West End Live, organised by Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre, attracted over half a million people last year. London Mayor Boris Johnson said, "West End Live brings the roar of the greasepaint to the heart of the capital and all for free. From curtain up, to the encore, London Theatreland is unbeatable and this is a fabulous way to sample some of the most exciting shows to be seen anywhere in the world."
Musical Notes - Producers of The X Factor musical have confirmed that the show, called I Can't Sing!, will open at the London Palladium in February next year. The show has music by Steve Brown, who has also penned the lyrics with Harry Hill. Hill has written the show's book. In a statement, Hill and Brown explained that I Can't Sing! is the title of one of the songs in the musical. "We are thrilled to be bringing this all-singing, all-dancing, mickey-taking spectacular to the home of entertainment itself, the London Palladium," they added. I Can't Sing! will be directed by Sean Foley, and will have choreography by Kate Prince, design by Es Devlin and lighting design by Jon Clark. It is produced by Stage Entertainment and Simon Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment.
More Voice - The BBC have confirmed that they have commissioned talent show The Voice again. On the network's official Twitter account it said, "We can confirm that @BBCTheVoiceUK will return for a third series." The show was the channel's biggest new entertainment programme after its launch last year. This year's second series had its lowest figures on Saturday with 5.89m people watching. Mark Linsey, controller, entertainment commissioning, said: "The Voice has been a huge success for BBC One... Finding a Saturday night break-out hit is incredibly difficult but this show hit the ground running and it's fantastic to ensure its future on the channel."
(Jim Evans)
