August 24, 2010
- 'The Sound of Music' opens Tuesday 24 August at the
Theatre Royal in Plymouth. The musical runs until Saturday
18 September. Produced by David Ian Productions and Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The Really Useful Group, the musical stars Michael Praed and Kirsty Malpass in the
lead roles. (Connie Fisher is taking time out of the production for her wedding and honeymoon.)
Maria, a lively tomboy novice in
an Austrian abbey, isn't fitting into somber convent life.
To give her an opportunity to get away from the abbey to
reconsider her future, the Mother Abbess sends her to the lavish
household of Captain Georg Von Trapp, a widower with seven
children. Maria is to be the governess to his emotionally
neglected children. As Maria reconciles her growing love for the
children's father with her desire to become a nun, the looming Nazi menace in nearby
Germany threatens to overwhelm them all.
Like other venues along the way,
tickets are
selling extremely quickly. Please contact the Theatre Royal directly
here for remaining tickets. If you would like additional information on the tour venues, please check our
'Sound of Music' reference page
August 22, 2010
- Fascinating observations and insights are revealed
by Michael Praed in a four-part interview on the official 'The Sound of
Music'
tour website.
The interviews are also available on the Really Useful
website
and on
YouTube.
Part One: Michael talks about his 'The Sound of Music' experiences - from an
early crush on Liesl in the film to his assessment of the
current production's director Jeremy Sams.
Part Two: In the second part of the interview with Michael, he
discusses acting tips and theories, lying in interviews, and how he's
enjoying being on tour.
Part Three: Michael gives his thoughts on the transient life of touring,
the allure of the theatre, and the venues he's visited on the current UK tour.
Part Four: Does Michael have a dream role? What are his
thoughts on television talent shows? This final view of
Michael gives us a glimpse of his compassion toward others.
Susan M. Garrett passes
August 14, 2010
- SAJV den mother Susan M. Garrett passed away
quietly on August 14th after battling five months with cancer. Her
brother Shawn and roommate Vicci Varner were at her side.
Active in the nascent fan community since the 1970s,
Susan's early interest in filling in the gaps of her favorite
television shows lead her to write fan fiction for such series
as Dr Who, Shadow Chasers, Forever Knight,
Beauty & The Beast, Quantum Leap, Dark Shadows,
The Man From Atlantis, and The Secret
Adventures of Jules Verne, quickly gaining a reputation for
her writing skills. A publisher of several fanzines through the years
and the author of the 'Forever Knight' tie-in tale 'Intimations
of Mortality' (1997, Berkeley, ISBN: 978-1572973138) she had a significant impact on
fan communities in general.
Perusing the offerings at a convention aimed at selling
syndications to television stations, she came across the team
representing Talisman Crest's The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (SAJV).
Among those attending was
Michael Praed, who portrayed the angst-ridden ex-special ops agent Phileas Fogg. Immediately sensing something special, Susan
began promoting the new series before it even aired. Once the show
ended 22 episodes later, Susan led the coordinated
effort among fans to keep SAJV going by coordinating fansites,
petitioning advertisers and DVD makers. The attempt
eventually failed, but
the industry noticed. Since then, other fans have used the rallying techniques
to promote their endangered
shows. The most notable among them were the champions of
Firefly, whose fans brought back a show canceled after 11
episodes to a highly anticipated return in the Universal film release, 'Serenity'.
The world will miss
Susan's enthusiasm,
her listening ear, her gentle mentoring, and sharp wit. The world still has her
wonderful tales.
The hooded man is coming to Blu-ray
July 23, 2010
- Network DVD recently announced plans to release cult classic
Robin of Sherwood
on Blu-ray in the UK this fall.
Robin of Sherwood
is the series which brought Michael Praed to worldwide
attention for his striking portrayal of Robin Hood. According to Network DVD, the series has been digitally restored in High
Definition from the best available film elements and is presented at a quality level never
before seen.
A benchmark of quality television drama in the 1980s and arguably the definitive interpretation of
the Robin Hood legend, Michael Praed stars as Robin of Loxley in Richard Carpenter's influential and
highly acclaimed re-working of the classic myth. Combining equal parts high drama, social realism,
historical accuracy and atmospheric mysticism, Carpenter's reboot was - and remains - a worldwide hit.
The Michael Praed
episodes will be available from October 25, 2010 with the Jason
Connery episodes coming at a later date. Price for the 4-disc
set is expected to be around £50. Watch Club News for forthcoming
announcements, regional compatibility, and ordering information.
Thanks go to
Michael Praed fan Karen Osment for bringing our attention to this matter.
Birmingham welcomes SOM
July 13, 201000
- Birmingham welcomes 'The Sound of Music' this week. Opening Tuesday
13 July at the Birmingham Hippodrome, the show runs until Saturday
21 August, one of the longest stops of the tour. Produced by David Ian Productions and Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The Really Useful Group, the musical stars Michael Praed and Connie Fisher in the
lead roles. Please note that Michael will not be appearing the final week.
Like the other venues in this
popular tourr,
tickets are in high demand. Please contact the Birmingham
Hippodrome directly
here for remaining tickets. If you would like additional information on the tour venues, please check our
'Sound of Music' reference page.
First of Michael's 'Dynasty' episodes available
June 21, 2010 - In 1985, Michael Praed's character Prince Michael of
Moldavia was introduced to the viewers of world's most popular
television series, ABC's 'Dynasty'. Capitalizing on interest in
the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Michael
portrayed a royal who falls in love with a commoner. A second
cousin of the Prince of Wales, Catherine Oxenberg, starred as Prince
Michael's love interest Amanda Carrington. True to the
nature of soap operas everywhere, squabbling, jealousy, and
infidelity quickly ensued. Michael took part in seasons 5 (1985)
and 6 (1986).
Seen by 60 million people worldwide and nominated for the Golden
Globe Award for Best TV Drama Series every year from 1981 to 1986
(it won in 1984), glamorous and decadent 'Dynasty' was the
center of the world's fascinated attention. Even former President Gerald Ford took part
in one episode. The deliberately campy acting style and
absurd plots ultimately cost viewers. The disappointing
dénouement of the bloody Royal Wedding in 1985 (the "Moldavian
Massacre") saw the series' ratings drop from first to seventh.
In the writers' scramble to find their way again, Michael's
character was abruptly cut from the storyline a year after he
was introduced. The drastic measure did not help. A
year later 'Dynasty' had dropped even further, to 24th position. After nine seasons,
'Dynasty' was canceled in 1989..
The release of 'Dynasty Season 5' from Paramount
Home Entertainment follows the action from Prince Michael's first entrance
and ends in the dramatic 'Royal Wedding', giving viewers the
chance to see one of the most (in)famous cliffhangers in television history.
Note::
This DVD is currently available in
Region 2 only
,
and therefore may not be viewable outside Europe without a
multi-region DVD player. Check out the
Fanfare Merchandise
section for ordering information.
SOM wings into Woking
June 20, 2010
- 'The Sound of Music' wings into Woking this week. Opening Tuesday 22 June at the New Victoria Theatre, the show runs until Saturday
10 July. Produced by David Ian Productions and Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The Really Useful Group, the musical stars Michael Praed and Connie Fisher in the
lead roles.
Maria, a lively tomboy novice in
an Austrian abbey, isn't fitting into somber convent life.
To give her an opportunity to get away from the abbey to
reconsider her future, the Mother Abbess sends her to the lavish
household of Captain Georg Von Trapp, a widower with seven
children. Maria is to be the governess to his emotionally
neglected children. As Maria reconciles her growing love for the
children's father with her desire to become a nun, the looming Nazi menace in nearby
Germany threatens to overwhelm them all..
One of the most popular touring productions in recent years,
tickets are a hot item. Please contact the New Victoria Theatre directly
here for remaining tickets. If you would like additional information on the tour venues, please check our
'Sound of Music' reference page.
'Music' for Eastbourne
June 1, 2010
- 'The Sound of Music' returns Michael Praed to
Eastbourne where his singing and acting talent was discovered. The
lavish production runs from Tuesday 1 June until Saturday 19
June at the Congress Theatre. Michael portrays the male lead Captain Von
Trapp. The musical also stars Connie Fisher in the
female lead of Maria. Producers are David Ian Productions and
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Really Useful Group,
Maria, a lively tomboy novice in
an Austrian abbey, isn't fitting into somber convent life.
To give her an opportunity to get away from the abbey to
reconsider her future, the Mother Abbess sends her to the lavish
household of Captain Georg Von Trapp, a widower with seven
children. Maria is to be the governess to his emotionally
neglected children. As Maria reconciles her growing love for the
children's father with her desire to become a nun, the looming Nazi menace in nearby
Germany threatens to overwhelm them all.
As usual,
tickets are selling fast. Please contact the Congress
Theatre directly
here for remaining tickets. If you would like additional information on the tour venues, please check our
'Sound of Music' reference page
SOM resumes in Llandudno
May 10, 2010
- 'The Sound of Music' returns to the stage after a
three week hiatus. Commencing Tuesday 11 May at Venue Cymru Llandudno, the production runs until Saturday
29 May. Produced by David Ian Productions and Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The Really Useful Group, the musical stars Michael Praed and Connie Fisher in the
lead roles.
Maria, a lively tomboy novice in
an Austrian abbey, isn't fitting into somber convent life.
To give her an opportunity to get away from the abbey to
reconsider her future, the Mother Abbess sends her to the lavish
household of Captain Georg Von Trapp, a widower with seven
children. Maria is to be the governess to his emotionally
neglected children. As Maria reconciles her growing love for the
children's father with her desire to become a nun, the looming Nazi menace in nearby
Germany threatens to overwhelm them all.
Reports from the
theatre indicate that tickets are selling fast. Please contact the
Venue Cymru directly
here for remaining tickets. If you would like additional information on the tour venues, please check our
'Sound of Music' reference page
May 1, 2010
- Michael Praed paid another visit to Fanfare chat on Saturday
evening, 1 May. It was a moderated chat (mostly!) so that
Michael wasn't hit by a blizzard of questions and comments all
at once. In all, Michael took two hours of his precious free time
during the hiatus of 'The Sound of Music' to speak with us.
He thanked Fanfare members for his birthday presents, discussed many subjects and was his usual amusing self. If you
would like to discover what he said, the chat transcript is
here.
Moderated chat
room space is extremely limited, so only those contributing to
his birthday gifts and Fanfare members were notified. If you would like to
receive notification of future visits, create a login on the Fanfare
forum. If Michael gives us advance warning, so will we!
