Sarah Wildor: Making Contact Through Dance
by Paul Webb for Theatre Now via Moreover

Sarah Wildor seems to have it all: a fabulous career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet, a freelance career that has seen her starring in Matthew Bourne's Cinderella in the West End and Los Angeles, marriage to the glamour boy of the ballet world, Adam Cooper, and now a lead role in Contact, the New York dance sensation that is now playing at the Queen's on Shaftesbury Avenue. Theatrenow went to meet her...

Are you pleased you made the break from the Royal Ballet? "Yes, it was the right time for me to leave - I'd been there eleven years! I enjoyed my time there, and was very lucky to have been picked by Kenneth Macmillan to play Juliet, which gave my career there an early break, but I decided it was important to make the change and start a freelance career while I was still young enough.

click for more

Wildor's Performance Makes Contact
by Paul Webb for theatre now

Sarah Wildor's Olivier nomination for her role in Contact at the Queen's suggests that dance is increasingly seen as part of mainstream West End theatre.

It has always been a part of musicals, of course, and in shows like Oklahoma! and West Side Story a very important one, but more recently it has come to dominate some musicals. This has been the case with Chicago at the Adelphi, was also true of Fosse at the Prince of Wales and is now true of Contact at the Queen's.

click for more

Contact at the Queen's in London

I was 'lucky' enough to be invited to see this performance by a good friend of mine. I have to be honest - I really can't see what people see in it.

My companion and I spent the first half giving each other quizzical sideways glances - neither of us could quite get our heads around it. Not because of the 'oh so original' combination of musical, ballet and theatre (perhaps a failed attempt to catch a lift in Matthew Bourne's slipstream), and not because we didn't understand what it was about - we were excessively spoonfed meaning throughout. Our confusion centred on the debate as to whether Swinging was supposed to be bad in an attempted ironic sense or whether it was really just bad.

The second half was much better - good music, and I would agree quite entertaining, but it wasn't good enough to recover my view of the evening's work as a whole.

I very rarely write bad reviews but I felt the need to write this because I find it depressing that there are so many artists out there producing clever, entertaining work to a really high standard that never achieves the profile this sub-standard work has managed to attract.

<img src="http://www.contactthemusical.co.uk/images/pics/leap-lge-olivier.jpg" alt="" />

PRESS RELEASE

MAKE CONTACT ON A SUNDAY

“CONTACT”
THE TONY AWARD-WINNING HIT WEST END SHOW
TO INITIATE SUNDAY MATINEE PERFORMANCES
STARTING ON SUNDAY 2 MARCH
AS THE SHOW IS NOMINATED FOR 4 LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARDS
INCLUDING ‘BEST ENTERTAINMENT’
AND THE BOOKING PERIOD IS EXTENDED UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER

“CONTACT”, the Tony Award-winning Broadway show, which opened at the Queen’s Theatre in London last October to rave reviews, will initiate Sunday matinee performances starting on Sunday 2 March. The Sunday performances will replace the Monday evening shows, and the last Monday show in the current booking period will be on 17 February.

“CONTACT” has just received 4 Laurence Olivier Award nominations, including ‘Best Entertainment’, and has extended its booking period until the end of September.

“CONTACT” stars Leigh Zimmerman as ‘The Girl in the Yellow Dress’, Michael Praed as ‘Michael Wiley’, Sarah Wildor as ‘The Wife’ and Craig Urbani as ‘The Husband’/‘The Barman’.

Devised by Susan Stroman and John Weidman, “CONTACT” is choreographed and directed by Susan Stroman. “CONTACT” presents three stories, “Swinging”, “Did You Move?” and “Contact!”.

Prior to the West End, “CONTACT” opened on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in March 2000, winning four Tony Awards, including ‘Best Musical’ and ‘Best Choreography’ for Susan Stroman.

“CONTACT” is by Susan Stroman and John Weidman, with sets by Thomas Lynch and costumes by William Ivey Long. In addition to the Tony Award, “CONTACT” also won Susan Stroman the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Awards for ‘Outstanding Musical’. More recently, Susan Stroman directed and choreographed the smash-hit musical “The Producers”, for which she received two Tony Awards and the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Awards. She is also known in London for her choreography of the Royal National Theatre’s production of “Oklahoma!” and the West End production of “Crazy For You”.

The Lincoln Center Theater production of “CONTACT” is presented in London by Michael White and Stage Holding UK.

The new performance schedule as from week commencing 24 February is Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7.45pm, with Thursday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3.00pm. Ticket prices range from £15.00-£40.00. Tickets are available from the Queen’s Theatre Box Office on 0870 890 1110.

Visit the “CONTACT” website on www.contactthemusical.co.uk

<small>[ 12 February 2003, 08:23 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

"Contact" to raise money for charity:

PRESS RELEASE

“CONTACT” TO HAVE A GALA CHARITY PERFORMANCE
IN THE PRESENCE OF HRH THE DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER
TO BENEFIT THE NATIONAL MISSING PERSONS HELPLINE
AT 3.00PM ON MOTHERING SUNDAY 30 MARCH

There will be a Gala Charity performance of the hit show “CONTACT” at the Queen’s Theatre, in the presence of HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, to benefit the National Missing Persons Helpline, of which she is Patron, at 3.00pm on Mothering Sunday 30 March. Proceeds from seats for this performance will go to the charity and can be bought from the box office on 0870 890 1110.

The National Missing Persons Helpline have joined forces with the hit West End show “CONTACT” to launch a new campaign. A yellow ribbon will symbolise the new campaign and will be the emblem for the National Missing Persons Helpline from now on. The charity hopes yellow ribbons will be worn by members of the public to raise awareness for the thousands of people who are missing from their families.

“CONTACT” is a show about people trying to connect with each other and is symbolised by a girl in a yellow dress. A television screen in the foyer of the Queen’s Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, where “CONTACT” is running, displays pictures of missing people. Over 210,000 people are reported missing each year and the majority come from the South East. Many of these people are drawn to London and the West End and it is hoped the new campaign may help to reunite some of them with their families.

“CONTACT”, the Tony Award-winning Broadway show, opened at the Queen’s Theatre in London last October to rave reviews. The show stars Leigh Zimmerman as ‘The Girl in the Yellow Dress’, Michael Praed as ‘Michael Wiley’, Sarah Wildor as ‘The Wife’ and Craig Urbani as ‘The Husband’ / ‘The Barman’.

Devised by Susan Stroman and John Weidman, “CONTACT” is choreographed and directed by Susan Stroman. “CONTACT” presents three stories, “Swinging”, “Did You Move?” and “Contact!”. Prior to the West End, “CONTACT” opened on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in March 2000, winning four Tony Awards, including ‘Best Musical’ and ‘Best Choreography’ for Susan Stroman.

“CONTACT” is by Susan Stroman and John Weidman, with sets by Thomas Lynch and costumes by William Ivey Long. In addition to the Tony Award, “CONTACT” also won Susan Stroman the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Awards for ‘Outstanding Musical’. More recently, Susan Stroman directed and choreographed the smash-hit musical “The Producers”, for which she received two Tony Awards and the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Awards. She is also known in London for her choreography of the Royal National Theatre’s production of “Oklahoma!” and the West End production of “Crazy For You”.

The Lincoln Center Theater production of “CONTACT” is presented in London by Michael White and Stage Holding UK.

The performance schedule for “CONTACT” is Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7.45pm, with Thursday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3.00pm. Ticket prices range from £15.00-£40.00. Tickets are available from the Queen’s Theatre Box Office on 0870 890 1110.

Visit the “CONTACT” website on [URL=http://www.contactthemusical.co.ukwww.contactthemusical.co.uk[/URL]

For information on National Missing Persons Helpline, contact Sophie Woodforde on 020 8392 4510/11.

<small>[ 20 February 2003, 06:52 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Contact is to close. From The Guardian.

MORE

I have to say I am not surprised. I turned up with a friend a few Saturdays ago and got front row seats for the Dress circle at 7.15p.m. - they hadn't even opened the Upper Circle. I think possibly as well there is so much choice in the West End, musicals wise that the competition is really telling on some shows. Pity though as this was an enjoyable evening's entertainment - in particular the second act.