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Premium restaurant brand Gusto is delighted to announce Anna Whalan will be the General Manager of its eagerly-awaited new restaurant in Lytham.

Anna, 40, who has worked in leading restaurants around the world over the past 17 years, joins Gusto from luxury US hotel chain Loews Hotels with whom she was Restaurant Director in San Diego.

Lytham may be 5,300-mile from her previous life California, but the beautiful area of Lytham and St Annes have a special place in Anna’s heart as it was here that her parents moved into their first house together.

Newcastle-born Anna was also sold the area by boyfriend Steve Collinge who splits his time between his role in advertising in America and his home in St Annes.

Anna said: “It is almost as if the stars were aligned when I heard about the job at Gusto Lytham.

“On the personal side, my parents lived here when they were first married, while Steve, who I met in San Diego, has always told me how beautiful the area is. Professionally, Gusto is a quality brand which I feel is perfect for Lytham.

“I feel really fortunate to have found a job with a really exciting, innovative restaurant company and have the opportunity to move home.

“We are currently putting our team together and we cannot wait to open the doors and bring the full Gusto experience to Lytham.”

Gusto Lytham – the brand’s first restaurant in Lancashire – will officially open its doors on THURSDAY APRIL 14 at 5PM.

Gusto – which has 12 restaurants across the UK – has invested more than £1 million in its new 4,000sq ft restaurant and bar in Lytham.

Refurbishment work is now well underway at the Grade II listed building to create the new 130-cover restaurant, which is located on Dicconson Terrace, occupying the site of a former doctor’s surgery.

The company is currently recruiting for 60 newly created jobs at the restaurant.

Anna added: “Everything is coming together very well. We are putting together a really strong team and I’m really looking forward to Gusto Lytham being the new hot spot in town.

“There is a real buzz around Lytham and we know the whole community is looking forward to coming inside to check us out.

“I’ve been in Lytham for a few weeks now and I have fallen in love with the town. There is very much a cafe culture here in Lytham. There are some very successful local restaurants, a big scene of dining out, a really good vibe and we are delighted to be part of that.

“I think Gusto will be a perfect fit. It will be great for families who want to relax in wonderful surroundings and enjoy quality food in a great atmosphere as much as it will be for those who want to come out with friends, enjoy and cocktail and have a great time.”

Rock legend Bryan Adams is heading to the Yorkshire coast this summer for a special one-off concert. 

Hit musical Ghost is to extend its Blackpool run this autumn due to audience demand.

The new musical production based on the much-loved movie masterpiece begins its run at Blackpool Opera House on Monday October 3 and was originally scheduled for six nights.

But due to the huge demand for tickets since Ghost went on sale last month, it has been decided to extend the run by a further five nights between October 11 and 15.

Winter Gardens Managing Director Michael Williams said: “The demand for tickets to see Ghost the Musical has been incredible since we went on sale last month such is the popularity of this show.

“I am delighted we are able to extend the run of the show to an additional five nights to meet audience demand.

“The show has enjoyed enormous success since first opening in 2011 and to be able to present a brand new production in Blackpool is great for our audiences.

“We have a packed calendar of full musical productions at the Opera House throughout 2016 and I am confident both our loyal returning customers and the many new people we will welcome this year will have a fantastic time in our wonderful venue.”

Presented by Bill Kenwright, this is a new production of the timeless story of love, despair and hope which will be touring the UK throughout Autumn 2016.

The double Academy Award winning movie is a huge success story, both critically and at the box office, where it was the highest grossing film in the year of its release. It starred the late Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Jerry Zucker. Bruce Joel Rubin’s script won the Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg won the Oscar® for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film’s most iconic and moving scene was famously performed to The Righteous Brother’s Unchained Melody, which also features in the musical version. Ghost won numerous other awards and nominations, including being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film.

Ghost the Musical will run at Blackpool Opera House from Monday October 03 to Saturday 15.

Tickets are on sale now priced from £19.50.

For more information go to www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are to stage a special one-off concert in the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough.

It is announced today that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will play a full concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Wednesday August 3.

Tickets go on general sale at 9am Friday March 18, and are available from www.scarboroughopenairtheatre.com or www.ticketmaster.co.uk

This will be the first time multi-award winning singer and songwriter Noel has played live in Scarborough and with less than 8,000 tickets available for the unique open-air venue, tickets are not expected to be around for long.

The gig is being organised by promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

Director Peter Taylor said: “We are thrilled to be announcing that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are heading to Scarborough’s fantastic Open Air Theatre. This is a huge coup for the town and we are delighted we have been able to make this happen.

“Noel is without question a British music legend and cultural icon who has written some of the biggest and best anthems of the last 30 years.

“Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is going to be an amazing night for Scarborough and we can’t wait to see the reaction to this great announcement.”

Tickets for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are priced from £49.50 with seating and standing options.

Tickets go on sale at 9am Friday March 18 from www.scarboroughopenairtheatre.com or in person from the Scarborough Open Air Theatre Box Office. Tickets are also available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk

West End star and musical innovator Ramin Karimloo is heading to the London Palladium for a special one-night show.

Iranian-Canadian actor and singer Ramin, who rose to fame on stages across the world, is now carving a career as one of the most uniquely talented singers around.

And rather than follow strictly in the footsteps of his peers by performing only songs from musical theatre, he is combining his passion for West End and Broadway with his love of Country and Bluegrass to create his own special blend of “Broadgrass”.

Ramin will perform at the London Palladium on Saturday July 16.

Tickets go on sale Friday February 12 from www.seetickets.com

The announcement Ramin is to perform at the London Palladium comes just weeks after his two sell-out shows at Islington’s Union Chapel and the Assembly Hall where he received rave reviews.

Speaking about his date at the Palladium Ramin said: “ I was so excited to come back to London for the two sell out shows. The band, the sound and show have grown so much over the last three years. We love bringing this style of music which has organically grown to the great support we get.

“Playing the Palladium is such an honour. The history of great performers who have done shows there, the variety and calibre is second to none. I know my band is just as excited to bring this show to the greatest theatre in England. It’s going to be an electric night – a hootenanny in the heart of the West End.”

The Palladium concert will see Ramin perform a selection of classics from musical theatre alongside his own Broadgrass songs. Ramin, who also plays the banjo and guitar, will perform with his band comprising of Sergio Ortega, Hadley Fraser and Alan Markley with backing vocals from Katie Birtill.

Musical theatre leading lady Louise Dearman, the first performer to have ever played both the lead roles of Glinda and Elphaba in West End hit Wicked, will also join Ramin for a duet or two.

Olivier and Tony Award nominee Ramin is best known for playing leading roles in both of the West End’s longest running musicals – The Phantom and Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, and Jean Valjean, Enjolras, and Marius in Les Misérables. He also originated the role of the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies and made his Broadway debut as Valjean in the 2014 revival production of Les Misérables.

While enjoying success in the West End and Broadway and picking up both What’s on Stage and Theatre World awards, Ramin has bewitched fans from across the globe having toured and performed as far afield as Japan and South Korea. And he is now to forge ahead with a solo career by creating his own unique genre of music – Broadgrass.

Ramin’s stunning songs all tell stories, regardless of its origin and his debut EP The Road To Find Out: East was widely acclaimed introducing his international fans to the sound of Broadgrass.

His must-see show at the Palladium is presented by music promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

Director Peter Taylor said: “Ramin is a very exciting performer to be working with. His successes in the West End and on Broadway are well documented so to be given the opportunity to present him to an audience at the London Palladium while performing the music he is so passionate about is fantastic.”

Tickets priced from £29.50 go on sale at 9am Friday February 12 and are available from www.seetickets.com

New stage show James and the Giant Peach is heading to Blackpool Opera House as part of a world tour.

The classic story by Roald Dahl is produced by Sell A Door Theatre Company with the plot centering on an English orphan boy called James Henry Trotter who enters a gigantic, magical peach and has a wild, surreal cross-world adventure with seven magically-altered garden bugs he meets along the way.

James and the Giant Peach runs at Blackpool Opera House from Monday 18 to Saturday 23 July.

Winter Gardens Managing Director Michael Williams said the show will be a firm favourite among families.

He said: “James and the Giant Peach is a fantastic children’s story and is the perfect family musical to welcome to the Opera House.

“Our calendar is packed for 2016 with an array of absolutely fantastic productions which will appeal to a wide range of audiences. James and the Giant Peach is without a doubt a fantastic story for children and we look forward to welcoming many families to see this brand new production.”

James and the Giant Peach is adapted by David Wood for Sell A Door Theatre Company. His previous work includes adaptations of well-known books such as Dick King-Smith’s Babe the Sheep Pig, Roald Dahl’s The BFG and The Witches. Both shows played long tours and two West End seasons. Also for the West End, David adapted and directed Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

Sell A Door Theatre Companyhave previously toured critically-acclaimed productions of Avenue Q, The History Boys, American Idiot and Seussical the Musical.

James and the Giant Peach is directed by Bronagh Lagan with all design by Kate Unwin.

For more information about James and the Giant Peach at Blackpool Opera House go to www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk. Tickets are priced from £10.

Tony Award-winning comedy musical Avenue Q is the latest show to be announced at Blackpool Winter Gardens’ Opera House for 2016.

The smash hit Broadway and West End musical will bring a host of fuzzy friends to the Opera House from Monday 6 to Saturday 11 June as part of a nationwide tour.

Featuring the naughtiest puppets in town, brought hilariously to life by an ensemble cast of 11 performers, Avenue Q is a Tony Award-winning musical about growing up, dreaming big, and finding your purpose in life.

Avenue Q is the latest smash hit to be announced for Blackpool Opera House next year with other productions including JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, Blood Brothers, The Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, Save The Last Dance For Me and Great Expectations.

A spokesperson for the Winter Gardens said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming Avenue Q to the Blackpool Opera House. This is an hilarious show and one that we know will delight our audiences.

“Our calendar of events for 2016 is looking absolutely fantastic and really does offer something for everyone. We want to ensure that all shows at the Winter Gardens appeal to as wide a market as possible and with so much variety on offer that is exactly what 2016 will do.”

Avenue Q first opened Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 2003, before transferring to Broadway later that year where it won three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 2006 it transferred to the West End produced by Cameron Mackintosh, where it ran for five years before touring the UK. It has appeared in more than ten countries all over the world.

Meet Princeton, a bright-eyed graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Soon discovering that the only neighbourhood in his price range is Avenue Q, he finds himself moving in with some truly quirky characters. There’s Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiancée Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his closet gay Republican roommate Rod, an Internet ‘sexpert’ called Trekkie Monster and a very cute kindergarten teacher named Kate Monster. And would you believe the building’s superintendent is Gary Coleman?! Featuring hysterically funny songs including The Internet is for Porn and Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist, Avenue Q is a hilarious musical with a warm (and very fuzzy) heart.

The cast features Sarah Harlington as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut, Richard Lowe as Princeton/Rod and Arina II as Christmas Eve. Returning to the show following last year’s tour are Stephen Arden as Nicky/Trekkie Monster, Richard Morseas Brian, Etisyai Philip as Gary Coleman and Jessica Parker as Mrs T/ Bad Idea Bear.

Avenue Q will run at Blackpool Opera House from Monday 6 until Saturday 11 June.

Tickets are priced from £15.

For more information go to http://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/

Welsh singer Aled Jones MBE is set to wow audiences across the UK in 2016 as he embarks on a 22-date Cathedral tour.

The household name will visit cathedrals in England, Scotland and his home country of Wales on a series of dates throughout May and June, culminating in a very special ‘home-coming’ show in his home-town of Bangor on July 2.

Tickets for the Aled Jones Cathedral Tour go on sale at 9am Saturday 19 December.

Speaking about the tour Aled said: “I’m never more at home than when performing in one of the UK’s unrivalled cathedrals. I have been fortunate to sing in so many of these beautiful buildings over the years through my work on Songs of Praise but the idea of embarking on my biggest cathedral tour ever next year fills me with so much excitement and joy. I promise to give my best performances yet!”

Aled will be forever remembered as one of the world’s most successful boy sopranos after making his professional debut aged just 12 performing the role of the Angel in Handel’s Oratorio ‘Jeptha’ on BBC2 and BBC Radio 3.

Probably best known for “Walking in the Air”, the song from the animated film The Snowman, Aled had already released 12 albums by the time this was released in 1985.

And since his first album Diolch â Chân was released in 1983 Aled has gone on to release 30 albums selling a staggering eight million records to date. His most recent album One Voice will be released on Friday April 1. This latest release will see Aled duet with his younger self.

The Aled Jones Cathedral Tour is being presented by music promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

Director Peter Taylor said: “We are thrilled to be working with Aled and especially on such an exciting tour. He is, without a doubt, one of the UK’s best known performers and personalities, and someone who will leave audiences absolutely wowed by his voice.

“It is particularly exciting that this is a Cathedral tour as it will really take Aled home to where his career first started more than 30 years ago.”

Aled has also carved himself an acting, TV and broadcasting career with highlights including playing Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’, Caractacus Potts in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and the 2014 sell-out production of White Christmas. He has been a regular on TV screens since his career began with recent highlights including being a contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and presenting Cash in the Attic, Escape to the Country and Daybreak.

He has also enjoyed a long radio career and still has regular shows on both BBC Wales and Classic fm.

Tickets for the Aled Jones Cathedral Tour 2016 are priced from £19.50and are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by calling 0844 844 0444. A limited number of meet and greet tickets will also be available from £55 each.

British soul and pop band Simply Red are heading to the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough.

Thirty years after introducing a generation to the joys of soul music through their irrepressible, irresistible rendition of the Valentine Brothers’ recession-themed classic Money’s Too Tight To Mention, Simply Red are back with a World Tour and a brand new album ‘Big Love.’

And next summer they will be playing at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Wednesday August 10.

This will be the first time Simply Red have played at the venue and with less than 6,000 seats available at the outdoor event tickets are expected to be hugely popular when they go on sale at 9am on Friday October 23.

The band, acclaimed worldwide for hits including For Your Babies, Stars, If You Don’t Know Me By NowandFairground are also no strangers to the Yorkshire coast after filming the video for their smash hit Holding Back the Years in nearby Whitby in 1985.

Cllr Andrew Backhouse, representing Scarborough Open Air Theatre, said: “We are delighted to be working with renowned promoters Cuffe and Taylor to bring Simply Red to the Open Air Theatre next summer.

“It’s a huge result for us and comes on the back of working with the same promoters for the Sir Tom Jones concert this year.

“Life-long fans of Simply Red will remember that the video for one of their biggest ever hits, Holding Back The Years, was actually filmed just up the road in Whitby, so to know they’ll be returning to the Yorkshire coast after all these years to perform live is absolutely fantastic news.”

Scarborough Open Air Theatre is the largest open air theatre in Europe and event promoters Cuffe and Taylor are delighted to be bringing Simply Red to the unique arena. Cuffe and Taylor were responsible for the sell-out Tom Jones concert at the venue last summer.

Director Peter Taylor said: “I am thrilled we are being given the opportunity to work with Scarborough OAT again. This is a fantastic venue in a beautiful seaside town and I have no doubt the news that Simply Red will be there next summer will be greeted with a fantastic response.

“This is the first time we have worked with Simply Red so to be able to introduce them to such a unique venue and welcoming town is great.

“It is always a treat for music fans to be able to see a world-class star in an intimate setting and the people of Scarborough and beyond will get to experience an unforgettable evening of live music.”

The Scarborough concert is the first UK gig announced for Simply Red in 2016.

Tickets for the fully seated concert are priced from £37.50 and are available from Ticketmaster.co.uk on 0844 844 0444 or in person at Scarborough Open Air Theatre Box Office from 9am Friday October 23.