Brookside Theatre
The Brookside Theatre is a 194-seat studio theatre situated in the centre of Romford in the London Borough of Havering, Greater London. The theatre was established in 2012 and plays host to many full scale theatre productions; musicals and plays, tribute bands, live music, comedy and celebrity guests and has been heralded as "Romford's best kept secret". History The Theatre staged its first production in 2012; ''Shout! The Mod Musical'', to raise money for the much needed renovation of the neglected war memorial buildings. As well as producing in-house shows which have included '' Avenue Q'', '' The Woman in Black'', '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', ''The Addams Family'', '' Little Shop of Horrors'', ''Peter Pan The Musical'', and '' Hi-De-Hi'', the theatre now plays host to touring plays, top tribute acts, concerts, comedy evenings and celebrity guests appearances. The theatre has also produced a number of UK / world premieres including '' Forever Dusty' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Romford
Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford was a market town in the county of Essex, and formed the administrative centre of the liberty of Havering before that liberty was dissolved in 1892. Good road links to London and the opening of the railway station in 1839 were key to the development of the town. The economic history of Romford is characterised by a shift from agriculture to light industry and then to retail and commerce. As part of the suburban growth of London throughout the 20th century, Romford significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1937 and was incorporated into Greater London in 1965. Today, it is one of the largest commercial, retail, entertainment and leisure districts in London and has a well-developed night-time econom ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Patti Boulaye
Patricia Ngozi Komlosy Order of the British Empire, OBE (née Ebigwei; born 3 May 1954), known professionally as Patti Boulaye, is a British Nigerian, British-Nigerian singer, actress and artist who rose to prominence after winning ''New Faces'' in 1978 and was among the leading black British entertainers in the 1970s and 1980s. In her native Nigeria she is best remembered for starring in Lux (soap), Lux commercials and ''Bisi, Daughter of the River'', as well as her own series, ''The Patti Boulaye Show''. Her stage name is said to have been inspired by the actress Evelyn Laye, Evelyn "Boo" Laye. Early life Boulaye was born after her mother went into labour in a taxicab, taxi that was passing through two towns in Mid-Western Region, Nigeria, Mid-Western Nigeria and was raised in a strict Catholic household with nine children, including airline pilot Tony Ebigwei, who was killed in the Nigerian Airways plane crash of 1978. She is of Efik people, Efik and Igbo people, Igbo origi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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T'Pau (band)
T'Pau are an English pop group formed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK during the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably " China in Your Hand", " Heart and Soul" and " Valentine", and several hits in the rest of Europe, before disbanding in 1992. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgia concerts, and in 2013 she reunited with original band member and co-songwriter Ronnie Rogers for a 25th-anniversary UK tour. History The band formed in 1986, taking their name from a Vulcan elder of the same name in the sci-fi series ''Star Trek''. Prior to deciding on this name, they were called Talking America on early demos sent to record and publishing companies. Their first hit was the 1987 release " Heart and Soul". Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 4 after being featured on a Pepe Jeans advertisement; it repeat ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tony Stockwell
Tony Stockwell is a British psychic medium, author and television personality. He was born in Walthamstow, East London and currently lives in Wickford, Essex. Career Stockwell was born in London's East End. His career as a medium began at the age of 16 when he was invited to a local Spiritualist church by a friend to see another medium at work. After this experience, Tony decided that he wanted to become a medium. In his early years he practised mediumship at the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain. Stockwell has worked extensively in the media and has had three of his own television series: ''The Psychic Detective'', ''Street Psychic'', and ''Psychic School''. He has also had two one-off specials: ''Street Psychic San Francisco'' and ''The National ESP Challenge''. He has also appeared on ''The Three Mediums'', ''The Best of British Mediumship'' and guested on 6ixth Sense with Colin Fry. In 2009 he toured the UK with the American medium James Van Praagh. In addition to hi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hazel O'Connor
Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", " D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Career O'Connor was born in Coventry, England. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after the Second World War to work in a car plant. Her brother Neil later fronted the punk band The Flys, best known for their single "Love and a Molotov Cocktail", which she later covered. Her film debut was in '' Girls Come First'' in 1975, where she was credited as Hazel Glyn. She became prominent as an actress and singer five years later in 1980 when playing the role of Kate in the film '' Breaking Glass''. She also performed on the accompanying soundtrack. Her performance as Kate won her the Variety Club of Great Britain Award for 'Best Film Actor'. She was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. The film' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Joe Longthorne
Joseph Patrick Daniel Longthorne (31 May 1955 – 3 August 2019) was an English singer and impressionist. He performed on stage and television, and released three platinum albums. Longthorne started his TV career at the age of fourteen when he landed a part in Yorkshire Television's series ''Junior Showtime'', and rose to popularity in 1981 through the London Weekend Television series ''Search For a Star'', leading to his own television series ''The Joe Longthorne Show''. Early life Longthorne was born in Hull, England, into a musical family of a "travelling, Romany background". He grew up in the Hessle Road area of Hull, known for its fishing community, and considered himself as a " Hessle Roader". He attended Villa Place Primary School, St Wilfred's Primary School and Sydney Smith High School. Longthorne came first in a talent show when he was six; his prize was a toy motor car. At fourteen he landed a part in Yorkshire Television's series ''Junior Showtime'', and remain ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jimmy Jones (comedian)
Albert Simmonds (born 9 February 1938), better known by the stage name Jimmy Jones, is a British stand-up comedian, with a reputation for being "outspoken". Life Jones was born as Albert Simmonds, on 9 February 1938 in Southampton, England. He grew up in Rainham, Essex, attending a Catholic school, and initially wanting to train as a priest. Jones's autobiography, ''Now This is a Very True Story'' (), written with the aid of Garry Bushell, was published in 2010. Career Jones first appeared on stage in 1962 at the Dagenham Working Men's Club, on the same bill as Max Bygraves. Granada Television discovered Jones in a Walthamstow pub in 1970, recruiting him for their popular Saturday night show, '' The Comedians''. Jones' catchphrase 'Kin' ell' was a play on words, derived from footballer George Kinnell. In 1983, Jones was presented with what is reported to have been the first gold disc for a comedy album, after his ''Live from the Talk of East Anglia'' (1981) achieved 100,00 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jeffrey Holland (actor)
Jeffrey Holland (born Jeffrey Michael Parkes, 17 July 1946) is a British actor who is well known for roles in television sitcoms, playing comic Spike Dixon at the Maplin's holiday camp in ''Hi-de-Hi!'', as well as BBC Radio comedy, including ''Week Ending''. He also played leading roles in the sitcoms '' You Rang, M'Lord?'' and ''Oh, Doctor Beeching!''. Early life Born in Walsall, Staffordshire, he was educated at Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. Holland joined an amateur theatre company and soon found that he had a talent for comedy, but despite this he could not pursue a career in comedy until after he left home. He has said that "my father died when I was 14, so right after leaving school at 16 I secured a job to earn money to help my mother. I worked at a wine merchant's and an office in Walsall, where I was brought up". After leaving home Holland trained at Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art and became a professional actor. His first stage appeara ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chas Hodges
Charles Nicholas Hodges (28 December 1943 – 22 September 2018) was an English musician and singer who was the lead vocalist of musical duo Chas & Dave. Early life Hodges was born at the North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton on 28 December 1943 to Albert and Daisy Hodges. He was named Charles Nicholas, but called Chas as it was a common nickname for Charles in Hackney where his father was from. He was raised in north London, and moved to Kent in the summer of 1947. His father committed suicide just before Hodges turned four. After his father's death, the family returned to Edmonton in North London to live with his grandparents, with his mother making a living playing piano in local pubs and clubs. He attended Eldon Road School, and later Edmonton Higher Grade School but left just before he was 15 at the end of 1958. Hodges first became interested in Rock 'n' Roll music after listening to Little Richard on Radio Luxembourg around 1956. He was then inspired by Lonn ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Anita Harris
Anita Madeleine Harris (born 3 June 1942) is an English actress, singer and entertainer. Harris sang with the Cliff Adams Singers for three years from 1961 and had a number of chart hits during the 1960s. She appeared in the ''Carry On'' films ''Follow That Camel'' (1967) and ''Carry On Doctor'' (1967). Early life and career Harris was born in Somerset; her family moved from Midsomer Norton to Bournemouth when she was seven. She won a talent contest at the age of three. However, it was her penchant for figure skating which led to her performing career, she began skating at the neighbourhood rink, eventually becoming a regular at the Queens Ice Rink in London. Seen by a talent scout shortly before her sixteenth birthday, she was offered a chance to skate in Paris or to travel to Las Vegas where she would be a dancer in a chorus line. She accepted the latter, danced at the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas. "We did three shows a night and on the 12th night, we had the night off", s ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Richard Digance
Richard Digance (pronounced DYE-jance; born 24 February 1949) is an English comedian and folk singer. Early life Digance was born in Plaistow, East London. After his family moved to nearby East Ham, he attended Vicarage Lane Primary School and then Thomas Lethaby Secondary Modern. After gaining two A-Level passes in English Literature and Modern British History, he moved to Glasgow, where he studied mechanical engineering during which time he was inspired by Billy Connolly. Career In the 1970s, he toured the United States. Though failing to make much of a name, he supported Steve Martin, whilst in Britain he also supported Jethro Tull on two British tours, Steeleye Span, Tom Jones, Elkie Brooks, Supertramp and Joan Armatrading. From 1974-78 Doug Morter, guitarist and singer with Hunter Muskett joined Digance as accompanist on vocals and guitar. Richard Digance began his TV career on Sound of The City for Thames TV, produced by Richard Newman, in the early 1970s. This ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Beverley Craven
Beverley Craven (born 28 July 1963) is a British singer-songwriter best known for her 1991 UK hit single " Promise Me". Her album '' Change of Heart'' was released in 2014 and '' Mixed Emotions'' in 1999. Biography Early life Craven was born in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), in July 1963, while her British father was working there for Kodak. He later worked as an investment advisor. Within two years, the family had relocated to rural Buckinghamshire, to a bungalow on a five acre plot and where her younger twin sisters were born. Craven began taking piano lessons at the age of seven, encouraged by her music teacher mother who was a classical violinist and who had performed at the Royal Albert Hall. Upon leaving school, Craven attended art college. She also performed with various bands in London pubs and was writing songs. She was also an accomplished swimmer during her teens and competed in several local and national swimming competitions around the UK. Craven did not buy h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |