In print

These pages provide details of some of the printed publications - books, theatre programmes, newspapers and magazines - that have featured Lyn Paul during her long career.

Lyn Paul's dream of starring in a stage musical came true in 1997 when she was offered the lead role of Mrs. Johnstone in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers. Since then she has played the part many times in the West End and at theatres around the UK.

In 2002 Lyn starred in the West End production of Boy George's musical Taboo. The following year she lent her talents to a new musical, The Biz!, by Chris Hamel-Cooke and Charles Garland. In 2007 she starred as Vi Moore in Footloose The Musical and in 2011 she originated the role of Sophie in Rhinestone Mondays. In 2013, having brought the West End production of Blood Brothers to a close the year before, Lyn joined the cast of the Rufus Norris production of Cabaret for its UK tour. The programmes from these productions are described below.

In February 2007 Lyn Paul set off on the UK tour of Footloose The Musical. The cast included Johnny Shentall as Chuck Cranston and Giovanni Spaño as Willard Hewitt, both of whom had previously starred in the West End production of the show. Taking the other lead roles were: Tommy Sherlock as Ren, Miria Parvin as Ariel and Julian Agnew as Reverend Moore. For part of the tour Tommy Sherlock was replaced by Derek Hough, another member of the original West End cast. Along the way a member of the supporting cast, Julian Essex-Spurrier, was replaced by Tim Newman.

UK Tour 2007

Lowry Theatre, Salford
Saturday, 10th - Saturday, 17th February 2007

Birmingham Hippodrome
Monday, 19th - Saturday, 24th February 2007

The Hexagon, Reading
Monday, 26th February - Saturday, 3rd March 2007

New Theatre, Hull
Monday, 5th - Saturday, 10th March 2007

Regent Theatre, Ipswich
Monday, 12th - Saturday, 17th March 2007

De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Monday, 19th - Saturday, 24th March 2007

Donald Gordon Theatre, Cardiff
Monday, 26th March - Saturday, 7th April 2007

Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
Tuesday, 10th - Saturday, 14th April 2007

Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh
Monday, 16th - Saturday, 21th April 2007

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
Monday, 23rd - Saturday, 28th April 2007

The White Rock Theatre, Hastings
Monday, 30th April - Saturday, 5th May 2007

Empire Theatre, Sunderland
Monday, 7th - Saturday, 12th May 2007

Theatre Royal, Nottingham
Monday, 14th - Saturday, 19th May 2007

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Monday, 21th - Saturday, 26th May 2007

Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl
Monday, 28th May - Saturday, 2nd June 2007

Civic Theatre, Darlington
Monday, 4th - Saturday, 9th June 2007

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
Monday, 11th - Saturday, 16th June 2007

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
Monday, 18th - Saturday, 23rd June 2007

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
Monday, 25th - Saturday, 30th June 2007

Churchill Theatre, Bromley
Monday, 2th - Saturday, 7th July 2007

Grand Theatre, Leeds
Monday, 9th - Saturday, 14th July 2007

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
Monday, 16th - Saturday, 21st July 2007

Nikki Belsher (far left) and Lyn Paul (centre)
pictured with other members of the Footloose cast
in a photo from the tour programme.

   


Cast

Following its successful six-month tour of the UK, Footloose The Musical returned to London's West End, opening at the Playhouse Theatre on 22nd August 2007 (with previews from 17th August).

The show had been staged at the Novello Theatre in 2006 with a cast that included Derek Hough as Ren, Amy Pemberton as Ariel, Cheryl Baker (Bucks Fizz) as Vi Moore and Stephen McGann as Reverend Moore. The production opened on 18th April 2006 (with previews from 8th April).

David Essex took over the role of Reverend Moore for three months in the Summer, handing it on to Michael Howe on 9th September. Two months later Footloose was forced to move out of the Novello Theatre to make way for the Royal Shakespeare Company's annual residency in the West End. The show's producers searched in vain for an alternative venue and so the curtain came down on 11th November after only a seven-month run.

When Footloose returned to the West End less than a year later, it ran at the Playhouse Theatre for another three-and-a-half months (22nd August - 1st December). Yet again the show was forced to vacate the theatre, this time for a production of Tintin, which had already been scheduled to run at the Playhouse from 6th December to 28th February 2008.