Features

MT Fest UK – New Musicals Festival Announced for February 2019

Features, News, West End
MT Fest UK

Paul Taylor-Mills is delighted to announce MT Fest UK, a two-week festival of new musical theatre at The Other Palace from Monday 11 to Saturday 23 February 2019. MT Fest UK will present new work by both emerging and established writers, as well as programming talks and concerts from some of the most celebrated performers, writers and producers currently working in musical theatre. All tickets to events and performances will be between £10-15. At the centre of the festival will be a Taster Menu series of eight new musicals, each presented as a 45-minute semi-staged sharing in the studio at The Other Palace. The musicals will range from brand new commissions from Paul Taylor-Mills, to re-worked Broadway shows and brand-new musicals that Taylor-Mills has developed in his role as Affiliate Producer at The Other Palace. Beyond the Taster Menu series, the festival will also feature a selection of intimate talks, … Read more

FIRST LOOK: Sharon D Clarke in Caroline or Change at Playhouse Theatre

Features, Gallery, West End
Caroline Or Change tickets Playhouse Theatre

New production photography has been released for the West End production of Caroline Or Change starring Sharon D Clarke which is currently previewing at the Playhouse Theatre London. Louisiana, 1963. Revolution is in the air, though not so much for Caroline, the poorly paid maid toiling endlessly in the sweltering basement of the Gellman household. It’s a fantastical, magical place amidst the piles of laundry and singing washing machines, especially for eight-year-old Noah Gellman who sneaks downstairs to see her whenever he can. Yet a simple gesture to leave more money in Caroline’s pocket is about to test who and how far the winds of change can ever really reach… Winner of the 2007 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Caroline Or Change is a playful, funny, and deeply moving portrait of America at a time of momentous social upheaval, set to an uplifting and profound score of soul, blues, … Read more

Hope Mill Theatre Manchester Announce 2019 Musicals Season

Features, News, Regional
Hope Mill Theatre Manchester 2019 Season

Hope Aria announce their 2019 season including a new version of Stephen Schwartz’s Rags, the first UK revival of Mame starring Tracie Bennett and a new festival musical at the Hope Mill Theatre Manchester. Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment and Joseph Houston and William Whelton of the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester have announced the three musicals that will make up the Hope Aria Productions 2019 Season. The three poductions are the UK Premiere of a new version of the Stephen Schwartz musical Rags (opening 2 March 2019), Jerry Herman’s musical Mame starring Tracie Bennett (opening 27 September 2019) and in time for Christmas, a new musical The Astonishing Times Of Timothy Cratchit (opening 22 November 2019). Rags is a heart-warming and powerful musical with book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and music by Charles Strouse (Annie), which tells the story of Russian immigrant … Read more

Critic’s Choice: Shows We Are Looking Forward To In December 2019

Features, News, Off West End, West End
The Tragedy Of King Richard the Second Almeida Theatre

Mark Ludmon and Paul T Davies highlight some of the theatre that has them excited this December. The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, Almeida Theatre Joe Hill-Gibbins has earned a reputation as an inventive, visually creative director, most notably for re-imaginings of classics with a contemporary context. After bringing a new perspective to A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Measure For Measure at the Young Vic, he looks set to bring the same flair to another of Shakespeare’s plays, Richard II, at the Almeida Theatre, using the original full title of The Tragedy of King Richard the Second. The incomparable Simon Russell Beale takes the title role of the careless leader whose arrogance and vanity put the kingdom at risk. 10 December to 2 February. Opening night: 18 December BOOK NOW Doctor Faustus, The Globe Staying with Elizabethan drama, another highlight this month is a new production of Doctor Faustus … Read more

Revolutionary new season revealed at The Bunker Theatre

Features, News, Off West End
The Bunker Theatre 2019 Season

The Bunker’s artistic director Chris Sonnex announces his first season as artistic director A “revolution” is underway at The Bunker theatre in London where Chris Sonnex has announced his first season as artistic director. The six productions and a new festival, programmed from January to May 2019, will help Sonnex to achieve his ambition for theatre “to disrupt, challenge and interrogate the world that is put before us”. Highlights include award-winning solo show, Funeral Flowers, that was a hit at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, written and performed by Emma Dennis-Edwards. Directed by Rachel Nwokoro, it tells the story of 17-year-old Angelique who is navigating her way through the care system into adulthood, dreaming of being a florist and facing challenges including the recurring threat from her boyfriend’s gang. Powerful and moving, it is part poetry and part floristry masterclass, running from 15 April to 4 May. The season opens … Read more

INTERVIEW: Ed MacArthur and Jeremy Legat talk Murder For Two

Features, Interviews, West End
Jeremy Legat Ed MacArthur Murder For Two

Actors Ed MacArthur and Jeremy Legat talk Murder For Two, the two-hander murder mystery musical A hilarious high-energy musical whodunit, Murder For Two is a madcap murder mystery with a twist – two actors play thirteen characters, and the piano. A loving homage to the canon of murder mystery plays, Murder For Two is a hysterical blend of music, mayhem and murder. Following its sell-out European Premiere at The Watermill Theatre and The Other Palace in 2017, Murder For Two is back at the Other Palace for a limited 5-week run this December. We talk to actors Ed MacArthur and Jeremy Legat – who reprise their performances as ‘Officer Marcus Moscowicz’ and ‘The Suspects’ – about the challenges of performing a two-hander murder mystery musical. Murder For Two isn’t a typical musical. Can you tell us a little about the premise? ED: “It’s a Murder Mystery parody in which I play the detective and … Read more