Catch the stars of tomorrow now

James Norton in Belleville

Mark Ludmon gets ready to go talent spotting in search of future stars Tickets for Belleville at the Donmar Warehouse have been like gold dust but, a few years ago, you could have managed to see TV and film star James Norton along with a host of other familiar names with a lot more ease. You might have caught him alongside Daisy May Cooper, the star of hit BBC comedy This Country, in Marius von Mayenburg’s The Stone, or appearing with James McArdle – soon to be in Angels in America on Broadway – in Shaw’s Man and Superman. As part of the same season, you could have enjoyed performances by Joshua McGuire, Alexandra Roach, Susan Wokoma, Phoebe Fox, Nick Hendrix, Seline Hizli, Ivanno Jeremiah, Tom Kay, Jenna Augen, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Cynthia Erivo and several other well-known faces from TV, film and stage, all performing together in final-year student productions … Read more

Casting announced for stage adaptation of The Knowledge

Full casting announcedfor stage adaptation of The Knowledge at Charing Cross Theatre

The cast has been announced for the world premiere of a new stage adaptation of Jack Rosenthal’s classic British film, The Knowledge. Steven Pacey, Celine Abrahams, James Alexandrou, Jenna Augen, Louise Callaghan, Ben Caplan, Michael Chance, Alice Felgate and Fabien Frankel have joined the show which runs at Charing Cross Theatre from 4 September to 11 November. It will be directed by Maureen Lipman who not only played one of the lead roles in the film but is also the widow of Jack Rosenthal. It has been adapted for the stage by Simon Block. The 1979 movie, which also starred Nigel Hawthorne, follows the hilarious struggles of four Londoners as they attempt to better themselves by attempting the fearsome “Knowledge” – the process of becoming a London black cab taxi driver. Standing between them and the coveted Green Badge is the eccentric Mr Burgess, the examiner, also known as “The Vampire”, … Read more

REVIEW: Bad Jews, St James Theatre ✭✭✭✭

Bad Jews at The St James Theatre, London

Harmon writes vicious dialogue fearlessly and with potent froth. The characters are clearly defined by their speech and each seems real, accessible – possibly someone you might know. There are several real surprises along the way and not much ends up as it first seems. It is a sharp, clever piece of writing.