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A Different Stage (album)
''A Different Stage'' is the debut studio album by English comedian and actor Jason Manford. The album was released on 6 October 2017 by Decca Records. It features some of Manford's favourite show tunes. Background Manford has stated that before becoming a comedian he had believed he would follow a career in music: "I've been singing since I was a boy, I always thought I’d probably be a singer rather than a stand-up, but that’s just the way it happened". He made his West End debut as Italian barber Adolfo Pirelli in the musical '' Sweeney Todd'' in 2012. He has also appeared as Leo Bloom in '' The Producers'' (2014), and Caractacus Potts in ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' (2016), a role which won him very favourable reviews. His decision to record an album of show tunes came after a version of him performing "Stars" from the musical '' Les Miserables'' alongside actor and singer Alfie Boe was uploaded to YouTube, where it proved to be popular, and after fans left messages on Manf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jason Manford
Jason John Manford (born 26 May 1981) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and singer. Manford was a team captain on the Channel 4 panel show ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' from 2007 until 2010 and has presented numerous television shows for the BBC and ITV including ''Comedy Rocks'' (2010–2011), ''The One Show'' (2010), '' Show Me the Funny'' (2011), '' A Question of Sport: Super Saturday'' (2014), '' Bigheads'' (2017) "Starstruck" (2022) and '' Children In Need'' (2022) Manford has starred in numerous stage musicals in the West End and across the UK such as ''Sweeney Todd'', ''The Producers'', ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''Curtains''. Early life Jason John Manford was born in Salford on 26 May 1981, the son of Sharon (née Ryan) and courtroom stenographer and trade union Shop Steward in the NHS Ian Manford. His maternal grandmother, Nora (née Peate), was an Irish Catholic from Dublin.Interview, ''The Graham Norton Show'', 28 June 2010. Manford and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chess (musical)
''Chess'' is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of the pop group ABBA, lyrics by Ulvaeus and Tim Rice, and book by Rice. The story involves a politically driven, Cold War-era chess tournament between two grandmasters, one American and the other Soviet, and their fight over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Although the protagonists were not intended to represent any real individuals, the character of the American grandmaster (named Freddie Trumper in the stage version) was loosely based on Bobby Fischer, while elements of the story may have been inspired by the chess careers of Russian grandmasters Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov. ''Chess'' allegorically reflected the Cold War tensions present in the 1980s. The musical has been referred to as a metaphor for the whole Cold War, with the insinuation being made that the Cold War is itself a manipulative game. Released and staged at the height of the strong anti-communist agenda t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Man Of La Mancha
''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes and his 17th-century novel ''Don Quixote''. It tells the story of the "mad" knight Don Quixote as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition. The work is not and does not pretend to be a faithful rendition of either Cervantes' life or ''Don Quixote''. Wasserman complained repeatedly about people taking the work as a musical version of ''Don Quixote''. The original 1965 Broadway production ran for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The musical has been revived four times on Broadway, becoming one of the most enduring works of musical theatre. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Impossible Dream (song)
"The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" is a popular song composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion. The song is the most popular song from the 1965 Broadway musical ''Man of La Mancha'' and is also featured in the 1972 film of the same name starring Peter O'Toole. The complete song is first sung by Don Quixote as he stands vigil over his armor, in response to Aldonza (Dulcinea)'s question about what he means by "following the quest". It is reprised partially three more times – the last by prisoners in a dungeon as Miguel de Cervantes and his manservant mount the drawbridge-like prison staircase to face trial by the Spanish Inquisition. A version recorded by Jack Jones peaked at No. 35 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Leigh received the Contemporary Classics Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame for the song. Notable renditions *1965: Richard Kiley on the original Broadway cast album of ''Man of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
This Is My Life (Shirley Bassey Album)
''This Is My Life'' is a 1968 album by Shirley Bassey. The mid to late sixties was a period of declining popularity for traditional pop. How much the changing tastes in popular music directly affected Bassey's record sales is difficult to quantify; but her record sales had been faltering since the latter part of the mid 1960s, and the album failed to chart(She did have some success in Italy during this period, where she recorded several songs in Italian, with two making the Top 40 there). The version of "This Is My Life" appearing on side two is the English-only version, with lyrics by Norman Newell, and would become one of Bassey's signature songs. The original album was issued in mono and stereo. The stereo version of this album has been released on CD twice, firstly, in the late 1990s, on the EMI 2-CD set ''Shirley Bassey The Collection'' and a digitally re-mastered release for CD in 2009 together with ''Does Anybody Miss Me'' by BGO Records. Track listing Side One. #" Now ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunset Boulevard (musical)
''Sunset Boulevard'' is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. It is based on the 1950 film of the same title. The plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the fabled Los Angeles street. When young screenwriter Joe Gillis accidentally crosses her path, she sees in him an opportunity to make her return to the big screen, with romance and tragedy to follow. Opening first in London in 1993, the musical has had several long runs internationally and enjoyed extensive tours. However, it has been the subject of several legal battles and ultimately lost money due to its extraordinary running costs. Background From approximately 1952 to 1956, Gloria Swanson worked with actor Richard Stapley (aka Richard Wyler) and cabaret singer and pianist Dickson Hughes on a musical adaptation originally entitled ''Starring Norma Desmond'', then ''Bouleva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
As If We Never Said Goodbye
"As If We Never Said Goodbye" is a show tune from the musical '' Sunset Boulevard''. It was written by Don Black, Christopher Hampton (with additional lyrics by Amy Powers), and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Ben Rimalower on Playbill calls it Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest song. In ''Sunset Boulevard'', the main character, Norma Desmond, reveals her longing to return to the spotlight of fame. The song has been performed by Barbra Streisand. It is featured on her album '' Back to Broadway'' and the live albums '' The Concert'' and ''Back to Brooklyn.'' Elaine Paige recorded the song for her album '' Encore''. Countertenor Chris Colfer (as Kurt Hummel) sings the song in the ''Glee'' season 2 episode " Born This Way". A review in ''Salon'' describes Colfer's performance as turning the song "into a valentine to self-knowledge and self-improvement—and a young, gay singer's dream of treating the world as a stage and commanding it like a star." English tenor Alfie Boe, recorded his v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby (born 4 December 1973) is an English folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, and is one of the best known contemporary English folk singers. In 2001 ''The Guardian'' described her as "a superstar of the British acoustic scene."Denselow, Robin"Kate Rusby – Queen Elizabeth Hall, London" ''Guardian.co.uk'', 28 June 2001 (Retrieved: 19 July 2009) In 2007 the BBC website described her as "The first lady of young folkies". She is one of the few folk singers to have been nominated for the Mercury Prize.Wilson, Sue"Lost love and other heartbreaks" ''Independent.co.uk'', 18 June 2001 (Retrieved: 19 July 2009)"No sure bets for Mercury" ''news.BBC.co.uk'', 7 September 1999 (Retrieved ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Once (musical)
''Once'' is a musical based on the 2007 film of the same name by John Carney. Like the film, music and lyrics were by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, including the Academy Award-winning " Falling Slowly". The book for the musical was written by Enda Walsh. The musical premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2011, before transferring to Broadway in 2012. The production received eleven 2012 Tony Award nominations, and won eight including Best Musical, Best Actor and Best Book. The musical also won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It has since spawned a London production, with a North American Tour which started on 1 October 2013. In the musical, the cast also serves as the orchestra. A minimalist set is used, including a bar in center stage with chairs lining stage left and right. Exiting cast members simply step to the side of the stage and sit down. They serve as the orchestra from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falling Slowly
"Falling Slowly" is a song in the indie folk and indie rock genres that was written, composed and performed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2007 Irish musical romance film ''Once'', which starred Hansard and Irglová, and for which it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards. The song was also recorded by Hansard's band The Frames. History The song was written and composed while ''Once'' was in production. The film's director and screenwriter, John Carney, developed the script around songs which Hansard and Irglová had provided to him. In the movie, the duo play the song in the Waltons Music shop across from the George's Street Arcade in Dublin, with Hansard on guitar and Irglová on piano. The couple performed it at gigs in various European venues over the next two years. Versions appeared in 2006 on two albums: '' The Cost,'' which Hansard's band The Frames recorded and released, and '' Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somos Novios (It's Impossible)
"Somos Novios" (Spanish for "We Are Lovers") is a song first recorded by Mexican songwriter Armando Manzanero in 1968. Originally a French song " J'ai le mal de toi", different versions with unrelated lyrics in different languages have been written and recorded. Perry Como recorded an English version of "Somos Novios" with original English lyrics titled "It's Impossible", which was a top 10 hit in the US and the UK. The song has become one of the most popular boleros of all time and it has been covered by numerous artists. The recording by Manzanero was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Background The song has its origin in a song " J'ai le mal de toi" written by Jack Dieval and Michel Rivgauche. It was performed by Frédérica in 1960 as an unsuccessful submission for the selection of the French entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. in 1964, Colette Deréal recorded the first known recording of the song. It was recorded in English by Kathy Kirby as " The Way ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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