Features

Final casting announced for Snow White at the London Palladium

Features, News, West End
Snow White London Palladium casting

Charlie Stemp and Danielle Hope complete the all-star casting for this year’s London Palladium pantomime Snow White. QDOS Entertainment has announced that Charlie Stemp will return to the London Palladium’s family pantomime Snow White as The Prince together with Danielle Hope as Snow White. Charlie and Danielle will join the previously announced  Dawn French as The Wicked Queen, Julian Clary as The Man in The Mirror, Paul Zerdin as Muddles, Nigel Havers as The Understudy, Gary Wilmot as Mrs Crumble with Vincent and Flavia as The King and The Queen for this strictly limited 5-week run. They are joined by Josh Bennett, Simeon Dyer, Craig Garner, Ben Goffe, Jamie John, Blake Lisle and Andrew Martin as The Magnificent Seven and ensemble members Faye Best, Myles Brown, Darragh Cowley, Ivan De Freitas, Scott English, Liz Ewing, Ross Finnie, Diana Girbau, Matt Holland, Abigayle Honeywill, Stevie Hutchinson, Jemima Loddy, Megan Louch, Mollie … Read more

Greatest Show Tune Ever Poll Results – Top 50 Show Tunes

Features, News, West End
Greatest Showtune Ever

BritishTheatre.com is pleased to bring to you the poll results for the Greatest Show Tune Ever. Thousands of you nominated your favourites before a final voting list of 200 songs was produced and voting opened. What is shown below is not only the Greatest Ever Show Tune but the Top 50 Show Tunes from that vote. Les Miserables scored a phenomenal five songs in the top 20, three of those in the top 10. Stephen Sondheim was the most listed composer with 7 songs nominated, Alain Boublil and Claude Michel-Schoenberg with 6 songs with Alan Menken and Andrew Lloyd Webber tied with 3 each. A suprising poll result saw Le Jazz Hot from Victor/Victoria come in at number 8. Songs from musicals were once the songs that were often re-interpreted by some of the greatest artists becoming standards around the globe. There is no doubting the fact that songs from … Read more

Cast Announced For Come From Away at Phoenix Theatre

Come From Away, Come From Away West End - Come From Away tickets, Features, News, West End
Come From Away West End

Casting has been announced for the Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away which has its UK premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in January 2019. Casting has been announced for Come From Away the musical in the West End which opens at the Phoenix Theatre in January 2019. Telling the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded air passengers during the wake of 9/11, and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them, will be Jenna Boyd (Beulah and others), Nathanael Campbell (Bob and others),Clive Carter (Claude and others), Mary Doherty (Bonnie and others), Robert Hands (Nick, Doug and others), Helen Hobson (Diane and others), Jonathan Andrew Hume (Kevin J, Ali and others), Harry Morrison (Oz and others),Emma Salvo (Janice and others), David Shannon (Kevin T, Garth and others), Cat Simmons (Hannah and others) and Rachel Tucker (Beverley, Annette and others) with Mark Dugdale, Bob Harms, Kiara Jay, Kirsty Malpass,Tania Mathurin, Alexander … Read more

Only Fools and Horses musical comes to Theatre Royal Haymarket

Features, News, West End
Only Fools and Horses musical Theatre Royal Haymarket

The Only Fools and Horses musical comes to the Theatre Royal Haymarket in February 2019 starring Paul Whitehouse, Tom Bennett and Ryan Hutton. John Sullivan’s iconic and record-breaking television series Only Fools and Horses has been turned into a brand-new West End musical. With an original score and script by Jim Sullivan (John’s son) and Paul Whitehouse, the Only Fools and Horses musical will start previews at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 9 February 2019. Paul Whitehouse also takes centre stage as Grandad, uniting with Tom Bennett (Del Boy) and Ryan Hutton (Rodney) in this unique showstopper, featuring cherished material from the TV series. Join us as we take a trip back to 1989, where it’s all kicking off in Peckham. While the yuppie invasion of London is in full swing, love is in the air as Del Boy sets out on the rocky road to find his soul mate, … Read more

New high-tech caption glasses open up theatre to people with hearing loss

Features, News, West End
National Theatre Smart Caption Glasses

Mark Ludmon tries out the new smart caption glasses launched by the National Theatre for people with hearing loss. The National Theatre has opened up access for people who are deaf or hearing impaired with the launch of high-tech “smart” glasses that allow wearers to see captions for any performance. After four years of research, development and testing, the revolutionary technology allows people to see a transcript of dialogue and sound transmitted via Wi-Fi directly onto the lenses of the glasses. The captions respond to the actors’ speech, lighting, sounds, video and other cues to provide a synchronised service without people needing to look at a caption screen above or next to the stage. They can be booked out for free from this week, initially providing captions for Exit the King and Hadestown in the Olivier but, by the end of this month, for all shows across the venue’s three theatre … Read more

Soft Cell musical Tainted launches Kickstarter campaign

Features, News, West End
Tainted musical kickstarter

Marc Almond and Soft Cell have announced Tainted a ground-breaking new stage musical which is being supported by an ambitious Kickstarter campaign. “Tainted” is a brand-new piece of musical theatre with a book by Michael McManus and Charlie Ross Mackenzie, featuring songs from every stage of Marc Almond’s career, ranging from the famous to the unknown and previously unpublished. In a world tainted by bigotry and injustice, “Tainted” is a tale of acceptance, survival and love, set in a basement space in Soho, between 1944 and our own time, where everyone and anyone can be themselves. The name of the place may change – Le Grand Guignol, Gutter Hearts, The Pink Flamingo – but the ethos never will. There is no prejudice accepted here, no hatred and no blame. Just love, live and let live. “Tainted” has been through four workshops and private readings, including a full performance of Act … Read more

StageCon Postponed until 2019

Features, News, West End
StageCon Postponed

The organisers of StageCon, the UK’s first convention for theatre fans throughout the UK and Europe, have announced they are postponing the event until 2019, passing control to United Theatrical as Producer and General Manager.  StageCon was originally planned to run over the weekend of 3 & 4 November at Shoreditch Town Hall in London. When StageCon was announced in August, the organisers were overwhelmed by the responses they received.  It was clear this was an event that fans of theatre were excited about, but, at the same time, they have realised that the ticket pricing necessary to cover the costs of the event was too high for some, particularly younger members of the community. James Yeoburn, the UK General Manager for StageCon, said, “StageCon is an event that offers a great opportunity for fans from across the UK and the rest of Europe to come together in London to celebrate the magic … Read more

INTERVIEW: Keith Jack talks Fame the musical

Features, Interviews, Touring
Keith Jack Fame Musical

Keith Jack is currently touring the UK playing Nick Piazza in Fame the musical. Here he talks to Sammy Jones about appearing in the iconic musical. After a long association with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, this is a chance for Keith Jack to stretch his wings a little, and he is relishing the thought of playing Nick Piazza in this modern classic. He says: “It’s a completely different role for me, for one I don’t wear a loincloth, and I’m not topless, which is quite nice. I get to wear clothes! People will come along and expect something of me and see something slightly different.” “Nick is an actor who started off doing a TV commercial, and became famous from doing younger stuff, but he wants to go away and train to become a ‘real actor’ to do Shakespeare, and not just be seen as ‘that TV boy,” … Read more