News

New Miss Saigon Documentary Released on July 6

News, Video, West End
Miss Saigon DVD

Just as the creation of the original production of Miss Saigon was documented on film, so to the current revival will have a documentary dedicated to it. The documentary titled The Heat Is Back on is the most comprehensive look at the staging of a West End musical according to Producer Cameron Mackintosh. Mackintosh told The Stage “Having a camera crew watch every stage of the process over a long time meant we were able to get every single element of the show. We thought it would be interesting to not just showcase Miss Saigon, but to show the kind of work that goes into a big musical.” Miss Saigon has been seen by over 40 million people worldwide. From the process of casting 40 actors from 18 different countries, to the reinvention of the staging, including the famous helicopter scene, The Heat is Back On takes us on a … Read more

Cast Announced For Gate’s The Christians

News, Off West End, Regional
The Christians by Lucas Hnath plays the Gate Theatre and the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival

Casting has been announced for the UK Premiere of The Christians by Lucas Hnath which forms part of the Gate’s Icons and Idols Season. The company of The Christians includes William Gaminara (Pastor), Jaye Griffiths (Pastor’s Wife), Stefan Adegbola (Associate Pastor), Lucy Ellinson (Congregant) and David Calvitto (Elder). For the last twenty years, Pastor Paul has been building his church. Starting in a modest storefront, he now presides over a flock of thousands. Idolised by his followers, today should be a day for joy and celebration. But the sermon that Paul is about to preach will shake the very foundations of his followers’ beliefs. As fractures spread throughout his congregation, Paul must fight to prevent his church from tearing itself apart. This is the UK première of Lucas Hnath’s remarkable exploration of faith and community in the modern world. Featuring a full-scale community choir, it asks profound questions about what … Read more

Lord Of The Dance – Dangerous Games Breaks Box Office Records

News, West End
Michael Flatley

Last Monday, following a performance on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, sales for the West End show Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games broke box office records at the Dominions Theatre for the highest number of tickets sold and most money taken in one day. Michael Flatley said, “We’re delighted to have made a little bit of history in the West End. London and the UK in general have been very good to us and we feel very at home here.” Lord Of The Dance continues at the Dominion Theatre until 5th September and is currently also on tour around the UK until 4th July 2015.

Jonathan Church Sets Up New Production Company

News, Touring, West End
Jonathan Church starts own production company

Following on from the announcement of his departure from Chichester Festival Theatre after the 2016 Season, Jonathan Church today announces that he will be establishing a new, independent production company, Jonathan Church Productions Limited (JCPL), as a platform to continue the development of both his producing and directing output in the future. Jonathan’s new company is being supported by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres (DMT) who, as well as becoming a minority shareholder in the Company, will be providing JCPL with a development fund to enable Jonathan to create new work for West End theatres and beyond. Jonathan intends to build on the commercial and artistic success of his tenure at Chichester – whose latest London transfer is the acclaimed new production of Gypsy – by creating artistically ambitious work in the West End, on tour across the UK and internationally. He will also continue the exploration of his directing career in … Read more

Xanadu The Musical Comes To Southwark Playhouse

News, Off West End
Xanadu comes tot he Southwark Playhouse

The UK premiere of the Tony nominated musical comedy Xanadu is coming to the Southwark Playhouse in a season running from 16 October – 21 November 2015. The musical based on the 1980 cult movie which starred Olivie Newton John and Gene Kelly is being directed by Paul Warwick Griffin and designed by Morgan Large, with choreography by Nathan M. Wright. Kira, the magical and beautiful Greek muse, descends from the heavens of Mount Olympus for Venice Beach, California, on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first roller disco… Well hey, it is 1980! But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds. Xanadu features the chart topping songs from the film: “Magic”, “Suddenly”, “I’m Alive”, “Evil Woman”, “All Over the World” and of … Read more

Autumn Donmar Warehouse Season Announced

News, West End
Michelle Dockery to star in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Donmar Warehouse

Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Josie Rourke today announced the theatre’s Autumn season of three plays which includes Abi Morgan’s Splendour directed by Associate Director Robert Hastie, the UK Premiere of Christopher Shinn’s Teddy Ferrara directed by Dominic Cooke and the thirty-year revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton directed by Rourke herself. Artistic Director Josie Rourke said: One of the things that most excites me about this season is the strong leading roles for women. It is a thrill to announce a season of work that features, in plays by living writers, women of the calibre and power of Zawe Ashton, Sinéad Cusack, Michelle Dockery, Michelle Fairley, Genevive O’Reilly and Janet McTeer, who returns to the Donmar and the London stage. This, combined with the transfer of Phyllida Lloyd’s second instalment in her trilogy of all-female Shakespeares to New York shows a programme of work in deep conversation with … Read more

Jules Verne’s Classic Tales Comes To The St James Theatre

News, Off West End
Around The World in 80 Days at the St James Theatre

A new stage production of Jules Verne’s classic 1873 novel, Around the World in 80 Days, directed by Lucy Bailey, will open at the St. James Theatre this Christmas, just a stone’s throw from the Reform Club on Pall Mall where Phileas Fogg’s adventure begins. In an adaptation by playwright Laura Eason, a writer on hit Netflix series House of Cards, the production will run for eight weeks from 26 November 2015 – 16 January 2016, with casting will be announced shortly. Pack your bags for a trip Around the World in 80 Days. The majestically mysterious, fabulously wealthy Phileas Fogg wagers his life’s fortune that he can circumnavigate the globe in just eighty days. Join Fogg and his loyal valet, Passepartout, as they voyage from the misty alleys of Victorian London to the exotic subcontinent and the wild west in a race against the clock. A cast of eight … Read more

Clwyd Theatr Cymru Appoints Tamara Harvey as Artistic Director

News, Regional
Tamara Harvey joins Vlwyd Theatr Cymru as Artistic Director

It was announced today that Tamara Harvey has been appointed the new Artistic Director of Clwyd Theatr Cymru from August 2015. She becomes the sixth Artistic Director in the theatre’s thirty-nine year history. On her appointment Tamara Harvey said: “I am thrilled to have been invited to be the artistic director of Clwyd Theatr Cymru at such an exciting moment in its history. Terry Hands has done an extraordinary job in building a family of artists and producing brilliant work for a growing loyal audience. Now, as the company moves into its fortieth year, I look forward to widening that circle: nurturing talent from Wales and beyond, and collaborating with companies and artists both near and far to ensure that this beacon of innovation on top of a hill in Mold is an inspiration for Wales, the UK and the rest of the world.” Tamara Harvey has directed in the … Read more