Velma Celli's Westend Christmas

Rachel has been announced as a guest for "Velma Celli's Westend Christmas," cabaret along with Liam Tamne, at the pop up venue in the heart of Leicester Square, 'Christmas in Leicester Square.'

"Join the sensational Velma Celli for an alternative festive takeover with special guests Rachel Tucker and Liam Tamne direct from London's West End. A sparkling, fun and rambunctious Christmas celebration with quick wit, high camp and quirky takes on your seasonal favourites. Tis the Season to be jolly so dust off your Christmas stockings grab your companions, loved ones and Tinder dates for a festive celebration like no other."

7:30pm on 3rd December 2017

Book Tickets Here 

Rachel Tucker Live @ The Theatre Cafe

We're freaking the tuck out. @racheltucker1 will be in the Café on Sunday 25th at 6pm for an 'End of UK Tour / West End Live' performance! pic.twitter.com/wNRStFSDXe

— The Theatre Café (@thetheatrecafe) June 17, 2017

The Theatre Cafe & Parallel Productions decided it'd be a fabulous idea for Rachel to do a mini set at the Cafe on Sunday of Westend Live at 6pm. Marisha Wallace was soon announced as doing a small set too & this was all very exciting but also sent (i'm sure), panic into the very soul of most of the 'hardcore' fans. Torn between wanting a good spot at Westend Live & a guaranteed spot inside at The Theatre Cafe. I am sure a few opted to go straight to the Cafe, or only do Westend Live, but know that many, such as myself did the mad dash from WEL as soon as Rachel 'finished' to get their spot. Having a back injury to deal with my dashing skills were a little lacking, but as luck would have it, although when we walked in, there was like 2 seats left & a reserved table, a group left not long after we arrived so we pounced on those seats.

How do you know when @racheltucker1 has finished at @WestEndLIVE? Her whole fan base descends to @thetheatrecafe 💚

— The Theatre Café (@thetheatrecafe) June 25, 2017

The Cafe very quickly filled up and the atmosphere in there was fabulous, it turns out it's mostly quite fun being in a room of people who all love Rachel as much (you can try) as you do. I did my duty & put on a couple of songs from Rachel's album, but like I was polite and didn't do the whole album thing, because usually if you do that at the Cafe the people behind the counter break their own rule & skip the songs. So just did two, then someone yelled I had to put a certain one on so went back to do that, but not before someone had put on what i'm quite sure was almost the entire Hamilton album.

Repping the @racheltucker1 merch on the way to @thetheatrecafe! Come see us just after 6pm! pic.twitter.com/1e0b5I9fQj

— Kris Rawlinson (@krisrawlinson) June 25, 2017

The atmosphere kept building as everyone sang along to the songs at the top of their lungs. Kris arrived early to get set up & hand deliver some new Tucker On The Road Tee's, ohh the new ones are black, whaa? This added a layer of fun as he tinkled away at the keys while we all sang our hearts out. Possibly our collective best singalongs were Take Me or Leave Me & Waving Through A Window. Funnily enough unbeknown to us as we were all giving Take Me Or Leave Me our best belts, Rachel had made a surprise guest appearance back on the Westend Live stage for a duet with Marisha. Must admit as fun as our version was I am devo'd we missed the REAL deal, but thankfully there is full video in all it's glory, which you can find in our Westend Live Blog 

pic.twitter.com/eriXUt6mz5

— Leah (@WhitneysHatton) June 28, 2017

@krisrawlinson one man and his piano!!! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/j7tYLQJfVJ

— leah (@leahhhphillips) June 25, 2017

@krisrawlinson on the keys and @thetheatrecafe customers singing their hearts out. This is what we're all about. Love days like these ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XQLIy1McRB

— The Theatre Café (@thetheatrecafe) June 25, 2017

After a few hours of fun waiting the cafe was bursting at the seams & as Rachel & Marisha walked in, suddenly the wait & the ever raising temperature in the cafe all seemed much more worth the wait. Only trouble was that at the last minute all those standing then decided they needed to get a better vantage point and started spreading out into the middle more. My view was no longer the perfect one i'd scouted out but now just of peoples backs, panic set in but luckily managed to squeeze on the wall bench with my friends, which meant that now I had a rather good view, just felt bad for my friends and all the others who got their first and had seats that now had no view. Side note: for future gigs in the cafe I would politely suggest that when they remove the tables & barrier off the area they arrange the seats along the front in rows, followed by the benches & then the back of the cafe should be for standing, just to help balance it out for everyone and for the performers trying to be seen too. 

Silence as @racheltucker1 and @marishawallace walk in. 😮 pic.twitter.com/yRBYPf7pUc

— The Theatre Café (@thetheatrecafe) June 25, 2017

After a few more singalongs, Marisha kicked things off with the Hairspray ballad "I Know Where I've Been" inviting us all to sing along if we knew it, oh it was stunning, this young lady has PIPES!!!!! Then she slowed it down a bit for a gorgeous and heart felt 'My Funny Valentine" (correct me please if i'm wrong).

Then we had a slight break before Rachel coming out for her set. She stood on a chair to help those further back see her, which was much appreciated by many i'm sure. I could go on and swoon about how fabulous this set was but you guys are lucky because just as they promised, they Facebook Lived the whole set. So go forth, get comfy and enjoy reliving or watching for the first time this fabulous wee gig at The Theatre Cafe.

Loved @racheltucker1 and @marishawallace at @thetheatrecafe! Perfect stagey end 🎭 (I couldn't see Marisha to get a pic!) pic.twitter.com/tDMUTwBb9Y

— Rewrite This Story (@rewritethisweb) June 26, 2017

Do you know why @thetheatrecafe was created? Just watch this clip of @racheltucker1 making every fan girl (and guys) evening. That's why ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/pfgS9QJ8r7

— The Theatre Café (@thetheatrecafe) June 25, 2017

Now in case anyone else is like me & loves to have lots of angles, I did do some filming in the cafe for you all. Luckily my friend had brought her camera along but as her view was pretty much non existent, I stole her camera for you guys & she had kindly uploaded the footage for you all to enjoy. Here's the playlist below, with all 6 songs. Thanks so much @AlwaysBeenGreen. 

Had the best time seeing @racheltucker1 absolutely own it in @thetheatrecafe today! Those dance moves! 💁💖💃👏 pic.twitter.com/mL5yjVMkQK

— Carrie Rose (@CarrieRose_) June 25, 2017

By the end of the gig the room was absolutely bursting with excitement, Rachel, Kris & Dan Giles gave that room one hell of a set & set the room on fire (it was a furnace)! Bloody brilliant afternoon spent at The Theatre Cafe. So many thanks to all who made it happen.

Heres a few pictures from @CarrieRose_  on Twitter.

Another Live @ Zedel Date Added

Ask and you shall receive, due to popular demand Rachel has added another date to her Live at Zedel concerts. After the previous 3 gigs on March 20/21st @ 7pm & March 25th @ 11pm sold out within the week. We now have the added date of Thursday 23rd March at the slightly later time of 9:15pm, perfect for those working late or travelling a little further.

By my calculations there's approximately 6 or so tickets left as at.. 7:30pm so get booking or you will once again miss out.. if you do miss out don't despair as tickets sometimes pop back up closer to the dates of gigs with people having other things get in the way.

.....

Earlier today Rachel took to instagram to tease about what could be in store for these gigs & I for one am even more excited.

I'm going live on Facebook with @ParaProd at 4:30pm today! Head over and get a sneaky listen to my 1st reharsal! facebook.com/paraprod/

A photo posted by racheltucker01 (@racheltucker01) on Feb 5, 2017 at 4:02am PST

Then at 4:37pm, fashionably late in true Rachel style, she took to the Parallel Productions Facebook page for a Live chat with us all about her upcoming gigs & what we're in for. Announcing the added gig & confirming that she will indeed have some guests, but as yet has not & may not be announced. Rachel even had a wee sing song alongside with Kris Rawlinson on the keys, to help build the excitement even further.

Seriously it's been so long since i've heard Rachel sing something not Wicked & this has filled my heart with joy. Simply can not wait for these gigs, there's no doubt that they will be something truly special & memorable. So if you haven't already, quickly jump on the Zedel site & BOOK!

Rachel to perform three shows as part of Live At Zedel season

It has been announced that Rachel is going to be performing a set of 3 intimate solo shows in London as part of Brasserie Zedel's 'Live at Zedel' season. The shows will be on Monday 20th & Tuesday 21st March at 7pm & a special late show on Saturday 25th March at 11pm. This will be the first time Rachel has done such intimate solo shows of this nature. The venue itself, formally The Crazy Coq's is a charming 80 seater venue, making you feel like you're spending a casual, but somewhat fancy evening in with one of the Westend & Broadway's leading ladies. The show is going to be directed by Rachel's husband & acclaimed director Guy Retallack & is brought to us by Parallel Productions.

UPDATE* - In less than a week the shows are already SOLD OUT. So if you want to catch Rachel & missed booking, keep an eye on the the website & the @LiveAtZedel & Parallel Productions Twitter accounts & Follow us @RTFB1981 for updates on any returns.

"After two sell-out one-woman shows, Rachel Tucker is back with her first intimate solo show. Following a triumphant run as Elphaba in Wicked the Musical on Broadway, for which she was the recipient of the Best Female Replacement Award at the 2016 Broadway.com Audience Awards, Rachel is currently reprising her role as Elphaba in London's West End, as part of Wicked's special 10th Anniversary cast, having also previously played the role to great acclaim in London for 3 years, where she holds the title of longest consecutive running Elphaba and won the 2011 WhatsOnStage award for Best Takeover in a Role.Rachel made her Broadway debut in late 2014 in Sting's musical The Last Ship, creating the role of Meg Dawson, to rave reviews.In 2015, Rachel performed her one-woman show Back From Broadway, which won the 2015 West End Wilma Award for Best Cabaret. Rachel's debut solo album The Reason was launched in her first sell-out concert at the St. James Theatre in August 2013."                                            - Brasserie Zedel

It is yet to be announced if Rachel will have any guests or who they are likely to be, but these 'Live at Zedel' gigs usually involve a different guest/friend of the performer showing up for a sing song each night, so i'm going to assume we can look forward to something exciting. 

After catching all of Rachel's previous solo shows in London in the last few years & even her Belfast gig. It's safe to assume that Rachel is going to come prepared to knock our socks off once again, with a fabulous & thoughtful line up or songs, blended with interesting anecdotes about why these songs made the cut & her ever interesting & inspiring stories that go along with each.

Live At Zedel is located underneath Brasserie Zedel in the heart of central London just off Piccadilly circus. 20 Sherwood Street, London, W1F 7ED.

Audio Treat for you all!

So we promised that when our Twitter page @RTFB1981 reached 300 followers we'd let you guys hear an audio that we've been sent. Well we hit 300 today & we keep our word, so here you go!

An audio clip from Rachel's concert in Belfast "From Belfast To Broadway."
Rachel was joined on stage for a special duet of 'For Good' with her former cast mate Zoe Rainey. Who played Nessa Rose in the London production of Wicked, with Rachel in 2011. Zoe was 1st cover Glinda during her time in the show but only got to play the role three times & only one of which was with Rachel.

We hope you enjoy! Disclaimer: This is not HD quality audio, but it's still pretty special to hear.

Belfast Telegraph Interview & a Gig reminder!

We wanted to draw your attention to a lovely long interview/piece about Rachel recently published on the Belfast Telegraph website titled "Rachel Tucker: There's Still No Place Like Home." Which speaks about her upcoming (18th July, this Saturday) return to Belfast for her "From Belfast to Broadway" Concert at The MAC. Which still has a very limited number of seats left. This article is a very interesting read for any one curious about all things Rachel Tucker. Click the images below to go straight to the article.

Belfast To Broadway & other gigs!

Well Rachel said she might be taking her show 'Rachel Tucker: Back From Broadway to Belfast & it's now been confirmed that she will indeed be doing her show, with a slightly different name 'Rachel Tucker: Belfast To Broadway'. So get your diary out & start looking at flights (if you're not lucky enough to already live close by).

While you have your diary out, we suggest you add this date as well.. Thursday 4th June for Shoshana Bean LATE (11pm) at the Hippodrome where Rachel will be a special guest along with a few other Westend performers.

Also Rachel will be appearing in 'Westend Reversed' at The Bridgehouse Theatre (Penge) on Sunday 14th June. A number of seats was release (update) Today (26th May) there is currently less than 9 seats left, so if you don't want to miss out on this intimate gig click through now & snap up one of the last remaining tickets.

Artwork by RTFanblog, NOT official artwork!

For anyone who does miss out may we suggest you sign up to the Bridgehouse newsletter @ www.bhtheatre.com to avoid disappointment in the future. 

'Westend Reversed' is being held as a charity event to help raise much needed funds to keep this gorgeous venue going. So if you've visited The Bridgehouse Theatre in Penge and would like to see how you could help, please head on over to their fundraising page to see what their plans are & how you could help. 

Scott Alan Gig @ 54 Below - 19th January 2015

We've just found an article about Scott Alan making his 54 Below (New York) debut on 19th January 2015 with a star studded line up, which apparently includes Rachel Tucker... (who would also be making her 54 Below Debut).

"On Monday January 19th, 2015 acclaimed songwriter Scott Alan will make his concert debut at 54 Below in celebration of his sixth studio album, 'Greatest Hits: Volume One.' The evening is being billed as an 'intimate night of storytelling feature many guests from the Broadway stage.

Schedule to appear at the 7pm concert are 2014 Tony Award Winners Jessie Mueller ("Beautiful") and James Monroe Iglehart ('Aladdin') as well as Tony Nominee's Joshua Henry, ("The Scottsboro Boys," "Violet") and Chad Kimball("Memphis") as well as Lilla Crawford (Little Red Riding Hood in Disney's upcoming film adaptation of 'Into the Woods'). Iglehart, Mueller, Henry, Kimball and Crawford will be joined by Erin Davie ("Side Show"), Alysha Umphress ("On the Town"), Rachel Tucker ("The Last Ship"), David Burtka (upcoming's 'It Shoulda Been You"), Mykal Kilgore ("Motown"),Natalie Weiss ("Wicked"), Christine Dwyer ("Wicked"), Katie Thompson ("Giant"), Julian Cihi ("The Classic Stage Companyproduction of Romeo and Juliet"), Ellyn Marie Marsh ("Kinky Boots"), Danny Calvert ("Altar Boyz"), Elizabeth Stanley ("On the Town"), Abby Mueller ("Kinky Boots"), Jessica Phillips("Next to Normal"), Anna Ty Bergman ("Things Musical Theatre Girls Say") and Christina Cataldo ("Be a Diva" Winner). More performers to be announced."                                                             BroadwayWorld.com

We thought you'd all like to know about this in case you want to start saving & planning that trip to New York that you've been meaning to book. Seems like as good a time as any to be jetting off to Broadway & getting to see a great gig as well, what do you think?

Frankly this is rather exciting, as when you look at Scott's catalogue of music, there are so many gems that Rachel could absolutely blow out of the water. We only hope that there will be videos from this incredible show.

For more information and tickets, visit 54Below.com.