Dream team
IMPRESARIO Bill Kenwright is thrilled with ticket sales of musical Dreamboats and Petticoats at the Futurist – so he is bringing another of his hit shows to the venue.
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will run at the seafront theatre from Tuesday October 2 to Saturday October 6.
“Business for Dreamboats is really good,” said Barrie Stead, who runs the Futurist.
“We’ve got calls coming in from a 70miles radius of Scarborough,” he said.
“Bill Kenwright is so pleased with how Dreamboats is doing here that he has booked in Joseph for a week’s run. Success is breeding success.”
Dreamboats, which features songs from the Sixties, stars Scarboroughborn Ben James Ellis. He found fame after appearing on Any Dream Will Do – a show to find an actor to play Joseph.
Ben went on to appear in Hairspray with Michael Ball in the West End, pantomime and Dreamboats both on tour and in the West End.
“We have always kept an eye on Ben’s progress and are delighted he is now coming back to his home town as the star of a show,” said Mr Stead.
“Scarborough offers so much in the way of entertainment – the Spa, Futurist, Stephen Joseph Theatre and the YMCA – which must be an inspiration to youngsters. They have so many opportunities to tread the boards.”
Mr Stead said hotels were enjoying a knock-on effect of the success of Dreamboats, with people booking weekend stays.
Last year the Futurist hosted a sell-out run of Calendar Girls – which played to more than 6,000 people – the capacity of the Open Air Theatre –in a week.
The Scarborough cast of Joseph has yet to be announced but the show is currently being headlined by Keith Jack, runner-up of Any Dream Will Do.
Kenwright is one of the most influential figures in the theatre world – with shows running in London and the length and breadth of the country.
Included in his portfolio now are Funny Peculiar, Death on the Nile, Blood Brothers and Evita. l Dreamboats opens at the Futurist on Monday and runs until Saturday March 3, daily at 7.30pm. Matinees onwednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm.