On the 18th of April 2012 the Opening Night of the new musical A TALE OF TWO CITIES attracted a full house. In the audience that evening was Mark Charles Dickens, the great, great grandson of the book’s legendary author, Charles Dickens. Also in attendance was Mark’s own son, Oliver, both of whom enjoyed the show immensely. Here is a lovely letter written the following day to the Producers by Mr. Dickens, along with some quotes from the initial online reviews.

April 19, 2012

“Thank you so much for inviting me and my close family to the wonderful production of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ last night and afterwards to meet many of the actors and the production team. It was a rousing performance which captured the key elements of the book with a great balance of pathos, terror, humour, intrigue and honour and I was swept along brilliantly. Condensing the classic novel into such a musical without diminishing the plot was a master stroke and I am sure my great great grandfather would have thoroughly approved of it and I hope the critics do too!

Please pass on my thanks and congratulations to all those involved and I wish you every success in the future.”

With very best wishes,
Mark Charles Dickens

The writers Steven David Horwich, David Pomeranz and David Soames with Producer/Director Paul Nicholas on the Opening Night.

“5 Stars!! Dickens’ classic tale of love and sacrifice is brought to life in this stunning new Musical.”
- Theatre Reviews London

“A Tale Of Two Cities at the Charing Cross Theatre is a fast-moving, engaging Musical that draws you in from the very first note”
- Remotegoat.com

”Michael Howe, as Sydney Carton, is charismatic, Jemma Alexander, as the deranged Madame Defarge, is fantastic in her musical numbers and Jennifer Hepburn is beautiful and engaging as Lucie”.
- Broadway World.com

“The book by David Soames and Steven David Horwich and music by David Pomeranz have been well-crafted and the music compliments the action and the emotional undercurrents of the story beautifully. The power of the music came through…genuinely moving…a real treat!”
- Rageoffstage.com

“5 Stars!! Of all Dickens stories this is the most appealing and told with unusual clarity and humanity. Michael Howe dominates with his humour and stage presence and his final sacrifice is almost too much to bear. The songs are tuneful - especially the heartrending ‘105 North Tower’ and ‘Cry’ sung by Lucie and Dr Manette (John Fleming) after he has been restored to life.
- Ham and High

“Heartfelt and tender….It was the best of times”
- A Younger Theatre

Jonathan Ansell, well known from The X Factor pop opera group G4, will play the lead role of Charles Darnay in a the new musical A TALE OF TWO CITIES, running at The Charing Cross Theatre from 5 April until 12 May.

Jonathan Ansell first shot to fame with The X Factor group G4 but since they disbanded in 2007 he has established himself as a successful solo artist. Last year saw him performing in the US with Marvin Hamlisch and his orchestra in a round of sell out concerts as well as his first nationwide solo tour. His stage credits include Whistle Down the Wind, Lark Rise to Candleford and Beauty and the Beast for New World Productions.

For more information please > Click here

In celebration of the bicentenary of Charles Dickens, Paul Nicholas in association with Ovation presents the new musical A TALE OF TWO CITIES in London’s West End Charing Cross Theatre from the 5th of April to the 12th of May 2012.

With Music by David Pomeranz and Book by Steven David Horwich and David Soames (Braveheart Films), John Cameron’s (LES MISERABLES) moving musical arrangements underscore Horwich’s compelling lyrics.

For more information please > Click here

Tony Hiller is delighted to announce that the song “Save All Your Kisses For Me”, written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheridan and Martin Lee and produced by Tony Hiller has had over 2 million views on youtube.

Tony Hiller has just returned from a tour of America, where amongst the venues he has performed at was the Country Hall of Fame in Nashville. Tony performed the song he wrote which became a world-wide hit UNITED WE STAND, which has been recorded by 123 different artists. This song has now been recorded by The Joel Diamond Experience featuring Benny Mardones and Teresa James in preparation of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We are hoping that it will become the official theme of the anniversary.

To see the video of the new recording > Click here

Chris will continue to promote his new album Moonfleet during his current tour which started on the 25th of March in Saabrücken and covers Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and UK throughout the spring, and will continue throughout Europe in the autumn.

For more information on Chris de Burgh’s tour on his website > Click here

After entering the UK Album Charts at No. 25 on 30th October 2010, Chris de Burgh’s new album MOONFLEET & OTHER STORIES has now entered the German Album Charts at No. 3.

To see the German Album Charts Table  > Click here

To see the UK Album Charts Archive  > Click here

Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch is to launch his own music career with the release of his debut album “Rush Of Love”.

The album contains 11 Rat Pack-style swing songs, including four new tracks written by Tony Hiller, who is co-producing the movie REMEMBER REMEMBER with Braveheart Films, and who is best-known for penning Save Your Kisses for Me and United We Stand. Tony also produced the album and arranged the music for the 27-piece orchestra.

To read the whole article > Click here