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The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber 
Review by: Paul Towers, 08 June 2021
A Curve production
At Curve: 7 – 19th June 2021
"Curve are doing a phenomenal job in keeping everyone safe"
After 14 long, silent months Curve is at last returning to life with an actual audience and live music.
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber is the perfect show to kick start the recovery of live theatre. Drawing on an incredible back catalogue covering more than 50 years The Lord has a wide range of styles with which to entertain us. 
Starting with a lively montage of snippets of numbers from a myriad of shows the cast set the tone using no scenery, and no costumes. The music is all.
Each batch of songs is introduced by Lloyd Webber on video with biographical facts.
The cast of seven, 4 girls and 3 men, work hard and are almost upstaged by the lighting rig which seems to have a magnificent life of its own being designed by Ben Bracknell.
Madalena Alberto, Jessica Daley, Tim Howar, Ria Jones, Karen Mavundukure (performing in a wheelchair due to a leg injury), Shami Omari James and Tim Rogers are joined by Alyshia Dhakk for a breathtaking performance of Pie Jesu.
All of the cast except Shami and Alyshia are Andrew Lloyd Webber veterans and several are returning to Curve after previous successes.
The show is directed by Nikolai Foster and was originally co-devised by Richard Curtis.
Now, much as we all love musical theatre and can't wait to buy tickets I am sure the question on everyone's lips is is it safe? I have to admit I was a little dubious myself. However, Curve are doing a phenomenal job in keeping everyone safe. Everything is contact-less wherever possible, sanitisers are everywhere, there is a one-way system throughout the building and capacity is reduced so there is social distancing between every party whether you are 2 or 20 people. The middle wall between the main theatre and the studio has been raised so the entire production is done in the round utilising the awesome triple revolve kindly donated by Cameron Mackintosh from the original Les Miserables set.
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber is on until 19th June
Curve https://www.curveonline.co.uk/
Paul Towers: http://ptheatre.blogspot.co.uk/
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CURVE 2020 SEASON LAUNCH
By Paul Towers
It is always exciting to attend Curve's season launch because as well as all the shows we already know from the catalogue there are always surprises from Nikolai Foster and Chris Stafford, the artistic powerhouses behind Curve. It is also an opportunity to learn about the more fringe activities that happen in this flagship building. More and more Curve is forging co-producing relationships with other regional theatres which results in some incredibly interesting projects finding their way onto Leicester's premier theatre's stages.
See below about some of the upcoming productions but tonight we saw a whole lot more juicy titbits coming up.
For the third time we are getting a new production of Hairspray is returning to Curve this year. The big news of the night was that a European premiere of Roman Holiday is kicking off at Curve this summer. Also big news is that the new version of Sister Act starring Brenda Edwards drops in in April before heading off back to the West End.
Of course Curve has a reputation for hosting all sorts of festivals. Leicester Comedy Festival is the big one for February with the always popular Spark Festival, new productions especially aimed at toddlers running in the same month. DMU Pride, now firmly established at Curve, takes us into March with LGB themed productions. Curve continues its avowed intent to nurture new talent with a season of productions by the Curve Young Theatre group from March to May. Of especial interest is a production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof directed by Royal Theatrical Support Trust Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Anthony Almeida this summer.
Not only is the schedule bustling with home grown productions but Leicester gets to see all sorts of mainstream touring shows like Once, Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Phantom of the Opera.
Details of all of these productions plus loads more can be found on the website www.curveonline.co.uk
ON STAGE THIS WINTER
Winter in the city’s theatre-land is always about the Leicester Comedy Festival which runs throughout February (5th – 23rd). In the West End it is well represented with 18 shows booked for Upstairs at The Western. However, that doesn't mean there aren't loads of other events for those looking for some relief from the awful weather.
CURVE: As our biggest theatre it has a wide range of productions to keep us entertained. Highlights include 20-25 January The Woman in Black. This atmospheric ghost story is making a welcome return. The really big news is that the first ever national tour of the iconic musical Phantom of The Opera is kicking of at Curve and runs from 22nd Feb to 21st March. Back for a 3rd year is DMU Pride, a schedule of gay themed productions including The MP, Aunty Mandy and Me by the award winning playwright and actor Rob Ward following on from last year's successful tour of Gypsy Queen. Another production I am really looking forward to is CYC's Cry Baby, the musical version of the iconic film starring Johnny Depp. Just edging into April we welcome another touring version of an Alan Bennett, this time The Habit of Art (6-11 April).
DEMONTFORT HALL: Leicester's prestigious concert hall venue has its usual mix of one nighters throughout January before bounding headlong into February for Leicester Comedy Festival with the launch night on 10th January and then a host of top line comics from 5th to 22nd February. February ends with a feast of shows from 27th to 29th from the Russian State Ballet of Siberia. March heralds the arrival of the touring version of David Walliams' Billionaire Boy from 4th to 8th March. The month continues with the usual blend of singers, comedians and tribute acts. www.demontforthall.co.uk
THE Y THEATRE: Along with their usual eclectic mix of singers and personal appearances The Y makes its own important contribution to the success of Leicester Comedy Festival with a full schedule of comedy gigs from 5th to 23rd February with yet more top line comedians. www.leicesterymca.co.uk
LITTLE THEATRE: In February they feature Around The World in 80 days and the chance to relive the radio recordings of ‘Dad’s Army Live before ‘John Shuttleworth’s Back’ for the Comedy Festival. Other productions include Beyond Reasonable doubt, HMS Pinafore, Blue Stockings and The Producers. www.thelittletheatre.net
Paul Towers
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Pride & The Gypsy Queen
DeMontfort University have held a DMU Pride event to celebrate LGBT History Month since 2015. This encompasses all sorts of supportive events within the university as well as cultural events at Curve and Phoenix Cinema.
This year Curve is hosting five events throughout February, four theatrical performances and one dance workshop. One of the shows on is a very welcome return of Gypsy Queen after its sold out show last year.
I spoke to Rob Ward, writer and actor in Gypsy Queen and asked him if he deliberately booked the show in for DMU Pride or did they approach him?
"We actually worked with them last year" he said "and we were approached to do the show last year for their Pride events in one of the cute rehearsal rooms at Curve and we sold out. So when we were approached for this year I got on to Curve, spoke to Nikolai Foster and they came and saw the show and this time we are booked in the Studio."
I mentioned that DMU were probably quite unique in spreading their LGBT awareness outside of the university: "Yeah, they have fostered such a good relationship with Curve that they can have this mini LGBT festival"
Then we moved on to Gypsy Queen. I wanted to know why Rob, as the author, wanted to set it within the travelling community: "I already had a small play about two gay boxers and I was looking to extend it to a more full length show, a studio tour. The problem was I 
couldn't find an angle to extend the story. Then about three years ago there was the whole incident with Tyson Fury and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award when he made a series of homophobic, sexist and generally awful comments around the time he had won the World Heavyweight title. There was an almighty uproar because he was shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality award despite these remarks having been made public. This was a big issue for me because sport doesn't have role models for the LGBT community. It doesn't have openly LGBT sports people for fans like me. I don't feel like I belong in that world. So when the whole Tyson Fury thing came out I wondered just why he felt he had to say these things about gay people. What was his personal interest in all this? Then it crossed my mind what if he was gay himself? What if it was that classic defence mechanism? Maybe it is a case of those with most to hide shout loudest, and in that moment I thought what if one of these boxers is from the Traveller community. Suddenly you are bringing in not only a world of sport but also a community in which it is also very difficult to be gay but also the whole catholic debate and it gives the story a few more layers. You have two men, one from the world of professional sport and one from traveller community meeting and falling in love and suddenly the story burst into life."On this tour we have had a cast change, we have gone back to the original actor, Ryan Clayton [known for Josh Tucker in Coronation Street] now that he is available. He created the role of the sexually confident but closeted boxer, Dane, while I played the repressed gay traveller, George."
Gypsy Queen is on at Curve on Monday 25th February. Tickets are available from the Curve website.
The other productions for DMU Pride at Curve are Rubber Ring on Monday 18th .jpg)
February, the story of a 16 year old isolated on the Norfolk coast who runs away to London to see his hero Morrissey. On Wednesday 20th February there is Drip, a one man musical comedy about a 15 year old synchronised swimmer who can't swim. On Thursday 28th February there is Joan, a drag king's homage to the men she defies. Finally, for those feeling brave, there is a dance workshop on Friday 22nd February for those who want to learn to walk or dance in heels. Or maybe just take a class for the hell of it!
Full details of Curve's DMU Pride events can be found at https://tinyurl.com/yb4lm4x3 or via the Curve website
The entire schedule of all events for DMU Pride can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ybh4n4v7
Paul Towers https://ptcelebs.blogspot.com/
Fourth Western Park Beer Festival in September 2018.
The fourth Western Park Beer Festival will take place on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th September 2018 at St. Anne’s Church Hall on Letchworth Road, Leicester. Tapping into the nation’s continued love of real ale and craft beer, this charitable event is looking to surpass last year’s total and donate over £8,275 for good causes.
The festival promises to offer a wide variety of locally sourced food and drink – providing a lovingly curated line-up of 22 real ales and craft beers, and a hearty range of locally sourced bar food. We have secured six rare keg beers and 16 beers on cask, including from Leicestershire’s own West End Brewery, Framework, Elliswood and Everards, and the best of breweries further afield, such as Magic Rock (Huddersfield), Tiny Rebel (Newport) and Arbor Ales (Bristol). The Pizza Pod will be on hand
to satisfy the crowd with their delicious hand made fresh pizzas. This year the festival is trialling a selection of cocktails, which the festival committee hope will tempt non-beer drinkers down to join in the fun, along with the cider, wine and fizz. Entry will be £5 per session including a free festival pint glass.
On Saturday 15th September there is a special family session with road closure around the hall, from 12 noon – 5pm, and support from Ride Leicester will bring Leicester Wheels for All to the event. The family session will provide a good selection of children’s activities alongside the cycling, including a bouncy castle, street games with volunteers from WWCE, face painting and free ice cream for children.
The festival committee is delighted to announce that Everards and Geo-Matters have agreed to support the festival as main sponsors, alongside a range of local businesses who are sponsoring the bars and the beers at the fundraising event. “Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, this year we are hoping to beat our annual fundraising record so that we can make an even bigger difference to our four chosen charities” said Matt Pearce, Chair of the Western Park Beer Festival.
Having raised over £20,000 for local causes, including Menphys, Dovelands Primary School and Loros, since the first festival in 2015, the Western Park Beer Festival has proven to be a popular event for the local community. This year the fundraising is to be split across four good causes, with the majority to go to support Action Homeless and The Bridge Hopelessness to Hope in their vital humanitarian work in the city and county. The festival is also supporting the Sepsis Trust UK in honour of a local man who developed sepsis and who, if not for the NHS and its staff, would not be here today, and is backing Western Ward Community Enterprise’s efforts to bring the Eco House in Western Park back into community use.
Visit www.westernparkbeerfestival.org for further details. You can also follow us on Twitter @WesternParkLeic or Instagram @westernparkbeerfestival, or you can like us on Facebook @westernparkbeerfestival to stay in touch with all of the Festival’s latest news and views.
We hope to see you there, pint glass (or half) in hand!
Opening Times:
Friday 14 September, 5pm – midnight
and Saturday 15 September, Family Session 12 – 5pm and general admission 6pm – midnight.
Venue:
St Anne’s Church Hall, Letchworth Road, Western Park, Leicester LE3 6FN.
Police Update
April 2018
The police have handed over the explosion site on Hinckley Road to the Leicester city council who are in the process of making the area safe along with utility companies. We cannot thank the local community enough for pulling together and supporting the family’s involved and emergency services during this difficult time.
The force has suffered a rise in theft of motor vehicles. Electronic devices are being used to trick newer vehicles into thinking the real key is present. Please take necessary steps to protect your vehicle with steering locks and alarms.
Shops burglaries are on the rise along the Narborough road corridor again. Entry is being forced by smashing the front windows with cash tills and charity boxes being targeted. Shop owners are urged to look out for each other, install good quality CCTV, bank cash and hide charity boxes out of view.
Westcotes has suffered a rise in burglary dwellings with the majority of properties being left insecure. Please lock your doors and close windows. Do not give these opportunist burglars an easy ride. Challenge your neighbours to do the same to prevent you becoming a victim of crime.
Officers have worked tirelessly with partners and a landlord to evict troublesome occupants causing anti-social behaviour from a property on Westcotes Drive. This property is now unoccupied and citexed. We will continue to patrol this location and are already receiving positive feedback from the community.
Finally, police officers have now been issued with spit guards. The message is clear. If you spit at an officer, you will wear a spit guard. This has been publicised recently and more information can be found on the police website including a video showing the guard being fitted.
Please feel free to stop and talk to any of our officers about what matters to you. Not all issues are a police matter but we will do our best to address your concerns or point you in the right direction.
Sgt 256 Chris Schofield
We Pull Together Part Two
6th March 2018
The emergency services were overwhelmed by the response from the community and charity groups, who went to the scene of the explosion in Hinckley Road, offering hot drinks and refreshments.
Staff from the emergency services painstakingly worked around the clock for two nights in sub-zero temperatures searching for survivors before starting the harrowing search for more human remains.
Tammy Hill from the Crows Nest (Pictured above) arrived with tea, coffee and food and the offer of an overnight stay at the pub for those evacuated, the volunteer Rapid Relief Team provided hot food and drink to emergency responders. They arrived at 11 pm on Sunday night and worked in snowy conditions feeding officers at the scene until 7pm the following evening. They were joined by The Midland Langar Seva Society (MLSS), which normally feed the homeless and stayed throughout the early hours.
Local business have pitched in to help. Supermarkets and takeaways brought supplies to officers - one family turned up with a homemade cake and another with a box of chocolates.
Superintendent Shane O'Neill said; 'We are very humbled by the efforts of members of the local community to support our officers, fire and rescue staff and paramedics who have been working in freezing weather.
'Something hot to eat and drink can make all the difference when emergency responders are working in extreme and harrowing conditions and are cold and tired and can really help them keep their energy levels up.
'We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been kind enough to give up their time to help.'
We Pull Together Part One
06-03-2018
The explosion that ripped through a Hinckley Road building killing five people, including three members of the same family, proved our community can all come together in times of tragedy for the common good.
At 7.00pm on February 25th, a quiet Sunday evening, lives were changed forever as an explosion tore through the Zapka supermarket The blast rocked houses for half a mile in all directions and brought people running to the scene to help drag victims from the rubble and give first aid. Business owner Aram Kurd claims he crawled out calling for Viktorija Ljevleva who was on her second shift at the store. Viktorija, Mary Rajoobeer and her two sons Shane and Sean, and Leah Beth Reek, Shane's girlfriend, perished when the blast destroyed their flat and the building collapsed in on itself. 
Gas pipes ruptured and flames took hold, adding to the danger faced by fire crews as they struggled to bring the blaze under control and clear debris on both sides of Hinckley Road.
It was a bitterly cold night but immediately our West End community rallied round offering help where they could; pulling the injured from the building, turning traffic away from the scene before emergency services arrived and later bringing hot food and drinks to the exhausted police & fire crews.
As Hopes of finding survivors faded and the awful scale of the damage became apparent, local people were there supporting those left without homes and businesses, and for the emergency services as the traumatic work of carefully sifting through the rubble for remains began.
Five people were hurt in the explosion, one seriously, they were taken to hospitals in Leicester and Nottingham but it was days before the names of the missing were officially released. In the meantime, 60 residents had to leave their homes and nearby businesses were shut to give the emergency services space to work. A community assistance point was set up at St Anne's Church by Leicester City Council and local people flocked to donate everything from nappies to dog food.
As work to clear the site continued over the next two weeks the two adjacent buildings housing TJ's burgers and Morgan's Bar were found be be unsafe and pulled down.
An-depth forensic investigation to find the cause of the blast was immediately started by fire investigators in conjunction with the police. Three men were arrested and charged with manslaughter and arson. Two others were arrested on Conspiracy to Cause an Explosion and offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act but were later released pending further investigation. Another man was also arrested. One of those charged with manslaughter and arson is the shop owner Aram Kurd.
Kurd, Hawkar Hassan and Arkan Ali (boyfriend of victim Viktorija Ljevleva) appeared at Leicester's Magistrate's Court on Monday 5th March charged with five counts of manslaughter and one count of arson with intent to endanger life. They remain in custody until their pre-trial review at Leicester Crown Court on April 3rd. The Prosecution says evidence indicates the explosion and fire was caused by petrol that had been spread through the shop.
Richard Perry
Main Pic Elliot Hornbyeditor@westernparkgazette.co.uk
couldn't find an angle to extend the story. Then about three years ago there was the whole incident with Tyson Fury and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award when he made a series of homophobic, sexist and generally awful comments around the time he had won the World Heavyweight title. There was an almighty uproar because he was shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality award despite these remarks having been made public. This was a big issue for me because sport doesn't have role models for the LGBT community. It doesn't have openly LGBT sports people for fans like me. I don't feel like I belong in that world. So when the whole Tyson Fury thing came out I wondered just why he felt he had to say these things about gay people. What was his personal interest in all this? Then it crossed my mind what if he was gay himself? What if it was that classic defence mechanism? Maybe it is a case of those with most to hide shout loudest, and in that moment I thought what if one of these boxers is from the Traveller community. Suddenly you are bringing in not only a world of sport but also a community in which it is also very difficult to be gay but also the whole catholic debate and it gives the story a few more layers. You have two men, one from the world of professional sport and one from traveller community meeting and falling in love and suddenly the story burst into life."On this tour we have had a cast change, we have gone back to the original actor, Ryan Clayton [known for Josh Tucker in Coronation Street] now that he is available. He created the role of the sexually confident but closeted boxer, Dane, while I played the repressed gay traveller, George."
The other productions for DMU Pride at Curve are Rubber Ring on Monday 18th .jpg)
February, the story of a 16 year old isolated on the Norfolk coast who runs away to London to see his hero Morrissey. On Wednesday 20th February there is Drip, a one man musical comedy about a 15 year old synchronised swimmer who can't swim. On Thursday 28th February there is Joan, a drag king's homage to the men she defies. Finally, for those feeling brave, there is a dance workshop on Friday 22nd February for those who want to learn to walk or dance in heels. Or maybe just take a class for the hell of it!
to satisfy the crowd with their delicious hand made fresh pizzas. This year the festival is trialling a selection of cocktails, which the festival committee hope will tempt non-beer drinkers down to join in the fun, along with the cider, wine and fizz. Entry will be £5 per session including a free festival pint glass.
The police have handed over the explosion site on Hinckley Road to the Leicester city council who are in the process of making the area safe along with utility companies. We cannot thank the local community enough for pulling together and supporting the family’s involved and emergency services during this difficult time.
As Hopes of finding survivors faded and the awful scale of the damage became apparent, local people were there supporting those left without homes and businesses, and for the emergency services as the traumatic work of carefully sifting through the rubble for remains began.