I’m not entirely sure what I watched at the Arts Theatre when I attended the press night for Knights Of The Rose, but it wasn’t what I signed up for. Andy Moss and Katie Birtill were so positive about the production when I interviewed them a couple of weeks prior to Knights Of The Rose opening, but did they genuinely think the show they were in was good?
I’m going to hold my hands up and say that until recently I had never seen The King And I, despite it being on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most popular musicals. It’s a film that my mum absolutely adores, but I’d just never managed to catch it in full. Thanks to London Box Office I was able to catch the Tony Award winning transfer from the Lincoln Center at the London Palladium.
After interviewing Andy Moss earlier this week, I’ve taken the opportunity to chat to one of his Knights Of The Rose co-stars, Katie Birtill. Previously appearing in The Last Five Years, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert and Sweet Charity, Katie is making her way to the West End stage for just eight weeks for this brand new story.
Knights Of The Rose is the latest in a long line of brand new productions to make its West End debut at the Arts Theatre (The Toxic Avenger; Ruthless). Knights Of The Rose is a classic rock musical of Shakespearean proportions, featuring legendary ballads and timeless anthems from the likes of Bon Jovi, Muse, No Doubt and many more. Last week, I had the chance to speak to Andy Moss (Hollyoaks, Doctors) ahead of the opening of this brand new production.
Now I may not have made the trip to see Heathers at The Other Palace just yet (give me a few more weeks, and then I’ll have the review ready for you), but I got swept up in the hype surrounding the show on Friday when I went to see Serenade London: For The Love Of Girls, and it was worth giving myself a little bit of a late night before West End LIVE.
I’ve seen a lot of shows produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment over the past year that I’ve loved – Pippin, Yank, Spring Awakening and The Toxic Avenger were all brilliant – so when I heard she was bringing a song cycle to the Union Theatre, I was definitely interested. It’s Only Life brings together five performers following a story of longing, wisdom, fulfillment, loss and triumph, tying these feelings with songs by John Bucchino.