Monty's Off - The West End version of The Full Monty is to close after five weeks, two-and-a-half months earlier than planned, due to poor ticket sales. The play, which was adapted from the hit 1997 film about hard-up Sheffield steelworkers, opened on 20 February and was due to run until 14 June. But its last performance at the Noel Coward Theatre will now be on 29 March. Producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers said "not enough of a West End audience" had bought tickets. The show was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for best new comedy and had also received glowing reviews from critics.
Country Festival - Leading US country music acts including Dixie Chicks and Zac Brown Band played for 15,000 fans at London's Country to Country festival last weekend at the 02 Arena. Other artists at day one of the two-day event, which also took place in Dublin, included Dierks Bentley and Martina McBride. Country to Country will return in 2015, taking place once more in London and Dublin, over the weekend of 7 and 8 March.
Retro News - Some of the biggest names in music during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are to perform at a new two-day "retro" music festival in Norfolk. Reload Festival will see Kool & The Gang, The Human League and Hot Chocolate hit the stage at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich in September. Soul II Soul, Rick Astley and Billy Ocean will also be performing. Promoter Dion Clements said the event would look to capitalise on the "growing demand for nostalgia". Other acts set to play over the weekend include Sister Sledge, Heaven 17, Jason Donovan, ABC and From The Jam. Clements said nostalgic music events such as the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames had proved very successful and the Norfolk Showground was the "perfect" venue to put on something similar.
(Jim Evans)
