Billy Elliot Opens Tonight In Plymouth

Billy Elliot the muiscal opens tonight in Portsmouth.

The first UK and Ireland tour of Billy Elliot the Musical opens tonight at the Plymouth Theatre Royal. The show stars Matthew Lyons, Lewis Smallman, Haydn May and Adam Abbou as Billy Elliot. The tour will then continue to Sunderland, Bradford, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Southampton and Birmingham. Based on the film of the same name, Billy Elliot is set in a northern mining town, against the background of the 1984/’85 miners’ strike, Billy’s journey takes him out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever. Seen by over 11 million people, the show was the recipient of over 80 theatre awards internationally. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE UK TOUR OF BILLY ELLIOT

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory To Close After Four Years

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Producers of the hit musical Charlie And The Chocolate Factory have announced that the production will close during it’s fourth year in London’s West End. The official closing date has yet to be announced. Roald Dahl has been breaking box office records at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where it has been seen by 1.8 million people since it’s opening in 2013. It currently ranks in the top three longest-running shows at the venue alongside 42nd Street and Miss Saigon. A Broadway production will open in the 2016-17 season and tickets for a UK tour will go on sale next year. Jonathan Slinger continues in the role of Willy Wonka, as do the principal cast members: Barry James as Grandpa Joe, Ross Dawes as Mr Salt, Josefina Gabrielle as Mrs Teavee, Jasna Ivir as Mrs Gloop, Paul J Medford as Mr Beauregarde, Claire Carrie as Grandma Josephine, Lara Denning as … Read more

First Look at Uzo Aduba in The Maids

Uzo Aduba in The Maids for the Jamie Lloyd Theatre Company at Trafalgar Studios

In a luxurious bedroom, two maids fantasise about killing their employer, playing out dangerous and sadistic scenarios as they plan her violent death. An intense psychological thriller seething with unique theatricality and brimming with intrigue, The Maids is a vicious analysis of the class system, and a provocative exploration of gender and sexuality. Uzo Aduba and Zawe Ashton play the maids, Solange and Claire. Laura Carmichael plays Mistress. The production is designed by Soutra Gilmour. This translation, by Benedict Andrews and Andrew Upton, was first performed at Sydney Theatre Company in 2014. This is the first time it has been seen in the UK. The Maids runs at Trafalgar Studios from 20th February to 21 May 2016. Save up to 43% if you book before 29th February 2016.

Casting Announced for X at the Royal Court Theatre

X at the Royal Court Theatre

Rudi Dharmalingam, Darrell D’Silva, James Harkness, Jessica Raine and Ria Zmitrowicz are to appear in X at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Royal Court Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone directs Alistair McDowall’s new play set in a space station on Pluto. “It’s a tax write-off. This is where they send the new, the underqualified, the old. And most of all the British. Mars is full of blonde Americans. It’s like they’re building the master race out there.” Billions of miles from home, the lone research base on Pluto has lost contact with Earth. Unable to leave or send for help, the skeleton crew sit waiting. Waiting. Waiting long enough for time to start eating away at them. To lose all sense of it. To start seeing things in the dark outside. With design by Merle Hensel, lighting by Lee Curran, composition and sound by Nick Powell and video by Tal Rosner. X … Read more

First Look at Lisa Maxwell in End Of the Rainbow

End of the Rainbow Uk Tour

We are pleased to bring you these first look production photos of Lisa Maxwell playing Judy Garland in End Of The Rainbow. It’s 1968 and Judy Garland, a once-glittering star, is in London to make her explosive comeback. But off stage, holed up in her hotel room, Judy is battling with her young new fiancé, her devoted accompanist, and her destructive addictions. Will she be able to conquer her demons and reclaim her crown as one of history’s great musical icons? Featuring Garland’s most memorable songs The Man That Got Away, Come Rain Or Come Shine, The Trolley Song and of course Somewhere Over The Rainbow, End of the Rainbow is a fiercely funny and emotionally charged musical play filled with Garland’s legendary tenacity, razor-sharp wit and once-in-a-generation voice. Lisa appears with Gary Wilmot and Sam Attwater in Peter Quilter’s play which took the West End and Broadway by storm. … Read more

The Diary Of A Hounslow Girl UK Tour

The Diary Of A Hounslow Girl UK Tour

An acerbic comedy told through the sharp, straight-talking voice of an aspirational 16 year old British Muslim girl, this original work uncovers the typical life of a “Hounslow Girl” – young Muslim women who wear big hooped earrings along with their headscarves. Ambreen Razia’s witty debut challenges stereotypes of young British Muslim women, exploring the demands of a traditional Muslim upbringing in the face of London’s temptations. Ambreen Razia offers an astute take on negotiating the hurdles of conservative family values alongside the challenges of teenage life in West London, retelling her experiences from traditional Pakistani weddings to teenage romance with a fast-paced narrative, The Diary of a Hounslow Girl’s humorous approach seeks to upturn stereotypes and bridge generational rifts with a comic yet resonant approach to present-day dilemmas in the face of age-old tradition. Speaking about the show, Ambreen said “As a British Pakistani writer and actress my aim … Read more