American Musicals moving across the Pond

April 30th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in General News

Jonathan Larson’s ‘tick… tick… BOOM!’ and Jason Robert Brown’s ‘The Last 5 Years’ are coming to London this spring in a short series at the West End’s Duchess Theatre. The cast will consist of young and upcoming West End talent.

The fully staged productions will be running from the 6th to the 17th of May, with a short break on the 11th and 12th of the month.

The musicals will fill an expected gap created at the theatre following the early closure of Nicholas De Jongh’s ‘Plague Over England’.

The shows are presented by the team that ran the “Notes From New York” series last October at the Theatre Royal in Haymarket. The production did so well in fact that it sparked two extra performances, so it’s not surprising to see it being reworked for a new run at the Duchess.

Julie Atherton will star in both shows alongside Paul Spicer, Paul Keating and Leon Lopez. Atherton and Spicer also appeared in the October run of The Last 5 Years but the show promises to be reconceived in this run. Atherton starred in the original cast of ‘Avenue Q’ as Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut, as well as previously playing Sophie in ‘Mamma Mia!’

The Last 5 Years is an intimate musical that tells the story of the floundering relationship between Jamie and Cathy, a successful novelist and struggling actor, respectively. The play uses differing timelines to tell the story from both characters perspective, and interestingly only includes one scene in which the couple sing together – their wedding, which happens in the middle of the play. The show premiered in the UK in 2006 at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Tick… Tick… BOOM! Tells the story of a composer who is struggling with his career choice of moving into the arts. The play is set in 90s New York and is autobiographical of writer and composer, Jonathon Larson. The show premiered in the UK in 2005, also at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Tickets are priced at accessible rates between £10 and £30 for each production, or £50 for a season ticket to both.

Theatre Breaks in London

The last few years has seen a big increase in the number of cheap theatre breaks being sold online. A theatre break is a package deal, comprising of a ticket to see a show, and a stay at a (usually) top London hotel.

It is entirely possible that part of the reason for the rising popularity of such deals is the credit crunch. In times of financial hardship people still want to relax and be entertained, however they tend to look for the best deals possible. Like most purchases these days, the best deals an be found online.

Theatre Breaks in London tend to offer much better value than, say, a night at a decent hotel and a theatre ticket sold seperately, hence the raising popularity.

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Electricity Prices are tied directly to natural gas

April 29th, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in General News

Since last year’s sharp rise and even sharper fall in electricity prices, many people have begun drawing a correlation between the price consumers in the United Kingdom pay for natural gas and that which they pay for electricity. It is doubtful that a single UK homeowner has not wondered at one time or another whether they would be better off relying solely on electricity for heat and hot water or on the combination of gas and electricity that is more commonly in place. We tend to assume that using gas for heating and hot water saves money consistently. But the recent downturn in electricity prices has made many people stop and consider the symbiotic relationship that exists between gas and electricity that results in overall energy prices.

Electricity producing plants produce power through many different means. The most efficient of these is hydroelectric power but there are simply not enough dams and rivers in the UK to provide the electricity needed. Many then would opt for nuclear power as a non-fossil fuel alternative. But until such time as cold fusion exists, nuclear fission remains a distinct safety liability. This essentially leaves us with coal fired and natural gas fired power plants as the major source of UK electricity. Coal fired power plants must be fitted with gobs of antipollution devices. Burns twice as cleanly as coal and therefore is the fossil fuel of choice. So, given that we primarily use natural gas to produce our electricity the two are tied together in a pricing parallel. If we as consumers use more gas then the demand creates higher prices that in turn raised the cost of the gas used to produce our electricity, which results in higher end user electricity prices. If we use more electricity, more gas is used to produce that same power and once again higher demand results in higher prices for natural gas to fire the power plants and we are then faced with higher electric bills and probably higher prices for our natural gas.

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UK BROADBAND CUSTOMERS NAME THEIR FAVOURITE PROVIDERS IN THE BROADBANDCHOICES.CO.UK 2009 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

April 29th, 2009 by admin | 1 Comment | Filed in Press Releases

A record number of over 10,000 people have given their opinion of their broadband provider in the latest Broadband Customer Satisfaction Survey from BroadbandChoices.co.uk.

The survey, which is conducted every six months, aims to find out how UK broadband users view the services and costs of their internet providers.

Standing out in the spring 2009 survey:

• Less than half of broadband users are satisfied with the customer support they receive.¹

• More than half of broadband users are considering changing their ISP in the next six months as the credit crunch bites.²

And the winners are…

• O2 is king of the ISP hill, winning all six key satisfaction categories as well as being voted best overall provider.³

• Virgin Media is the most improved ISP overall, compared to the autumn 2008 survey. 4

• Sky is best ISP overall for bundled services. 5

• Virgin Media is winning the bundled services race for speed, voted fastest service for bundled packages. 6

• TalkTalk provides consumers with best value for money for bundled services. 7

Michael Phillips, product director of BroadbandChoices.co.uk said:

“We were overwhelmed by the responses to our survey, the sheer number of which indicates that broadband is coming under more scrutiny than ever before from consumers. The size of the survey this spring meant that we could confidently report results across a larger number of ISPs and also break out results on bundled services for the first time since these are now such an important part of the market.

“It’s impressive to see that O2 scored an average of 86% for very/fairly satisfied across all categories. They were streets ahead of the other ISPs who averaged 60%. For bundled packages, Sky took the top position overall but Virgin Media is close on its heels and manages to rank highest for download times with its cable network.

“Our findings indicate that more than 46% of customers have already switched provider8. As competition in the broadband market increases, it’s encouraging to see that consumers now recognise that there are viable alternatives. They can use our Ofcom accredited comparison service and findings from research like this to refine their choice and make the right switching decision with confidence.

“The key reason for considering switching is overwhelmingly due to the frustration of not receiving the speed performance users have been promised9. As underlined in recent Ofcom tests, it’s clear that ISPs fall well-short of adequately managing their customers’ expectations in this respect.”

Phillips adds: “Every time we do our survey we get inundated with customers bemoaning the after sales support they receive. This spring’s survey further underlines this with customer service coming bottom across the board in terms of satisfaction.”

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Arts Council to spend £40m to fight recession – Theatre gets a Financial Break

April 29th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Press Releases

There’s good news today for the theatre world and any cultural organisation worried about fighting off the effects of the continued recession. Arts Council England has announced a new fund of £40m which institutions can apply to for support over the next two years.

Trademarked the ‘Sustain’ initiative, the funds will reduce the council’s lottery balance quite severely. This balance is usually kept topped up in case any emergency injection of cash is needed into a large scale project.

Although the initiative which has been labelled Sustain might weaken the council’s ability to deal with such unexpected situations, it will make a real difference to many people.

Any art organisation can apply for the grant from the initiative. Grants will range from £75,000 to £3m – quite substantial amounts for any organisation. Priority will be given to organisations seen as vital in providing for the Art Council’s mission of ‘Great art for everyone.’ However, with a minimum payout set so high, it’s unlikely that any small organisations will see much benefit, especially those outside of the city.

ACE chair Liz Forman who announced the Sustain initiative also criticised the government’s decision to remove £4m of funding from the 2010/11 budget this week: “Of course we understand that the national debt has to be tackled, but a few million off the arts budget is going to make no appreciable difference to that task. On the other hand it could undermine years of creative and financial investment.”

ACE is responsible for many forms of cultural development which includes the theatre, photography, music and dance. Although the agency was financially prepared for far greater losses, they’ve still been hit quite hard. An ACE spokesperson warned that although no cuts in current funding would have to be made, the council may have to be more careful about new projects: “That is why, in implementing these cuts, we will not reduce our planned investment in the arts organisations we fund on a regular basis. Instead we will reconsider our existing and planned new projects and look to find savings there.”

Along with the Sustain fund, ACE have also announced an extra £4m for the ‘Grants for the Arts’ budget over the next two years and a £500,000 program aiming to bring artistic flair to empty retail spaces within towns.

Theatre Breaks

Theatre Breaks have are rapidly becoming one of the most popular ways to see a show, possibly in part due to the great value when compared to booking a hotel and theatre ticket seperately.

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Compare gas and electricity prices in just minutes

April 27th, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in General News

A great free service is available that allows anyone to quickly compare the price they are paying for energy with competitive offers from all the different energy selling companies in their area. This service comes in the form of a free tool available at energychoices.co.uk. Energy Choices is the United Kingdom’s leading free energy cost saving website. There are articles on, peak hour plans, home system service contracts and general energy conservation have save United Kingdom consumers millions of pounds since the website’s inception. Their most prominent consumer aid is the free too used to compare gas and electricity prices. This incredible easy to use tool simply asks of you to type in your Post Code so as to receive a pricing comparison from every seller of gas and electricity in your location. Once you have examined the different prices charged for your turf you are free to choose from several options.

You may, ignore the fact that you are throwing away a couple of thousand pounds every year by paying higher energy prices. You can ask your current provider to meet the price offered by their competitor. (Not likely to happen.)

Or, you can switch energy suppliers. Should you choose the latter, Energy Choices is ready to guide you through the entire energy company change over with a simple step-by-step procedure. Every year thousands of UK residents discover that they are paying far too high a price for gas, electricity or both! Energy Choices will help you make sure you are not among those people.

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High energy prices force customer rollover decreases for the first quarter of 2009

April 23rd, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in General News

As energy company customers across the United Kingdom attempt to find room in each month’s budget for the essentials of financial survival, more and more people in the UK are taking a close look at energy prices. Too often people are discovering that a close friend living near to them is paying just half for gas or electricity than they are. This has resulted in customers leaving behind long standing business relationships with their energy provider and opting instead to examine better rates from competing energy companies. Most of these new, smarter breed of energy buyers have found their way to better deals by using energy saving watchdog website, Energy Choices. Energy Choices provides a free online tool that allows a fast means to compare energy prices for any location in the United Kingdom. All that is needed is one’s Post Code. Another point to ponder as provided with information from Energy Choices are the different bonus incentives many UK energy suppliers offer as an inducement to switch energy companies. When coupled with lower electricity prices many customers report savings of almost £2000.00 per year.

All totaled UK energy customers are switching to lower cost providers at an astounding rate. This of course is not surprising, as few people will remain with a supplier once they determine they are drastically over paying for these essential services. Energy Choices as part of the UK consumer choices network is noted for constantly keeping UK consumers aware of energy pricing and regulatory changes throughout the nation.

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Sheridan Smith and Duncan James confirmed Legally Blonde leads – Theare Breaks

April 23rd, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Press Releases

‘Legally Blonde the Musical’ has finally been confirmed for a west end debut after a string of rumours. The show is scheduled to begin on the 12 of January, 2010 at the Savoy theatre, with previews at the Savoy throughout December.

The musical, based off the hit 2001 film of the same name, premiered at the Palace Theatre in Broadway two years ago. It ran over a year and is now touring the US with international dates shortly to be announced. During its run the show was nominated for seven Tony Awards. The London production is directed by the Broadway director Jerry Mitchell famous for his work on the incredibly popular musical, Hairspray.

Sheridan Smith and Duncan James are set to play the lead parts. Smith is best known for her on screen work; especially in BBC comedy shows such as ‘Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps’, ‘The Royle Family’ and ‘Gavin and Stacey’. She isn’t new to the west end however; she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in a production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Duncan James is famous for his musical career as a member of the hit boyband, Blue. He has a variety of roles since the band broke up, mostly focused on reality television and on screen hosting work. He’s also done some West End stage work though, appearing as Billy Flynn in Chicago.

The musical is a romantic comedy based around Elle Woods, a homecoming queen and college sweetheart who is dumped by her boyfriend for a girl who he sees as more ‘serious’. Infuriated and humiliated, Elle swaps her credit card for the library and enrols at Harvard Law to prove herself. Along the way, she meets a new love interest in the form of a man named Emmett, played by Alex Gaumond. The play will follow the same story as that of the film.

Legally Blonde Theatre Breaks

Tickets for the show went on sale earlier this week. For something a little different, consider seeing this show in combination with one of the theatre breaks on offer from westendthreatrebreaks.com.

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Cheap mp4 Players in the UK! – Get a Cheap player that works!

April 22nd, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Press Releases

The popularity of mp4 players has seemingly been unaffected by the credit crunch, with sales of the devices still high. What has changed, however, is the brands that people are choosing. With financial difficulties comes an increased determination to get the best deals possible.

Like most electronic gadgets, the cheapest place to buy an mp4 player is usually online, but what are the risks with buying electronics on the net? is it safe? will you get what you pay for?

Beyond this, are the cheaper brands of mp4 player any good?

The answers to the above questions are far from simple. For example, if you choose to try to buy an mp4 player from an Asian website, paying via western union, then you may be taking a little bit too much of a risk. Not that there are now honest, decent Asian electronics websites out there, because undoubtedly there are, but for a UK consumer, it’s hard to figure out which are reliable, and which are a rip off!

Secondly, when it comes to cheaper brands, again, it’s hard for people to know what cheap mp4 players are good, and which are glorified paper weights!

There are ways to cut through the problems of buying cheap mp4 players online though… such as buying from a UK based website! – That’s right, you can buy cheap mp4 players from companies based here in the UK!

Sonix7.co.uk is one site supplying cheap mp4 players to the UK market, and they are actually based here too!

They also accept payment via the trusted Google checkout, which gives even more trust.

So, if you are looking to buy a new mp4 player, and want to avoid paying over the odds for a ‘fruity’ pod style affair, but are also concerned about either being ripped off by an overseas supplier, or even don’t fancy waiting several weeks for your goods to arrive, then check out http://www.sonix7.co.uk – you will find their site refreshingly easy to use, and info packed!

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EPC certificates, what are Energy Performance Certificates, and do I need one?

April 22nd, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Press Releases

Energy Performance Certificates (or EPC for short!) became a manditory part of the Home Information Pack (or HIP for short) on 1st October 2008. Meaning if you are looking to sell or lease out your home, you need to know what they are.

EPCs are meant to give prospective buyers (and in some cases renters) an indication of the energy efficiency of a property. The EPC usually covers things like information of wall construction, window insulation properties (single, double or secondary glazed) as well as the type of heating and hot water systems used in the home. Obviously general home insulation also forms a big part in the report.

The EPC report gives a grade on the energy efficiency of the property, along with advice about possible areas of improvement in the future.

The theory is that the EPC gives the potential buyer an ability to, at a glance, get a better understanding of the energy efficiency and potential issues related to this.

Are EPCs Expensive

Like many things these days, it depends where you go to buy! There are many places that can offer you an EPC assessment, but ideally you should choose somewhere that specialises in energy performance certificates as, invariably, they will be set up to handle your needs in the most professional and speedy manner, possibly cheaper than other companies also.

UK-EPC.co.uk is one such company specialising in Energy Performance Certificates. They offer a great service, with great prices.

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Natwest gains favor as a short-term loan vehicle

April 21st, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in General News

United Kingdom Credit Card giant, Natwest has recently announced it has lengthened the term of days allowed before customers will be charged interest on purchases. By extending the “grace” period it is hoped that the Natwest credit card will better compete against rival cards from Barclays and the Post Office.

The Post Office credit card now offers exceptional value as 0 balance transfers vehicle along with its most well know benefit that of charging 0% interest on purchases made out of the country. A complete comparison of credit cards from every major United Kingdom issuer can be found at Creditchoices.co.uk. Credit Choices has dome exhaustive analysis of every credit card offer so that consumers may easily choose the credit card best suited to their lifestyle and budget.

An interesting note is that after comparing choices for credit cards one can apply instantly for same from the Credit choices website. In fact many of the credit card companies apply to from Credit Choices reply with an instant approval decision within minutes of you applying. With banks stone walling customers so as to avoid placing resources into the public sector on loan, it would appear everyone in need of borrowing power will want to use a web site such as Credit Choices to apply for many cards at once thus increasing overall borrowing limits as well as likelihood of approval. With so many UK residents having been made redundant, extra borrowing power is an important factor in weathering the current financial crisis.

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Post Office Credit Card offers 0 balance transfers

April 21st, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in Press Releases

Noted consumer advice and assistance website CreditChoices.co.uk has had renewed interest in their complete and objective reviews of all the most popular credit cards currently offered in the United Kingdom. Two among these, the Post Office credit card and the Natwest credit card, seem to have found newfound interest as consumers around the UK seek out new ways to make ends meet. Tough economic circumstances have turned all but the wealthiest individuals onto a path of creative personal finance.

Long a favorite for international travelers, due to its policy of not charging interest on any purchases made abroad, the Post Office Credit card has found a more mainstream customer base due to its policy on 0 balance transfers with long term interest freezes. One no longer needs to be an avid traveler to appreciate the Post Office card.

The Natwest credit card has found new users due to its longer then average built in grace period. Purchases made with a Natwest card are interest free for a period of up to 56 days. This makes the Natwest card the perfect short term loan vehicle to tide one over until funds arrive. Also the ability to “float’ a balance for almost two months has given many people living cheque to cheque a bit of cushion they otherwise would not have. Along with these two credit cards the creditchoices.co.uk site has information and comparisons of over two-dozen other credit cards available within the UK.

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Adverse Credit Cards are a great idea right now

April 19th, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in Press Releases

Just two years ago, when credit was easy to come by, there was really no need for anyone to use adverse credit cards. With banks handing out low interest cards freely, why would anyone want a credit card that charges upwards of 30% in interest yearly?

Today the many of the low interest rate cards are difficult to get and people are replacing lowered credit limits on these with free lending limits from companies that issue adverse credit cards. Why would they do this? Using information gathered at free consumer credit advice website Credit Choices, it was determined that most people are currently relying upon their credit cards as a short term loan vehicle to bridge the gap in the event of smaller persona finance crisis.

This of course representing the needs of the middle and upper middle class, those with incomes below £60.000 per year. So, why choose an adverse credit card over, say, a Natwest Credit Card? First, the credit rating need to be approved for an adverse credit card is fairly low. Almost everyone is approved for these cards. Second, the smart users of adverse credit cards are only using them for emergency funding. As with all credit cards adverse cards allow a certain length of time before interest accrues. Thus, any credit card can be used interest free as a means to deal with a short-term lack of funds. While the Natwest credit card might be a better long-term choice as it only charges 175 or so APR, the Capitol on card at 30% is no less helpful if one plans on paying off the balance promptly.

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Mortgage Protection has Become Essential Cover

April 13th, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in General News

As the ranks of the unemployed swell to almost double digits throughout the United Kingdom, a large percentage of homeowners are reexamining the need for mortgage protection. Mortgage protection or cover as some call it is a special policy of insurance that will pay your mortgage for you should you become ill or made redundant. The common thread being that in either case if you are unable to work mortgage payments may be difficult to stay timely with. As most illness or unemployment can be resolved within the short term, mortgage protection is usually set for a term of one year. In the case of losing one’s position that is usually enough time to find other work. What is somewhat amazing about this is that so many people with older established loans are adding a policy for mortgage cover.

Mortgage protection varies from standard credit life, as it is not a policy to pay off a house mortgage in the event of death. It is strictly a short-term solution with the hope that the problems it addresses are equally short term. As noted in personal finance Internet resource Credit Choices, many of the newest customers for mortgage protection are people who upon using the free remortgage calculator on the Credit Choices website opted to purchase this cover as a protection for the remainder of their home equity. Credit Choices is well noted for their friendly informative approach to personal finance advice and news.

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Energy prices are apt to once again climb upward

April 9th, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in General News

With petrol, gas and electricity prices restored to somewhat saner levels it is all too easy to become complacent and give little thought to such needed money saving practices as driving cars that give use less fuel and turning off unneeded home appliances. People simply are less diligent once the cost of energy related commodities have fallen. But anyone who has lived through an economic downturn can tell you that the price of petrol will soon enough be higher than ever and gas and electricity prices will not be far behind. The time to take action is before the prices are once again unbearable and the way to do this is by looking into fixed energy costs. Fixed energy tariffs are an arrangement between you and your energy provider to cap off your energy prices a predetermined set level for a set term of time. Put more simply, it is a deal you make with the gas company to pay them a little more overall now so that your price can not rise above that level for up to three years.

What makes this the perfect time to do this now is that prices are once again reduced. The time is now to lock in a super low price on both gas and electricity. You can then watch prices climb with a smile on your face.

The place to begin this process is at energychoices.co.uk. Energy Choices is a free consumer benefit website that has onsite a tool to compare energy prices. Visit the site and use this simple tool to make certain the company you choose to buy fixed price energy from offers the best deal for your location. Then follow through with Energy Choices to switch to the lowest price for your home energy. Once this has been established, sign up for a fixed price energy deal so that your energy bill every month will never be out of your control.

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Banks Return from 100% Mortgages Holiday

April 7th, 2009 by writer | No Comments | Filed in General News

It is hard to believe that just two years ago house prices were zooming upward and attaining financing for home purchases was a simple matter. Credit was loose and mortgages were so available that lenders such as Abbey mortgages offered what amounted to 100% loans. These 100% mortgages allowed buyers to purchase homes paying absolutely no deposit. Just sign on the dotted line as it is said and you were ready to move in.

So why did we suddenly find ourselves facing millions of home repossessions? People ran out of money. Once the nation’s lenders extended so much easy credit that it became impossible for people to repay, the banks quickly sought to cut losses by shutting down avenues of credit. In this case the first item on the credit crunch agenda was home mortgages. As such lenders not only stopped dealing in questionable loans such as 100% mortgages, many lenders stopped issuing mortgages altogether. They, the banks, had no choice as these large banks had passed their bad notes upward until banking institutions at the highest level (read as Royal Bank of Scotland) were cash poor.

Consumer assistance website, Credit Choices reports that stronger banks are now once again releasing their death-grip on their purse strings and homebuyers with 10 to 20 percent can once again finance their housing. One of the first major UK finance arms to restart the flow of credit via mortgages is Abbey Mortgages. Home sales rank second only to new car sales as essential to the British economy. When people begin to purchase either of these big-ticket items jobs are created and everyone once again begins to prosper.

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