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Alvin Rakoff, the Canadian-born filmmaker who directed Laurence Olivier in A Voyage Round My Father, has died. He was 97.

His death was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by his longtime publicist, Nick Pourgourides. He passed away on Oct. 12 surrounded by family at home in Chiswick, a neighborhood in London.

Rakoff as a writer, director and producer of over 100 TV, film and stage productions, as well as novels, directed Olivier and co-stars Alan Bates and Jane Asher in the 1982 TV drama A Voyage Round My Father, a film written by John Mortimer and which earned the director his second Emmy Award.

Alvin and Olivier also worked together on Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson and A Talent for Murder, both shot in 1983. The two-time Emmy Award winner also gave a young Sean Connery his first leading role in the 1957 film Requiem for a Heavyweight, and Alan Rickman as a young actor was...

At this year’s Tony Awards “Suffs” managed to win prizes for Best Musical Book and Best Score, both of which went to Shaina Taub. Historically, winning those two accolades in particular would bode well for a show’s chances at Best Musical. Yet in a shocking turn of events, the top award went to “The Outsiders.” But this is not the first time something like this has happened.

SEETony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories

In 1978 “On the Twentieth Century” won Tonys for Best Score and Best Book (Comden and Green). It also won Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Kevin Kline), and Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner). Yet Best Musical that year went to Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr.‘s revue “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” A tribute to the music of Fats Waller, it also won Tonys for Best...

Steve Harley, the frontman of British glam rock band Cockney Rebel, died Sunday at 73 from cancer.

Harley’s family said Sunday that he had “passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side.” Harley said late last year he was being treated for “a nasty cancer.”

His best known song was “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me),” which went to No. 1 in the UK in 1975.

Harley also sang the title song of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera alongside Sarah Brightman when it was released as a single in 1986. He was originally cast in the title role for the stage musical, but was replaced by Michael Crawford.

Harley also presented Sounds of the ’70s on BBC Radio 2 from 1999-2008.

Born in London in 1951, Harley spent almost four years of his childhood hospitalized after contracting polio.

He formed Cockney Rebel, which released its first album,...

Actors and theater industry notables are submitting tributes to celebrate the life of longtime theater and film producer William “Bill” Kenwright, who died Monday following surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver back in August.

Kenwright is best known as one of the longest standing theater, TV and film producers, including being the force behind long-running West End musical “Blood Brothers.” He began as an actor, appearing in British soap opera “Coronation Street.” On top of his work in theater, he also served as a BBC Radio 2 presenter and as chairman of the Everton Football Club for nearly two decades.

“Like many grateful actors I am in debt to Bill Kenwright for employment,” “Lord of the Rings” star and theater legend Sir Ian McKellen shared on X (formerly Twitter). “We were young together, when he was in ‘Coronation Street’ and I was dipping a toe into Shaftesbury Avenue.

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Yellowjackets, Season 2 Episode 8, “It Chooses.”]

After a riveting first season filled with sonic callbacks to the ’90s, Season 2 of Showtime’s Yellowjackets kicked off with a similarly wistful tone, thanks to the new trailer, spotlighting Florence and the Machine’s cover of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.”

Season 1 of the series took viewers back to 1996 when a young group of soccer players survives a plane crash and the aftermath forced the characters to deal with a string of psychologically unfortunate events. Considering when the story starts, music from the era is paramount to the series. So far, we’ve heard everything from Portishead’s “Glory Box” to “Rump Shaker” by Wreckx-n-Effect in the series, with Season 2 promising to keep that same energy while jumping in between timelines.

The ’90s part of the series shows Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty, Liv Hewson, and Courtney Eaton playing...

This article contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets" season 2 episode 8.

Misty and Walter are a dynamic detective duo with spookily similar personalities. In the fourth episode "Old Wounds," the montage (humorously set to Sparks' "Angst in My Pants") where they comb their Bed & Breakfast rooms for any suspicious activity and undergo matching nighttime routines visualizes the perfect harmony of their quirks. Not only do they enjoy solving mysteries, but they also bond over a shared love of musical theatre. Walter insists he is not using his collection of Broadway cassette tapes to appease Misty because he's a secret Yellowjackets obsessive: he is a musical theatre nerd just like her.

It turns out that Walter was telling the truth because in the recent episode "It Chooses," we see Walter relaxing with a fancy drink and a giant jigsaw puzzle while the tender "Not While I'm Around" from "Sweeney Todd" plays in the background.

After 35 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera took its final curtain call on Sunday night at the Majestic Theatre in New York. This was show No. 13,981 of the longest-running show in Broadway history and was dedicated by Lloyd Webber to his son Nicholas who died last month after a battle with gastric cancer.

Amid a standing ovation, Webber said, “I hope you won’t mind if I dedicate this performance to my son, Nick.” Turning to original Phantom star, Sarah Brightman, the composer recalled, “When Nick was a little boy, he heard some of this music.”

Said Brightman, “Yes, he did. When Andrew was writing it, he was right there. So his soul is with us. Nick, we love you very much.”

Also on Sunday night, Brightman performed the musical’s most famous song, “The Music of the Night,” along with current cast, previous actors and crew members,...

John Lennon wanted to be every kind of artist — including an actor. In 1967, he got his wish, appearing in How I Won the War without the other Beatles members. Here was the other “Fab Four” members’ reaction to his solo success.

John Lennon starred in ‘How I Won The War’ (without the other Beatles members) Beatle John Lennon (right) and Roy Kinnear play members of a British Platoon caught up in World War II’s north Africa campaign, ‘How I Won the War’ | Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images

While still writing with the Beatles, Lennon starred in a featured film. How I Won the War premiered in 1967, featuring Lee Montague, Michael Crawford, and Roy Kinnear. The IMDb description states, “an inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.”

Lennon acted as “Gripweed,” although this wouldn’t be the first film starring the musician.

Beatles memorabilia has always generated interest among collectors. There will always be those who can afford to pay top dollar for genuine merchandise and for those whose fandom goes way beyond the group’s music. However, on this day in 2016, a fifty-year-old piece of John Lennon’s hair from the set of How I Won the War sold for 35K. Beatles collectors paid big bucks for the personal item and two other mementos.

John Lennon on the set of ‘How I Won the War’ | Peter Timmullstein/Getty Images John Lennon starred in the 1967 dark comedy ‘How I Won the War’

In the latter part of his Beatles career, John Lennon starred in the 1967 dark comedy, How I Won the War. The film was directed by Richard Lester, who also directed A Hard Day’s Night and Help!

How I Won the War tells the tale of the fictional 3rd Troop...

Makeup artist who created John Hurt’s prosthetics for The Elephant Man and Michael Crawford’s mask in The Phantom of the Opera

Christopher Tucker, who has died aged 81, was a pioneering special makeup effects artist for screen and stage who designed the face masks for John Hurt in the film version of The Elephant Man and Michael Crawford in the West End musical The Phantom of the Opera.

It was because of Tucker that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences created an Oscar for best makeup in 1981 – a year after widespread criticism that his remarkable prosthetics skills had gone unrecognised with an award for The Elephant Man (1980).

The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest running show, will close in February following its 35th anniversary in January, producers have announced.

“We are sad to confirm that after 35 years on Broadway, Phantom will play its final performance at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday February 18th, 2023,” the show has announced on its website. “Tickets are currently on sale for performances through January 22nd, 2023, and we expect the final block of tickets to be placed on sale shortly.”

The news comes as the musical, known for its falling chandelier, its half-masked title character and its most famous song “The Music of the Night,” has become an icon of Broadway over the decades but has been as susceptible as other productions to the soft Covid market and weak tourist climate.

The musical has long played at the Shubert Organization’s Majestic Theatre.

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart,...

This year’s Oscars telecast incorporated reunions of cast members from classic movies such as “The Godfather,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Juno.” Last year’s Tony Awards actually did something similar, bringing together cast members from different Broadway classics such as “Hairspray,” “Ragtime,” “Rent,” and “Wicked” for performances as the industry was fighting to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the Tonys will be presenting their landmark 75th annual ceremony this year, I think it would be even more fitting if they reunite more co-stars from Broadway classics of yesteryear to perform or even present awards. Here are some suggestions. Vote in our poll at the bottom of this post to let us know which you’d most like to see.

SEE2022 Tony Awards: Full awards season calendar revealed

Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury – “Sweeney Todd”

In 1979 Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler‘s adaptation of Christopher Bond‘s 1973 stage play won...

Opera singer turned actor who made his mark in stage and screen versions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Leon Greene, who has died of cancer aged 89, was a Sadler’s Wells opera singer who took his bass baritone voice to the West End stage to play the self-important Roman soldier Miles Gloriosus in the original London production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Following its hugely popular two-year run at the Shaftesbury theatre (1963-65), Greene reprised his role in the 1966 film version, directed by Richard Lester, alongside an international cast led by two stars of the initial Broadway show, Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, plus Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton and Michael Crawford.

Originally, I was holding off on digging into Joel Schumacher’s 2004 adaptation of Phantom of the Opera until later on in this series, but with his passing a few months ago, I thought that it only made sense to make the next installment of my Phantom Thread series a celebration of Schumacher’s lavish and ostentatious adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, showering it with all the adulation that it has always deserved. Many of its critics faulted this version for being too faithful to the cultural phenomenon that is Webber’s crowning achievement in live theatre, but honestly, this wasn’t ever going to be the gothic horror show from Gaston Leroux’s original novel, and I’m not sure why anyone ever expected any differently from this rendition.

In terms of what Joel Schumacher and Andrew Lloyd Webber set out to create with their collaborative efforts on...

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“The Fine Art Of Seduction?”

By Raymond Benson

The winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival was a thoroughly “mod,” Swinging London-set comedy directed by rising star filmmaker Richard Lester, who was just coming off the huge success of helming the Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night.

The Knack is directed in the same style as Hard Day’s, which borrowed heavily from the signature traits of the French New Wave—radical editing and jump cuts, handheld camerawork, on the street cinema verité, breaking the fourth wall, intentionally arty shots, and a relatively low budget… plus Lester’s trademark absurdist humor, surrealism, and a wacky British sensibility that he had exhibited ever since working with Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan on such fare as The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film (1959).

Adapted by Charles Wood from a stage play by Ann Jellicoe,...

British screenwriter and playwright Charles Wood, known for such productions as “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” “Tumbledown” and “Iris,” has died at the age of 87.

His death, on Saturday, was confirmed to Variety by his agent Sue Rodgers at Independent Talent.

Born into a theater family, he began working in his local theater when he was a teen. After studying theatrical design at art college, he spent several years in the British army. After an assortment of jobs, he began to write professionally from 1959, with the completion of his play “Prisoner and Escort,” drawing on his army experience.

His first screenplay was 1965 comedy “The Knack … and How to Get It,” based on Anne Jellicoe’s play. Directed by Richard Lester, and starring Rita Tushingham and Michael Crawford, it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Wood was nominated for the BAFTA for British screenplay.

Among many films with Lester,...

It’s been 50 years since Barbra Streisand dazzled audiences as Dolly Levi in director Gene Kelly’s lavish, eye-popping Hello, Dolly!– and she’ll be looking swell when the dazzling musical returns to movie theaters for two days only to mark its milestone anniversary.

Streisand leads a huge cast that also includes Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew, E.J. Peaker, Danny Lockin and Tommy Tune as they sing and dance through more than a dozen memorable songs by Jerry Herman, including “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” “Before the Parade Passes By” and, of course, the title tune, which features a cameo by jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

Winner of three Academy Awards®, the spare-no-expenses production transformed Hello, Dolly! from a Broadway musical-comedy into an extravagant Hollywood production – which most recently enjoyed newfound popularity as the favorite movie of Wall-e in the Disney-Pixar film. Now,...

With this year marking the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien and the 25th anniversary of Frank Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption, Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies are teaming up to celebrate in style and bring both films back to theaters:

Press Release: Denver – July 23, 2019 – After a spectacular first six months of 2019, Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will bring seven more classic films to movie theaters in the second half of the year, beginning with Barbra Streisand starring in Gene Kelly’s lavish adaptation of Hello, Dolly!, and ending with a newly announced presentation of the MGM musical classic Meet Me in St. Louis.

For its 50th anniversary, Hello, Dolly! is back where she belongs: on the big screen, playing Sunday, August 11, and Wednesday, August 14. Winner of three Academy Awards®, Hello, Dolly! kicks off the second half of 2019’s TCM Big Screen Classics series,...

1970: Days of our Lives' Julie married Scott.

1978: Ryan's Hope's Faith prepared to married Tom.

1981: Dynasty's first season ended with the return of Alexis.

1987: Days of our Lives' Bo & Hope left Salem."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1942: The Second Mrs. Burton premiered on the Blue Network. The radio soap opera had previously aired on CBS Radio, and would return to CBS four months later.

1970: On Days of our Lives, Julie (Susan Seaforth) finally settled the score with former best...

1970: Days of our Lives' Julie married Scott.

1978: Ryan's Hope's Faith prepared to married Tom.

1981: Dynasty's first season ended with the return of Alexis.

1987: Days of our Lives' Bo & Hope left Salem."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1942: The Second Mrs. Burton premiered on the Blue Network. The radio soap opera had previously aired on CBS Radio, and would return to CBS four months later.

To celebrate this amazing milestone, we checked in by phone with Michael Crawford, from New Zealand. As many know, along with a long career creating numerous roles, the star also inspired the creation of this very web site. After I saw the production myself in 1994, my father said 'If you thought that was great, you need to hear the original...' And, the rest is BroadwayWorld history.

West End legend Michael Crawford will guide seven well known celebrities through an all singing, all dancing musical theatre extravaganza, coming to ITV this Christmas.

Ryan Lambie Dec 7, 2016

Space horror in The Black Hole. Animated death in The Black Cauldron. Ryan looks back at a unique period in Disney's filmmaking history...

When George Lucas started writing Star Wars in the early 70s, the space saga was intended to fill a void left behind by westerns, pirate movies and the sci-fi fantasy of old matinee serials. "Disney had abdicated its rein over the children's market," Lucas once said, according to Peter Biskind's book, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, "and nothing had replaced it."

See related  Close To The Enemy episode 4 review Close To The Enemy episode 3 review Close To The Enemy episode 2 review Close To The Enemy episode 1 review

Indeed, Disney was one of many Hollywood studios that Lucas had approached with Star Wars and they, just like Universal, United Artists and everyone other than 20th Century Fox boss Alan Ladd Jr, had turned it down flat.

Louisa Mellor Sep 26, 2016

When life hurts, well-crafted, traditional sitcom like Count Arthur Strong can be an indispensable salve…

There’s a period a little while after a family death, after the days spent in a traffic jam of errands, decisions and phone calls, when you have to merge back into the regular lane. Normal life demands to re-start. The fridge needs filling and the lawn needs mowing, even if, impossibly, the person who usually does both has vanished forever.

For my family like most others, normal life means watching television. Telly is the cradle that rocked us through the decades. Whatever happened to us happened against a backdrop of soaps and sitcoms.

Losing our dad though, changed things. In the flayed-skin sensitivity of the days around his funeral, flicking through the channels meant running a gauntlet. A murder on EastEnders brought unwelcome ambulances and coroners back into our living room.

Michael Crawford makes his glorious return to the London Stage in a new musical, based on the famed novel The Go-Between. Based on the classic novel by L. P. Hartley and adapted by David Wood, The Go-Between is a new musical with a score written by Richard Taylor. Today, the show has unveiled a preview of star Gemma Sutton performing 'Grow and Change' - check it out below...

Drew Hodges is at a loss for words. Asked if he’s surprised at the life he’s leading -- did he imagine he’d grow up to fly around the world orchestrating scenes with great actors and artists for his own wildly influential agency -- he pauses three entire seconds. “I wish I had an answer for you,” he says. “It's like, Come for the veal, stay for the floor show.”

You might not know Drew Hodges’ name, but if you’ve enjoyed some form of popular culture in the past decade, you’re living in a world he helped create. "When I started, the idea of theater was still very much that ‘fabulous invalid’ thing," he says, “sort of dying, old, kind of nostalgic. I was lucky enough to work on a lot of stuff that started to chip away at that."

Twenty years ago, art-directing for his small design firm’s music,...

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Michael Crawford will return to the London Stage in a new musical, based on the famed novelThe Go-Between this spring. Joining the previously announced Michael Crawford - with the multi Olivier and Tony-award winning starreturning to London's West End to play Leo Colston - will be Issy Van Randwyck. Renowned for her starring role in the celebrated cabaret groupFascinating Aida, Issy will play the role of Mrs Maudsley.

Michael Crawford is to reprise his role of Frank Spencer for a one-off special of 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'. The 74-year-old actor was last seen playing the loveable buffoon in the hilarious sitcom 40 years ago but is set to return to his routes for a special episode in aid of Sport Relief on March 18. He explained to The Sun newspaper: ''I am delighted to be asked to bring Frank back for Sport Relief.'' The accident-prone character will return alongside his wife Betty, played by Michele Dotrice, as they find themselves in a number of catastrophic situations before meeting top cyclist...

Today in 1988, The Phantom of the Opera opened at the Majestic Theatre, where it has played for 9980 performances and still running. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, the musical opened in the West End in 1986, celebrating its 25th anniversary in October 2011. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Michael Crawford in the title role won the 1986 Olivier and 1988 Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical. It is the longest-running Broadway show by a wide margin, the second longest-running West End musical, and the third longest-running West End show overall.

Happy Birthday Michael Crawford In 1981, Crawford starred in the Original London production of Cy Coleman's Barnum 1981 as the illustrious American showman P. T. Barnum. He is best known for starring opposite Sarah Brightman in the original cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera as the title character. In 1986, Crawford began his performance in London, continuing on to Broadway in 1988, and then Los Angeles a year later, in 1989. He played the role for 2 years and over 1,300 performances, winning an Olivier Award Best Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award Best Performance By An Actor in a Lead Role, Musical. Beginning in February 2011, Crawford has played the role of the Wizard in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical version of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

Meet Rita Tushingham, the cutest comic (and dramatic) actress of swinging London. This '60s masterpiece applies director Richard Lester's talent for comedy to a new kind of quirky, youthful sex farce. Shy boy Michael Crawford takes lessons on how to dominate women from Ray Brooks, when all he has to do to win cute Rita Tushingham is be himself. With a glorious music score by John Barry. The style is everything; the movie was extremely influential. The Knack... and how to get it Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1965 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 84 min. / Street Date January 12, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Rita Tushingham, Ray Brooks, Michael Crawford, Donal Donnelly, Jane Birkin, Jacqueline Bisset, Charlotte Rampling. Cinematography David Watkin Production Designer Assheton Gorton Film Editor Antony Gibbs Original Music John Barry Written by Charles Wood from the play by Ann Jellicoe Produced by Oscar Lewenstein Directed by Richard Lester

Reviewed...

Let's be honest - there's a certain scepticism surrounding Marvel Studios' next movie, Ant-Man, that seems to have left fans less excited than they are for most McU films.

Guardians of the Galaxy managed to dispel similar feelings with a perfectly pitched trailer, but for Ant-Man the feeling has continued to hang around in the build up to its release.

It's not hard to guess why. When it comes to powers, shrinking and talking to ants sounds pretty lame, no matter how much they try to style it out by adding that he has "superhuman strength... like a bullet".

But Ant-Man isn't the lamest superhero out there - not by a long shot. A glimpse at this linep of superlosers will quickly make Ant-Man seem pretty decent by comparison:

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy

The Legion of Super-Heroes comic explicitly acknowledges the existence of crummy powers with its Legion tryouts and the Legion...

Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...

From Tyne Daly to Lena Hall to Deborah Cox to Kristin Chenoweth to Jason Robert Brown to Barbra Streisand to Michael Crawford to Anna Chlumsky, Raul Esparza, Alan Menken, Bernadette Peters, Laura Osnes, Victoria Clark, Glee and Everything in Between - It's the BroadwayWorld.com 2015 Valentine's Day Special - It's the Biggest EverThis year's entries feature John Cameron Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Jeremy Jordan, Kelli O'Hara, Peter Gallagher, Kate Baldwin, Alex Sharp, Judy Kuhn, James Monroe Iglehart, Joshua Henry, Rob McClure, Brynn O'Malley and Many more...

Today in 1988, The Phantom of the Opera opened at the Majestic Theatre, where it has played for 9980 performances and still running. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, the musical opened in the West End in 1986, celebrating its 25th anniversary in October 2011. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Michael Crawford in the title role won the 1986 Olivier and 1988 Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical. It is the longest-running Broadway show by a wide margin, the second longest-running West End musical, and the third longest-running West End show overall.

Happy Birthday Michael Crawford In 1981, Crawford starred in the Original London production of Cy Coleman's Barnum 1981 as the illustrious American showman P. T. Barnum. He is best known for starring opposite Sarah Brightman in the original cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera as the title character. In 1986, Crawford began his performance in London, continuing on to Broadway in 1988, and then Los Angeles a year later, in 1989. He played the role for 2 years and over 1,300 performances, winning an Olivier Award Best Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award Best Performance By An Actor in a Lead Role, Musical. Beginning in February 2011, Crawford has played the role of the Wizard in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical version of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

While Rob and I were talking, we started chatting about the year in theatre and in life and BroadwayWorld.com's 10th Year in business and how it all began with his Dad taking him to see The Phantom Of The Opera, and how it led him down the path of becoming a fan of Michael Crawford. There's a story in there, that you may or may not know, but, it's a pretty safe bet that if that 'theatrical moment' hadn't occurred, this website might not be in existence. So ... today, I offer you Michael Crawford singing one of the most beloved traditional and holy songs of the season.

Week Four saw The X Factor contestants perform the most frightening songs ever recorded in honour of Halloween.

Digital Spy rounds up what Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Mel B and Louis Walsh had to say about Saturday night's (November 1) acts - and if you missed the show, you can catch up with all the performances below, too:

1. Ben Haenow: 'Highway to Hell' by AC/DC

Louis: "What an opening! You are the real deal, an authentic rock voice and it would absolutely get a recording deal."

Mel B: "Wow! What just happened?! By far, your best performance to date."

2. Lola Saunders: 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley

Mel B: "Cheryl, this week you have got it spot on. This is the Lola I want to see. Well done to you."

Simon: "By a mile your best performance so far [and] the first time I've seen you confident.

By Howard Hughes

(The following review is of the UK release of the film on Region 2 format.)

In Roy Ward Baker’s 1960s comedy-drama Two Left Feet, Michael Crawford plays Alan Crabbe, a clumsy and unlucky-in-love 19-year-old who begins dating ‘Eileen, the Teacup Queen’, a waitress at his local cafe. She lives in Camden Town and there are rumours that she’s married, but that doesn’t seem to alter her behavior. Alan and Eileen travel into London’s ‘Floride Club’, where the Storyville Jazzmen play trad for the groovers and shakers. Eileen turns out to be a ‘right little madam’, who is really just stringing Alan along. She’s the kind of girl who only dates to get into places and then starts chatting to randoms once inside. She takes up with ruffian Ronnie, while Alan meets a nice girl, Beth Crowley. But Eileen holds a strange hold over...

On Twitter Watch, Sierra Boggess wrote 'Just did our photo shoot for NOH8Campaign with normlewis777 NOH8 The Phantom of the Opera, which is now in its 26th year on Broadway, celebrated yet another in a long line of milestones last evening, as it welcomed former Little Mermaid co-stars Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess to the cast on Monday, May 12, at the Majestic Theater. BroadwayWorld was there for their first curtain call and below, you can check it out, along with their backstage meeting with Andrew Lloyd Webber himselfThe audience erupted in cheers last night, as history was made when Norm Lewis became the first African-American performer to star as The Phantom in the Broadway production. In attendance were stars ranging from Lea DeLaria, to Sherie Rene Scott and icons like Andre De Shields and Melba Moore, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and director Hal Price. They were joined by with friends,...

Norm Lewis has been tapped to be the next Phantom in the megahit The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, a move that makes him the first African-American to slip behind the famous mask on the Great White Way.

Producers said Thursday the Tony Award nominee, who brought his deep and rich voice to Porgy in the recent Porgy and Bess revival, will make his debut opposite Sierra Boggess, who returns as Christine, beginning May 12.

Lewis played John in Broadway’s Miss Saigon, Javert in Les Miserables on Broadway in 2006, and was in the shows Side Show, The Little Mermaid,...

From Orlando Bloom amp Condola Rashad to Deborah Cox to Nick Jonas to Barbra Streisand to Michael Crawford to the Ladies of The View to Adam Pascal, Kristin Chenoweth, Raul Esparza, Alan Menken, Bernadette Peters, Laura Osnes, Victoria Clark, Glee and Everything in Between - It's the BroadwayWorld.com 2014 Valentine's Day Special - It's the Biggest Ever BroadwayWorld's 2014 Valentine's Day gift to you, the 8th Annual 'What's the Most Romantic Broadway Love Song Ever' brings you over 800 of the biggest stars, industry professionals, and personalities from across the globe.

From Orlando Bloom amp Condola Rashad to Deborah Cox to Nick Jonas to Barbra Streisand to Michael Crawford to the Ladies of The View to Adam Pascal, Kristin Chenoweth, Raul Esparza, Alan Menken, Bernadette Peters, Laura Osnes, Victoria Clark, Glee and Everything in Between - It's the BroadwayWorld.com 2014 Valentine's Day Special - It's the Biggest Ever BroadwayWorld's 2014 Valentine's Day gift to you, the 8th Annual 'What's the Most Romantic Broadway Love Song Ever' brings you over 800 of the biggest stars, industry professionals, and personalities from across the globe.

Today in 1988, The Phantom of the Opera opened at the Majestic Theatre, where it has played for 9980 performances and still running. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, the musical opened in the West End in 1986, celebrating its 25th anniversary in October 2011. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Michael Crawford in the title role won the 1986 Olivier and 1988 Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical. It is the longest-running Broadway show by a wide margin, the second longest-running West End musical, and the third longest-running West End show overall.

Happy Birthday Michael Crawford In 1981, Crawford starred in the Original London production of Cy Coleman's Barnum 1981 as the illustrious American showman P. T. Barnum. He is best known for starring opposite Sarah Brightman in the original cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera as the title character. In 1986, Crawford began his performance in London, continuing on to Broadway in 1988, and then Los Angeles a year later, in 1989. He played the role for 2 years and over 1,300 performances, winning an Olivier Award Best Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award Best Performance By An Actor in a Lead Role, Musical. Beginning in February 2011, Crawford has played the role of the Wizard in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical version of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

Penelope Keith and Angela Lansbury are among the stars in the Queen's New Year Honours List for 2014.

Pete Tong, Karren Brady and Ruth Jones are also named on the annual list.

For the first time since the Order of the British Empire was founded in 1917, women outnumber men in the overall list.

Keith - perhaps best known for her roles in the sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born - is named a dame. She said: "You know I sort of feel elated, exhausted and thrilled. It's the big one. I had already got an OBE and then a Cbe, so I don't know what is better than the icing on the cake, but this is."

British-born Murder, She Wrote star Lansbury is also named a dame for her successful acting career, charitable work and philanthropy.

Apprentice star Karren Brady, the vice-chair of West Ham Football Club, gets...

The Twelve Days of Christmas Classics is on! EW is putting the best versions of the most-covered Christmas songs up to a daily vote to compile the ultimate holiday playlist. (We’ve already covered “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “The Christmas Song,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Let It Snow!” and “The Little Drummer Boy.”) If your favorite singer isn’t in the list below, you better not pout: Each artist will only appear once throughout the 12 days. Listen to our top six, vote for your favorite, and let us know why you made your pick in the comments below.

Graceful stage actor who stood out in Doctor Who on TV and the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

In a long and distinguished career, the actor Aubrey Woods, who has died aged 85, covered the waterfront, from West End revues and musicals to TV series and films, most notably, perhaps, singing The Candy Man in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), starring Gene Wilder, and playing the Controller in the Day of the Daleks storyline in Doctor Who (1972).

Tall and well-favoured in grace and authority on the stage, he played Fagin in the musical Oliver! for three years, succeeding Ron Moody in the original 1960 production. He was equally in demand on BBC radio, writing and appearing in many plays, including his own adaptations of the Mapp and Lucia novels by Ef Benson (he was a vice-president of the Ef Benson society).

In the early part of his career he...

The Voice UK ratings continued to grow last night (April 20), scoring a season high of 7.92 million, overnight data suggests.

The BBC show benefited from its new 8.20pm timeslot, gaining 1.25 million week-on-week. It peaked at 9.08m.

However, ITV's Britain's Got Talent scored the highest ratings of the night, returning for its second episode of the series with 9.66m (43.9%) at 7pm, down 320k on last week. It peaked at 11.27m, while a further 632k (2.7%) caught the programme on ITV+1.

Later on ITV, gameshow The Cube scored 3m (13.2%) at 8.30pm, while The Jonathan Ross Show had 2.6m (13%) an hour later.

Back on BBC One, new Doctor Who episode 'Hide' attracted 4.98m (24.5%) viewers from 6.45pm, a fall of 747k on last week.

BBC Two aired coverage of World Championship Snooker between 7pm and 8pm, picking up 1.01m (4.7%). Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em then amused 1.04m (4.5%) at 8pm and The Many Faces of Michael Crawford...

The Voice UK ratings continued to grow last night (April 20), scoring a season high of 7.92 million, overnight data suggests.

The BBC show benefited from its new 8.20pm timeslot, gaining 1.25 million week-on-week. It peaked at 9.08m.

However, ITV's Britain's Got Talent scored the highest ratings of the night, returning for its second episode of the season with 9.66m (43.9%) at 7pm, down 320k on last week. It peaked at 11.27m, while a further 632k (2.7%) caught the programme on ITV+1.

Later on ITV, gameshow The Cube scored 3m (13.2%) at 8.30pm, while The Jonathan Ross Show had 2.6m (13%) an hour later.

Back on BBC One, new Doctor Who episode 'Hide' attracted 4.98m (24.5%) viewers from 6.45pm, a fall of 747k on last week.

BBC Two aired coverage of World Championship Snooker between 7pm and 8pm, picking up 1.01m (4.7%). Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em then amused 1.04m (4.5%) at 8pm and The Many Faces of Michael Crawford...