Current times: Tuesday - Saturday 7.30; Matinees Thur, Sat, Sun at 2.30pm 

The Shaw Theatre 
100-110 Euston Road
Inner London
Greater London
NW1 2AJ 
www.theshawtheatre.com/new/
Tel: 0870 033 2600

The stars, also including actress Su Pollard and comedians Alan Davies and Charlie Higson, have been invited to a fundraising bash. The event is taking place at Filthy Macnasty's, in Amwell Street, Finsbury, on Sunday afternoon.

The event will boast an auction including a bottle of whisky bearing Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown's signature, jazz and blues music from a band featuring former Motorhead guitarist Wurzel and a prize draw for two years' free care from Amwell Veterinary Surgery in Amwell Street, Finsbury.

Islington Council is poised to sell 222 shops, warehouses and voluntary group offices to property company Structadene for around £70million in a bid to raise cash for schools and new council homes.

But the sell-off has been fraught with controversy. Many leaseholders fear the new landlord may increase rents or want to redevelop. Around 150 leaseholders said they wanted to buy their own premises but they must match Structadene's offer.

It has stipulated how much it is bidding for each building but in some cases it is hundreds of thousands more than the traders were hoping to pay.

Amwell Veterinary Surgery vet Dale Barter, 48, the traders' representative, is organising the fundraiser to raise money for the traders' legal fees.

He said: "We are hoping to raise a couple of thousand to get advice on a possible legal challenge. It's not to stop the sale but to make sure people get a fair deal."

Structadene previously told the Gazette that it plans to keep the tenants in place, that only a small percentage of the portfolio would be suitable for redevelopment and that it would hold individual discussions with leaseholders if they are paying below market rents.

[ News Source: www.islingtongazette.co.uk - 13th June 2007 ]

Express Yourself: Life Choices: Su Pollard

Actress Su Pollard, 57, is single and lives in North London

FOOD
Always the same or always game?
If I find a dish I really like, I’ll eat it until I can’t stand it any more. In a restaurant, I’ll sometimes order something I’ve never had before – I recently had venison and thoroughly enjoyed it and once, in Hawaii, I ate some sort of fish which wasn’t squid but had blue ink inside. That’s about the most adventurous I’ve been.

COOKING
Experimental or tried and tested?
I’m not a very good cook and I don’t really enjoy it but I will try recipes that don’t have too many ingredients. It’s a great feeling when something turns out well. I’m very good at doing roast cod with herbs and tomatoes.

CLOTHES
M&S or D&G?
I mix and match. I really like Accessorize and I’ve always liked Topshop. The Diesel shop in New York is one of my favourites, too. Designers I like are Giles Deacon and Basso and Brooke. 

FASHION
Victim or setter?
I regard my own style as quite individual. 
I remember going to C&A when I was four years old and knowing exactly what I wanted – a blue and white polka-dot smock dress with yellow ties. I like to be a bit imaginative and will happily wear a tie 
with a dress if I think it will work. 

SHOPPING
Until you drop or avoid at all costs?
If it’s for something essential, I don’t mind but I couldn’t spend a whole day wondering around the shops. I can’t stand all that getting undressed then dressed again – I’m more of a spur of the moment shopper.

HOLIDAYS
Beach or piste?
I don’t mind walking along a beach but I don’t like sunbathing. I once went skiing when I was at school and I learned the French for “help!” It came in very handy because I was hopeless and fell over a lot. My ideal holiday is a city break. I love New York in particular. 

FRIENDS
Quantity or quality?
If you live for quite a while you can accumulate a lot of friends so I suppose I’m a bit of both. Some of my closest friends go back 40 years and I’d like to think that if I live another 20 years I’ll make even more friends. If not, I’m more than happy with those I’ve got.

ENTERTAINMENT
Intimate dinner or big bash?
I love dinner parties where people end up telling you things they wouldn’t normally ever mention. It’s nice to see people letting their guard down and having fun. I also love big parties where you go from one person to another and think: “They seem nice.”

CHILDREN
Mary Poppins or Cruella De Vil?
Mary Poppins. I’m not a mother but I am a godmother. My sister doesn’t have any children either; they’ve never been in the remit but I think that as long as children are polite and well brought up I’m happy to spend time with them.

HOUSEKEEPING
Aggie & Kim or Wayne & Waynetta?
I have people in once a week to give the house a thorough clean but I’m not averse to tidying up every day and making sure everything is in the right place. I need order around me and I can’t remember the last time I went to sleep after a party without cleaning up. 

CARS
Boy racer or Sunday driver?
I don’t drive but if I did I’m sure I’d be a boy racer. I’ve never wanted to drive because I manage perfectly well with trains, planes and taxis. I couldn’t stand the responsibility of driving and journeys of more than 40 minutes bore me rigid. 

DECOR
Minimal or cosy?
Neither. Minimal means you have one chair – I hate that but I don’t like a cosy look either. I’m theatrical, I’ve got bright colours – lemons and greens and reds – all over my home; it’s very bright. There are paintings all over the walls and a television made out of metal which I just like to look at. 

HEALTH
Alternative or aspirin?
I guess I would be aspirin; I’d definitely go to the doctor if I wasn’t feeling well. I never take melted seaweed or anything like that. I’m always pretty healthy. 

RUBBISH
Bin it or recycle it?
I recycle and am really conscientious about it. I’m really pleased that a lot of companies which use ridiculous amounts of packaging are now being targeted. It’s so wasteful.

FITNESS
Jane Fonda or Jim Royle?
The show I’m doing at the moment is an hour-and-a-half long with no intervals which means I get a tremendous workout every day. When I’m not working I do a 40-minute workout three times a week which involves Pilates and skipping. I devised it with my sister and a sports injury adviser and touch wood, its proving to be a good regime. 

TECHNOLOGY
Gadget girl or technophobe?
Technophobe. I’m waiting for everything to come out on a wristwatch. Come on Sony – please, please answer my prayer. I’m not logged on or webbed in – I’m not interested in any of it.

Su Pollard is now appearing in Menopause The Musical at The Shaw Theatre in London. For tickets, call 0870 033 2626. 

[ Source: www.express.co.uk - Thursday 7th June 2007 ]

The information available so far is that the reunion will be in October at Dovercourt, nr Harwich (where they filmed Hi-de-Hi!)

Details will eventually be available at www.dadsarmy.co.uk/hidehi. A flyer was handed out at Bressingham. 

More information on this, and who will be appearing, as and when it is known.

[ Thanks to iq at the Perry & Croft forum ]

When Jamie met Su Pollard

Well! I've just come back from the funniest interview I have ever done! Many of you will remember Su Pollard best for her role as Peggy in 80's sitcom, Hi De Hi, but she's currently treading the boards in the global success...Menopause - the Musical (at The Shaw Theatre in Euston). It's not the first time Su's been involved with music. She already has a No.2 single to her name and it was singing on Opportunity Knocks that first brought her to the nations attention...although as she recalls, she did come second to a performing Jack Russell! She's also done musicals before, with Pirates of Penzance, Annie and Grease on her CV. And when asked about her views on the new Grease TV show, she wasn't backwards in coming forwards and telling me exactly what she thinks of that kind of show. In fact, I got that a lot with this interview. You can't help but love her and get swept away by her infectious enthusiasm for life and this show, and I can honestly say, if Menopause - the Musical is half as funny as this interview was, then you're guaranteed a side splitting evening of great entertainment! 

To book tickets call the Box Office: 0870 033 2626 or check out www.menopausethemusical.com 

You can download a podcast of the interview by clicking on the picture above.

Big Brother: According to Russell Brand : E4 - Friday 25th May : 11.05pm
Big Brother: According to Russell Brand : E4 Plus 1 - Saturday 265th May : 00.05am
The former front man of Big Brother's Big Mouth, Russell Brand, takes a surreal, sideways look at Big Brother through the ages. Did you know that the original eye logo was Su Pollard from Hi-De-Hi! and that BB4's Gos was the inspiration for the Lionel Ritchie smash Hello ? In this one-hour special, Brand reveals the 'truth' behind the phenomenon that has been Big Brother for the past eight years.

I liked the 70s pop hit cover versions of songs twisted to the subjects of dragging, dripping, HRT and hot flushes, but they were enjoyed with a certain comfortablenesses as, bluntly, I'm never going to experience the change. I hope. So the main attraction for me was seeing Su Pollard, who is just utterly, utterly watchable.

Unstoppable. Eccentric. Embarrassingly lovable. And loud. Very, very loud...  She was a real delight to meet.

[ Click on the picture to read the full text ]

Loose Women : ITV1 - Thursday 3rd May : 12.30pm
Denise Welch is in the hot seat as our loose ladies share news, views and plenty of gossip. They'll be joined by actress Su Pollard and Tiswas presenter Sally James.

TV icon Su Pollard is known throughout the land for her much-loved turns in a range of hit BBC sitcoms, among them Hi-De-Hi and Oh,Doctor Beeching! Such was her iconic status, she won Rear of the Year in 1988. 

Now she is back on the London stage. 

After achieving phenomenal success in both America and Australia, Menopause the Musical is making its debut on these shores. 

Su is one of the stars of the show and PinkNews.co.uk's Amy Bourke was granted an interview with the great lady. 

How would you describe Menopause the Musical?

Every character in the show is a stereotype. There is an earth mother hippie type, a housewife. 

I'm the housewife, so I'm dressed up in a very dowdy costume. They are all stereotypes, but they have one thing in common: the menopause. Every woman can recognise herself in those stereotypes. 

The show is a very difficult one to perform. It's all-dancing, all-singing with moving scenery. 

Each actor or actress only gets three minutes each off stage during the entire performance, so it's a bit manic. But tons of fun!

The show has been a massive hit in America. Do you think it translates well? 

Absolutely. In many ways it is a very American show, but audiences here seem to love it, it can be very interactive. 

The songs are all parodies of songs by bands like the Beach Boys. They are American songs, but also classic songs that everybody knows. 

The last play you did was Shakespeare. What inspired you to move on to something so different? 

I played the part of Nanny in Romeo and Juliet, which was a venture for me. I thought "Blimey, at last I'm doing Shakespeare!" It was fantastic. 

If you show me a good script with interesting content, I'll give it a go, whether it's Shakespeare or the Vagina Monologues. 

I love Menopause the Musical because we sing songs about St John's Wort and Prozac, hot flushes and lack of sleep; real things that affect real women. 

It is far more upbeat than the Vagina Monologues. There is no stigma attached to the menopause in this show. 

Why should our readers come and see it? 

If you're a woman who is fed up, crying, thinking you can't recognise yourself, then you should come to our show! 

It will make you see the menopause in a totally different light. We have a lot of lesbians in our audiences because of course they have two women going through the "change" in one house, which can be very difficult. 

The show is hilarious and as camp as Chloe, darling. Gay men should come because it will give them some insight into what their mothers are going through. It's just a funny show, and everyone loves a funny show! 

Menopause the Musical is now showing at the Shaw Theatre, Euston Road. Performances run from Tuesday-Saturday at 7.30pm, and on Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 2.30pm. Tickets are priced at £39.50. For the box office, ring 0870 033 2626

[ News Source: www.pinknews.co.uk - Thursday 19th April 2007 ]

Some may say that the menopause is nothing to make 'song and dance' about, but this fabulously funny musical, set in a Marks and Spencer lingerie department, tells the story of four very different women with one thing in common - the menopausal nightmare of hot sweats, mood swings and more! 'Menopause The Musical' has internationally smashed box office records and came to London just two weeks ago. 

Su Pollard, one of the four stars of the show, joins us this morning to talk about her hilarious new role and perform a menopause medley...

Menopause The Musical!

Set in Marks & Spencer and opens with four women, a 'Rutland Housewife' (Su Pollard), a 'Power Woman' (Miquel Brown), a 'Soap Star' (Samantha Hughes), and an 'Earth Mother' (Amanda Symonds), at a lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black lace bra... and hot flushes, night sweats, memory loss, chocolate binges, not enough sex, too much sex and day to day challenges with ageing parents, ageing children and ageing partners! 

Su, who plays the Rutland Housewife says: “Ladies shout 'oooh that's just like me' all the way through the show! They really identify with all the characters and join in, they love it!”

“The show opens the floodgates for women to talk and laugh about their feelings and symptoms, it encourages humour and for them to see it with a chuckle! I get loads of people come up to me and say 'now I know why I've been such a bag for the past few months!' and men who come up to say 'now I understand what she's been going through!' I want the show to make them realise they're not on their own.”

The Music

'Menopause The Musical' tells of four women's unique and very personal experiences of 'the change,' to music. The four women in the show treat the audience to singing and dancing comedy versions of classic songs such as 'Stayin Alive' becoming 'Stayin' Awake!' and ‘My Guy’ becoming 'My Thighs.' 

Su says: “The music's great as it's catered for the older ladies' taste and era so it's even more hilarious for them! The songs encourage the audience to shout comments too, but the director didn't want us to adlib so any shouts from the audience I just smile but secretly I'd love to have a bit of banter with them!”

Menopause

Su says she'd like to tell people she researched her menopausal role by speaking to others, but the truth is she experienced it all first hand!

Su says: “I was terrible, I never had hot flushes but I had the night time sweats and insomnia and that nearly drove me insane! In the show we sing about us women not recognising who we are anymore and being all indecisive, and it's so true. When I first started suffering I was so confused and forgetful I put my handbag in the oven!”

[ Source: www.itv-thismorning.co.uk - 17th April 2007 ]

Publications as diverse as The Telegraph, This is London, The Independent, The Evening Standard, Daily Mail, The Times, The Guardian, MusicOMH.com, France 24, What's On Stage, News 24 South Africa, Middle East Times and the South Asian Women's Forum have all offered opinions on Menopause the Musical.

Click on the screenshot above to read the review by 'The Stage'.

This Morning : ITV1 - Tuesday 17th April : 10.30am
Presented by Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield. Including 11.10 ITV News Headlines. 11.15 Local News and Weather.

The 57-year-old actress, of Islington, who has lived in the borough for 23 years, says Islington is in danger of losing its identity to chain stores.

As reported in the Gazette, around 220 properties - including whole parades of small shops - are being sold off controversially by Islington Council chiefs to raise cash for housing and schools.

Ms Pollard said: "I'm really disturbed, distressed and upset about the shops - especially in Amwell Street and St John Street. I'm a big believer in the Save Our Shops campaign."

The actress, who helped council bosses set up environmental community group Eyes for Islington in 2002, added: "We're going to end up like Oxford Street. That's the one thing that saddens me - although I do love living in Islington a lot.

[ Source: Islington Gazette - 11th April 2007 ]

Stay tuned for a selection of screen captures from the show - Coming soon!

The Paul O'Grady Show : Ch4 - Thursday 12th April : 5.00pm
The incomparable Paul O'Grady returns for a third series. Each day Paul entertains the live studio audience with a feast of top celebrity interviews, comedy moments, musical interludes, the great British public, and last but not least, Paul's co-stars, Buster and Olga. Today's guests include Su Pollard and Peter O'Brien.

[ News Source: www.thesun.co.uk - 29th March 2007 ]

Get ready for a great night out: Menopause The Musical is coming to town and it's set to be the biggest thing on the London stage since The Vagina Monologues! 

We have five pairs of tickets to give away to the gala showing of Menopause The Musical care of Estroven, the supplement created especially for menopausal women, which is supporting the show. 

Audiences from across the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have all been flocking to the theatre in droves to see this smash hit comedy and now it's London's turn to celebrate women and the change!

London is to be the 111th city to host the cult show written and produced by American author Jeanie Linders. UK audiences will see Miquel Brown, Samantha Hughes, Su Pollard and Amanda Symonds playing the leads as they follow the exploits of four women at a lingerie sale who have nothing in common but a black lace bra, memory loss, hot flushes, night sweats and a recent change in sexual appetites.

Menopause the Musical romps along to pithy parodies of 25 all-time classic baby-boomer generation tracks such as I Heard it Thru the Grapevine: You No Longer see 39' and disco-masterpiece, Stayin' Awake!'

Tickets to the gala night are for Wednesday, 18 April at The Shaw Theatre, Euston. 

Please click on the screenshot to enter the competition.

[ Source: www.thisislondon.co.uk - 27th March 2007 ]

Jeanie Linders’ 90-minute show – the story of women going through “the change” – opens with four women at a department store lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black lace bra and…..hot flushes, night sweats, memory loss, chocolate binges, not enough sex, too much sex and day-to-day challenges with parents, children and partners….. 

Helping the story along are 25 re-lyricised classic baby boomer hits, such as I Heard It Thru the Grapevine, You No Longer See 39 and the disco favourite Stayin’ Awake! Stayin’ Awake!.

The four women – Power Woman, Rutland Housewife, Soap Star and Earth Mother – will be played by seventies recording artist Miguel Brown (A Streetcar Named Desire, Hair), Su Pollard (The Pirates of Penzance, Me and My Girl), Samantha Hughes (Blood Brothers) and Amanda Symonds (Mary Poppins). 

Since Menopause The Musical first opened in Orlando, Florida, in 2001, it has been seen by over eight million women (and the men who love them!) in 107 cities, in nine countries, among them Australia, Canada, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines. 

For more information call the box office on 0870 033 2600 or visit the website. 

[ News Source: www.indielondon.co.uk - March 2007 ]