Hairspray -Shaftesbury Theatre 2009 -Welcome Brian Conley! — Page 2

Who will be taking over after Brian. Is it true its justin lee collins?

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I heard on the interview tonight that Brian is going to take a break at Christmas to cover a pre-arranged pantomime engagement at the Cliffs Pavilion Southend from 12th December 2009 to 10th January 2010, worst time to lose your big star.

I saw the new cast rehearsing Welcome to the 60s last week - looked good to me. Thought Brian Conley looked too thin for Edna but then he told me that he's getting a new fat-suit made to bulk him up a bit.

Interview's here if you're interested -

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW_INTERVIEWS_Brian_Conley_HAIRSPRAYs_New_Edna_Turnblad_20090725

New fat suite will be in place tomorrow and he's been told to stop the dieting! lol
Michael always has been a little chubby! lol

Updated On: 7/26/09 at 07:57 PM

There was a bigger crowd at the last night of Rent.

Chloe is brilliant, looks right, is super bubbly and has a good voice,
she's just wonderful.
Brian was good at the funnies, timeless to me got even more reaction than normal. It's just weird having all the edna bits sung low. He looked pleased as punch on his transformation and clearly enjoyed doing the show.

Liams great too, really strong all round apart from just not looking right, but he looks better in shorts than his understudy.

Cast speeches from 25th July uploaded to Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXn4LwvFInE

Glad to hear the new cast seem to have hit the ground running. I may have to make a return to the day seats queue next time I'm up in London on a matinee day.

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Updated On: 7/28/09 at 12:54 AM

So emotional, especially Leanne!

I don't ever want this show to go, it's such a wonderful company!

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http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/25166/brian-conley-a-good-life-turnblad

I'm going tomorrow night... will anybody else be around?

Updated On: 8/4/09 at 12:02 PM

Seconded Scripps! MB seems to have been around forever (Les Mis was the first West End musical I saw back in the 80's and he was big news back then). I suppose I've taken his presence for granted in recent years, but I thought he was brilliant in Hairspray and I've been investigating some of his back catalogue lately and I forgot how beautiful his voice can be (esp in some of the Les Mis songs I've had on repeat).

Plus, I was very near to the stage door and his 'getaway car' on his last night in Hairspray and he was lovely with everyone there. I especially loved the impromptu speech / serenade he gave from the first floor window before he made his exit. Me and the friend I went with have definitely found ourselves becoming 'fan-girlish' since then.

I agree with the sentiment that the West End should be proud of him (cheesey or not! - though I love a bit of cheese myself).

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I went last night and loved it all over again. My one gripe was, and I'm no racist, that Liam Tamne's dark skin makes him look positively ethnic up there with those super-pale Corny Collins kids. I thought for a while that it might be a bit distracting in a show about integration. This didn't last long as I thought he was excellent, better than Ben James Ellis in absolutely every respect. Chloe Hart didn't quite match Leanne Jones as she doesn't have much stage presence and didn't actually look like she was enjoying herself, but she's a good enough actress and she has a great voice. I loved Conley. He's very different from MB, and he plays Edna more bitter than browbeaten, and he's hilarious with it. Obviously his voice doesn't have the power of MB's, but it just went to show that the role really doesn't need a great deal of vocal power, just a bucketload of charisma which Brian definitely has. It was my first time seeing Verity Rushworth as Penny and I adored her... Lord knows where that singing voice came from. Very impressed.

Peter Kay is Edna, Belinda Carlisle is Velma,Sharon D Clark is the new Motormouth from October apparantely

Updated On: 8/7/09 at 11:38 AM