"BUCKS FIZZ" DIVA ROCKS A SEXY NEW LOOK AND SOUND!

Bucks Fizz were one of Britain's biggest pop exports back in the eighties and despite various dramas and in-fighting over the years have successfully reformed, now comprising of original three members Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. Not only have they released a brand new album (Fame & Fortune), various compilations of rare tracks and remixes (the Lost Masters project) and toured extensively, all three members of the group have their own thriving solo careers. Cheryl is currently touring in the brilliant Happy Days The Musical, Mike released a warmly received solo album (In My Life) and now Jay is following suit with a new single (True Love) and album (I Spy).

Jay Aston was known for her sexy outfits and dramatic powerhouse vocals, particularly on Bucks Fizz's huge hit When We Were Young and has always been popular with the group's fans. Aston left Bucks Fizz in 1985 after they were involved in a devastating coach crash and her career was left in limbo when she was sued for breach of contract by the band's management. She eventually released some critically acclaimed solo albums and finally settled her differences with Cheryl and Mike, leading to the successfully reformed group we see today who tour under the name Cheryl, Mike and Jay - Formerly of Bucks Fizz!

On 5th May, Jay officially releases her new single True Love and it is already available to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk. It's a jaunty little number although not the big Kylie-esque pop/dance anthem I was expecting; the lyrics are fun and down-to-earth and Jay surprises once again with a quirky vocal style very different to what fans are used to. Catchy and old-school but with a nod to contemporary production techniques, all Bucks Fizz and Jay Aston fans should buy this track on the first week of release and get this talented singer-songwriter back in the charts where she belongs. 

"HANSEL & GRETEL" - A MAGICAL SHOW IN BRIGHTON THIS CHRISTMAS FOR ALL THE FAMILY

COME ON A MAGICAL JOURNEY INTO AN ENCHANTED FOREST WITH LANTERN LIGHT'S CHRISTMAS PRODUCTION OF 'HANSEL & GRETEL'!

Looking for some entertainment this December to put you in the Christmas spirit? Then look no further - this family-friendly adaptation of the Brothers Grimm's dark fairy tale Hansel & Gretel opens at Brighton's Unitarian Church on Wednesday 11th December!

Quirky and engaging, Lantern Light's charming re-telling of the classic fairy-tale will have you hunting for pebbles, clapping to the polka and singing along with the Forest Song!

In a small village, deep in the Black Forest, things are not all as they seem when a handsome young woodcutter marries a mysterious woman….

His children don’t like her, but they also don’t like village life and chopping wood! Feisty tomboy, Gretel wants to leave the boring old forest for the excitement of the city and shy, sensitive, Hansel, well – he doesn’t want to cut down trees, he wants to paint them!

Join Lantern Light this Christmas for a magical adventure and find out how the story ends… can the bird outside the cottage really talk?.... what kind of a spell has their new stepmother cast on Hansel & Gretel’s father?.... and why is there a smell of gingerbread wafting through the trees?

A Christmas show with a heart, about growing up, learning to love your family and not always getting what you want!

Songs, dancing, games for children of all ages (!) to get involved with and sweet giveaways – come down and join the fun....

Age Recommendation:

We would recommend that the show is suitable for ages 5+, but are happy to welcome younger members of the family if parents feel they will enjoy it!

Running Time:

Approximately 1 hour & 20 minutes

Plus a 20 minute interval


PLAYING AT:

Brighton Unitarian Church
New Road
Brighton
BN1 1UF

ON:

December 11th, 14th, 18th, 20th, - (7pm)
December 23rd - (2pm & 7pm)

Adults £8
Concessions £6 (Under 16, OAP, NUS, Equity)TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM WEGOTTICKETS

Interval refreshments of tea, coffee, soft drinks, cake and gingerbread (!) will be provided by Temptation Cafe, Brighton.

FLAKEY NEEDS YOUR HELP - YOU CAN MAKE HER MUSICAL DREAM COME TRUE!

Our beautiful cat Flakey has always been a discerning musical theatre lover but today she desperately needs YOUR help! Her favourite theatre company Scala Theatre has set up a crowd-funding campaign in order to bring a brand new theatrical concert to London - My Fair Ladies, celebrating some of the most iconic divas in musical theatre from Liza Minnelli to Ethel Merman, from Judy Garland to Julie Andrews to be performed by three of the West End's finest leading ladies - and with a special male guest too! 

Now, Flakey would dearly love to contribute to this campaign but, being a cat, she has no money of her own. So please, please don't leave this beautiful animal disappointed and make a contribution to the My Fair Ladies IndieGoGo crowd-funder on her behalf! We can almost hear her now, purring in anticipation! 

Each of your invaluable contributions will help pay for the highest calibre leading ladies from the West End to work with their Director/Choreographer Martyn Knight in bringing all-new arrangements (by award-nominated Musical Director Niall Bailey) to life.

Remember every contribution helps no matter how small. Contributions range from just £2.00 up to £500.00 - check out the My Fair Ladies Indiegogo campaign for more details! 

Help make this show happen HERE!
Follow My Fair Ladies on Twitter HERE!

Follow Scala Theatre on Twitter HERE!

Like Scala Theatre on Facebook HERE! 

"MY FAIR LADIES" Celebrates The Most Iconic Divas In Musical Theatre!

Scala Theatre is bringing ‘My Fair Ladies’, a brand new theatrical concert, to you in London and across the UK and YOU can help make it happen with their Indiegogo crowd funding campaign! 

‘My Fair Ladies’ celebrates some of the most iconic divas in musical theatre from Liza Minnelli to Ethel Merman, from Judy Garland to Julie Andrews and will be performed by three of the West End's finest leading ladies - and with a special male guest too.This venture has been a true labor of love for producers Niall Bailey and Chris Wheeler and they now need your help to pull it off.
Each of your invaluable contributions will help pay for the highest calibre leading ladies from the West End to work with their Director/Choreographer Martyn Knight in bringing all-new arrangements to life.

By contributing to the workshop costs you will be helping bring this unique show to life, a show where three of the finest leading ladies of our time celebrate the finest leading ladies of years gone by.
The show will be a nod to a bygone era of star-studded concerts in venues like the Palladium and Talk of the Town - but featuring all new arrangements, the show will be distinctively contemporary too.
You'll also be helping two young producers bring quality theatrical productions to the theatre scene in London and across the UK.
As well as receiving the perks, Scala Theatre will bring you exclusive content direct from our fabulous cast!

Remember every contribution helps no matter how small. Contributions range from just £2.00 up to £500.00 - check out the My Fair Ladies Indiegogo campaign for more details! 

Help make this show happen HERE!
Follow My Fair Ladies on Twitter HERE!

Follow Scala Theatre on Twitter HERE!

Like Scala Theatre on Facebook HERE!

An Extra Special NAUGHTY FUNNY FRIDAY!

With Summer approaching (fingers crossed!) we started thinking about daytrips to the seaside and those naughty seaside postcards which always made us smile - even when we were too young to fully understand all of the rude jokes! We also found out that the saucy seventies sitcom star Francoise Pascal is making a guest appearance at the Roxy Bar and Screen tomorrow (Saturday 1st June) for a screening of her bawdy horror comedy "Burke & Hare" (1971) alongside classic Peter Cushing horror "The Flesh & The Fiends" (1959). Tickets are only £6 for BOTH films and Francoise will also be signing copies of her autobiography "As I Am" and chatting to fans!

So todays Funny Friday is focusing on those saucy seaside postcards and naughty jokes to celebrate Summer holidays and the lovely Francoise Pascal! 

You can buy tickets for the classic movie screening HERE! 

SAVE OUR HIGH STREETS!

Shops in high streets across the UK are closing at an ever-increasing rate turning towns and cities into "no-go" areas; ghost towns of boarded-up buildings and empty litter-strewn pavements. Our high streets are the hub of our communities and the beating heart of British society and this decline should not be allowed to continue. Here at the Happy Zone we believe in positive thinking backed up by positive actions and if everyone in the UK pulls together on this, we can turn this depressing decline into an exciting new beginning - a fresh start for towns large and small that had been considered dead and buried.

The Happy Zone has put together this 10 Point Action Plan that we would like every single one of you to share with your friends, families and above all your local councils, shop owners and town planners. Email them, phone them, tweet them, leave messages and comments on their websites and Facebook pages until we get them to listen and take action! 

Let's all get together and make our high streets and town centres go from this...

...to this! We know which picture we prefer! 

SAVE OUR HIGH STREETS - 10 POINT ACTION PLAN!

1. Appoint a High Street Ambassador - something that every local council should be doing which we urge you to write/email your council to suggest. A 'High Street Ambassador' would be a full-time position employed by each council to act as a project manager to bring business and footfall back to YOUR high street. Their goals would include making sure that every single empty shop is filled, organising events and festivals and liasing with the local community to see what local people really want to see happening in their high streets.
2. Town Action Committee - a team of volunteers whose role is to support the High Street Ambassador in all of their aims and goals to bring their high street back to life.
3. Free Parking! - this is an absolute necessity for most towns in order to generate footfall and compete against the large out-of-town shopping malls. This of course would be up to the council to implement and we understand that this may only be able to happen on weekends and after certain hours midweek - but this has to start happening!!
4. Pop-Up Shops - if there are so many vacant shops and buildings in town centres then these can be used for temporary 'pop-up' shops selling a variety of goods and fulfilling a variety of needs. They needn't be shops but could be pop-up cinemas, galleries or art installations - anything that makes positive use of an empty space and encourages people to come to your high street.
5. Events - regular high profile events that involve the entire community and  the wider population outside your town can only be a good thing! Examples include - food festivals, children's carnival, all-night arts festival (where the shops and cafes also open all night), gay pride mardis gras, film festivals, Easter parade, Halloween street party....the list is endless! 
6. Regular Markets - more and more small towns and communities are hosting farmers markets and vintage craft fairs as these draw in the crowds and attract customers from miles around.
7. Support Independent Shops - over the last few decades our high streets have become filled with more and more generic chains all selling the same thing and offering nothing new or different to anywhere else - too many Tesco, Sainsburys and other mini-supermarkets that are leaching the life out of our local butchers, newsagents and corner shops. Too many corporate tax avoiders like Starbucks offering watered-down, overpriced "coffee" and disgusting factory-produced muffins. We need to be encouraging vibrant independent coffee and tea shops, gift shops, fashion boutiques, book stores and the like. The towns and cities that are weathering the economic storm the best are those that offer interesting and varied independent shopping destinations like Brighton, Lewes and Whitby. Support your independent shops and you support your local economy, leading to less unemployment and a brighter, more friendly community. 
8. No Empty Shops & Premises! - we cannot express strongly enough the importance of this. Encourage greedy landlords to let out premises for free for a year to traders who can bring something valuable to the community. Encourage new businesses that are different to anything else in the area. As we've said above, encourage pop-up shops, galleries and community centres - as long as those that occupy the spaces keep them clean, bright, attractive, tidy and respectable they can only lift your high street out of its doldrums!
9. Community Engagement - get everyone in the local community involved in setting up and attending events - local schools, newspapers, churches, theatres, cinemas, arts groups, libraries, pensioners, youth groups, charities - anyone and everyone who would like to get involved in a positive way.
10. Publicity! - even if you manage to achieve even half the things in our 10 Point Action Plan you still need to get the word out there by any means necessary to encourage people to come along! Why not set up a High Street website or blog that can keep up a record of your journey as well as publicise your events, new shops etc? Email your local newpapers and 'what's on' magazines, tweet about what you're doing, set up a Facebook page or group, let the Happy Zone know what you're up to, write to The One Show, local celebrities, Mary Portas, local radio...there are so many ways to get publicity these days and you never know who might be willing to step in and help you!

Many of the above ideas and more are already being championed by retail expert Mary Portas, who was commissioned by the Prime Minister David Cameron to lead an independent review into the future of the high street. This has resulted in a funding scheme known as the Portas Pilots, whereby towns can apply for support and funding from the government in order to make positive changes in their high streets. You can visit Mary's website to read more of her ideas and more about the Portas Pilots but we do urge you to watch all three episodes of her Channel Four television show Mary Queen of the High Street while it's still available online to see how these ideas can really work if people just make an effort and work together!

Please add your comments below and let us know about YOUR positive action to boost your local shops and your own high streets. Feel free to email us at cyberschizoid@yahoo.co.uk using "Save Our High Streets" as your subject line!

A BRAND NEW FRINGE FESTIVAL FOR THE UK!

You've all heard of the phenomenally successful Edinburgh and Brighton fringe festivals which take place every year to ever-increasing audiences offering an eclectic mix of theatre, music, cabaret, stand-up comedy and other "non-mainstream" performing arts - well now an exciting new fringe festival is about to launch in the beautiful Surrey town of Guildford! 

Initially the brainchild of award-nominated Musical Director Niall Bailey and Musical Theatre star Nick Wyschna, the Guildford Fringe Festival has now been taken under Nick's wing and is up-and-running from the 1st July, promising a whole month of eclectic entertainment!

" Taking inspiration from the Edinburgh Festival, the Guildford Fringe Festival is a celebration of the art. It takes place between 1st and 28th July 2013, on a small scale for its first year with all the events taking place at the Star Inn on Quarry Street in the centre of Guildford.

The Festival will include theatre, cabarets, stand-up, quiz nights, comedy speakers, jazz, debates and musical theatre produced by some of the most up and coming companies around." 

To book tickets for any of the Guildford Fringe Festival events and shows follow this LINK.

Check out the Guildford Fringe Festival website HERE.

Follow Guildford Fringe Theatre Company on TWITTER.

Like Guildford Fringe Theatre Company on FACEBOOK.

Join the Guildford Fringe Festival 2013 on FACEBOOK.

Check out the Guildford Fringe Theatre Company WEBSITE.