Sinatra The Musical continues at the Aldwych Theatre, London until 10 April 2027. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ At the end of Sinatra The Musical, significant figures reflecting on the legendary singer’s life include his mother, Dolly, who turns to the audience and says: “Half of you wouldn’t have been conceived if it wasn’t […]
Tag Archives | Frank Sinatra
World premiere date set for Frank Sinatra musical
Timed to mark the 70th anniversary of Sinatra’s 1953 UK tour (which included a visit to the city) Sinatra The Musical will debut at Birmingham Rep from 23 September until 28 October 2023.
Mr Palladium – The Man Who Brought Musicals To Argyll Street
Nowadays theatre-goers are used to enjoying musical theatre productions at the London Palladium, but before British theatre impresario LOUIS BENJAMIN came along, the art form was rarely represented at the iconic venue. Internationally-renowned writer Warner Brown, who witnessed Mr Benjamin at work first hand, pays tribute to a great man of entertainment in his centenary year.
Remembering Donald Pippin (1926-2022) – Broadway’s favourite musical director, conductor and arranger
In many ways Donald Pippin, who has died at the age of 95, was the American musical theatre’s greatest maestro as a musical director and conductor. And from 1955 until 2018 he was also responsible for the vocal arrangements of some of Broadway’s most successful shows. Michael Darvell looks back on a great musical career… […]
Book Review: Nelson Riddle: Music with a Heartbeat – Geoffrey Littlefield with Christopher Riddle
NELSON RIDDLE: MUSIC WITH A HEARTBEAT – Geoffrey Littlefield with Christopher Riddle (Grosvenor House Publishing – ISBN: 978-1—83975-440-2) Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Those of us of a certain age will instantly know the name Nelson Riddle. Most will associate him with Frank Sinatra as he was Sinatra’s main arranger through the […]
CD Review: Legends – Gary Williams
LEGENDS – Gary Williams (BOS Records – BOS6817) Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Gary Williams is back with a new CD and this time it is a love letter to the greats of yesteryear: Sinatra, Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Presley, Nat ‘King’ Cole, and others. Tracks include: ‘Mr Bojangles’, ‘Mack the Knife’, ‘Route […]
‘It’s a passion and it’s a story I have to tell’: Richard Shelton brings Sinatra Raw to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
RICHARD SHELTON knew from a young age that he had a strong connection to Frank Sinatra and over the years it seems that the world was pushing them together. Now he has written and stars in Sinatra Raw in Edinburgh but the show will transport audiences to The Purple Room in Palm Springs in 1971 as […]
Sinatra Raw – Hospital Club and Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Sinatra Raw is at The Frankenstein Pub, Edinburgh from 3-27 August 2018 (reviewed at The Hospital Club, London). Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ Officially, Frank Sinatra retired from singing in 1971, with a celebratory concert at the Hollywood Bowl. He would go on to perform many times after that – but Richard Shelton’s play […]
Danny Strong named as writer of planned Sinatra musical
Emmy Award-winning writer Danny Strong has been commissioned to write the book for the new musical about the life and times of Frank Sinatra. A partnership between the Ambassador Theatre Group, prolific film and television producer Stewart Till, Frank Sinatra Enterprises (a joint venture between the Sinatra family and Warner Music Group) and Broadway producer […]
Rat Pack show heads back to the West End for Christmas
Hit swinging sixties show The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas is returning to the Theatre Royal Haymarket over a decade since it made its West End debut at the venue. The celebration of the music and camaraderie of the legendary team of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr, will return with […]
Interview – singer Richard Shelton brings his show Sinatra and Me to Live At Zédel
Following his sell-out LA and Edinburgh Festival Fringe performances, RICHARD SHELTON returns to the UK to perform Sinatra and Me at Crazy Coqs, Live At Zédel, early next month. Shelton, who won ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ for portraying Frank Sinatra in West End’s Rat Pack Confidential, will take audiences on a trip through […]
Marilyn and Sinatra – Jermyn Street Theatre
Marilyn and Sinatra continues at Jermyn Street Theatre, London until 21 August. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ This exploration of the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra is predicated on author Sandro Monetti’s discovery that Monroe played a stack of Sinatra’s records the night she died of a drugs overdose in 1962. His […]
Major new Frank Sinatra musical planned
The life and times of Frank Sinatra will be the subject of a major new musical from the Ambassador Theatre Group, planned to arrive on stage in 2018. Ol’ Blue Eyes’ extensive catalogue of more than 1,400 tracks from decades of recordings will form the basis for the musical accompaniment to the story of the […]
Sinatra The Man & His Music – London Palladium
Sinatra The Man & His Music continues at the London Palladium until 10 October. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ However technically impressive Sinatra The Man & His Music turned out to be, it was crucial that this multi-media show succeeded in making an emotional connection with its audience if glowing reviews were to follow. This it […]
Sinatra The Man & His Music at the London Palladium – exclusive images
Multimedia spectacular Sinatra The Man & His Music, in honour of the great singer’s centenary, opens at the London Palladium tonight and our official photographer Roy Tan has all the latest images of the production (see below). The celebration also marks 65 years to the day since Ol’ Blue Eyes’ first ever performance in the UK at the Palladium back in 1950. […]
Sinatra The Man & His Music at the London Palladium – cast and creative team announced
Some of the best creative talents in theatre have been involved in bringing the multimedia spectacular Sinatra The Man & His Music to the London Palladium in honour of the great singer’s centenary. This official celebration of Frank Sinatra’s centenary year opens on 10 July, marking 65 years to the day since Ol’ Blue Eyes’ first ever performance in the UK at the […]
Gary Williams with Harry the Piano – Sinatra Jukebox – Crazy Coqs
Gary Williams with Harry the Piano – Sinatra Jukebox continues at the Crazy Coqs, London until 9 May, as part of the London Festival of Cabaret. Star rating: 4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ Gary Williams returns to the Crazy Coqs to pay tribute to Frank Sinatra in the year that would have seen Ol’ Blue Eyes celebrate […]
Come Fly With Me brings a musical journey to Salisbury Playhouse
This Christmas audiences at Salisbury Playhouse are being invited to embark on a musical journey celebrating the wonderful world of holidays and travel. Come Fly With Me, running in The Salberg space from 17 December to 17 January 2015 (press night is 18 December), includes songs about getting away from the daily grind, the joy of holidays and […]
Sinatra 100 celebration set for London Palladium
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Francis Albert ‘Frank’ Sinatra and to celebrate this momentous occasion, The Ministry of Entertainment Ltd is presenting the world premiere of Sinatra 100 (opening on Friday 20 March 2015 and running to Saturday 25 April), five weeks of performances by the biggest stars in the world, […]
Karen Oberlin – Over the Rainbow – Crazy Coqs
Karen Oberlin performs Over the Rainbow: The Songs of Arlen and Harburg at the Crazy Coqs, London. The husky, smoky, smooth, sophisticated, classical voice of glamorous New Yorker Karen Oberlin is one of the glories of the world of cabaret and on her second visit to the Crazy Coqs she took us through the distinguished […]
Liza is back, courtesy of Trevor Ashley
Following his week at London’s Vaudeville Theatre in May this year, Trevor Ashley is back in the West End for one night only, after a brief UK tour. Michael Darvell spoke to the man behind Liza (on an E), his show about the great Minnelli. In fact Trevor Ashley is Liza, or at least he […]
