Blackpool Winter Gardens’ first pantomime in 60 years, Cinderella, will play the Opera House from Sunday 13 December 2020 – Sunday 3 January 2021
The Winter Gardens Blackpool announced today their partnership with West End Producer Mark Goucher (Hairspray, Priscilla Queen of the Desert) to bring Blackpool’s biggest ever family pantomime to the Opera House Blackpool next Christmas. CINDERELLA will play at the Opera House Blackpool from Sunday 13 December to Sunday 3 January 2021. Tickets on sale now with star casting to be announced soon.
“This is really exciting news for the venue and the people of Blackpool. After such a long absence we can’t wait to put on the best pantomime that the Opera House has ever seen. This large scale production of Cinderella will really put the magic into Christmas 2020!”.
Michael Williams, Managing Director of the Winter Gardens
The Opera House has enjoyed years of Christmas musicals, but not since the production of Dick Whittington in 1956, has a family pantomime played at the Winter Gardens. To celebrate the return of pantomime to the venue, each performance will have over 100 tickets priced at just £10 providing unbelievable value and the opportunity for all to experience theatre at Christmas time.
“After years of touring our first-class hit musicals Hairspray and Priscilla Queen of the Desert to Blackpool and entertaining sold out audiences across Christmas time with pantomime this year, this new partnership with the Winter Gardens will see Blackpool’s biggest family pantomime, focused on local references, topical jokes and above all – high quality production values and special effects all at affordable prices with recognisable faces from screen and stage!”
West End Producer, Mark Goucher
CINDERELLA is written by Samuel Holmes (Club Tropicana, Curtains, Shrek, Monty Python Live), Directed and Choreographed by Nick Winston (Annie, Club Tropicana, Fame, Royal Variety Performance), Musical Supervision & Arrangements by Charlie Ingles with designs by Phil R Daniels & Charles Cusick Smith, produced by Mark Goucher for Charming Pantomimes in association with Winter Gardens Blackpool.
Audiences can expect jaw dropping special effects, a fabulous fairy, stunning costumes, some very wicked ugly sisters and a toe-tapping soundtrack of hit songs that will have everyone singing along. So, polish your pumpkins, dust off your gowns and grab your glass slippers to find out if Cinderella will go to the ball. Will she find her Prince Charming or will the Ugly Sisters ruin the day?
Casting for the UK premiere of Be More Chill, the mind-bendingly fun, smash hit Broadway musical was announced today.
The leads roles of Jeremy Heere will be played by Scott Folan (recent credits include Mother of Him at Park Theatre, Damned By Despair at the National Theatre) and Michael Mell by Blake Patrick Anderson (previous musicals credits include Straight Dave in Pet Shop Boys’ Closer to Heaven and Starlight Express).
Two former Queens join the Be More Chill company in the shape of Renee Lamb and Millie O’Connell. They both starred in one of Britain’s most celebrated and popular new musicals: Six: The Musical. Renee played Catherine of Aragon in the original Arts Theatre production, and Millie played Anne Boleyn at the Arts Theatre.
Also announced today are: Miracle Chance as Christine Canigula, Stewart Clarke as The Squip, Eloise Davies as Brooke Lohst, James Hameed as Rich Goranski, Miles Paloma as Jake Dillinger, Christopher Fry as Mr Heere and Mr Reyes and Eve Norris (swing) with further company members to be announced.
Be More Chill, which premieres at The Other Palace on Wednesday 12 February 2020, is based on the groundbreaking novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini.
With original music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, Be More Chill is an international sensation – when the 2015 Original Cast Recording was released by Ghostlight Records, millions of people streamed the album and formed a passionate community of Be More Chillfans, ultimately leading the musical to receive a Broadway production.
When the 2019 Broadway Cast Recording was subsequently released by Ghostlight Records, it debuted at #2 on the Top Cast Albums Chart. Songs from the musical have accumulatively garnered over 318 million streams, with the breakout track Michael In The Bathroom amassing over 31 million streams and 8 million YouTube views alone. Tumblr has ranked Be More Chill as the #2 most talked-about musical on their platform, behind only Hamilton.
This new production of Be More Chill will run at The Other Palace through until Sunday 3 May 2020, with a press night on Tuesday 18 February at 7:00pm.
Be More Chill tells the atypical love story of a boy, a girl….and the supercomputer inside the boy’s head guiding him every step of the way. The boy is desperately trying to fit in. The girl’s longing to be noticed. And the supercomputer just wants to take over the world.
The Tony Award-nominated score bursts with addictively catchy songs including More than Survive, Be More Chill and the hugely popular Michael in the Bathroom.
Be More Chill was commissioned by and premiered at Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey in 2015, had a limited run, and Ghostlight Records released an original cast recording. In 2017, the number of online listeners to the recording started growing, with fans creating animated YouTube videos, art fiction, blogs and vlogs.
In 2018, the show’s creators thought it was time to bring it back – resulting in an ‘off-Broadway production’ and this year’s Broadway run at the Lyceum Theatre. Its runaway success continues with this London premiere at The Other Palace and a film adaptation which is currently underway.
Joining Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz on the creative team are director Stephen Brackett, choreographer Chase Brock, set designer Beowulf Boritt, costume designer Bobby Frederick Tilley II, lighting designer Tyler Micoleau, sound designer Ryan Rumery and projection designer Alex Basco Koch with wigs by Dave Bova. Orchestrations are by Charlie Rosen, vocal arrangements by Emily Marshall, UK Musical Direction by Louisa GreenandUK casting is by Will Burton.
Jerry Goehring and Lisa Dozier King are Executive Producers for the UK Production of Be More Chill.
The 2019 Olivier Awards took place at the Royal Albert Hall last night. The awards ceremony, hosted by Jason Manford, saw Sharon D Clarke get her second Olivier Award as well as The Inheritance, Company and Come From Awaybeing awarded 4 awards each.
The 2019 Olivier Awards saw The Inheritance, Company & Come From Away get four awards each.
Read the full list of winners in bold below.
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Jonathan Bailey, Company at the Gielgud Theatre Clive Carter, Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre Richard Fleeshman, Company at the Gielgud Theatre Robert Hands, Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Patti LuPone, Company at the Gielgud Theatre Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I at the London Palladium “The Queens” – Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Millie O’Connell, Natalie Paris, Maiya Quansah-Breed and Jarneia Richard-Noel – for Six at Arts Theatre Rachel Tucker, Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC
Come From Away – Book, Music and Lyrics: David Hein and Irene Sankoff; Music Supervisor, Arrangements: Ian Eisendrath; Orchestrations: August Eriksmoen; Musical Director/UK Music Supervisor: Alan Berry; and the band of Come From Away at Phoenix Theatre Fun Home – Composer: Jeanine Tesori; Lyricist/Bookwriter: Lisa Kron at Young Vic The Inheritance – Composer: Paul Englishby at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre A Monster Calls – Original music composed by Benji Bower and performed live by Benji with Will Bower (The Bower Brothers) at The Old Vic Six – Original score, orchestrations and vocal arrangements: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss, Tom Curran and Joe Beighton at Arts Theatre
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
16 A Room/Solo Echo/Bill by Ballet British Columbia at Sadler’s Wells Blkdog by Botis Seva at Sadler’s Wells Playlist (Track 1, 2) by William Forsythe for English National Ballet at Sadler’s Wells The Unknown Soldier by Alastair Marriott for The Royal Ballet at Royal Opera House
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Akram Khan for his performance in Xenos at Sadler’s Wells John Macfarlane for his design of Swan Lake at Royal Opera House Dimitris Papaioannou for his choreography of The Great Tamer at Sadler’s Wells
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
A Monster Calls at The Old Vic Snow White at The London Palladium Songs For Nobodies at Ambassadors Theatre The Wider Earth at Jerwood Gallery, Natural History Museum
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
Kelly Devine for Come From Away at Phoenix Theatre Christopher Gattelli based on original choreography by Jerome Robbins for The King And I at The London Palladium Carrie-Anne Ingrouille for Six at Arts Theatre Liam Steel for Company at Gielgud Theatre
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
Caroline, Or Change at Playhouse Theatre Company at Gielgud Theatre The King And I at The London Palladium
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Marc Antolin for Little Shop Of Horrors at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Kobna Holdbrook-Smith for Tina – The Tina Turner Musical at Aldwych Theatre Zubin Varla for Fun Home at Young Vic Ken Watanabe for The King And I at The London Palladium
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Sharon D Clarke for Caroline, Or Change at Playhouse Theatre Rosalie Craig for Company at Gielgud Theatre Kelli O’Hara for The King And I at The London Palladium Adrienne Warren for Tina – The Tina Turner Musical at Aldwych Theatre
BEST REVIVAL
King Lear at Duke of York’s Theatre The Lieutenant Of Inishmore at Noël Coward Theatre The Price at Wyndham’s Theatre Summer And Smoke at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre
BEST NEW COMEDY
Home, I’m Darling at National Theatre – Dorfman and Duke of York’s Theatre Nine Night at National Theatre – Dorfman and Trafalgar Studios 1 Quiz at Noël Coward Theatre
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Moe Bar-El for his performance in Every Day I Make Greatness Happen at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs Flesh And Bone at Soho Theatre Jonathan Hyde for his performance in Gently Down The Stream at Park Theatre The Phlebotomist at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs Athena Stevens for Schism at Park Theatre
AWARD FOR BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Neil Austin for Company at Gielgud Theatre Howell Binkley for Come From Away at Phoenix Theatre Jon Clark for The Inheritance at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre Lee Curran for Summer And Smoke at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid for The Inheritance at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre Mike Beer for A Monster Calls at The Old Vic Carolyn Downing for Summer And Smoke at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre Gareth Owen for Come From Away at Phoenix Theatre Nick Powell for The Lehman Trilogy at National Theatre – Lyttelton
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Fly Davis for Caroline, Or Change at Playhouse Theatre Anna Fleischle for Home, I’m Darling at National Theatre – Dorfman and Duke of York’s Theatre Gabriella Slade for Six at Arts Theatre Catherine Zuber for The King And I at The London Palladium
AWARD FOR BEST SET DESIGN
Bunny Christie for Company at Gielgud Theatre Bob Crowley for The Inheritance at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre Es Devlin for The Lehman Trilogy at National Theatre – Lyttelton Anna Fleischle for Home, I’m Darling at National Theatre – Dorfman and Duke of York’s Theatre
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Keir Charles for Quiz at Noël Coward Theatre Adam Gillen for Killer Joe at Trafalgar Studios 1 Adrian Lukis for The Price at Wyndham’s Theatre Malcolm Sinclair for Pressure at Ambassadors Theatre Chris Walley for The Lieutenant Of Inishmore at Noël Coward Theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Susan Brown for Home, I’m Darling at National Theatre – Dorfman and Duke of York’s Theatre Monica Dolan for All About Eve at Noël Coward Theatre Cecilia Noble for Nine Night at National Theatre – Dorfman and Trafalgar Studios 1 Vanessa Redgrave for The Inheritance at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
Katya Kabanova at Royal Opera House Lessons In Love And Violence at Royal Opera House The Turn Of The Screw at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
David Butt Philip and Roderick Williams for their performances in War Requiem at London Coliseum The English National Opera chorus for Paul Bunyan at Wilton’s Music Hall Andris Nelsons for his conducting of Lohengrin at Royal Opera House The ensemble of Porgy And Bess at London Coliseum
BEST ACTOR
Adam Godley, Ben Miles and Simon Russell Beale for The Lehman Trilogy at National Theatre – Lyttelton Arinzé Kene for Misty at Trafalgar Studios 1 Ian McKellen for King Lear at Duke of York’s Theatre Kyle Soller for The Inheritance at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre David Suchet for The Price at Wyndham’s Theatre
BEST ACTRESS
Gillian Anderson for All About Eve at Noël Coward Theatre Eileen Atkins for The Height Of The Storm at Wyndham’s Theatre Patsy Ferran for Summer And Smoke at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre Sophie Okonedo for Antony And Cleopatra at National Theatre – Olivier Katherine Parkinson for Home, I’m Darling at National Theatre – Dorfman and Duke of York’s Theatre
SIR PETER HALL AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Christopher Ashley for Come From Away at Phoenix Theatre Stephen Daldry for The Inheritance at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre Marianne Elliott for Company at Gielgud Theatre Rebecca Frecknall for Summer And Smoke at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre Sam Mendes for The Lehman Trilogy at National Theatre – Lyttelton
BEST NEW PLAY
The Inheritance at Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre The Lehman Trilogy at National Theatre – Lyttelton Misty at Trafalgar Studios 1 Sweat at Donmar Warehouse
Get a first look and listen to Anna O’Byrne’s haunting version of ‘Somebody’ from the premiere of Michel Legrand’s Tony Award-nominated musical Amour at Charing Cross Theatre!
Gary Tushaw will take centrestage in the UK professional premiere of multi award-winning composer Michel Legrand’s musical fantasy Amour at London’s Charing Cross Theatre next month.
Featuring music by Legrand with English Lyrics by Jeremy Sams (from the original French by Didier Van Cauwelaert), Tushaw (Ragtime, Charing Cross Theatre, Allegro, Southwark Playhouse) will star as Dusoleil, the shy Parisian civil servant who magically acquires the ability to work through walls.
He will be joined by Anna O’Byrne (The Woman In White, Charing Cross Theatre; Phantom of the Opera,West End) as Isabelle with Alasdair Harvey (We Will Rock You, Sunset Boulevard, West End) as Isabelle’s controlling husband, the Prosecutor.
They will be joined by Elissa Churchill (Elephant Steps, Arcola); Claire Machin (Flowers For Mrs Harris, Chichester Festival Theatre; Titanic, Charing Cross Theatre and UK tour); Keith Ramsay (The Cereal Cafe, The Other Palace); Steven Serlin (The Wild Party, The Other Palace; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, West End); Alistair So (The King and I, West End, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Daniel Stockton (Guys & Dolls, Kilworth House); with understudies Laura Barnard and Jack Reitman.
Announced earlier this year, just a few weeks after legendary film composer Legrand died at the age of 86, his Tony-nominated Broadway debut musical will play the central London venue from Thursday 2 May until Saturday 20 July 2019.
The show’s producer Danielle Tarento said: “Whilst I am so delighted to be producing this beautiful show, there is a tinge of sadness that Michel never got to see Amourin London, something that he sorely wanted. I hope the production serves as a fitting tribute to this extraordinary man.”
Set just after the end of the Second World War and adapted from the short story Le Passe-Murailleby Marcel Aymé, the musical follows the fortunes of Dusoleil who uses his new-found powers to rob from the rich to give to the poor and changes his own life in the process. The show was first seen on Broadway in 2002 where it was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical.
The Charing Cross production will be directed by Hannah Chissick with choreography by Matt Cole. The creative team also includes: production designer Adrian Gee, lighting designer Rob Halliday, sound designer Andrew Johnson, musical director Jordan Li-Smith and producer and casting director Danielle Tarento.
Following two highly acclaimed runs at Leicester’s Curve theatre in 2015 and the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2017, Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾ – The Musical, will open at the Ambassadors Theatre for a limited season from 15 June until 12 October 2019, with a Gala Night on Tuesday 2 July. Tickets on sale from 5 April. The musical has book and lyrics by Jake Brunger, music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary and direction by Luke Sheppard. Casting to be announced.
The musical, based off Sue Townsend’s best-selling book, comes to the West End this Summer.
Set in 1980s Leicester, this adaptation of Sue Townsend‘s best-selling book is a timeless tale of teenage angst, family struggles and unrequited love, told through the eyes of tortured poet and misunderstood intellectual Adrian Mole. One of the most enduring comedy characters of all time, he is the hapless, hilarious, spotty teenager who captured the zeitgeist of 1980s Britain, and this critically acclaimed production brings Adrian’s story to life for a new generation of theatregoers.
“Honestly. My family just don’t understand me. Perhaps when I am famous and my diary is discovered people will understand the torment of being a 13¾ year-old intellectual” Adrian Mole.
Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said, “It has been a great joy for all of us at Curve to see Sue Townsend’s ‘misunderstood intellectual’ flourish under the inspired writing of Jake and Pippa. We are immensely proud that, after a triumphant opening in Leicester and acclaimed season at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Adrian, Nigel, Pandora and their motley crew are now rocking up in the glitzy West End. It is wonderful to see Sue’s legacy live on and that this quirky, joyous, turbo-charged, home-grown new musical has been embraced so whole-heartedly by audiences at home in Leicester and London.”
The 2015 Leicester Curve production. (Pamela Raith)
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ was Townsend’s first novel, was originally published in 1982 by Methuen, but is now published by Penguin Books. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, been translated into 30 languages, and spawned seven sequel Adrian Mole novels. The novels have previously been adapted for the stage, radio and television.
The Townsend family said, “Sue loved West End theatre, and she loved working with Jake and Pippa on the creation of this show. We’re very happy for her and Mole that thirty years after his last appearance, a new generation has brought him back.”
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾- The Musical has choreography by Rebecca Howell, set and costume design by Tom Rogers, lighting design by Howard Hudson, musical direction by Mark Collins, musical supervision & orchestrations by Paul Herbert and children’s casting by Jo Hawes CDG.
This production is produced by Anthony Clare, Ramin Sabi, Knickerbockerglory, Mark Puddle, and Curve. Originally commissioned by Curve and Royal and Derngate, Northampton.
Dutch musical Soldier of Orange will have its UK premiere at a specially created 360-degree theatre in London next year.
The production, which has been seen by over 2.8 million people in Holland, is based on the story of Dutch resistance fighter Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema, who joined the RAF during the Second World War. His story was adapted into a film of the same name in 1977 directed by Peter Verhoeven (RoboCop).
The Dutch musical, Soldier of Orange, will open in late 2020.
The musical, which will be performed in English, has a book by Edwin de Vries, with music and lyrics written by Tom Harriman and Pamela Phillips Oland. This first English production is adapted for the British stage by Jeremy Brock.
Soldier Of Orange will be performed in a special theatre (being built in late 2019, subject to planning permission) located in London’s Royal Docks, opposite London’s City Airport.
Audiences will sit on a special rotating 1100-seat platform, which slowly reveals a 360-degree panoramic set during the course of the show.
It’s time again for Everything Changes! This is the weekly feature that keeps you informed of shows that are opening and closing in the West End and Off-West End.
This week features Scary Bikers, which is opening at Trafalgar Studios 2, Nigel Slater’s Toast, whichstarts its run at The Other Palace, and the Donmar Warehouse revival of Sweet Charity.
Scary Bikers by John Godber opens at Trafalgar Studios 2 on 2nd April.
Location: Trafalgar Studios 2
Dates: 2nd Apr to 27th Apr 2019
Cast: John Godber & Jane Thornton
Creatives: John Godber (Author & Director), John Godber Company & Theatre Royal Wakefield
A new comedy about life, love and staying on your bike!
When retired miner Don and former private school teacher Carol meet by chance after both suffering a loss, they thought they’d found a new beginning. But a bike ride through Europe would test their budding romance, and the road to love is rocky when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.
Join them on their hilarious and heartfelt journey, as they reconcile the past, debate the present and worry about the future. Whether they’re saddle sore in Southampton, blistered in Bordeaux or frazzled in Florence, one thing is for sure – it takes two to tandem!
Starring the double BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning partnership of John Godber and Jane Thornton, whose feature film Last Laugh was released October 2017.
Nigel Slater’s Toast – The Other Palace (from 4th April)
Toast starts performances at The Other Palace from 4th April.
Location: The Other Palace
Dates: 4th Apr to 3rd Aug 2019
Cast: Giles Cooper (Nigel Slater), Lizzie Muncey (Mum), Stephen Ventura (Dad), Marie Lawrence (Joan) & Jake Ferretti (Josh).
Creatives: Nigel Slater (Book), Henry Filloux-Bennett (Adaptation), PW Productions (The Lowry production) & Jonnie Riordan (Director)
Based on the British Book Awards Biography of the Year, Toast is the story of Nigel Slater’s childhood, told through the tastes and smells he grew up with.
From making the perfect sherry trifle to waging a war over cakes and from the pressured playground politics of sweets to the rigid rules of restaurant dining, this is a story of love, loss and… toast.
Sweet Charity – Donmar Warehouse (from 6th April)
Sweet Charity starts performances at Donmar Warehouse from 6th April.
Location: Donmar Warehouse
Dates: 6th Apr to 8th Jun 2019
Cast:
Arthur Darvill (Oscar Lindquist), Anne-Marie Duff (Charity Hope Valentine), Lizzy Connolly (Nickie), Lauren Drew, Jo Eaton-Kent, Will Haswell, Charlotte Jaconelli, Stephen Kennedy (Herman), Debbie Kurup (Helene), Martin Marquez (Vittorio Vidal), Ryan Reid, Amy Ellen Richardson (Ursula March), Danielle Steers (Carmen) & Shaq Taylor
Creatives:
Neil Simon (Book), Cy Coleman (Music), Dorothy Fields (Lyrics), Bob Fosse (Original Choreographer), Donmar Warehouse (Producer), Josie Rourke (Director), Wayne McGregor (Choreographer), Robert Jones (Design), Gareth Valentine (Musical Supervisor), Mark Henderson (Lighting), Nick Lidster (for Autograph) (Sound), Larry Blank (Orchestration), Mark Cumberland (Orchestration), Ralph Burns (Original Orchestration), Finn Ross (Video Design) &David Grindrod (CDG – Casting Director).
“The minute you walked in the joint, I could see you were a man of distinction, a real Big Spender…”
New York, 1967. Charity Hope Valentine is a dance hall hostess who “runs her a heart like a hotel – you’ve got men checking in and out all the time.” At the raw end of a long line of users and losers, she meets Oscar, a mild-mannered tax accountant, and Charity Hope Valentine once again puts her faith into love.
Josie Rourke returns to the work of Cy Coleman, who wrote the music for City of Angels, with the Broadway classic Sweet Charity. With choreography from the world-renowned Wayne McGregor, Rourke reunites with Anne-Marie Duff as Charity, and Arthur Darvill makes his Donmar debut as Oscar, for her farewell production as Donmar Artistic Director.
Another Opening Of Another Show
Where is Peter Rabbit? (Theatre Royal Haymarket, 3 Apr to 28 Apr)
Michael Starring Ben (London Palladium, 6 Apr)
Sunday Encounters – Anne Reid interviews Sir Derek Jacobi (Theatre Royal Haymarket, 7 Apr)
Ivan Putrov – Against The Stream (London Coliseum, 7 Apr)
Jekyll and Hyde (Bridewell Theatre, 2 Apr to 6 Apr)
Rumours of Fleetwood Mac – 40 Years of Rumours (Cadogan Hall, 2 Apr to 3 Apr)
Mouthpiece (Soho Theatre, 2 Apr to 4 May)
Seven and Half Years – The Musical (Bridewell Theatre, 2 Apr to 12 Apr)
Hush Now (Barons Court Theatre, 2 Apr to 6 Apr)
The Noises (Old Red Lion, 2 Apr to 20 Apr)
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story (The Hope Theatre, 2 Apr to 20 Apr)
She Stoops to Conquer (LAMDA, 2 Apr to 11 Apr)
Keep Watching (The New Diorama Theatre, 2 Apr to 4 May)
Herstoric – The Year Without a Summer/A Mother’s War: Two New Hour-Long Musicals (Drayton Arms Theatre, 2 Apr to 6 Apr)
Elephant in the Room (Camden People’s Theatre, 2 Apr to 20 Apr)
Violet, Undetectable & Billy Bishop Goes To War are three shows that will close this week.
3 Apr
Rumours of Fleetwood Mac – 40 Years of Rumours (Cadogan Hall)
Alleyne Dance – The Other Side of Me (The Place Theatre)
4 Apr
Too Many Men (Tristan Bates Theatre)
5 Apr
Albert Quesada & Zoltán Vakulya – OneTwoThreeOneTwoOlivier de Sagazan – Transfiguration (The Lilian Baylis Theatre)
The Magic of Motown – Reach Out (Cadogan Hall)
6 Apr
Michael Starring Ben (London Palladium)
VIOLET (Charing Cross Theatre)
The Crown Dual (The King’s Head Theatre)
Undetectable (The King’s Head Theatre)
After Edward (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre)
Jekyll and Hyde (Bridewell Theatre)
Hush Now (Barons Court Theatre)
Oranges & Ink (Tristan Bates Theatre)
Romance Romance (Above The Stag Theatre)
Herstoric – The Year Without a Summer/A Mother’s War: Two New Hour-Long Musicals (Drayton Arms Theatre)
A Land Without Jasmine (BAC – Battersea Arts Centre)
Half Me, Half You (Tristan Bates Theatre)
The Son (The Kiln)
Maz Jobrani (Cadogan Hall)
The Mission: Occupy Mars (BAC – Battersea Arts Centre)
Othello (Union Theatre)
Billy Bishop Goes to War (Southwark Playhouse)
7 Apr
Sunday Encounters – Anne Reid interviews Sir Derek Jacobi (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Ivan Putrov – Against The Stream (London Coliseum)
Goodbye Norma Jeane (Above the Stag Theatre)
Home (Southwark Playhouse)
Oral (Camden People’s Theatre)
Hancock’s Half Hour (Leicester Square Theatre)
Little Potatoes (Old Red Lion)
This week isn’t necessarily a big week of changes, especially not in the West End. There is an exciting addition, however, in the form of the Donmar Warehouse revival of Sweet Charity. It will be interesting to see whether this production will get the same fortune as Donmar’s Sweat, and get a transfer after its run.
This week we we will sadly say goodbye to Violet at the Charing Cross Theatre as it will soon be making its journey to Japan, as it was a co-production between the UK and Japan. It seems unlikely that the production will be making a return to the UK so make sure you book your tickets before it leaves the Off-West End venue.
SDWC Productions announce the full cast for the revival of the hit British musical Maggie May. With music and lyrics by Lionel Bart and book by renowned dramatist Alun Owen, Maggie May has not been seen on the professional stage in London since its 1964 premiere at the Adelphi Theatre.
First London revival of Maggie May comes to the Finborough Theatre
In this hard-hitting celebration of working class life in Liverpool’s docks in the 1960s, Maggie May will be played by Kara Lily Hayworth (Cilla the Musical, National Tour; Annie, National Tour; The Mystery of Edwin Drood), with James Darch (Wicked, Apollo Victoria; Mamma Mia!, Novello Theatre; Cats, National Tour) as Patrick Casey, and Natalie Williams (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal Drury Lane; Oliver!, Leicester Curve; Scrooge, London Palladium) playing Maureen O’Neill.
Kara Lily Hayworth, James Darch and Natalie Williams will star in the new production of Maggie May.
The cast also includes Mark Pearce (Twelfth Night, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; The Wedding Singer, Leicester Curve), Leon Kay (High Society, The Old Vic; Billy Elliot, National Tour), Michael Nelson (Mamma Mia!, National and International Tour; The Rink, Southwark Playhouse; Our House, National Tour), Barnaby Taylor (The Tempest, The Faith Machine, Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Aaron Kavanagh (Some Lovers, The Other Palace; This is The Greatest Show, National Tour; The Rocky Horror Show, European Tour), Chloe Carrington (Jersey Boys, International Tour; The Wizard of Oz, Blackpool Opera House), Euan Bennet (Sunshine On Leith, West Yorkshire Playhouse and National Tour; Jack and The Beanstalk, Paisley Arts Centre); Cathy McManamon (Me and My Girl, London Palladium; Jack The Ripper, Jermyn Street), Joshua Barton (The Commitments, National Tour and Ireland Tour; What The Ladybird Heard, International Tour) and David Keller (Hamlet, Theatr Clwyd; The Elephant Man, Theatre Royal Plymouth).
This production marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Lionel Bart, described by Andrew Lloyd Webber as ‘the father of the modern British Musical’. Winner of the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Score of the Year and the Critics’ Poll Award for Best New British Musical, Maggie May includes one the most musically diverse scores of the 1960s, ranging from bitter sweet ballads, Mersey Beat rock ‘n’ roll and classic chorus numbers.
Full of vigour, northern wit and brassy tunes, this is the story of ‘street walker’ Maggie May Duffy and her childhood sweetheart, Patrick Casey. Their love story is set against the economic decline of Liverpool’s docks at the height of the City’s cultural revival through the Mersey Beat sound.
Commenting on this London revival, the Lionel Bart Estate said, “We are delighted to see Maggie May return to London after 55 years. This show was very important to Lionel and we only wish he were here to see it.”
Tickets are available priced from £20 (£18 concessions) until 7th April and then £25 (£20 concessions) from 9th April. £10 for under 30s for the first week only. Call 01223 357 851 or book online at www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk.
Louise Redknapp re-joins the cast of 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL in the role of ‘Violet Newstead’ at the Savoy Theatre, London from tonight, Monday 25 March until 29 June 2019. 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL opened in the West End last month, where Dolly Parton attended the premiere and joined the cast on stage at the finale. The show is booking at the Savoy Theatre until 31 August 2019.
Louise Redknapp in 9 to 5 the Musical at Savoy Theatre, London
Louise Redknapp most recently starred as ‘Sally Bowles’ in the national tour of “Cabaret”. In 2016 she reached the final of “Strictly Come Dancing”. As a musician Louise has sold millions of records. She was a member of the band Eternal before embarking on a highly successful solo career, with her first live shows in 15 years selling out all over the UK.
Louise joins Amber Davies as ‘Judy Bernly’, Natalie McQueen as ‘Doralee Rhodes’, Bonnie Langford as ‘Roz Keith’ and Brian Conley as ‘Franklin Hart’.
Everything Changes is back! This is the weekly feature that keeps you informed on shows that are opening and closing in the West End and Off-West End theatre scene. Here are the shows that are ‘opening up’ and some that we have to wish ‘happy trails’ to.
Opening Up!
Top Girls – Lyttelton (National Theatre) (from 26th March)
Top Girls starts performances at the National Theatre from 26th March.
Location: Lyttelton (National Theatre)
Dates: 26th Mar to 22nd Jun 2019
Cast: Liv Hill (Angie), Katherine Kingsley (Mariene), Wendy Kweh (Lady Nijo), Amanda Lawrence (Pope Joan), Ashley McGuire (Dull Gret), Ashna Rabbheru (Kit), Siobhan Redmond (Isabella Bird), Lucy Black, Jessica Brindle, Lucy Ellinson, Amanda Hadingue, Ebony Jonelle, Charlotte Lucas, Roisin Rae, Nadia Williams & Naomi Yang.
Creatives:
Caryl Churchill (Author),National Theatre (Producer), Lyndsey Turner (Director), Ian MacNeil (Design), Merle Hensel (Costume), Jack Knowles (Lighting), Christopher Shutt (Sound)
Now hiring: top girls wanted for prestige positions. Must be self-motivated go-getters with an appetite for success. No timewasters.
Marlene is the first woman to head the Top Girls employment agency. But she has no plans to stop there. With Maggie in at Number 10 and a spirit of optimism consuming the country, Marlene knows that the future belongs to women like her.
For the first time, the National Theatre stages Caryl Churchill’s wildly innovative play about a country divided by its own ambitions.
Churchill’s work includes Far Away, A Number and Escaped Alone. Lyndsey Turner (Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, Chimerica) directs.
Maggie May – Finborough (from 27th March)
Maggie May starts performances on 27th March
Location: Finborough
Dates: 27 Mar to 20th Apr 2019
Cast: Kara Lily Hayworth (Maggie May), James Darch (Patrick Casey), Natalie Williams (Maureen O’Neill), Mark Pearce, Leon Kay, Michael Nelson, Barnaby Taylor, Aaron Kavanagh, Chloe Carrington, Euan Bennet, Cathy McManamon, Joshua Barton & David Keller.
Creatives:
Lionel Bart (Music), Lionel Bart (Lyrics), Alun Owen (Book). Finborough Theatre (Producer), Matthew Iliffe (Director), Verity Johnson (Design), Verity Johnson (Costume), Sam Spencer-Lane (Choreographer), Henry Brenna (Musical Director), Jonathan Simpson (Lighting), Philip Matejtschuk (Sound), Sophie Drake (AssistantDirector) & Debbie O’Brien (Casting Director).
The first professional London production since its 1964 premiere of the hit British musical Maggie May.
A hard-hitting celebration of working-class life in Liverpool’s docks in the 1960s, Maggie May is the story of the doomed love affair between ‘street walker’ Maggie May Duffy and sailor Patrick Casey, the son of a union-martyr, initially reluctant but finally proud to assume his father’s mantle. Around them is a gallery of strongly-drawn characters: Willie Morgan, the corrupt demagogic union leader, Juddah, the ‘fixer’ and traitor, and Old Dooley, obsessed with past union struggles, all caught up in an allegoric musical drama with a devastating tragic climax.
Winner of the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Score of the Year, the show includes one the most musically diverse scores of the 1960s, ranging from bittersweet ballads, Mersey Beat rock’n’roll, and classic chorus numbers from Lionel Bart, the man that Andrew Lloyd Webber described as “the father of the modern British musical”.
Revived by the National Youth Theatre in an acclaimed West End production in 1992, this is the first professional London production since its premiere 55 years ago at the Adelphi Theatre, London, starring Rachel Roberts, Kenneth Haigh and Barry Humphries. This production also commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the death of Lionel Bart.
Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel – London Coliseum (from 30th March)
Performances at London Coliseum from 30th March
Location: London Coliseum
Dates: 30th Mar to 12th Apr 2019
Cast: Claudia Boyle (Mary Kelly), Josephine Barstow (Maud), Janis Kelly (Polly Nichols), Marie McLaughlin (Annie Chapman), Susan Bullock (Liz Stride), Lesley Garrett (Catherine Eddowes), William Morgan (Writer), Alex Otterburn (Squibby), Alan Opie (The Pathologist), Robert Hayward (Commissioner of Police), Nicky Spence (Sergeant Johnny Strong) &James Cleverton (The Photographer).
Creatives:
Iain Bell (Music),, English National Opera (Producer), Opera North (Producer), Martyn Brabbins (Conductor), Daniel Kramer (Director), Soutra Gilmour (Design) & Paul AndersonLighting
A disadvantaged group of working-class women are drawn together in their determination to survive the murderous terror that stalks London’s Whitechapel in 1888. Iain Bell’s new opera explores powerful themes of community and women struggling against the odds, posing questions about the hypocritical attitudes of ‘respectable’ society. The mythic status of the unidentified serial killer is addressed through a refreshingly modern lens, which speaks to us over a century later. With vocal and orchestral writing that always packs an emotional punch, Bell’s score features music that is mercurial and explosive one moment and heart-wrenchingly beautiful the next.
World Premiere. Sung in English, with subtitles projected above the stage.
Another Opening Of Another Show
Sunday Encounters – An Evening with Jason Robert Brown & Special Guests (Theatre Royal Haymarket, 31 Mar)
Ali and Dahlia (Pleasance, 26 Mar to 14 Apr)
Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho (Wilton’s Music Hall, 26 Mar to 30 Mar)
Half Me, Half You (Tristan Bates Theatre, 26 Mar to 6 Apr)
London Contemporary Dance School (The Place Theatre, 26 Mar to 27 Mar)
Shit-Faced Showtime – Oliver with a Twist (Leicester Square Theatre, 27 Mar to 12 Apr)
A Family Outing – 20 Years On (The Pit – Barbican Centre, 27 Mar to 30 Mar)
Cry Havoc (Park Theatre, 27 Mar to 20 Apr)
Oranges & Ink (Tristan Bates Theatre, 27 Mar to 6 Apr)
Going Through (Bush Theatre, 28 Mar to 27 Apr)
The Mission: Occupy Mars (BAC – Battersea Arts Centre, 28 Mar to 6 Apr)
Amazonian Sweat Lodge (Ovalhouse, 28 Mar to 30 Mar)
Bed Peace – The Battle of Yohn and Joko (Cockpit Theatre, 29 Mar to 28 Apr)
Corali Dance Company – with invited guests Thick & Tight (The Place Theatre, 30 Mar)
Tales from Star City (The King’s Head Theatre, 31 Mar to 1 Apr)
Happy Trails!
Company, The American Clock and Alys, Always all have their final performances this week.
25 Mar
Grav (The Hope Theatre)
How Am I Looking Now? (The New Diorama Theatre)
Barefoot (Drayton Arms Theatre)
Sick (The King’s Head Theatre)
27 Mar
London Contemporary Dance School (The Place Theatre)
30 Mar
Company (Gielgud)
The American Clock (Old Vic)
A Hundred Words for Snow (Trafalgar Studios)
A Family Outing – 20 Years On (The Pit – Barbican Centre)
The Life I Lead (Park Theatre)
Alys, Always (Bridge Theatre)
Angry Alan (Soho Theatre)
Trainspotting (Tower Theatre)
Shipwreck (Almeida Theatre)
Circa (Old Red Lion)
The Grenfell Project (The Hope Theatre)
Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho (Wilton’s Music Hall)
High Rise eState of Mind (BAC – Battersea Arts Centre)
The Amygdala (The Chapel Playhouse)
Amazonian Sweat Lodge (Ovalhouse)
Le Gateau Chocolat (Soho Theatre)
Corali Dance Company – with invited guests Thick & Tight (The Place Theatre)
31 Mar
Sunday Encounters – An Evening with Jason Robert Brown & Special Guests (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Strike Up the Band (Upstairs at the Gatehouse)
The Wider Earth (The Natural History Museum)
The Murder Express (Pedley Street Station)
This week is a pretty quite weekend for the West End with Top Girls being the only major addition to Theatreland, in terms of plays and musicals. It is exciting however to see a new opera come to the London Coliseum and to see Lionel Bart’s Maggie May being revived Off-West End.
This week, however, is a sad week for closing productions. This week we see Marianne Elliott’s acclaimed reworking of Stephen Sondheim’s Company close at the Gielgud as well as Rachel Chavkin’s production of Arthur Miller’s The American Clock at The Old Vic. It will be exciting to see how Company performs at the Olivier Awards in two weeks, where it is nominated for 9 awards. Hopefully it will be the perfect sendoff.
