Douglas Mayo

Douglas Mayo has had a life long love affair with musical theatre. He has authored several books on publicity and marketing for amateur theatre groups. He is in the process of developing a musical based on his original story concept.

Sand In The Sandwiches UK Tour

News, Touring, West End

Edward Fox is to play John Betjeman in a new one man play called Sand In The Sandwiches exploring the life and work of the twentieth century’s most treasured poet. Sand In The Sandwiches comes to the Theatre Royal Haymarket for a strictly limited season fresh from a sell-out UK tour. Sand In The Sandwiches celebrates a man famous not only for laughter and light verse, but for his unfortgettable poetry, his passions and his sense of purpose. Sand In The Sandwiches presents a hugely entertaining insight into the world of Britain’s Poet Laureate. Triple BAFTA winner Edward Fox brings much-loved irreverent writer Betjeman’s vivacious personality and poetry to life. Written by Hugh Whitemore and directed by Gareth Armstrong, Sand In The Sandwiches will visit Northampton before London, followed by an extended UK tour visiting Cambridge, Malvern, Woking, Brighton and Bath. Sand In The Sandwiches will play for one week … Read more

Extra Performance Added As Jersey Boys Nears End Of London Run

Jersey Boys the musical, News, West End
Book tickets for Jersey Boys

As Jersey Boys nears the end of its impressive run in London’s West End, producers have announced that an extra performance of the show has been added on Thursday 23 March at 3pm. The announcement of an extra performance comes in the same week that Jersey Boys set a new house record for ticket sales in the history of the Piccadilly Theatre. Now the sixth longest-running musical in West End history, Jersey Boys will close on Sunday 26 March 2017 following nine years of performances first at the Prince Edward Theatre and then at the Piccadilly Theatre. The London cast of Jersey Boys is led by Matt Corner as Frankie Valli, Simon Bailey as Tommy DeVito, Declan Egan as Bob Gaudio and Matt Hunt as Nick Massi. Dayle Hodge plays the role of Frankie Valli at certain performances. Also in the cast are Amelia Adams-Pearce, Nicola Brazil, Stuart Dawes, Mark … Read more

Hair 50th Anniversary Production To Play London’s Vaults

News, Off West End
Hair 50th Anniversary Production comes to The Vaults London

Following its acclaimed season the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, Jonathan O’Boyle’s 50th Anniversary production of Hair will transfer to The Vaults from Wednesday 4 October 2017 for a limited season. Heralded as being a mini-Woodstock, this unique production of Hair will take advantage of the immersive nature of the space complete with hippie flower power, iconic artwork and psychedelic innovative creatives. There will also be 60’s themed pop-up restaurants and drinks, stalls selling vintage 60s and tie dye clothes, 60s smiley badges and memorabilia, hippie wigs and flower headdresses, vinyl’s – everything needed for a legal high. Hair will be presented in an intimate 200 seats space, where audiences will experience Hair in all its glory, still as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. It’s 1967 and Hair‘s hippie-hood youngsters live as The Tribe, in the East Village of New York: yearning to change the world, questioning … Read more

Nashville In Concert UK Tour

Concerts, News, Touring

Stars from the television series Nashville are heading back to the UK om June 2017. The Nashville in Concert UK Tour will feature Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Charles Esten and Sam Palladio performing original material and songs from the hit TV series. This will be the second tour that the cast of Nashville has undertaken in the UK following the sell-out success of the first tour. Since its debut, the show has inspired multiple Music of Nashville soundtracks as well as a Christmas album, collectively selling more than a million soundtracks and millions more single tracks to date. Steve Buchanan, president of Opry Entertainment, said: “Our first international tour proved how tremendously popular Nashville and its cast are beyond the US. “We look forward to more sell-out shows this summer featuring cast members who are not only amazing actors, performers, and songwriters, but who have also become incredible ambassadors for … Read more

Miranda Hart To Make West End Debut As Miss Hannigan In Annie

News, West End
Miranda Hart will star as Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Piccadilly Theatre

Annie is headed back to London’s West End, this time featuring multi award-winning comedy writer, actor and author Miranda Hart in her West End stage debut as the infamous Miss Hannigan! Annie will open at the Piccadilly Theatre in May 2017 directed by Nikolai Foster and produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian. Bookings for Annie open Friday 17 February 2017 with our exclusive Pre-Sale Period. Set in 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Her luck changes when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the residence of famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Meanwhile, spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family… Miranda Hart said: “Miss Hannigan is a dream role, and certainly has been for me, but I never thought it would … Read more

Samuel French Closes London Theatre Bookshop

Features, News, West End
Samuel French's London Theatre Bookshop will close in Mid April.

We were saddened to hear today that play publisher Samuel French will close their theatre bookshop in London in mid-April. Samuel French has been publishing plays in London for over 187 years, but faced with a rental increase of 200%, the shop’s current location in Fitzroy Street was no longer tenable. In an email thanking their loyal customer base Samuel French made the following statement “we want to thank our loyal customers from all over the world who’ve supported our bookshop through the years. We’ve loved meeting and helping you all, and we’re very grateful that the shop has played such an important part in the theatre community. Before the shop closes, we’ll be throwing a party to say farewell and thank you to all of you, and to celebrate the wonderful times we’ve had.” Samuel French will continue to sell theatre books online and their licensing division will continue. … Read more

West End Weekly Round Up – 11 February 2017

News, West End
Book tickets for The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth at the Gielgud Theatre

It’s been a busy week in London’s West End this week. Here is this week’s West End Weekly Round Up. SHOWS ANNOUNCED To follow up his plays Jerusalem and The River, Jes Butterworth will premiere his new play The Ferryman at the Royal Court. The play became the fastest selling play ever at the Royal Court selling out in less than a day. The Ferryman has now announced its transfer to the Gielgud Theatre in June following the closure of the long-running The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time on 3rd June. Mel Brooks will bring his new musical comedy Young Frankenstein to the Garrick Theatre in September 2017 after a brief out of town run at the Theatre Royal Newcastle. Based on the classic film of the same name that starred Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman, Young Frankenstein is a follow-up to Brooks’ wildly successful musical The … Read more

FIRST LOOK: Anyone Can Whistle at the Union Theatre

Features, Gallery, Off West End
Book tickets for Anyone Can Whistle at the Union Theatre

We’re pleased to bring you these great first look production photos of Anyone Can Whistle which is now playing at London’s Union Theatre. This rare revival of Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents musical satire will run until 11 March 2017. Anyone Can Whistle is political allegory in musical comedy form that tells the story of a town that’s gone bankrupt because its only industry is manufacturing something that never wears out. In order to revive her town Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper and her town council fake a miracle – water flowing from a rock – to attract tourists. When patients at the local mental hospital escape and mix with the townspeople and tourists, chaos ensues whilst J. Bowden Hapgood, a fake psychiatrist falls in love with Fay Apple, a nurse at the asylum who has disguised herself as a miracle verifier sent from Lourdes. The show contains a raft of … Read more