Songs In The Key Of Life features hits like I Wish, Pastime Paradise and As, and won a Grammy for album of the year. Wonder has been playing it to rave reviews in America since 2014. Rolling Stone called it "free-spirited, triumphant and huge," while The New York Times described the three-hour show as "a journey of jubilation". Wonder's 30-piece touring band features his first daughter Aisha, who inspired the opening track of the album's second disc, Isn't She Lovely.
Spaced Out - Veteran French composer Jean Michel Jarre is to headline a new 'festival of discovery' to be held under the iconic Lovell Telescope. Bluedot, named after an image of Earth taken by Voyager 1, will also see Underworld and Caribou top the bill at Cheshire's Jodrell Bank Observatory. The three-day festival, which begins on 22 July, will see science events, such as pulsar hunting and robot workshops. Observatory director Prof Tim O'Brien said it would "blow people's minds". The festival will be Jarre's only UK festival date and will follow the May release of Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise, his 15th studio album which features collaborations with the Pet Shop Boys, Cyndi Lauper, Primal Scream, Peaches and The Orb.
Financially Fragile - Stephen Sondheim has suggested the "financially fragile" nature of commercial theatre is restricting the variety of musicals that get produced. The celebrated composer and lyricist - known for his work on musicals including Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Gypsy - said producers in the UK and the US depend on show templates proven to be bankable, and rarely take risks on other styles or new ideas. Speaking at an event at the National Theatre, he told the audience: "Commercial theatre is so financially fragile, I wish there were more of a supermarket of musicals - different kinds of musicals."
He claimed that as soon as one type of show is a commercial success, producers rush to make more shows in the same mould. "What happens is: once the first jukebox musical became popular, a lot of jukebox musicals [were made]. I understand why, but it would be nice to have other kinds of musicals...In New York, anyway, you can find a good deal of that variety Off-Broadway, but you can't make enough of a living Off-Broadway to support a family."
Hall for Cornwall - Plans for a multimillion pound redevelopment of Hall for Cornwall have been unveiled, which the organisation's bosses hope will make it the go-to venue in the South West. Draft plans for the works will involve a radical redesign of the venue's auditorium, increasing its capacity by about 300 and adding two extra tiers above the existing stalls. They have been announced as part of a wider £18m strategy to overhaul the Truro-based theatre. The organisation said that significant parts of the grade-II* listed building, which dates back to 1846 and was last refurbished in 1997, no longer meet the technical or audience needs of a modern theatre, so a redevelopment would also seek to safeguard the future of the building and improve its sustainability.
The plans will increase the main auditorium from 956 seats to 1,262 by adding two additional tiers, a move which Hall for Cornwall chair Sue Wolstenholme said could allow the venue to become the organisation of choice for large-scale shows visiting the South West.
(Jim Evans)
