OLIVER! THE MUSICAL
With Louise English as Nancy
Genting International Showroom, Kuala Lumpur
26 May to 14 June
"Thumbs up for
'Oliver!'" —
New Straits Times
"Louise English...displayed her big, warm voice
beautifully on the show-stopping anthem As Long As He Needs Me." —
Malay Mail
Louise starred as the good-hearted Nancy in
the smash hit
Oliver! The Musical at the Genting International Showroom in Genting
Malaysia, near Kuala Lumpur, from 26 May to 14 June.
This wonderful musical is based on Charles
Dickens' tale of the orphan, Oliver Twist. Set in the early 19th century in a
wretched workhouse in Britain, it sees lonely Oliver slaving away with a group
of children for a cruel caretaker named Mr Bumble.
Oliver's fate is jeopardised when he lands in
trouble for asking for more gruel. Out of anger, Mr Bumble sells him to vicious
Mr Sowerberry, the undertaker. After a series of mistreatments, Oliver ends up
running away and befriending a group of street urchins. Fagin, a 'respectable
gentleman' who teaches him the finer points of pickpocketing, looks after
Oliver.
Louise says, "I play Nancy and she's this
warm, loving character with a maternal instinct. She comes from a real rough
background and straight away recognises what Oliver has been through." She
further describes Nancy as, "someone who has had a hard life. She is a thief
with a heart. She sees something in Oliver that reminds her of herself as a
little girl. It is her who helps Oliver escape towards the end."
Louise as the warm-hearted barmaid Nancy
quickly decides that young Oliver deserves better and showers her motherly
instinct on him to defend Oliver from her sinister, brutal lover, Bill Sikes
(Why is it that the lovely, good girls always fall for the bad boys?), who is
worried Oliver might divulge information about crimes that the cold-hearted
Sikes has committed.
Louise is enthusiastic about the show saying,
"Fans are in for a big treat. We have the West End set, an array of beautiful
costumes, fantastic cast and music. The songs featured will be similar to those in the movie such as Food
Glorious Food, Where is Love,
Consider Yourself, and As Long as He Needs Me."
And, of course, all Louise's fans who are able to see her perform in person are
amazed by her lovely soprano voice, graceful dancing, and acting talent.
Oliver! The Musical was produced by
Chris Moreno Ltd. in association with International Malaysian Performing Arts
Corp Sdn Bhd (IMPAC), directed by Chris Colby, and choreographed by David Kort.
Mr Colby says of the show, "This will be a lavish performance equipped with a
revolving set, dances, marvelous musical score, and a brilliant script." He
added, "The set design is simply huge and will definitely entice the audience."
Louise's co-stars included Ralph Jackman as
Fagin and Adrian Beaumont as Bill Sikes; along with Ben Jennings, Halcro
Johnston, Audrey Leybourne, Michael Morgan, Lorinda King, Nik Stoter, Amber
Sinclair, Nichola Lagan, Paul Beech, Chris Molloy and Stefan Carpino. Oliver
Rushby and William Jeffs shared the role of Oliver.
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ANNIE THE MUSICAL
With Louise
English as Grace Farrell
UK and Ireland Tour - 29 June to 26 November
Rave reviews for Louise
"The daddies' interest was notably piqued by stunningly
beautiful Louise English as Grace Farrell."
— Irish Independent
"Splendid is
Louise English as Grace." — Western Morning News
"Louise
English is a dynamo of energy." — The Sun (Malaysia)
Louise
English plays Grace Farrell "...with both charm and sophistication." —
BBC Birmingham
"Louise
English...sparkles as Grace Farrell." — Teesside Evening Gazette
"Louise
English was grace itself." — The Scotsman
"Louise
English shone as Grace Farrell." —
Worcester News
"Louise
English...plays Grace Farrell to perfection." — Grimsby Telegraph
Annie The Musical is a heartwarming and entertaining musical to be
enjoyed by the whole family.
The story of
Annie The Musical revolves around 11 year-old Annie, who as an infant, was
left on the steps of a New York orphanage, with a note and half a locket. Annie
runs away from the orphanage, and the mean-tempered matron Miss Hannigan, in
search of her parents.
Befriending
a stray dog she names Sandy, they take refuge along with some 'down-and-outs'
until Annie is returned to the orphanage. However, the lovely and warm-hearted
Grace Farrell (played by Louise), secretary to billionaire Oliver Warbucks,
saves Annie from Miss Hannigan's wrath by hosting her for the Christmas
holidays at the Warbucks mansion.
Annie
arrives at the mansion to be greeted by Oliver Warbucks, a powerful businessman.
He had expected the orphan to be a boy, and is puzzled by the prospect of
dealing with a little girl, yet he immediately feels a connection with Annie. A
week later, Warbucks decides to adopt Annie, but promises her that he will first
make every effort to find her real parents.
Annie and
Warbucks appear on a radio show on which Warbucks offers $50,000 to anyone who
can prove they are Annie's parents. With Miss Hannigan's help, her brother
Rooster, an ex-con, and his floozy girlfriend Lily, they scheme to claim the
reward.
Warbucks
along with Annie, visits the White House where President Roosevelt and Warbucks
discuss the depressing economic situation. Annie's enthusiasm inspires the
President. Meanwhile, hundreds of people claim to be Annie's parents but none of
them can provide proof of Annie's beloved locket.
Warbucks
moves to adopt Annie but before it is finalised, Rooster and Lily appear in
disguise with the other half of Annie's locket. Warbucks calls on Roosevelt to
check the claim. Investigation reveals them to be imposters and they, along with
Miss Hannigan, are hauled off to jail.
Happiness
reigns as Sandy is returned, Warbucks proposes to Grace, and they all look
forward to a brighter tomorrow.
Louise says
of the show, "I've been in Annie since we started doing it five years ago."
And how does
she feel about having played the delightful Grace Farrell for five consecutive
tours throughout the UK, Ireland, and Kuala Lumpur?
"I'm loving
it," says Louise, "I like the touring and it's a very happy company. It's like a
family." Louise's comments certainly embody the spirit of Grace Farrell.
She
continues, "The singing is lovely and there are lots of little children in the
show and I like acting with children. Annie is staggeringly popular and it's
nice to be in something that packs the theatres."
This
wonderful musical featured such classic songs as: "Tomorrow", "You're Never
Fully Dressed Without A Smile", "It's A Hard Knock Life", "I Think I'm Gonna
Like It Here", "NYC", "You Won't Be An Orphan For Long", and many more
favourites.
Louise's
co-stars included Ruth Madoc as Miss Hannigan and Mark Wynter as Oliver 'Daddy'
Warbucks. Emma Hopkins and Megan Joyner shared the role of
Orphan Annie.
Annie The Musical
was produced by Chris Moreno, directed by Chris Colby, and choreographed by
David Kort for Chris Moreno Ltd. Musical direction was provided by Tim Davies
with lighting by Graham McLusky and design by Allan Miller Bunford.
Annie The Musical 2005 Tour
Schedule: (The Week Of: Venue)
-
27 June: Olympia Theatre, Dublin
-
4 July: Olympia Theatre, Dublin
-
11 July: Olympia Theatre, Dublin
-
18 July: Olympia Theatre, Dublin
-
25 July: Olympia Theatre, Dublin
-
1 August: Off
-
8 August: Off
-
15 August: Bournemouth Pavilion
-
22 August: Bristol Hippodrome
-
29 August: Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
-
5 September: Darlington Civic Theatre
-
12 September: Theatre Royal Windsor
-
19 September: The Orchard, Dartford
-
26 September: Off
-
3 October: Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
-
10 October: Swansea Grand Theatre
-
17 October: Theatre Royal Plymouth
-
24 October: Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
-
31 October: Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
-
7 November: Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
-
14 November: Hall for Cornwall, Truro
-
21 November: Theatre Royal Lincoln
Click to view the Annie The Musical Gallery and
Reviews.
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PETER PAN
With Louise
English as Mrs Darling and The Mermaid
Manchester
Opera House
10 December
2005 to 8 January 2006
Louise
starred as Mrs Darling and the Marilyn Monroe-esque Magical Mermaid in the popular action-packed pantomime Peter
Pan that played at the Manchester Opera House, helping to give Christmas a
sprinkling of magic dust and a dash of swashbuckling fun and providing a magical
adventure for the whole family.
Her co-stars included soap baddy Steve McFadden (aka
EastEnders favourite bad boy, Phil Mitchell)
as Mr Darling and the arch-villain Captain Hook. Sophie Lawrence (aka Diane Butcher from
EastEnders) starred as the high flying Peter Pan, Matt Slack as Smee, Beth
Humphries as Wendy, Penny Tovey as Tinkerbell, the
multi-talented Acromaniacs as the pirates, and Alana Maria.
There was plenty of family fun and adventure in Never Land in this tale of the boy who
would never grow up including spectacular sets, costumes and effects as
Peter Pan chased shadows, cheated a ticking crocodile and looked after his family
of lost boys, all with the help of his magical friend, Tinkerbell.
Peter Pan
was produced by Qdos
Entertainment Plc and directed by Sophie Lawrence, with choreography by Sarah St
George and musical direction by Paul Fullard.
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