Peter Whelan’s The Bright & Bold Design runs from Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 12.

Jessie and the girls are happy in their work as the ‘paintresses’ of a Stoke pottery. Then along comes Jim, a radical free-thinker with big ideas and it isn’t long before the cracks begin to show.

Too Marvellous for Words, featuring the songs of Johnny Mercer, runs from Tuesday, July 14 to Sunday, July 19.
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Tickets (for both productions): £12, £10 concessions.

Times: 7.30pm, matinees (Sunday, July 12 and Sunday, July 19) at 2.30pm.

The three comedy nights are:

Sit Down Sundays (with the boys…) hosted by Jon Petrie and Mr Doolan – Sunday, July 12.

Scuttlebutt Gala Cabaret, featuring ‘a splendiferous array of comic delights to tickle your bits and bobs!’ – Sunday, July 19.

Tommy & The Weeks – Wonderbang, a sell-out at Edinburgh 2007 and 2008 – Monday, July 27.

Tickets (for all three): £5 (no concessions).

Time: 8pm.

For more information call the box office on 020 7737 7276 or visit the Website

Also at Landor Theatre: Stockwell which runs from July 21 to August 8, 2009.
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Opening on December 26, 2009, it continues until January 10, 2010.

Into the Hoods follows two children who are lost in the hood. An evil landlord befriends them after they have played truant from school and they are offered a room in his tenement block on the condition they work for him.

Reluctantly the children embark on their mission, which leads them to the flats occupied by Spinderella, where they discover gold Adidas trainers; Lil Red, the owner of a bright red hoodie; Rap-on-Zel, the producer of the finest quality long weave in the city; and Jaxx (who lives in the basement), the owner of a white I-pod.

Following its success at the Endinburgh Fringe in 2006 and 2007, Into the Hoods received its West End premiere in 2008 at the Novello Theatre, where it twice extended what was originally a limited season. For the final four week (August 4 to August 30, 2008), George Sampson, the fourteen-year-old winner of Britain’s Got Talent, played one of the lost children.

Kate Prince (Strictly Dance Fever) directs and choreographs Into the Hoods which is performed by 19 adults and nine children (three on stage). Many of the professional dancers have worked with celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Nelly Furtado, Pink, Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce and Snoop Dogg.

The company, ZooNation, performs to music from Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, James Brown, Snoop Dogg, Bob Marley, the Chemical Brothers and others.

Described as a musical journey peppered with material by great names such as Frank Sinatra, Dory Previn, Kander and Ebb and Cyndi Lauper, it will run for just eight performances – from Tuesday, September 1 to Sunday, September 6, 2009.

As well as his favourite tunes – a combination of celebrated hits and little-known gems – Cumming will relate poignant anecdotes from his colourful past. He will be accompanied by Emmy Award-winning composer, musical director, painist, arranger and singer, Lance Horne.

Cumming’s previous London stage credits include Conquest of the South Pole, La Bete, Hamlet, Accidental Death of an Anarchist (for which he won an Olivier Award for Comedy Performance of the Year), and Sam Mendes’ Donmar Warehouse production of Cabaret, which later transferred to Broadway where he won a Tony Award for his performance.

He was seen most recently in Bent (Trafalgar Studios) and The Bacchae (Edinburgh Festival and Lyric Hammersmith).

Cumming’s other Broadway credits include The Threepenny Opera and Design for Living. He has also appeared in a number of films – Sweet Land, Spy Kids, X2, Nicholas Nickleby, Titus, Eyes Wide Shut, Emma, Circle of Friends, Disney’s TV musical adaptation of Annie and Ant Bully.

Cumming was recently awarded an OBE.

I Bought a Blue Car Today is produced by Neil Eckersley and Paul Spicer for Speckulation Entertainment. Musical direction is by Lance Horne and sound design by James Tebb.

Prior to its West End debut, I Bought a Blue Car Today has played at the Lincoln Center in New York and the Sydney Opera House.

Duet for One continues at the Vaudeville Theatre until August 1, 2009.
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It will open on July 21 in Munich, where it will continue until August 2, 2009. Additional dates have already been confirmed in Barcelona, Cologne, Zurich, Vienna, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Berlin.

The production will then tour most other European countries as well as embarking on an extensive American tour within the next 12 months. Further dates will be announced soon.

Producer Paul Walden said today: “Since the tragic news from Los Angeles broke, we have been amazed by the reaction of the fans around the globe, and enquiries for Thriller – Live to appear worldwide has been overwhelming. Against this background it seems clear that what Michael’s fans want right now is to celebrate his life by continuing to listen to his music and to have a way to celebrate his legacy. We can think of no greater tribute to the memory of this global superstar than to continue to celebrate his life and his music as we have done for the past three years in Thriller – Live.

“We held a minute’s silence on Friday, June 25 b­efore the shows in London’s West End and at Manchester Opera House. All the cast and creative team were united in grief and solidarity. We weren’t sure how the evening would go, but with sell-out crowds at both venues on their feet cheering and dancing, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Michael’s fans clearly want to celebrate his life and hear his great music.”

Thriller – Live, which celebrates the career of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, continues its record-breaking run at the Lyric Theatre until Sunday, January 3, 2010 – the first anniversary of its opening in the West End.

Read more about Michael Jackson and Thriller – Live

The VJ’s remarkable story has been captured in the award-winning film, Burma VJ, which The Co-operative will premiere at 40 cinemas across the UK on July 14.

The Burma VJs risked torture, imprisonment and even death to document the incredible story behind the 2007 uprisings and they now face up to 65 years in prison for simply recording the events in the film.

On seeing Burma VJ, Gere commented: “It’s desperately important that people see this film and get involved in the movement to help Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi.

“I was incredibly moved on many different levels by what the filmmakers achieved. The conviction and urgency that Burma VJ conveys is very difficult to communicate on film in an honest way.”

Paul Monaghan, Head of Social Goals and Sustainability at The Co-operative, said: “People put their lives on the line to get this footage out of Burma in the hope that the world would take notice. News stories come and go, but the oppression in Burma is as bad as anywhere on the planet, and we mustn’t turn a blind eye.

“Burma VJ is not just a cracking watch, it is a challenge to us to get off our seats and do something – that something is ‘Free the VJs’.”

Adds Gere: “Supporting this film and the Co-operative’s campaign will enhance your own sense of responsibility by demonstrating that you can effect positive change in the world.

“It is important that we keep ourselves connected by engaging human rights issues around the globe and insisting that our government representatives, business leaders and institutions like the UN do something when rights are violated.

“If we keep ourselves connected, together we can really make a difference so stay informed, tell a friend and help Free the VJs and Aung San Suu Kyi.”

The “Free the VJs” campaign calls for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to put pressure on the regime to release the five VJs along with the other 2,100 political prisoners being held in Burma among whom is former Democratic leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Visit WWW.BURMAVJMOVIE.COM/GERE to see Richard Gere’s message.

Find out more about Burma VJ

Next story: Smurfs movie lands director

All tickets for the original date will be valid for the re-scheduled show. Fans who cannot make the new date should return their tickets to the point of purchase for a refund.

Depeche Mode resumed their world ‘Tour of the Universe’ following Dave Gahan’s recent illness with a sold out show in Leipzig, Germany on June 8.

Since their return to the road the stadium shows have been a phenomenal success including a sold out 66,000 ticket show at the Stade De France – taking in 21 European cities in five weeks and finishing in Seville on Sunday, July 12.

Their 24-date North American tour starts on July 24 in Toronto before finishing in Florida on September 5. After a break their European tour resumes in Oberhausen, Germany on October 31st.

The band arrive back on UK shores in December for a handful of extra dates:

12 – Glasgow, SECC
13 – Birmingham, LG Arena
15 & 16 – London, O2 Arena
18 – Manchester, MEN Arena

Raja Gosnell, of Beverly Hills Chihuahua fame, has reportedly been hired to direct the film, which will be released by Sony in 2D and 3D formats.

The little blue Smurfs were first created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford and went on to spawn a line of statuettes, games, toys, theme parks and a hit TV series, which ran on NBC between 1981 and 1990.

Variety reports that Audrey Wells is currently polishing off a script for the project, which is based on an original treatment by J David Stem and David N Weiss (Shrek 2).

Next story: Will Smith to reunite with I Am Legend director

This follows the band’s recent worldwide chart-storming success of the release of their new and now critically acclaimed album Battle for the Sun.

Placebo stormed the charts across Europe and worldwide, hitting No.8 in the UK and entering the charts at No.1 in nine countries, including a first ever No.1 in Germany.

The band hit the top five in 19 other countries and they have also had their first ever Billboard Top 100 placing in the US at No. 51.

Right across the board, Battle for the Sun has bettered all previous chart positions in Placebo’s 13-year history.

This, along with 25 European festival appearances this summer (including a return to the main stage at the Reading/Leeds festivals) and a huge arena tour booked for later in the year, culminating in The O2 Arena in London in December, shows the band going from strength to strength.

Win a pair of tickets to see Placebo

To celebrate Placebo’s Roundhouse gig as part of The iTunes festival on Tuesday, July 14, IndieLondon is offering readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the gig. Simply answer the following question…

Q. Wat is the name of Placebo’s latest album?

Simply send the answer to Placebo competition competition and include your name, address, telephone number and email.

Part of the reason for this lies in the fact that Brüno, his latest comic creation, is much less endearing than his Kazakhstan reporter.

But it’s also due to the fact that the comedy this time around is even more provocative and a little more staged.

Where once Cohen felt like a trailblazer who tip-toed the boundary of good taste, it now feels like he’s a victim of his own excess and struggling to keep the bad taste in check.

The plot, too, is a little too similar in style to his Borat adventure. After being thrown out of the fashion world and sacked from his TV show Funkyzeit, openly gay Austrian reporter Brüno heads to Los Angeles to reinvent himself and become a big, gay star.

As with Borat, Brüno has a helper in tow… on this occasion love-struck sidekick Lutz (Hammarsten) and like before he sets up interviews with plenty of “unsuspecting” targets.

But just what or who Cohen is attempting to satirise this time around isn’t quite so clear. His depiction of gay stereotypes is likely to offend people of either persuasion, while pot-shots at Middle Eastern politics and celebrity obsession are much less acutely observed.

It’s almost as if Cohen is provoking us to see just how much we’ll laugh before saying “enough is enough”. The big question this time around is just how outrageous will the paying public allow him to be before someone catches on?

That’s not to say Brüno isn’t without its moments – whether hilarious or jaw-droppingly outrageous.

Successful skits include his attempts to get into acting by hijacking an episode of Medium, his hunting expedition in the US wilderness and his spiritual reunion with a member of Milli Vanilli.

But for every good gag, there’s one that doesn’t work, or feels over-milked.

An extended sequence involving Brüno’s adoption of a black baby and their subsequent relationship outstays its welcome and frequently feels staged, while his gate-crashing of a swinger’s party – while amusing – feels like a set-up from the outset.

A [literally] painful sequence at a cage fighting night in middle America is also difficult to watch and pretty much epitomises the nature of the comedy this time around. You’ll be laughing in spite of the various forms of depravity that unfold on-screen, giving rise to the suspicion afterwards – for anyone who cares to think about it – that the joke this time is very much on us.

Perhaps in light of that, Cohen’s brand of comedy is in need of a rethink.

Certificate: 18
Running time: 90mins
UK Release Date: July 10, 2009

On the one hand, it’s a bawdy comedy about two High School sports stars who join a cheerleading camp to get laid. But on the other, it’s about cheerleading… that mostly feminine of pursuits.

Lads will probably be put off by the concept in the first place, while ladies will almost certainly find themselves lamenting the sexist nature of Will Gluck’s unfunny comedy.

Fired Up is therefore a bit of a no-go for all audiences.

Nicholas D’Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen star as the two High School jocks who give up their summer camp with the guys in favour of cheerleading camp with 300 girls.

But it’s fairly predictable that what begins as a mission to bed as many babes as possible soon turns into a life-changing experience for both.

D’Agosto’s Shawn finds love with level-headed cheeleader captain Carly (Sarah Roemer), while Olsen’s Nick sets his sights on the camp’s older instructor. Both learn to value the meaning of team building.

Gluck’s film does, admittedly, offer the odd moment of guilty laughter and is packed with gratuitous shots of girls (and guys) in various states of undress, or figure-hugging costumes.

But any goodwill you have towards it will be severely tested by the dubious nature of the screenplay, which finds most of the men either gay or misogynistic and almost all of the women pining to be satisfied.

D’Agosto and Olsen lack much to endear them as the central pairing with the latter, in particular, seemingly determined to copy the early motor-mouthed tendencies of Jim Carrey.

While Roemer struggles manfully as the supposedly intelligent team leader but is let down by the poor quality of the script.

Indeed, nothing about this cheerleading comedy offers anything to cheer. And while some comic irony is sought from the film’s “FU” initials, it’s doubtful whether you’ll be thinking anything more favourably towards it once you’ve sat through its laboured endeavours.

Certificate: 12A
Running time: 89mins
UK Release Date: July 10, 2009

The drama will potentially find Smith playing a father who lives on the opposite side of the ocean from his daughter, whose bond is so strong that it causes Manhattan to split off and float across the Atlantic.

Variety reports that a script is currently being re-written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien (of Ocean’s Thirteen fame).

Prior to commencing work on City That Sailed, Lawrence may also direct Water For Elephants, an adaptation of a Sara Gruen novel about a travelling circus in Depression Era America that’s being touted as a possible Reese Witherspoon vehicle.

Smith, meanwhile, is currently on location in China, where he is overseeing the production of The Karate Kid remake starring his son, Jaden.

Read our I Am Legend coverage

Next story: Jessica Biel admits to being a knicker girl

In an interview with Manhattan Movie magazine, the star of films such as Easy Virtue and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry says she never understands why some stars are caught out by photographers after they’ve forgotten to put on their underwear for gala occasions.

And the actress, who is dating pop star and actor Justin Timberlake, insists she never goes out without her undies on.

“I don’t really get that, it’s not my thing – I’m a knicker person,” she said. “I actually know a handful of people who aren’t knicker people, but I don’t get it!”

Jessica, 27, went on to claim that she doesn’t feel part of the young Hollywood circle and doesn’t know a lot of actors. She’s content to keep herself to herself and avoid the limelight where possible.

Next story: Bruno star terrified of failure as Jackson scene cut

In this comedy with songs, it’s talent night at Bunter’s niteclub, and contestant Julie and her fat friend Maureen are waiting backstage. As they are plunged into a world of ukulele-wielding pensioners, crotch-grabbing comperes and some long-buried personal history, Julie and Maureen have to decide how lucky they really want to be.

Talent has original music and lyrics by Victoria Wood, set designs by Roger Glossop, lighting by Paul Anderson, sound by David Ogilvy and musical supervision by Nigel Lilley. It is co-produced with the Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness, where it will run for 15 performances – from August 27 to September 12, 2009.

Casting has yet to be announced.

Originally commissioned by David Leland for the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, Talent was first performed in 1978 with a cast comprising Hazel Clyne, Victoria Wood, Roger Sloman, Bill Stewart, Eric Richard and Peter Ellis. That production, which won Wood the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright, transferred to London’s ICA the following year.

A television adaptation, in which Wood and Julie Walters performed together on screen for the first time, was also broadcast in 1979 with Wood not only winning another Most Promising Writer Award but also being nominated for a BAFTA.

A stand up comedian and writer, Wood’s career began when she won the ITV talent show New Faces back in 1974. Since then, her work has included Victoria Wood as Seen on TV, An Audience with Victoria Wood, Pat and Margaret, dinnerladies and Housewife, 49. In 2007, she directed a new version of Acorn Antiques: The Musical! which originally opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2005, when it was directed by Trevor Nunn.

During a career spanning more than three decades, Wood has won more BAFTA’s for her writing and performing than anyone else in BAFTA history.

Tickets: Previews – £20, Meal Deal (limited availability, 2 courses pre-theatre plus show) £29. From September 23 – £25, £20 concessions, Meal Deal (limited availability, 2 courses pre-theatre plus show) £34.

Times: Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm; Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm.

To book call the box office on 0207 907 7060 (or 0207 407 4411 for the restaurant) or visit the Website

Forbidden Broadway continues at the Menier Chocolate Factory until September 13, 2009.
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The entire theatre, dressed in period, will be used, with performances taking place in all parts of the building.

Hotel Follies centres on its guests, each of whom is an artiste lodging at this renowned hotel, eager to succeed and entertain with a song to offer, a dance to share and a story to tell.

Through interaction with the star-struck bellboy or the uptight maid, the atmosphere will sweep the audience back in time to those heady post-war days of the 1940s when anything and everything seemed possible.

Highlights of the show include a duet from an early Matthew Bourne work – Town and Country – and a special guest performance by Doreen Wells, a principal with The Royal Ballet throughout the 1960s.

Other performers include Jason Piper, who played the lead swan in Bourne’s Swan Lake, and dancers from Rambert Dance Company (including a new interpretation of Moira Shearer’s solo from The Red Shoes performed by Malgorzata Dzierzon), Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo and Northern Ballet, plus various artists from the hit musical Cabaret.

Christopher Marney, who directs, choreographs and performs, has danced with New Adventures, Michael Clark Company and Balletboyz among others. Speaking about Hotel Follies, he said: “I am thrilled to be presenting Matthew’s duet as well as working with the enchanting Doreen Wells, and am excited to introduce new talents from the dance and musical theatre world.”

Tickets: £15 to £30.

Time: 7.30pm.

Tickets are available from the theatre, by phone (0845 017 5584) or through SEEtickets (booking and transaction fee applies).

Also at the Arts Theatre: Naked Boys Singing and F—-ing Men.
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Written and performed by Jordan Herskowitz, or Jordy Pordy as he’s known to his family, Jordy Pordy is an autobiographical one-man show about life as a professional mascot; a powerful story about Herskowitz’s identity and family.

A play about growing up in a Jewish family in Texas, it sees Jordan as the forgotten middle child with two brothers both suffering from cystic fibrosis. His dreams of becoming an actor play out alongside his family’s journey with organ donation when, in 1996 and at the age of six, his brother Richie becomes the youngest cystic fibrosis patient to receive a double-lung transplant.

Jordan Herkowitz is an actor, writer and teacher who studied at The University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. His acting roles include Horatio in Hamlet, Torvald in A Doll’s House and several parts in the Oklahoma premiere of Indoor/Outdoor. He studied at the University of Cape Town, South Africa and ran a drama programme for under-privileged children in the Kensington township.

Tickets: £15, £12 concessions (subject to availability).

Times: Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm.

For more information call the box office on 0870 033 2733 or visit the websites.