Exclusive: Acclaimed digital series The Theatre Channel returns with a host of West End stars

Adam Blanshay Productions and The Theatre Cafe present the latest episode of acclaimed digital series The Theatre Channel, released via stream.theatre from Friday 30 April.

Entitled Showstoppers, the new, sixth episode of the series features a host of West End talent performing songs from your favourite musicals, as well as plenty of extra special behind the scenes content. Stars include Kerry Ellis (Wicked, We Will Rock You), Danny Mac (Pretty Woman, Sunset Boulevard), Layton Williams (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, RENT), Amber Davies (9 to 5 The Musical), Jade Davies (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables) and Katie Deacon (Mary Poppins, An American in Paris), plus an exclusive interview with stage and screen legend Antonio Banderas.

The resident ensemble company is revamped with a brand new Cafe Five, including Anthony Starr (Guys & Dolls), Danny Becker (The Prince of Egypt), Kayleigh Thadani (Disney’s Aladdin), M-Jae Cleopatra Isaac (Billy Elliot) and Vicki Lee Taylor (A Chorus Line).

The Theatre Cafe manager and performer Jack Malin also joins the troupe for their showstopping, toe-tapping number.

Numbers include:

Amber and Jade Davies singing “Who Will Love Me As I Am” and “I Will Never Leave You” from Side Show.

Katie Deacon singing “Music and the Mirror” from A Chorus Line.

Kerry Ellis singing “Always Starting Over” from If/Then.

Danny Mac singing “Moving Too Fast” from The Last Five Years.

Layton Williams singing “Hold Me in Your Heart” from Kinky Boots.

Jack Malin and the Cafe Five singing “There’s No Business Like Show Business” from Annie Get Your Gun.

The Theatre Channel is directed by Thom Southerland with musical supervision by Michael England, choreography by Ashley Nottingham, lighting design by Aaron Dootson, production design by James Turner, videography by Ben Hewis and sound design by Keegan Curran.

Episode 6: Showstoppers pays homage to many musical greats, with the number from A Chorus Line showcasing Michael Bennett’s original choreography and taking a trip down memory lane in memorandum to Tony Award-winning choreographer Bob Avian. The track is provided by Antonio Banderas’ Malaga-based theatre company Teatro del Soho, following their acclaimed Spanish-language revival.

The episode also features a segment from the Academy and Tony Award-nominee Banderas, who shares his knowledge of the production in an exclusive interview for the Channel. 

Producer Adam Blanshay said, “With the release of Episode 6: Showstoppers, we’re celebrating several milestones. First off, as the pandemic and theatre closures have extended far beyond what anyone initially imagined, we’re overjoyed to welcome our new resident ensemble, the new Cafe Five, giving fresh opportunity to a remarkable new group of performers to finishthe series with us. Moreover, based on growth and customer demand, we’re thrilled to now be launching our content on stream.theatre, which we hope will expand our viewership far and wide, and draw in countless new theatre fans. Lastly, we pay homage to the loving memory of Bob Avian, and have included a special feature on A Chorus Line – we are grateful to John Breglio, Baayork Lee, and Antonio Banderas for their collaboration.”

Previous episode titles include Welcome to the Cafe, Musical Horrors and Hopeful Holidays. The next instalment, Episode 7, will celebrate the works of the unparalleled duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, with incredible casting to be announced soon.

The series will be available to stream in a new partnership with stream.theatre, with Episode 6: Showstoppers available from Friday 30 April, with tickets on sale now.

Tickets are £12 plus booking fee. Past episodes are available on demand for £9.50 plus booking fee.

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