750,000,

was the bugbear. At the

Palladium, the non-functioning

revolve had been removed to

make room for the car in the

‘garage’ under the stage. How

could that be replicated on tour?

Yet seven years later, as if by

magic, Chitty is flitting round

the country on a 15-month tour.

Co-producer Michael Rose is

still amazed at the achievement.

‘I am sitting in the theatre in

Woking on a Tuesday afternoon

watching a dress rehearsal with

the orchestra in the pit and all

the bits working, and conscious

that the show had only

completed its Norwich run on

Saturday night. I am thinking,

God, these people are clever.

How do they do that? This is

not a small show.’

The achievement is down to

the original creative team still

working on the show which

includes the key contribution of

Delstar Engineering and Stage

Technologies, the company

responsible for the flying

mechanism. It has devised a new,

much lighter system for touring

which parks the car at the back

of the stage instead of under it.

Rose was always convinced

that, if the team could come up

with a flying method which lost

none of the magic of the

The Car’sThe StarThe original phantasmagorical machine goes on tour

Feature by

Robin Stringer

Photography by

Alistair Muir

original, then the show was not

that different from any other

musical.

Of course, it does also involve

umpteen scene changes not to

mention 11 dogs and their

handlers, who travel with the

show, and 20 children and

their chaperones, who have

to be recruited in each venue

nine weeks ahead of opening

and then rehearsed.

Nevertheless, the technical

innovations, which introduced

a massive portable steel deck

hiding many of Chitty’s secrets

and designed to fit into the

smallest venue on the tour,

have enabled a show that once

took two weeks to move to

be transferred in a few days.

By the time the British tour

was being planned, that

turnaround time had already

been achieved by the American

touring version of the show and

key British personnel were flown

out to the United States to pick

the brains of their American

counterparts.

In the interim, the opportunity

was also taken to improve the

writing and structure of the

show. Adrian Noble and his

production team came back to

re-direct it and Rose believes it

now has greater clarity, pace

and energy than before.

Even with these dramatic

improvements, Chitty Chitty

Bang Bang remains a mighty

big show to tour. It took £3

million to stage and it still takes

12 45ft trucks and 100 crew to

move it and set it up at the

next venue. Inevitably, in such

a technologically complicated,

computer-driven production

with a cast of over 30 and

an orchestra of 14 as well as

children and dogs, there will be

glitches. But problems have been

ironed out in the course of the

show’s various manifestations

and other trivial slip-ups often

go unnoticed by audiences.

Some, however, cannot be

anticipated. Animals, though

well trained, have minds of their

own. Rose remembers one hot

summer night at the Palladium

when two dogs got caught in

front of the front cloth when

they should have disappeared

backstage with their fellows.

In the heat of the moment

and in full view of the audience,

passion overcame them. ‘The

audience were ecstatic,’ Rose

recalls. ‘The dogs had put the

bang bang into Chitty Chitty.’

But there is only one star of

this show, and it’s Chitty herself.

‘If anyone gets too grand, Chitty

reminds us,’ says Rose. ‘She just

puts her foot down - or her

wheel down - and stops. It very

rarely happens now because

the technology has improved

so much and the show has

been running for so long.’

When it does happen, it

can be less to do with the

engineering and more to do

with human fallibility. During

one Palladium show, a double

instead of a single push on a

button sent Chitty backwards

instead of forwards at a critical

moment and it crashed into

the ship.

‘I remember standing at the

back of the circle,’ Rose recalled.

‘We had Prince Charles and

Camilla Parker Bowles in that

night. I just wanted the ground

to open up.’

But there’s no getting round

the fact that he is proud of his

team and the incredible

organisational feat that is the

Chitty tour. He likes to think that

it has revised one of theatre’s

oldest adages: that actors should

never work with animals or

children - or flying cars.

10

Chitty ChittyBang BangKings Theatre, Glasgow20 Oct - 14 Nov 2009Box Office 0844 871 7648

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent17 Nov - 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7649

Milton Keynes Theatre23 Feb 2010 - 13 Mar 2010Box Office 0844 871 7652

New Wimbledon Theatre16 Mar 2010 - 3 Apr 2010Box Office 0844 871 7646

Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com

Backstage

Chitty Chitty Bang Bangremains a mighty bigshow to tour. It took £3million to stage and itstill takes 12 45ft trucksand 100 crew to moveit and set it up at thenext venue.

‘

’

What’s On

11 Book your tickets online at AmbassadorTickets.com- no per ticket fee

What’s On

COMEDY THEATRE 0844 871 7622

Prick Up Your EarsStarring Matt Lucas, Chris New and Gwen Taylor

PLAYHOUSE THEATRE 0844 871 7631

La Cage Aux FollesThe smash hit musical from The Menier Chocolate FactoryStarring John Barrowman

DONMAR WAREHOUSE 0844 871 7624

Life Is A DreamBy Pedro Calderon de la Barcain a new version by Helen Edmundson

DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE 0844 871 7623

Speaking in TonguesBy Andrew BovellStarring John Simm, Ian Hart,Lucy Cohu and Kerry Fox

FORTUNE THEATRE 0844 871 7626

The Woman in Black‘A brilliant spine-chiller’The Guardian

OLD VIC 0870 060 6628

Inherit The WindCast includes Kevin Spacey

PHOENIX THEATRE 0844 871 7629Willy Russell’s

Blood BrothersStarring Mel C (The Spice Girls)

‘Brings the audience to itsfeet and roaring its approval’ Daily Mail

PICCADILLY THEATRE 0844 871 7630

GreaseStarring Ray Quinn (winner of ITV’s Dancing On Ice, The X Factor)as Danny and Emma Stephens as Sandy

SAVOY THEATRE 0844 871 7687

Legally Blonde The MusicalStarring Sheridan Smithand Duncan JamesFrom 5 December

TRAFALGAR STUDIO 1 0844 871 7632

Othello By William Shakespeare Starring Lenny Henry���� ‘A triumph’ Daily Telegraph

TRAFALGAR STUDIO 2 0844 871 7632

Perfect PitchWest End showcase and one-offgala concert of ‘Through The Door’ 3 - 8 November

YOUNG VIC 0844 871 7608Irving Berlin’s

Annie Get Your GunStarring Jane Horrocks and Julian Ovenden

SHAFTESBURY THEATRE 0844 871 7615

HairsprayStarring Brian Conley

‘The musical with everything. A triumph!’ Observer

TRAFALGAR STUDIO 2 0844 871 7632

My Real War 1914-?Starring Philip Desmeules5 - 31 October

Studio 2 has been made possibleby a generous donation fromChristina Smith

Buy Your West End Tickets Here

12

TERMS AND CONDITIONS One winner will be drawn at

random after the closing date. The

prize includes six tickets (Mon - Thurs

performances between 8 Dec and

7 Jan excluding 28 - 31 Dec only),

to see Legally Blonde at the Savoy

Theatre plus six meals at Planet

Hollywood, a bottle of pink

champagne and goody bags for

all members of the group. Winners

will be notified by Friday 6 Nov.

Prize is subject to availability, non

transferable and non redeemable

for a cash value. Not open to

employees of Ambassador Theatre

Group Ltd. Editor’s decision is final.

Savoy Theatre

Legally Blonde The MusicalStarring Sheridan Smith and Duncan JamesFrom 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7687Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com

Add a bit of sparkle to your

winter festivities and win a

fabulous night out in London

for you and your friends!

Based on the hit movie of the

same name, Legally Blonde The

Musical is the award-winning

Broadway sensation created by

a top-of-their-class creative team,

led by Tony award-winning

director and Olivier Award

nominated choreographer Jerry

Mitchell (Hairspray).

This all-singing, all-dancing,

feel-good musical comedy will

be the highlight of your year!

Legally Blonde The Musical will

take you from the social whirl

of California Campus life to

Harvard’s Halls of Justice with

the West End’s brightest new

heroine (and of course, her

Chihuahua, Bruiser).

And to make your evening

even more special, your group

can look forward to a meal at

West End destination restaurant

Planet Hollywood and celebrity

treatment at the theatre with

a bottle of pink champagne and

party bags. Planet Hollywood’s

new state-of-the-art restaurant

WIN A

STYLE PARTY!

on Haymarket features three

exciting themed areas; the

Bond room, Cabanas and the

British room with memorabilia

dedicated to each theme. Ideally

located for many of the West

End Theatres, why not go along

and give it a try!

To win six tickets for Legally

Blonde at the Savoy Theatre

together with a night out to

remember in London, simply

answer the following question:

Q: In the film of Legally Blonde -

which American actress

played Elle?

Please return your answer,

not forgetting your name,

address and telephone number

to Ben Prudhoe, The Ambassador

Theatre Group Ltd, The

Ambassador Theatre Group,

39-41 Charing Cross Road

London WC2H 0AR before

Monday 2 November.

Competition

THEPERFECTFESTIVEPARTY!

they all shout the same thing

at once, and the newbie starts

to wonder whether they are

not actually on stage and if they

should have sat further back.

Just go with the flow, Brad!

Maybe leave the callbacks to

the professionals - but you could

always do the Timewarp with

everyone else.

Isn’t it a bit rude?

A bit.

What’s special about this tour?

Seeing Rocky Horror Picture

Show at a cinema is all very well,

but the live performance is in a

totally different league. Devotees

say this new tour looks like a

fine vintage with a strong cast.

Where can I get a ticket?

From AmbassadorTickets.com.

Tour stops are Woking, Brighton,

Bromley and Glasgow: but book

ahead to avoid the queue!

Basque inGloryRocky Horrow Show on tour: how to, where to - do you dare to?

It’s back, and the message boards

are buzzing. Across the UK, the

rattle of sewing machines can be

heard late into the night, as fans

knock up a costume for the much

anticipated new tour of the

Rocky Horror Show.

Never been? Tut-tut. It’s a

British cult classic, and although

it might seem a bit daunting for

so-called ‘virgins’, you too can

take a jump to the left (or a step

to the right, depending on your

current orientation). Just use our

handy guide, and you’ll feel

perfectly at home.

Oh God, it’s fancy dress isn’t it?

Relax, no-one’s going to make

you do anything. Rocky Horror

Show is about letting your hair

down. Many people go as their

own sweet selves, but if you do

want to slip into something more

comfortable, you won’t be alone.

Once you’ve dressed as a

chambermaid, or decked him-

indoors out in stockings and

suspenders, you’re likely to go on

having a good time.

But will I bump into my boss?

Probably. Rocky Horror is a secret

that was out a long time ago.

The audience comes from all

walks of life, so that guy doing

the hula-hula to Sweet

Transvestite from Transsexual

Transylvania is more likely to

be a Hairy Heterosexual from

H-Heavenly Hemel Hempstead.

Is everyone there in the know?

Audience participation is what

has made Rocky Horror a smash

hit for thirty years. Newcomers

often look around in panic as

other audience members break

all known rules of theatre

attendance. They get up and

dance. They sing along. They

shout things out. Sometimes,

News

13

Feature by

Dan Hadley

Cast members John Simm,

Ian Hart, Lucy Cohu and Kerry

Fox were joined by friends and

colleagues from the worlds of

TV and film: John’s co-star in

Dr Who David Tennant mingled

with Philip Glenister (Life on

Mars) and Andrea Riseborough

(The Devil’s Whore). Dominic

West (The Wire) rubbed

shoulders with TV presenter

Angus Deayton, producer Jessica

de Rothschild, Stephen Mangan

(Green Wing) and Simon and

Yasmin Le Bon.

A powerful study of infidelity

and interwoven lives, Speaking

in Tongues has its West End

premiere at the Duke of York’s

Theatre in St. Martin’s Lane.

Photography by Paul Clapp

A galaxy of stars met to mark

the first night of Andrew Bovell’s

tense thriller Speaking in Tongues

in September. Jewel was the

venue chosen for this glittering

gathering - and hidden away in

the cobbled backstreets of old

Covent Garden, moody lighting,

cool music and cocktails set the

scene for an evening of

celebration.

Starry NightLondon’s theatreland in full swing this Autumn

David Tennant

Ian Hart & John Simm

Philip Glenister

& Beth Goddard

Yasmin & Simon Le Bon

Stephen Mangan

Andrea Riseborough

Jessica de Rothschild

& Jeanne Marine

Dominic West

Angus Deayton

14

The Churchill, Bromley12 - 17 Oct 2009

Box Office 0844 871 7620

New Victoria Theatre, Woking19 - 24 Oct 2009

Box Office 0844 871 7645

Theatre Royal Brighton26 - 31 Oct 2009

Box Office 0844 871 7650

Kings Theatre, Glasgow23 - 28 Nov 2009

Box Office 0844 871 7648

Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.com

Satin Untold dress £55

Sonia Rykiel cardigan £185

Both at House of Fraser

houseoffraser.co.uk

Pink and green leopard scarf £22 at Urban Outfitters

urbanoutfitters.co.uk

Audley suede shoe boot£129 audley.com

Wallpaper city guides £4.95

per book at most book shops

Smythson ‘With love & kisses’notebook £35 at Selfridges

selfridges.com

Diamante collar and lead set£19.95 from urbanpup.com

Filofax backing Breast Cancercampaign £43 at Paperchase

paperchase.co.uk

Juicy Couture Terry zip wallet£85 at Selfridges

Diamante ring £8 at Topshop

topshop.com

Avedon Fashion 1944 -2000£60 at most book shops

Dents suede gloves £35 at Selfridges

Leather bowling bag £55 at Marks and Spencers

Heart shaped handbag £22 at Topshop

Smythson heart key chain £29 at Selfridges

Benefit make up Bathina body balm £22.50

Some Kind-a Gorgeous

foundation £20.50

Bad Gal pencil £13.50

benefitcosmetics.co.uk

Sequin top £60 at Topshop

Untold satin skirt £35

at House of Fraser

Patent Mary-Jane shoes with ribbon bow £59 at Kurt Geiger

kurtgeiger.com

London sunglasses £15 at Topshop

Multi-coloured patterned t-shirt£90 at Paul Smith

paulsmith.co.uk

Pink Acne slim leg chino£140 at Liberty liberty.co.uk

Pink converse trainers£34.99 at Office office.co.uk

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Style

Bagsof Style‘Be pretty in pink!’saysLegally Blonde’s Elle

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All prices quoted are given as a guide

only and may be subject to change by

individual retailers.

Feature by Mark Bouman

17 18

salutes 40 years of delivering

unique costume jewellery to

Londoners. Accessible prices

and a sparkling array of pieces

mean that girls & boys alike can

indulge in ‘bling’ that would

make Elle and her sorority

sisters proud.

For an effective way to

update your look, why not

try personal shopping with

established stylists The Glass

Slipper? Specialising in providing

tailored services to groups of

teenagers - maximum of four

accompanied by an adult - the

team aims to boost confidence

by showing teens where and

how they can develop an

individual sense of style. Mums

and younger children aged 12

upwards can also book a day

of guided retail therapy for

advice on the London

shops worth dropping into

and items that are

guaranteed to flatter.

Staying one step ahead

of high-street trends

comes as second nature

at Old Spitalfields Market,

the East End hotspot

renowned for its creative

and bohemian fashion.

Visit on Fridays to browse

a range of stalls, many of which

are run by the designers who’ve

actually made the clothes and

accessories.

Girl’s Best FriendFor animal lovers such as Elle,

London is a wonderful

destination in which to

encounter creatures of all shapes

and sizes. A prime example is the

tranquil London Wetland Centre

in Barnes. Here families can come

to spot Shoveler and Gadwall

ducks, elusive bitterns and other

bird species that have migrated

thousands of miles to enjoy the

capital’s mild winter weather.

Nature enthusiasts young and

old can’t help but be fascinated

by the unique attractions

installed at the Horniman

Museum. Off the beaten track

in Forest Hill, this free institution

has an aquarium showcasing

diverse underwater worlds, a

Nature Base exhibition featuring

a transparent beehive, colonies

of mice and beetles, plus the

Natural History Gallery telling

the story of life on earth.

Set in 32 acres of countryside

in the Isle of Dogs, Mudchute

Park & Farm is home to a superb

collection of furry and feathered

friends including llamas and rare

breeds like Gloucester Old Spot

pigs. Vouchers can be booked in

advance for animal encounters,

petting sessions and farm tours,

while the welcoming kitchen

serves up seasonal, home-cooked

food. Just remember to bring a

pair of wellies.

Finally, why not spoil your pet

as Elle does her chihuahua

Bruiser by heading down to

Mungo & Maud on Elizabeth

Street? A purveyor of luxury

accessories for cats and dogs, the

store sells bowls, collars, beds,

toys, clothing and even a line

of dog shampoo and fragrance.

Make-Over MagicKeep up appearances in the

manner of Elle by treating

yourself to a change of hair

colour. Karine Jackson, the 2007

London Hairdresser of the Year,

has a calm oasis of a salon in

Covent Garden where she

expertly works with big brand

names such as L’Oréal, and

specialises in ammonia-free

organic colour systems for an

eco-friendly alternative to

swapping shades.

Of course, great hair and

make-up go hand-in-hand but it’s

not always easy keeping up with

the latest trends. That’s why a

mother and daughter package at

Rouge make-up school could be

the perfect way to spend quality

time together while picking up

new techniques from

professionals.

At Benefit boutiques in

London you can try brow waxing

and tinting, spray tanning and

make-up parties - perfect for

teen treats.

Lift the spirits of the whole

family with an expert

photoshoot at New ID.

Professional photographers are

on hand to consult with families

before employing a variety of

props and backgrounds to

capture the group’s natural

character. The session finishes

with a private viewing of the

portraits taken and a

complimentary CD image.

As Elle knows only too well,

looking good on the outside

means taking care of the inside

so why not get youngsters on

the right track by introducing

them to weekend dance classes

at Pineapple Performing Arts

School? Musical theatre, ballet

and street dance are available

at drop-in level.

Round off your day out by

taking a group of friends to

Legally Blonde and having a ball.

For a fabulously fun Christmas or

New Year treat call Ambassador

Groups on 020 7845 5537 for

special party discounts.

Feature by

Neena Dhillon

Blonde HighlightsLegally Blonde’s Elle falls head over heels for London

Going Out

Let the West End’s favourite

blonde heroine lead the way this

autumn with three Elle Woods-

style guides to making the most

of the capital.

Shop Till You DropThere’s no better place to

experience the pleasures of

shopping than at Selfridges,

particularly as the famous

department store celebrates its

centenary year. Autumn sees the

opening of a brand new space -

3rd Central - dedicated to the

coolest denim and contemporary

fashion collections. Elsewhere

youth-friendly brands also figure

highly with offerings from the

likes of Topshop, Superfine and

Justin Timberlake’s clothing

range, William Rast.

Marking an important

anniversary, Butler & Wilson

Selfridges

Horniman Museum

Images top l-r

Mungo & Maud

Girls on a spending spree

Old Spitalfields Market

selfridges.com

butlerandwilson.co.uk

theglassslipper.co.uk

oldspitalfieldsmarket.com

wwt.org.uk

horniman.ac.uk

mudchute.org

mungoandmaud.com

karinejackson.co.uk

rougemakeupschool.com

benefitcosmetics.co.uk

newidstudios.com

pineapplearts.com

Savoy Theatre

Legally Blonde The MusicalStarring Sheridan Smith and Duncan JamesFrom 5 Dec 2009Box Office 0844 871 7687Online booking atAmbassadorTickets.comButler & Wilson

Karine Jackson

As a member of Ambassador Friends, the Ambassador Theatre Group’s TheatreClub, you will benefit from a whole host of special offers including:

Priority booking for your home venue

Members only priority booking line

10% off drinks in ATG venues*

Discounted tickets at ATG venues*

Exclusive discounts to West End Shows

No online fees for most productions

Free ticket exchange*

All this for only £25 a year!Join as an AmbassadorFriendnow on 0844 8717633 or online atwww.ambassadortickets.com/friends

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