Talent star Jai heads up musical extravaganza

Critically-acclaimed Mad About The Musicals will be visiting Stirling for one night only – taking audiences on a whistle-stop tour from the heart of London’s theatre land to the glitz of Broadway.

The show, which stars a former Britain’s Got Talent winner, is coming to the Macrobert Arts Centre on October 22.

It is designed to celebrate the very best songs from the biggest and best shows we all know and love.

With a host of the old favourites from the pen of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kander and Ebb, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Boublil and Schonberg, a talented cast will evoke the true spirit of the stage, with brilliant vocals and top notch West End musicians to deliver the very best show in town.

Numbers from Les Miserables, Evita and many more will be performed by an all-star West End cast including Jai McDowall – who rose to fame when he won the fifth series of Britain’s got Talent in June 2011.

After being signed to record label Syco, a sub-division of Sony Music, his debut album Believe and single With or Without You were released on the same day in December 2011.

He also boasts having performed during the live final of China’s Got Talent while also playing for royalty at the Queen’s Jubilee.

The 31-year-old, who hails from Irvine, headlined his own Scottish tour in addition to a number of Scottish tour dates across the UK. His latest single I Begin Again is currently available for download.

He insists that he loved the time he has spent in the studio in recent times but can’t wait to take to the stage for a jam-packed tour made up of more than 30 Mad About the Musicals shows over September and October.

Jai said: “Being in the studio was everything I hoped it would be and I loved the whole creative process.

“I like the style of singing I did on Britain’s Got Talent – a kind of mix of musical and pop – so we’re working along those lines.”

Also performing at the Macrobert will be Michael Courtney who is well known for his musical theatre vocals having toured extensively throughout Britain in numerous musicals in the past 25 years.

He has also previously produced and directed UK tours of Mad About The Musicals, Waterloo, Shakin All Over, It’s D’Lovely, A Night Of Musicals, Love Changes Everything – in addition to more than 35 UK pantomimes.

Courtney’s work was recognised when he was nominated at UK Producer of the Year by Encore Magazine.

Michael and Jai are set to head the cast of the production, which kicked off last week at the Palace Theatre Redditch before making their way to Stirling next month.

Joining them will be well-seasoned musical theatre singers Rosanne Priest and Kerry Whiteside, and they will be supported by the Mad About The Musicals West End Band.

The show received critical acclaim when reviewed by various publications last year . The Stage described the show as “tightly structured and cleverly chosen – a solid evening’s entertainment’’ while Encore Magazine said it was the ‘‘best show of its kind’’ while broadcaster and comedian Russell Kane said it was an ‘outstanding production’.

For more information go to michaelcourtneyproductions.com. More details also Michael Courtney’s Twitter and Facebook pages.