Hereward Kaye
Hereward Kaye was born in Middlesbrough in 1953. After completing his formal education, he attended drama college and sang for a local blues band, before washing up in London (literally) and forming a band with Middlesbrough chum Tom Robinson, called Café Society. They were signed by Ray Davies to his Konk label, the first of the independent record companies. Café made two albums and toured the U.K. between 74 and 76. Then it did what bands do best broke up.
In 1980, E.M.I. signed Kaye as a solo artist and he recorded an album of original material and a single, working with Genesis Producer David Hentschel and some of the finest musicians of the day - and Chas n Dave...
He became involved with the theatre around this time and wrote a late night cabaret for the London Bubble called Hell Can Be Heaven, a show performed for five months in a circus tent, touring the parks and heaths of Greater London. As an actor, he toured Germany in the Rocky Horror Show, playing Dr. Scott.
Hereward was an original member of a theatre company formed by actor Robert Longden which created two new theatre venues for London: The Old Red Lion in Islington, and the Cornet in Battersea. Robert and Hereward wrote several shows together, one of which was Moby Dick In Venice America s greatest book set against a backdrop of Venice. Why? For the simple reason that someone gave them a free backdrop. Of Venice.
Hereward worked at the Liverpool Everyman as an actor and musician, appearing in the shows Return To The Forbidden Planet and You ll Never Walk Alone. He subsequently worked on Forbidden Planet again, this time as Musical Director and Arranger. He was employed in the same capacity on the shows From a Jack To a King and Cinderella Rockerfella, also at the Everyman. When Forbidden Planet transferred to the Tricycle in London, Hereward went with it for a third time, as Musical Director and actor.
For a year and a half Hereward worked as a Musical Director in the West End, in the Alan Bleasedale show Are You Lonesome Tonight? which won the 1986 Best Musical Award. For theatre company Eastern Angles he composed the score for Goodbye America which toured in 1990. He worked with Writer Willy Russell, developing Willy s songs for the film Dancing Through the Dark and arranging and producing his song Shirley Valentine . Sadly, it never made the final film. He did a concert with Russell at the Liverpool Playhouse and the two performed a duet from his Musical Blood Brothers.
For Tom Robinson Hereward was a Producer, session singer and songwriter. He also appeared as an actor in one of Robinson's videos. Tom and Hereward composed the score for Cramp writer John Godber s first (and last) musical, written for Hull Truck Theatre company. It premiered at the Edinburgh festival and did a national tour. He appeared as a guest of Frank Bough s on B.B.C.Breakfast T.V. and on Russell Harty to promote it.
In 1992 Hereward's musical with Robert Longden Moby Dick now mercifully minus the backdrop was brought into the West End by impresario Cameron Mackintosh, where it opened at the Piccadilly and ran for four months. Since then it has been staged in the U.S. Germany and Japan.
With Producer Sacha Brooks and Writers Stephen Clark and Steven Dexter Hereward has been developing a new show: Underworld. In 98 they staged workshop performances in New York and Seattle, where it was rewritten on a daily basis.
As a vocalist, he worked for Rick Wakeman as his lead singer, making one album: The Cost Of Living. In 86 Hereward joined The Flying Pickets and stayed with the band right up to October 1999, touring the world from Australia to Iceland to South Africa, though mainly working in Europe, performing eighty to a hundred concerts a year since 1985, recording four albums and appearing on T.V. in several different countries.
After twenty five years of living in or around London, Hereward came back to Middlesbrough in 1996 to buy the house in which he grew up. He lives here with his wife and son, as well as two foster children. The couple has two grown up sons also in the area, with whom Hereward has recently formed a band - Orchard Road . They aim to be performing around the region from April 2000 on Hereward has also recently finished turning Hell Can Be Heaven into a full length Musical.
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Did you see our latest news earlier in the week? Chitty flies again! We're thrilled to announce that rights to the full, 2-act version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are now available without restrictions for performances scheduled to take place before 31st December 2023. Applications for 2024 are currently restricted to those in venues of less than 500 seats. Apply today! www.mtishows.co.uk/chitty-chitty-bang-bang #chittychittybangbang #newrelease #trulyscrumptious
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Xanadu is now available for licensing! You have to believe we are magic... Xanadu is a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep audiences in stitches, while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift them out of their seats. Find out more: www.mtishows.co.uk/xanadu #xanadu #newshow #amateurtheatre #licensing #olivianewtonjohn #strangemagic
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Bravo to everyone at @_spotlight.theatre who went Into the Woods at Nottingham Arts Theatre earlier in the month. These photos look great! Photo credit: Martin Holtom. #intothewoods #nottingham #amateurtheatre #amdram
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A huge congratulations to everyone at @green_room_productions on their hugely successful production of Sunshine on Leith. We really would have walked 500 miles to grab a ticket. #sunshineonleith #pottersbar #amateurtheatre #wyllyotts
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As schools across the UK and Europe wind down for the Summer holidays we wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the incredible teachers everywhere who make musical theatre happen year after year. To those teachers we say: you are an inspiration! We had close to 100 of these incredible teachers take part in this years Junior Theatre Festival, so lets enjoy the special teacher number from that days awards ceremony. #teachers #jtf22 #musicaltheatre #schoolshow #inspiration #education #broadwayjr
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We love these production shots of Disneys The Little Mermaid JR from @pqanorthampton #merfolk #thelittlemermaidjr #performingarts #disney #broadwayjr
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Bravo to @curtaincallshrewsbury on their production of Roald Dahls Matilda the Musical JR. Theyre currently having the best time working on the show, and these wonderful photos prove it! Enjoy your final performances. #matildajr #broadwayjr #shrewsbury #roalddahl #youththeatre #maggots
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WHAT A PICTURE We'll definitely be sticking these in the family album A few snaps from @haslemereplayers dress rehearsal of KIPPS - The New Half a Sixpence Musical which runs at Haslemere Hall this week. Break a leg! #kipps #kippshalfasixpence #haslemere #haslemerehall #surreytheatre #surrey
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Do you love musicals and want to work at MTI? We're searching for a new Licensing Assistant / Receptionist. The successful candidate will be required to work from our newly refurbished office in London at 12-14 Mortimer Street, W1T 3JJ. The core duties/responsibilities will include: Reception duties: * answering a busy telephone switchboard * greeting all visitors to the office Amateur Licensing support: * show availability requests * answering basic enquiries both via phone and in email * general administrative support as required Professional Licensing support: * general enquiries * generation of invoices as per instructions from the Professional Licensing team * vetting of foreign language translations The successful candidate will have a keen interest in musical theatre (on or off stage) and have excellent administrative skills. For full details visit: https://www.mtishows.co.uk/.../job-vacancy-licensing... #vacancy #licensing #receptionist #job #musicals #opportunity
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JTF is making the news! @skynews @fyi_skykids came to Birmingham last month to share the power of jazz hands and spirit fingers with a wider audience. The JTF piece will air Saturday at 10:30 and 16:30 and then on Sunday at 10:30. We can't wait! Check out this sneak peak, which follows Timi from The British Theatre Academy. #jtf22 #news #jazzhands #broadwayjr
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