Tag Archives: Ben Goddard

Book: Richard Bean Music: David Arnold Lyrics: David Thomas Director: Douglas Rintoul Musical Director: Ben Goddard Reviewer: Glen Pearce As the opening production of his first season as Artistic Director of the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, Douglas Rintoul takes the audacious step of staging the first regional production of Made In Dagenham. It’s a brave choice, not only did the show ...

Writer: Richard Bean Composer: David Arnold Lyricist: Richard Thomas Director: Douglas Rintoul Musical Director: Ben Goddard Reviewer: Michael Gray   Vintage Fords flock to Hornchurch for the homecoming opening of this first major revival of the 2014 musical Made In Dagenham. It’s based on the film of a few years earlier, which embroiders the story of the Dagenham machinists’ 1968 ...

Writer: Mike James Director: Geinor Styles Reviewer: Donna Kelly Since Sir Tom Jones first shot to fame in 1965, the Welsh singer has had sold over 100million records worldwide, claiming 36 Top 40 hits in the UK and 19 in the US. Surprising then that it’s taken almost 50 years for his inspirational story to be brought to the stage. ...

Writer: Mike James Music Director: Ben Goddard Director: Geinor Styles Reviewer: Barbara Michaels   It’s not unusual to make a musical about a legend – think Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers et al. So what is different about this one? For starters, it’s a Welsh production as is only fitting for a musical about the boy from the Valleys of ...

Writer and Director: Peter Rowe Musical Director: Ben Goddard Reviewer: Glen Pearce   After cycling through its catalogue of seven stories twice, for its 15th Rock ‘n‘ Roll panto, The New Wolsey treads new ground with The Sword In The Stone, though its unlikely Arthurian scholars have ever referred to the ‘once and future King’ who will unite the kingdom ...

  Writer: Bob Eaton Director: Matt Devitt Musical Director: Ben Goddard Reviewer: Michael Gray Can’t get to see Sherlock’s Sweet Prince? Here’s Hornchurch’s home-grown Johnny Hamlet in a real-deal rock-and-roll re-working of Shakespeare. And while Cumberbatch has only Nat King Cole on his phonograph, the Queen’s offers a whole jukebox full of familiar sounds from the 50s, raucously filling the ...

Writer: Peter Rowe Director:Rob Salmon Musical Director: Ben Goddard Choreographer: Scarlett Douglas Reviewer: Michael Gray   Peter Rowe’s latest Rock’n’Roll panto,directed by Rob Salmon,takes the Beauty and the Beast fairytale,with itsgenerous slug of Cinderella, and serves with generous measures of great music – all performed by ten phenomenally talented actor-musicians. That’s the Wolsey tradition, as are live sound effects from ...

It may only be mid-November, but for the cast of the New Wolsey Theatre’s Beauty and The Beast rehearsals are already wellunder wayfor the festive production. Glen Pearce sneaked into the rehearsal room to see how the show was shaping up. Rehearsals for a New Wolsey panto are always slightly different from the norm. There’s not many panto rehearsal rooms ...