| MICHAEL
TO APPEAR AS GUEST JUDGE ON DANCING ON ICE MICHAEL
TO APPEAR AS GUEST JUDGE ON DANCING ON ICE MICHAEL
TO TAKE EDNA ON TOUR OF HAIRSPRAY Michael, who originated the role of larger than life heroine Edna Turnblad in the London production, will open the tour at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff before dates at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton and the Manchester Palace. Further star casting for other venues will be announced shortly. The tour also marks the first stage of a closer working relationship between the star and producers, Stage Entertainment. This will involve developing new work and roles both onstage and in a production capacity for Michael in the future. Plans include a major musical revival in 2011. Commenting on the Hairspray tour Michael said: “I knew when I originally took on the part of Edna that she was going to be a big part of my life, in every way, but I never realised just how big. Hairspray is truly one of the greatest experiences of my career and the chance to have just a few more nights in those frocks was an opportunity I couldn’t miss! With so much on I’m unable to do all dates BUT I promise that we’ll have some brilliant performers lined up for our UK tour. Moving forward, to now be working as an Associate Producer with Stage Entertainment developing new shows, new roles and new opportunities in the future is an honour, and something I can’t wait to get stuck in to.” Producer Adam Spiegel added: “We are over the moon that Michael has agreed to launch the Hairspray tour for us. The show has been a huge success in London, not to mention around the world, and Michael has been a big, big part of the Hairspray story so far. It’s doubly exciting that not only do more people around the UK now get to see his gorgeous Edna Turnblad, but we as a company get to work with Michael more closely than ever behind the scenes as we develop new work together" Michael will be appearing at the following: 30 MARCH – 24 APRIL
2010 28 APRIL –
8 MAY 2010 11 MAY – 29 MAY
2010 14 DECEMBER
2010 - 9 JANUARY 2011 PAST
AND PRESENT DVD - DUE FOR RELEASE 23 NOVEMBER 2009 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
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
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