Brits on Broadway | Part 2

After the success of our first Article, 12 Brits Who are flying the Flag on Broadway, we thought we'd bring this one back and celebrate the Brits who are showing New York what they can do! It's so many peoples dream to play on Broadway and these actors are lucky enough to be doing that, so take a read and join us in celebrating these wonderful performers. 

Ruth Wilson

Originally from Surrey, Ruth has returned to Broadway to play Cordelia in King Lear. She made her Broadway debut in Nick Payne’s Constellations, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. Film credits include The Little Stranger, Dark River, Suite Française, Saving Mr. Banks, The Lone Ranger, and Anna Karenina. Her London Theatre credits include Anna Christie & A Streetcar Named Desire (both at the Donmar Warehouse) and Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre. 

Ashley Andrews

A seasoned West End performer, Ashley is currently a Swing and assistant dance captain on King Kong. He most recently featured in the US transfer of Jesus Christ Superstar after being in the production in the UK, his other credits include An American in Paris, Wicked, Chicago, Billy Elliot, Jekyll and Hyde, Mack and Mabel. @ashleyjandrews 

Ralph Brown

Born in Cambridge, Ralph is currently playing Muldoon in The Ferryman. He is an actor and writer, his credits include Gemini Man, Final Score, Crying Game, Alien 3, Wayne’s World 2, Up’N’Under, I’ll Be There, Star Wars Phantom Menace, Jack The Giant Slayer, Contractor, I Anna and Tower Block. @Ralphwjbrown

Samantha Barks and Jonathan Bailey star in THE LAST FIVE YEARS at St. James Theatre, directed by Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown

Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown will helm a new London production of his acclaimed musical The Last Five Years, playing at St. James Theatre from Friday 27 October, with a press night on Wednesday 2 November at 7.00pm. 

Tickets are on sale to St. James Friends at 10.00am on Friday 24 June, and on general sale at 10.00am on Saturday 25 June.

The Last Five Years is an emotionally powerful and intimate musical telling the story of Jamie and Cathy, two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. As aspiring author Jamie gets the book deal of his dreams, actress Cathy struggles to get work and make sense of the way her career has turned out. Can a couple once united by their dreams stay connected as their paths begin to divide? Known for its unique structure, The Last Five Years sees their stories told in opposite directions; Jamie moving forwards and Cathy backwards through their relationship, meeting only briefly for a moment in time as their stories cross.

FIRST LOOK: City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse

Samantha Barks, Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser are Katherine Kelly, Tam Mutu, Peter Polycarpou and Rebecca Trehearn star in The Donmar Warehouse's production of City of Angels. 

They are joined by Nick Cavaliere, Cameron Cuffe, Marc Elliott, Adam Fogerty, Kadiff Kirwan, Sandra Marvin, Mark Penfold, Jennifer Saayeng, Jo Servi and Tim Walton.

Two decades after its London premiere, Artistic Director Josie Rourke revives one of the acknowledged greats of twentieth century musical theatre.

Hollywood comes calling for a New York novelist. The offer is too good to refuse: adapt the private detective protagonist of his books into a big-screen hero. The siren song of Los Angeles is a dangerous temptation and while his movie plays out in black and white, his new life is all-too colourful.

Where are they now? I'd Do Anything!

Following on from How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria and Any Dream Will Do, the third instalment in the Andrew Lloyd Webber series was I'd Do Anything which searches for the new stars of the musical Oliver!, whilst the show did search for the role of Oliver, the adult and public voting side of the show searching for the role of Nancy. The series to follow was Over the Rainbow (The search for Dorothy). Rival TV shows to these BBC produced series also came up in Superstar (The search for Jesus), Grease is the Word (The search for Danny and Sandy) and Fame: The musical (the search for Nick and Serena). If you are a theatre geek like me, you'll remember these TV shows! And if you don't, you'll certainly know some of the contestants. So, where are they now?

Jodie Prenger

Jodie went on to win the role of Nancy and played it in the revival of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. After playing Nancy she has been seen as The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (UK Tour), Dolly in the National Theatre's production of One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket); the title role in Calamity Jane (UK Tour); Emma in Tell Me on a Sunday (UK Tour); Miss Hannigan in Annie (UK tour), Madame Thénardier in Les Miserables (Asia & Dubai); the title character in Shirley Valentine (UK tour); Kelly in Fat Friends (UK Tour) and Beverley in Abigails Party (UK Tour). She has also appeared in TV shows such as Loose Women, Waterloo Road, Candy Cabs and Casualty. Most recently, she was seen playing Helen in Taste of Honey on its UK Tour and at the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End. @Musicalmissy

Jessie Buckley

After finishing second in the show, Jessie played Anne Egerman in the revival of A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Garrick Theatre. After that she went on to train at RADA and has since played Belvedira in Venice Preserv’d (The Spectators’ Guild); Princess Katharine in Henry V (Michael Grandage Company); Miranda in The Tempest (The Globe); Constanze Weber in Amadeus (Chichester Festival Theatre); Perdita in The Winter's Tale (Garrick Theatre). On TV she can be seen in Taboo, War & Peace, The Woman in White and The Lost Post. She has also broken into the movie business with roles in movies like Beast, Wild Rose, Judy, Dolittle, Ironbark and Misbehaviour.

CITY OF ANGELS to be revived at the Donmar Warehouse, Samantha Barks joins cast

The Donmar Warehouse today announces its next season of work.

Following the huge success of her current production of James Graham’s Privacy, Artistic Director Josie Rourke will direct the first major revival of Cy Coleman’s classic musical City of Angels as the Donmar’s 2014 Christmas production. City of Angels with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel and book by Larry Gelbart (Tootsie andM*A*S*H), premiered on Broadway in 1990 in the West End in 1993. It won both the Tony Award and Olivier Award for Best New Musical, along with multiple other prizes. Featuring one of the great jazz scores, City of Angels is a celebration of film noir and Hollywood in black & white and colour.  Rourke’s production will star Hadley Fraser as Stine, returning to the Donmar after his role in Rourke’s 2013 production of Coriolanus, and Rosalie Craig, who will make her debut at the theatre and will play Gabby/Bobbi. Fraser and Craig will be joined in the company by Samantha Barks as Mallory/Avril. Olivier Award-winner Stephen Mear will choreograph the production.