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MICHAEL
SUPPORTS THE SHOOTING STAR CHILDREN'S HOSPICE MICHAEL
SUPPORTS THE SHOOTING STAR CHILDREN'S HOSPICE
TOUR
DATES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009
Some of Michael’s best known songs are included on the album which spans an incredible career in the worlds of theatre and music; from his West End debut in Les Miserables in 1985 to his Olivier Award winning performance as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, this absolute must-have collection also features six brand new recordings from Kismet, Hairspray and An Evening With Michael Ball at the BBC Proms in 2007. The album opens with The Impossible Dream, a great favourite with concert goers and taken from the Broadway production and film Man From La Mancha. It’s the first time Michael’s ever recorded it. And at last record buyers will be able to have their own copy of the brand new and only recording of Michael and the West End cast of Hairspray performing You Can’t Stop The Beat, the showstopping finale that always gets the audience dancing. Other new recordings include This Is My Beloved/Stranger In Paradise from Kismet in which Michael made his 2007 debut with the ENO in the leading role as Hajj/The Poet – and for which he garnered universal critical acclaim. He sang This Is My Beloved in the show – here he ‘steals’ the lyrical, romantic Stranger In Paradise sung in the opera/show/film by the Prince. The Prayer is the duet performed by Michael and the Olivier Award winning actress and singer, Laura Michelle Kelly onstage at the Royal Albert Hall in June 2007 at An Evening With Michael Ball at the BBC Proms – it was the first time an entire evening had been given to a non-classical singer in the history of the Proms. The song won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for Carole Bayer Sager who wrote it for the 1998 animated film Quest For Camelot. Michael’s
many West End and Broadway credits are represented here; from his
1985 debut as Marius in Les Miserables he sings the beautiful Empty
Chairs, Empty Tables (which he recently performed on ITV’s
South Bank Show Awards), All I Ask Of You (1986) from Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and Love Changes Everything
(1989) Michael’s chart topping song from Lloyd Webber’s
Aspects of Love in which Michael starred in the West End and on
Broadway. Two of Michael’s concert favourites are Lloyd Webber’s
Sunset Boulevard and the Rice/Lloyd Webber composition
Gethsamene from the 1972 rock opera Jesus Christ
Superstar which appears on Michael’s 1999 album, Live At The
Albert Hall. Garth Brooks’ lyrical pop song, If Tomorrow Never Comes was originally recorded by Michael for his 2000 album, ‘This Time It’s Personal’, and Freddie Mercury’s dramatic, poignant The Show Must Go On is a massive favourite at Michael’s concerts. Michael’s 1992 Eurovision entry, One Step Out Of Time, was recorded live and his own composition, Just When, was originally recorded for his ‘This Time It’s Personal’ album. One of Michael’s
favourite American composers is the legendary Stephen Sondheim from
whose huge canon of work Michael has chosen to record Loving
You from the musical Passion, Being Alive
from the underrated 1972 musical, Company and the glorious ballad
Not While I’m Around from Sweeney Todd which
is actually sung by the lead character, Mrs Lovett, and most recently
performed by Helena Bonham Carter in the movie. Michael swears he
didn’t wear one of Edna’s dresses when he recorded this
one… “It’s a milestone and a celebration,” says Michael. “I really think that if you can still be doing this after 25 years, it’s worth celebrating! “I’m lucky that a lot of what I’ve done has been recorded so I’ve got a catalogue of 25 years of work going right back to Les Mis. It’s been lovely to be able to record music from Hairspray and Kismet for the first time too – and I persuaded the whole Hairspray cast to come and record ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’ which I think is everyone’s favourite song from the show. “Getting
my own Prom in 2007 was a career highlight – it was an amazing
evening. Laura Michelle Kelly joined me onstage at the Royal Albert
Hall to sing ‘The Prayer’ so I invited her to come and
record it with me for the album. I’ve also recorded ‘Being
Alive’, a great number by Stephen Sondheim – it’s
the hardest song I’ve ever sung but it’s a great number;
I’ve also recorded my first ever audition song, ‘The
Impossible Dream’ from ‘Man Of La Mancha’…I’ve
had lots of requests to record it so here it is! “So I
find myself after 25 years never happier, more fulfilled and more
stretched. And thanks to Universal I can carry on making records
of a first class quality with fantastic musicians.” The Impossible
Dream
MICHAEL EXTENDS HIS RUN AS EDNA IN "HAIRSPRAY"
AGAIN - NOW UNTIL 25 JULY 2009 Telephone Bookings:
0207 379 5399 Michael does not appear on Monday evenings. He will be taking holiday between 9-16 March, returning on Tuesday 17 March; also 4-11 May, returning on Tuesday 12 May 2009. He will also not be appearing on Saturday 27 June 2009 MICHAEL
BALL'S LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS - WEST WYCOMBE PARK - 27 JUNE 2009 “It is truly something I’ve wanted all my life,” says Michael. “It’s the greatest theatrical honour you can receive and it really is a dream come true. I see it as the culmination of 25 years of doing this job and I’m thrilled beyond words…although I would have preferred Best Actress!” Michael paid
tribute to his fellow cast members, Leanne Jones (who won Best Actress
in a Musical) and Tracie Bennett (who won for Best Supporting Role
in a Musical): “Being in Hairspray has been the most wonderful
experience; the cast is fabulous, we all have a great time and it
just seems wrong to be having such a good time and calling it work!” MICHAEL
JOINS BBC RADIO 2 FOR SUNDAY SHOW Michael says: "This is a wonderfully exciting new challenge in my career. I hope listeners will make a regular date to have lunch with me on Sundays." Lesley Douglas, Controller BBC Radio 2, says: "Michael has proved to be an accomplished presenter on Radio 2 already. His warmth, obvious love of music and sense of humour make him perfect Sunday morning company." Michael Ball, Sundays, 11.00am-1.00pm, Radio 2
MICHAEL
PLAYING EDNA IN "HAIRSPRAY" AT THE SHAFTESBURY THEATRE MICHAEL BALL HAIRSPRAY HOLIDAY DATES: Monday 28 April
- Monday 5 May 2008 - back on stage Tuesday 6 May 2008 The official website can be found at www.hairspraythemusical.com
ONE
VOICE ONE SPECIAL NIGHT - LIVE
- ORDER NOW FROM AMAZON MICHAEL BALL’s beautiful new cd, Michael Ball - Back To Bacharach, is an impressive choice of classic tunes from the legendary composer’s outstanding canon of work. Back To Bacharach reflects Michael’s personal favourites and catapults him into a new musical direction. Listen to the soundclips above. “I’ve
recorded a few Bacharach songs over the years and performed some
in concert and always felt they suited me,” says Michael.
“I love the stories, and the lyrics (many by Hal David) have
always struck a chord with me, especially on the more serious numbers.
Bacharach has such a brilliant ear for melody and his music has
a completely timeless feel to it; I thought it would be great to
do a whole album of his music and to record with a full orchestra
and big band which is something I hadn’t done before. I thought
it was also time I made a sort of ‘late night’ album
with sophisticated arrangements – and he’s definitely
the king of all that!”
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