.Annie
Tour 2011: The Grand Theatre,
Wolverhampton
Monday
31st October, 2011
Theatre
Trick or
Treat? It's a Halloween to
Guy Fawkes Night week for Annie.
The show opens this evening at
The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
and continues through until
Bonfire Night on Saturday.
There's sure to be fireworks!
(sorry)
There will be matinees on
Wednesday and Saturday. View
further information about the The
Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton,
book tickets online and browse
show times and location details
at the theatre's website, here.
Tuesday 31st October -
Saturday 5th November • The
Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
www.grandtheatre.info/ [ Box
Office: 01902 429212 ]
The Grand Theatre, Lichfield
Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1DE
.Desert
Island Discs: Mark Gatiss
Monday
31st October, 2011
Radio
Mark Gatiss, of The
League Of Gentlemen and Doctor
Who fame, guested on BBC
Radio 4's Desert Island Discs
last Friday. One of Mark's
choices as a desert island disc
was Su's version of 'Come To Me
(I Am Woman)'. Whether he was
being post-ironic or whatever
we're not sure. Anyone who has
viewed Victory of the Daleks
knows Mark has a terrific sense
of humour :)
Kirsty
Young's castaway is the writer
and actor Mark Gatiss.
His childhood passions have
fuelled his adult creative life.
As a boy he says he was drawn
towards the macabre and gothic -
while his teachers remarked that
his school essays resembled
scripts for Hammer horror films.
He has written for - and acted in
- Dr Who, was one of the creators
of The League of Gentlemen and
his re-imagining of Sherlock
Holmes for a contemporary TV
audience was a huge success.
He says: "When I was a kid,
anything supernatural drew me, I
would try and find it in anything
- Gardeners' Question Time - I
would look for something."
• Listen to Mark Gatiss' Desert
Island Discs at 'BBC
iPlayer', here. Apparently the
programme is available until 1st
January 2099 but this may be an
error.
.Annie
2011: 'The Star' Review
Thursday
27th October, 2011
Theatre
Review
The Lyceum,
Sheffield
by Sean Bruce
Set against a backdrop of early
1930s depression USA gripped by
massive unemployment, poverty
trap and homelessness, classic
musical Annie uses optimism and
humour and some great songs to
tell the tale of a young orphan
girl.
Played by the wonderful Lauren
Arnison, Annie’s quest to
find her parents is thwarted by
Su Pollard as cruel orphanage
boss Miss Hannigan, and her
devious brother Rooster. After a
series of fun filled adventures
and impressive dance numbers,
good triumphs evil via
billionairre Oliver Warbucks
(former Hollyoaks villain David
McAlister) who has his heart
melted by Annie and adopts her
when she learns the fate of her
real mum and dad.
• Read the full review, at
'The Star' website, here.
.Annie
2011: 'Dinnington Guardian'
Review
Thursday
27th October, 2011
Theatre
Review
The Lyceum,
Sheffield
by Chantal Spittles
The weather might not be the most
reliable these days but the sun
is sure to come out tomorrow with
Annie in Sheffield this week.
Chris Moreno’s farewell
production of the classic rags to
riches musical of little orphan
Annie opened to packed audiences
last night at the Lyceum Theatre.
It got off to a rousing start as
the bunch of feisty orphanage
girls performed a fantastic
dance, belting out memorable hits
such as Maybe and It’s A
Hard-Knock Life.
Lauren Arnison as Annie showed
great confidence as she commanded
the stage while little Daisy
Sequerra of the Constance Grant
Dance Centre shone as fellow
orphan Molly.
The pace soon stepped up another
gear as Su Pollard entered as the
dastardly drunk Miss Hannigan who
runs the New York orphanage.
Pollard was definitely made for
the role, injecting plenty of her
natural comedy into Miss Hannigan
to make her one of the most
memorable stars of the show.
• Read the full review, at
the 'Dinnington Guardian'
website, here.
.For
Better Or For Worse: Episode Two
@ BBC iPlayer
Thursday
27th October, 2011
Radio
Episode two of the
first series of For Better or
For Worse is now at BBC
iPlayer. It will be available
until early next Wednesday.
The third episode airs next
Tuesday and early Wednesday.
For Better Or For Worse :
BBC Radio 4 Extra - Tuesday 1st
November : 5.00pm
For Better Or For Worse : BBC
Radio 4 Extra - Wednesday 2nd
November : 5.00am Series One, Episode Three.
Sweethearts Bernard and Iris
scour the neighbourhood for his
sulking dad. Stars Su Pollard and
Gorden Kaye. Stars Su Pollard and
Gorden Kaye.
.Annie
Tour 2011: The Lyceum, Sheffield
Monday
24th October, 2011
Theatre
After a week's break
Su and the Annie cast
and crew are raring to go and, as
I type this news post, are
heading to Sheffield for five
days, and nights, of performances
at The Lyceum. The first show is
tomorrow night.
There will be matinees on
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
View further information about
the The Lyceum, Sheffield, book
tickets online and browse show
times and location details at the
theatre's website, here.
Tuesday 25th - Saturday
29th October • The Lyceum,
Sheffield
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/ [ Box
Office: 0114 249 6000 ]
The Lyceum, Norfolk Street,
Sheffield S1 1DA
.John
Parker Lee Photography: Su
Pollard Is As Mad As You'd
Hope...
Monday
24th October, 2011
Press
Clips
Su was
recently photographed by John
Parker Lee. John recounts their
meeting at his 'Commercial
Photography Manchester' blog.
Sometimes you want your
pre-conceptions to be true, never
more so when you're off to
photograph Su Pollard.
I love a character, there's
nothing better to photograph. I
thought she'd be lively and I
wasn't wrong. We met at the
Palace Hotel and right from the
off I knew I'd get a good shot as
she launched into a manic
welcome.
The
much-loved actor looks back on
his time working with the
celebrated comedy writer, who
died last month.
David Croft, as one half of three
highly successful writing
partnerships (with Jimmy Perry,
Jeremy Lloyd and Richard
Spendlove), was arguably the
greatest TV comedy writer England
has ever produced, with a string
of memorable hits - Dad's
Army, Are You Being
Served?, It Ain't Half
Hot Mum!, 'Allo! 'Allo!
etc. - that remain iconic to this
day.
• Read the full tribute at
the 'Suite101' website, here.
.Local
Secrets: Annie: It's A Hard Knock
Life!
Friday
21st October, 2011
Press
Clips
See the
beloved family musical this
Christmas
The heart-warming rags-to-riches
musical, ANNIE, is running at the
Cambridge Corn Exchange from
Saturday 17th to Saturday 31st
December, as the Christmas Show
for 2011.
The tale of Orphan Annie’s
adventures from Miss
Hannigan’s orphanage to the
luxurious home of Oliver
Warbucks, is a story that has
been told, and loved, all over
the world for decades. First seen
on stage in 1976, the show really
does deserve its reputation as
one of the best loved family
musicals of all time!
Star of stage and screen, Su
Pollard (Hi-De-Hi), reprises her
role as the dastardly gin-soaked
Miss Hannigan. In an interview
with the Cambridge News on a
recent visit to the city, Su
described the musical as "a
story of hope". She
continued "It tells you that
if things aren't going well today
then don't worry because there's
always tomorrow". This is
Su's last time in the role, so
we're lucky that she has chosen
Cambridge as the scene of her
final performances.
• Read the full article, at
the 'Local Secrets' website, here.
.Su
Attends 'Crazy for You' First
Night
Friday
21st October, 2011
Press
Clips
Su attended
the first night of The Open Air
Theatre, Regent's Park's
production of Crazy for You
at the West End's Novello Theatre
on Monday night.
Crazy For You, the 1992
Broadway musical, from the book
by Ken Ludwig and featuring the
music of George and Ira Gershwin,
has just transferred to London's
West End. Previews began on 8th
October. An eclectic range of
first night guests included Su,
Alison Steadman, Sarah
Lancashire, June Whitfield and
numerous others.
• Read the 'What's on Stage'
article on this here. View more photos
of the event here.
.Star
107: Out and About: Su Interview
Tuesday
18th October, 2011
Radio
Interview
Su was interviewed
last week by Amy Carpenter for
the Out and About show
on 'Star 107', the Cambridge
radio station. Su talks about
Annie and much more in a very
entertaining chat.
Out and About is a show
focusing on events and
entertainment in and around
Cambridge, and airs every
Thursday evening on the station.
• Visit the 'Star 107'
website here to listen to last
week's Out and About
show and the full Su interview.
.Su On
The Radio: For Better Or For
Worse: Round Up
Tuesday
18th October, 2011
Radio
BBC Radio 4 Extra
(formerly BBC Radio 7) begin
airing For Better Or For
Worse again today.
Episode One of the
first series starts at 5.00pm and
continues for the next eight
weeks. Su played Iris in three
series of this radio comedy
between 1993 and 1996.
For Better
Or For Worse : BBC Radio 4 Extra
- Tuesday 18th October : 5.00pm
For Better Or For Worse : BBC
Radio 4 Extra - Wednesday 19th
October : 5.00am Series One, Episode One:
Dithering Bernard tries to get
engaged to his flighty partner
Iris. Stars Su Pollard and Gorden
Kaye. From February 1993.
For Better Or For Worse :
BBC Radio 4 Extra - Tuesday 25th
October : 5.00pm
For Better Or For Worse : BBC
Radio 4 Extra - Wednesday 26th
October : 5.00am Series One, Episode Two:
Sweethearts Iris and Bernard miss
the film when they go to the
pictures. Stars Su Pollard and
Gorden Kaye.
These epsiodes will be available
on BBC iPlayer after airing.
• View our For Better Or
For Worse Episode Guide here.
.Key
103: Win Tickets To Annie The
Musical
Tuesday
18th October, 2011
Competition
One of the
most loved and successful shows
of all time is coming to the
Palace Theatre Manchester for one
week only!
We have 10 pairs of tickets to
give away to see the
heart-warming rags-to-riches
musical Annie, packed with
classic musical numbers It's a
Hard-Knock Life, You're Never
Fully Dressed Without a Smile and
the iconic anthem Tomorrow.
• For your chance to win
simply click here to visit 'Key 103'
to enter your details.
Competition closes on the 23rd
October at 11:59pm.
.Cambridge-News:
Su Pollard Talks About This
Year's Corn Exchange Christmas
Show
Tuesday
11th October, 2011
Interview
A new video
interview with Su, from
'Cambridge-News'. Annie
is at Cambridge Corn Exchange
this Christmas.
TV favourite Su Pollard dazzled
Cambridge yesterday when she
visited the Corn Exchange to talk
about her role in the
venue’s upcoming Christmas
show, Annie.
Dressed in a sparkly sequinned
top, knee-length socks and her
trademark glasses, the TV, panto
and West End star – best
known for playing the loveably
ditsy Peggy in 80s sitcom
Hi-de-Hi! – said Annie is
just as relevant today as ever:
“It’s a story of hope.
It tells you that if things
aren’t going well today then
don’t worry, because
there’s always tomorrow.
Also, when you think about it, it
was written around the time of
the Wall Street Crash, and of
course now it’s all happened
again.
“And of course all the songs
are fabulous, and there’s
lots for the audience to see
– including a 30ft Christmas
tree. They’ve used some of
the original sets and costumes
from Broadway too.”
• Read the full article and
watch the interview, at the
'Cambridge-News' website, here.
Hi-De-Hi star Su Pollard was
excellent in the role of the love
to hate character Miss Hannigan
and gave a hilarious and
memorable performance. She
provided the audience with plenty
of laughs and showed off a
surprisingly good singing voice.
David McAlister (Hollyoaks,
Eastenders) was convincing in the
role of billionaire businessman
Oliver Warbucks and gave a
credible performance. Praise must
also be given to Simone Craddock
who was perfect in the part of
Warbuck’s endearing
Secretary, Grace Farrell.
• Read the full interview,
at the 'BH Beat' website, here.
.Annie
Tour 2011: Festival Theatre,
Malvern
Tuesday
11th October, 2011
Theatre
Annie opens
at the Festival Theatre, Malvern
this evening. Su has played
Malvern Theatres numerous times
in the past and is looking
forward to performing at the
fantastic Festival Theatre this
week.
There will be matinees on
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
View further information about
the Festival Theatre, Malvern,
book tickets online and browse
show times and location details
at the theatre's website, here.
Just a few
days to go until BACK TO
MAPLIN'S 2011. Tony and
Joanne Tarran are working hard to
make sure we all have a great
time. Sadly Ruth Madoc and Su
Pollard have had to pull out of
the event because of professional
commitments. However, some great
guests are still expected to join
us. To all those travelling from
far off places, have a safe
journey and see you in the
Hawaiian Ballroom...
• Please visit
the 'Hi-de-Hi.net' news page, here, for further info
and details on how to book
tickets for this event.
.Daily
Echo: Is Lady Gaga Following in
the Fashion Footsteps of Su
Pollard?
Friday
7th October, 2011
Interview
A new
interview with Su, from
'Bournemouth Daily Echo'. Su
talks Lady Gaga, Annie
and more.
“Lady Gaga and I are like
twins – except we were born
at different times.”
That’s actress Su
Pollard’s take on the
multi-million selling pop
star’s latest outfit of
white glasses, lacy dress and fur
pelt – which has been
likened to Su’s own
inimitable style.
The 61-year-old former Hi-de-Hi
star, currently playing Miss
Hannigan in Annie at Poole
Lighthouse, is more than happy to
see the American songstress
following in her wacky footsteps.
Su said: “I think it’s
very flattering that Lady Gaga
has chosen me as her mentor.
• Read the full interview,
at the 'Bournemouth Daily Echo'
website, here.
.Annie
2011: 'Bournemouth Daily Echo'
Review
Friday
7th October, 2011
Theatre
Review
Lighthouse,
Poole
by Roy Sharp
What a contrast there is between
the obliging Hi-De-Hi chalet girl
Peggy and the dastardly, scheming
Miss Hannigan who runs a
children’s orphanage in New
York.
Su Pollard is superb in this role
and she is supported by a
40-strong cast. David McAlister
is a convincing billionaire in
the role of Oliver Warbucks who
takes Annie on a two-week
vacation that lasts a lifetime.
• Read the full interview,
at the 'Bournemouth Daily Echo'
website, here.
.Lady
Gaga 'Draws Inspiration From Su!'
Friday
7th October, 2011
Press
Clips
Su was namechecked
in numerous articles over the
past day or so, originating from
a 'Press Association' news
release on Lady Gaga's latest
look as she filmed a Jonathan
Ross interview for his ITV1 show.
Gaga ready for Jonathan
Ross show
Lady Gaga appears to have
drawn inspiration from Hi-de-Hi!
star Su Pollard as she shows off
her latest wacky outfit.
The singer, 25, donned a pair of
white curvy specs, piled her
green-tinted hair on top of her
head and wore a touch of white
face make-up as she prepared to
film a chatshow appearance in
London.
• View the full Press
Association release here. Read a report from
'This is Notingham', here.
.British
Classic Comedy: In Tribute To
David Croft – Hi-De-Hi
Friday
7th October, 2011
Television
The 'British Classic
Comedy' website has just
published a tribute to David
Croft, by looking at the origins
and success of Hi-de-Hi!
Hi – De – Hi, was
inspired by Jimmy Perry’s
experiences as a Butlins Red
Coat, a job he had during the
holiday season after being
de-mobbed from the army.
A huge success in it’s time,
the series gained regular large
audiences winning a BAFTA in 1984
for best comedy series. Coming
40th in the BBC poll to find
Britain’s best sitcom, the
series also polled number 35 in a
2008 Channel 4 poll to find
Britain’s best comedy
catchphrase for
“Hi-De-Hi!”
• View the full tribute, at
'British Classic Comedy' here.
.Su On
The Radio: For Better Or For
Worse
Friday
7th October, 2011
Radio
For
Better Or For Worse : BBC Radio 4
Extra - Tuesday 18th October :
5.00pm
For Better Or For Worse : BBC
Radio 4 Extra - Wednesday 19th
October : 5.00am
Series One, Episode One:
Dithering Bernard tries to get
engaged to his flighty partner
Iris. Stars Su Pollard and Gorden
Kaye. From February 1993.
• View our For
Better Or For Worse Episode
Guide here.
.What's
on Stage: Su Pollard On... Annie
Wednesday
5th October, 2011
Interview
A great new
interview with Su at 'What's on
Stage'.
One of Britain's favourite
entertainers - Su Pollard returns
to the region as Miss Hannigan in
the classic musical - Annie which
is currently touring the UK. We
caught up with her to discuss the
enduring appeal of the show,
working with children and animals
and of course - Hi-De-Hi.
You have been in Annie
many times now. What do you like
about the show?
It is a proven product – all
the ingredients for great
entertainment – great
singable tunes, good storey,
interesting characters, fab
orchestrations and a happy
ending.
• Read the full interview,
at the 'What's on Stage' website,
here.
.Dorset
Echo: Little Orphan Annie Stars
at the Lighthouse in Poole
Wednesday
5th October, 2011
Press
Clips
A new
article on Annie,
from the 'Dorset Echo', including
a brief interview with Su.
... This is the sixth time that
Su has played the part of
gin-soaked orphanage manager
Hannigan and she loves reprising
the role.
“I saw it years ago with
Sheila Hancock in the role and
thought it was a part that could
be right up my street,” she
said. “So when I got the
part I was thrilled to bits.
“I have played it so many
times and I like finding
something different or new about
the character. Kids love a bit of
silly physical humour so I like
to incorporate that.
• Read the full
article/interview, at the 'Dorset
Echo' website, here.
.Annie
Tour 2011: Lighthouse, Poole
Tuesday
4th October, 2011
Theatre
Su and her extended Annie
family have now left Scotland and
are getting prepared and ready
for a week of shows at the
fantastic Lighthouse in Poole,
Dorset. The first performance is
this evening, and it's not to be
missed!
There will be matinees on
Wednesday and Saturday. View
further information about
Lighthouse, Poole, book tickets
online and browse show times and
location details at the theatre's
website, here.
Tuesday 4th - Saturday
8th October • Lighthouse,
Poole
www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/ [ Box
Office: 0844 406 8666 ]
Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road,
Poole, Dorset BH15 1UG
Episode two of the
first series of For Better or
For Worse is now at BBC
iPlayer. It will be available
until early next Wednesday.
