In June, Coldplay paid tribute to Viola Beach at Glastonbury by performing the band's song Boys That Sing as part of their headline slot on the Pyramid Stage. This week's official chart will be revealed on Friday.
Cats Criticised - British singer Leona Lewis has failed to impress critics in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway revival of Cats. The former X Factor winner was given the leading role of Grizabella after Nicole Scherzinger pulled out days before rehearsals were due to start. The record-breaking musical's Broadway return opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on Sunday night.
Jesse Green, from Vulture, wrote, "Leona Lewis brings to the underwritten role only a few unsubtle top notes, which she offers ritually, as if they were dead mice. No greater ambition seems to have animated the revival as a whole."
The Wrap's Jason Clark wrote, "Although Brit songstress Leona Lewis is blessed with a divine pop belt perfect for the classic 11 o'clock number Memory, sadly she does not have the acting chops to put across Grizabella's tragic arc." Dominic Cavendish wrote in The Daily Telegraph, "Elaine Paige's originating performance has yet to be eclipsed." Scherzinger dropped out despite enjoying success in the part in London's West End. She decided instead to return to The X Factor judging panel, leaving Lloyd Webber furious.
Prince Tribute - An official tribute concert for Prince will be held in October in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Performers will be announced soon and tickets are expected to go on sale next month for the 13 October event, the singer's family said. In a statement, his brothers and sisters said, "We are excited for the opportunity to bring everyone together for the official family celebration of Prince's life, music and legacy, and there is no better place to do it than his home town of Minneapolis."
Budget Albums - Pink Floyd are releasing a 27-CD box set featuring previously unreleased songs, but fans - not surprisingly - have complained about the $700 price tag. The collection, The Early Years - 1965-1972, will feature rare and bootlegged performances, hours of audio and audiovisual footage, and accompanying books and vinyls. It will go on sale in November, focusing on the period of Pink Floyd's foundations rather than the heights of their success. The box set will include the single Vegetable Man, written by founding member Syd Barrett, that the band had previously resisted from releasing.
Guys and Dolls is to close in the West End four months earlier than planned. The musical, which opened in Chichester before transferring to the West End, had been booking until 7 January next year, but has now announced it will close on 21 August. Rebel Wilson recently joined the cast of the West End show, and the closure coincides with the end of her stint in the musical at the Phoenix Theatre.
The producers said, "Having enjoyed rave reviews in the UK, the critically acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre production of Guys and Dolls will play its final performance in the West End on Sunday 21 August, prior to embarking on an international tour."
(Jim Evans)
