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2009, Blackpool Opera House

7th December, 2009
Opera House Theatre, Winter Gardens, Blackpool

The Opera House Theatre, in Blackpool's Winter Gardens, hosted the 81st Royal Variety Performance, on Monday 7th December, 2009. The Performance was the first time that the Royal Variety had been staged in Blackpool since 1955 and Blackpool Council kindly agreed to display the famous Blackpool Illuminations along the route of the Royal party on the night.

Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Philip attended a wonderful of evening of entertainment including fantastic performances by Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, Alexandra Burke, Diversity and Bette Midler.

Held in the presence of
HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
and
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH K.G.,K.T.

Hosted by Peter Kay

Presented by: ITV Television

Producer: Fiona Clark

Exec Producers: Claire Horton & Lee Connolly

Director: Simon Staffurth

Musical Director: Mike Dixon

Stage Director: Antony Van Laast

PETER KAY
Peter Kay’s rise in the world of comedy has been phenomenal. From receiving international awards for his television work to tonight, and the most prestigious variety show in the world. It’s Peter’s third appearance at The Royal Variety Performance but his first as host.

THE TRUMPETERS OF THE NAVY & CAVALRY BAND
The Heavy Cavalry & Cambrai Band is one of 23 military bands in the Corps of Army Music and is based in Catterick, North Yorkshire.

THE SOLDIERS
The Soldiers have made history by becoming the first group of serving British soldiers to have a Top 5 hit album. The trio are thrilled and delighted to be a part of their first Royal Variety Performance.

FARYL SMITH
One minute Faryl Smith was an ordinary schoolgirl from Northamptonshire – the next her life changed forever when she sang her way into people’s hearts all over Britain during the final round of ITV’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ in 2008.

HERE COME THE GIRLS
Divas of the world unite! Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastacia have joined forces for a fantastic new sold out music show ‘Here Come The Girls’, the most fabulous girls night out.

PHILOBOLUS
Pilobolus is a pioneering American dance company internationally renowned for its imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration. The group first began performing in 1971, and has been touring worldwide since that date.

MILEY CYRUS
At the age of just 17, Miley Cyrus is already an international superstar. Since first bursting onto the scene in the smash hit Disney series ‘Hannah Montana’, Miley Cyrus has garnered four Billboard Number 1 albums in the US charts.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG
Whoopi Goldberg is among the most well-known performers around the world. She shot to international fame with her Oscar-nominated performance in Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Color Purple’, before embarking on a prolific Hollywood career with films such as ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, ‘Soapdish’, ‘The Lion King’, and, of course, ‘Sister Act’ and its sequel.

THE CAST OF SISTER ACT
Based on the smash hit movie, and co-produced by its star Whoopi Goldberg, ‘Sister Act’ opened at the historic London Palladium in June 2009.

PADDY McGUINNESS
Paddy McGuinness made his mark on the TV and comedy world playing the lovable doorman ‘Paddy O’Shea’ in two series of the hugely popular ‘Phoenix Nights’. Paddy will host ‘Take Me Out’, a new prime time Saturday night dating show for ITV1 in the New Year.

ALEXANDRA BURKE
Twelve months after being crowned victor of the ‘X Factor’, Alexandra Burke has delivered the pop album of the year. The album entered the UK charts at Number 1 with the highest opening week sales of any debut album this year.

MORECAMBE
‘Morecambe’ is a wonderfully entertaining tribute to the extraordinary life of Britain’s best loved comic Eric Morecambe who, alongside Ernie Wise, formed a comedy partnership that would last an astonishing 43 years.

MIKA
Mika started his career with the single ‘Grace Kelly’ selling three million copies worldwide, and only the second British single to have a Number 1 on downloads alone. His debut album ‘Life In Cartoon Motion’ has sold over six million copies since its release.

PAUL ZERDIN
Paul Zerdin is the man who has made ventriloquism cool, serving up a winning combination of charm, impeccable comic timing and continual audience interaction that will not leave a dry eye in the house.

MICHAEL BUBLE
Internationally acclaimed, Grammy award winning singer Michael Bublé, has sold more than 22 million albums worldwide.

ANDRE RIEU
Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu has achieved phenomenal success all around the world with both his live and recording work. He truly has a different, but very successful approach to his profession, bringing classical music and joy to everyone.

JASON MANFORD
Renowned for his charming and effortless delivery, Jason Manford is honoured to bring his natural hilarity to the Royal Variety Performance this year. His place as the UK’s fastest rising comedy star has been firmly cemented by his first national tour, selling over 100,000 tickets.

DIVERSITY
In May, Diversity took the UK by storm by winning ‘Britain’s Got Talent 2009’, watched by a TV audience of nearly 20 million. As a result, they earnt their slot on to this year's show. With 11 members ranging in age from 13–26, their magnificent eye-catching routines won the hearts of the nation and forced Simon Cowell to describe them as “sheer and utter perfection”.

ADAM HILLS
Australian comedian, Adam Hills, joins us fresh from his smash-hit run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe festival and a sell-out UK tour.

LADY GAGA
Lady Gaga – the biggest selling new artist of 2009 bar none – has been racking up accolades almost as fast as record sales following the release of her Grammy nominated debut single, ‘Just Dance’, and its parent album, ‘The Fame’, at the start of 2009.

LES 7 DOIGTS DE LA MAIN
Les 7 doigts de la main, or the ‘7 Fingers’, are a contemporary circus troupe founded by seven seasoned circus performers.

KATHERINE JENKINS
With over three million record sales already under her belt and two Classical Brit Awards for ‘Album of the Year’, Katherine Jenkins’ rise to stardom has been meteoric!

HAL CRUTTENDEN
Hal Cruttenden originally trained as an actor and has appeared in the likes of ‘Kavanagh QC’, ‘Shackleton’ and ‘Mrs Dalloway’.

BETTE MIDLER
Bette Midler began her career as an entertainer in 1965 and for the past 40 years she has been a major force in all aspects of the entertainment industry. Her awards include Grammys, Emmys, a Tony and Golden Globes.

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