The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: Review

Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was published in 2003. It was the winner of more than seventeen literary awards and has now been adapted by Simon Stephens for the production that opened at the Apollo theatre in March 2013 after a successful stint at the Cottesloe with the National Theatre. It received much critical acclaim and won seven Olivier Awards including Best New Play. It has now transferred to the Gielgud Theatre where it re-opened on Monday 7^th July 2014.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time follows the story of 15 year old Christopher Boone who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, and Autism. After his next door neighbour’s dog, Wellington, is killed with a garden fork, Christopher sets it upon himself to be a detective who must be “very very brave” and find out who the murderer is. As his journey takes off, we see his life at his “special school” where the kids are “stupid, although I’m not supposed to say that” (says Christopher). Despite his illnesses, Christopher is a superb mathematician and has set it upon himself to be the first 15 year old at his school to sit a Maths A-Level exam.  We also learn about his family life, and his career aspirations for the future as we follow his journey from 12:07am on the night of the dog’s murder…

Breeders, a new play by Ben Ockrent at St James Theatre, announces full cast

Casting is announced today for Breeders, a new comedy by Olivier-nominated and BAFTA long-listed writer Ben Ockrent, premiering on Wednesday 3 September at St. James Theatre.  

Breeders follows the story of Andrea, and her wife Caroline in their quest to have a child that shares both of their DNA, with the help of Andrea’s brother, Jimmy. Starring as Andrea, Tamzin Outhwaite returns to the stage after recent roles in Hampstead Theatre’s Ravingand Di, Viv and Rose. Nicholas Burns, best known as Channel 4’s Nathan Barley, takes the role of Jimmy. Jemima Rooper will play Jimmy’s girlfriend, Sharon. Jemima was last seen onstage in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre opposite Angela Lansbury.

FIRST LOOK: Shakespeare in Love at the Noel Coward Theatre

Produced by Disney and Sonia Friedman Productions and based on the Academy Award®-winning screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, Shakespeare in Love has been adapted for the stage by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot). Featuring a company of 28 actors and musicians, one of the largest companies ever assembled for a play in the West End, plus a dog, this new play will be directed by Declan Donnellan and designed by Nick Ormerod, the driving force behind the world-renowned theatre company, Cheek by Jowl.

Tickets for Shakespeare in Love at the Noël Coward Theatre are now on sale online at www.shakespeareinlove.com or by calling the box office on 0844 482 5141.  

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY to release Original London Cast Recording

Tim Rice's musical From Here to Eternity will be release the original cast recording. The the songs were recorded live during the shows run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End. The original London cast recording will be available via iTunes from Thursday 3rd July - the same day as the cinema release - and then on double CD from Monday August 4th.  

The show, which closed at the Shaftesbury Theatre in March following a six-month run, was filmed across two nights for cinema release, the programme will also include a tour of the theatre and an interview with Tim Rice.

From Here to Eternity, which is adapted from James Jones' 1951 novel which was turned into an eight-time Academy Award-winning film, features lyrics by Rice, music by newcomer Stuart Brayson and a book by Bill Oakes.

Grim: a New Musical to play the Rose Theatre and Charing Cross Theatre

Grim: a New Musical which is supported by Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and David Cameron, will transfer from the 900-seater Rose theatre to Charing Cross in London’s West End this August. Grim: a New Musical will also perform for His Royal Highness Prince Edward on the 11^th July at The Rose theatre Kingston. 

Grim: a New Musical is the love story to die for. It’s a story about the Grim Reaper falling in love with Cupid but she cannot be with him as she’ll kill him. When she is drawn to someone she takes their soul. Grim cannot be complete without her soul and Cupid cannot be complete without his soul mate. This musical is about the collision of the two most powerful forces in the world - the power of love vs. the power of death with the angel of love falling for the angel of death. Sound-wise, think of Wicked, the Addam's Family and everything Tim Burton-esque and that’s the general tone of Grim.

URINETOWN the musical will transfer to the Apollo Theatre

Urinetown is transferring to the West End's Apollo Theatre later this year, it has been confirmed.

The musical, which is directed by Jamie Lloyd, received its UK premiere at the St James Theatre in March. It will run at the Apollo from 29 September.

Written by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, Urinetown is set in a Gotham-like city of the future, where a hero leads the people in an uprising against private toilets.

Director Lloyd's other current West End productions are The Commitments and the upcoming Richard III, as part of his new season at Trafalgar Studios.

Cast announced for DOGFIGHT at the Southwark Playhouse

Casting has been announced for Dogfight, the new book musical based on the 1991 movie of the same name starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor.

Heading the London cast in the central roles of Eddie and Rose are Jamie Muscato (The Light Princess, Les Miserables, Rock of Ages, Love Story and Spring Awakening) and Laura Jane Matthewson in her London stage debut in a starring role.

Joining them are Emily Olive Boyd, Cellen Chugg Jones, Nicholas Corre (West End Men), Matthew Cutts (Victor/Victoria, Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever and Grease), Joshua Dowen (Cool Rider), Ciaran Joyce (Les Misérables, The Story of Tracy Beaker), Amanda Minihan (Merrily We Roll Along, Sister Act, The Producers), Rebecca Trehearn (Ghost on tour, Love Story, Dirty Dancing, We Will Rock You, Aspects of Love) and Samuel J. Weir (Parade, Carnival of the Animals, Monkee Business, Les Misérables feature film).

10 of the best Tony Award acceptance speeches

Karen Olivo | Best Featured Actress in a Musical for West Side Story

"I just want to dedicate this to everyone who has a dream" 

Aura McDonald | Best Actress in a Play for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

"I want to thank my Mom and Dad.. for disobeying the Doctors orders and not medicating their hyperactive daughter..."

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Musical Theatre Review

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a musical based on the film of the same name, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane this musical made its Broadway debut almost 10 years ago. With a star cast that included John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott the show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards however only managing to win 1. The show began its journey on this side of the Atlantic in November last year, having a pre-West End tryout at the Manchester Opera House and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. It finally opened on April 2, 2014 with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell and design by Peter McKintosh. 

The story is very similar to the film; two conmen, one who has been doing it for years and another who is new on the scene, get to together and have a bet as to who can get $50,000 out of the ‘soap queen’. The film is brilliant and I wasn’t expecting the story of the musical to be so close to it but, as they say, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! The story was super easy to follow, to be honest you don’t need to concentrate on it so that allows you to sit back, relax and have a laugh. Exactly what this show is about. 

EVITA will play a limited run at the Dominion Theatre

Evita is to return to the West End this September, starring Marti Pellow as Che and Madalena Alberto in the lead role.

The musical, by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, will reopen the multimillion pound refurbished Dominion Theatre with 55 performances from September 16. Press night is on September 22.

Following the closure of We Will Rock You at the venue in May, the theatre has been dark while technical and environmental improvements have been made to the building.

The show is currently touring the UK until July 19, where its run ends at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, before transferring to the Kursaal Oostende venue in Belgium.

CATS will play a limited run at the London Palladium

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is to return to the West End following a 12-year absence, with a run from December at the London Palladium.

Cats is directed by Trevor Nunn, with Gillian Lynne as associate director and choreographer. It has designs by John Napier.

For this production, Chrissie Cartwright, long-term associate director of Cats, will work with Nunn and Lynne to re-direct the show for the Palladium. 

Andrew Lloyd Webber will write additional songs for Rum Tum Tugger and Growl Tiger for the production, and he has assembled many of the original creative team including Sir Trevor Nunnwho directs, with associate direction and choreography from Dame Gillian Lynne and set design by John Napier.

FIRST LOOK: New cast joins MAMMA MIA! London

MAMMA MIA! originally opened in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on 6 April 1999, before transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004. The musical re-opened at the Novello Theatre in 2012.

From West End to global phenomenon, the London production of MAMMA MIA! has been seen by more than 10% of the entire UK population. The show has celebrated over 6,300 performances in London and has broken box office records in all three of its London homes.  This summer, the MAMMA MIA! International Tour will play an exclusive UK Summer Season at the Blackpool Opera House from 20 June to 14 September 2014. Blackpool will be the only UK venue outside of London to host the worldwide hit musical this year.

The cast includes Dianne Pilkington as Donna, Rebecca Lock as Rosie, Kim Ismay as Tanya and Richard Trinder as Sam, Alasdair Harvey as Harry, Charles Daish as Bill, Alice Stokoe as Sophie Sheridan, Lloyd Green as Sky, Rosanna Bates as Ali, Brodie McBride as Lisa, James Alexander Gibbs as Pepper, James Evans as Eddie, Stephen John Davis as Father Alexander and Shona White as Alternate Donna/Ensemble. 

Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon will transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre

Hampstead Theatre's Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon will transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre in October, following a successful month-long run at the Swiss Cottage venue earlier this year.

The show, which is based on Kinks frontman Ray Davies' early years, features music and lyrics from Davies and "explores the euphoric highs and agonising lows of one of Britain's most iconic bands and the irresistible music that influenced generations".

It has a book by playwright Joe Penhall, and includes classic songs such as "Lola", "Waterloo Sunset" and "You Really Got Me".

The principal cast members including John Dalgleish and George Maguire will transfer with the show, which starts previews on 4 October and opens on 28 October.

Billie Piper will star in the new play GREAT BRITAIN by Richard Bean at the National Theatre

The details have finally been revealed of Richard Bean’s previously reported new play at Britain's National Theatre. For legal reasons the production was unable to announce until the phone hacking trial that has rocked the U.K. ended. Great Britain, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Billie Piper, will open at the Lyttelton Theatre on June 30 and run through August 23. The production will have no previews.

The new play is an anarchic satire about the press, the police and the political establishment. Piper plays Paige Britain, the ambitious young news editor of The Free Press, a tabloid newspaper locked in a never-ending battle for more readers.

Denise Van Outen's one woman show, Some Girl I Used to Know, transfers to the West End

Denise Van Outen’s new one-woman musical play, Some Girl I Used to Know, which she co-wrote with Terry Ronald, will play London’s Arts Theatre this summer. Directed by Michael Howcroft, the production will run August 22 through September 13.

Stephanie Canworth has it all; a successful career, supportive husband and she’s a media darling. But it takes just one Facebook poke from a former love and the memories come flooding back. Is this really the life she wants? Songs from the 80s and 90s accompany Stephanie’s journey down memory lane, with Van Outen performing cover versions of songs by artists including Soft Cell and Culture Club, as well as the title song which has been specially written for the show by Steve Anderson and Terry Ronald.

MARRY ME A LITTLE to star Simon Bailey and Laura Pitt-Pulford

Simon Bailey and Laura Pitt-Pulford will star in the upcoming revival of Stephen Sondheim'sMarry me a Little at the St James Studio, which opens next month.

Directed by Hannah Chissick, the show runs from 29 July to 10 August and features songs from early in Sondheim's career.

Simon Bailey, who plays Man, most recently played Liam O'Deary in I Can't Sing! at the London Palladium. His other stage credits include Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera (UK tour), [title of show] (Landor), Passion (Donmar Warehouse), Les Miserables (Queen's).

Laura Pitt-Pulford played The Falconer in The Light Princess (National Theatre). Her other credits include A Man of No Importace (Salisbury Playhouse), Piaf and Hello Dolly (Leicester Curve).

Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies extend until 4 October 2014

Due to overwhelming success, Playful Productions and the Royal Shakespeare Company are thrilled to announce that Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies will extend by four weeks. The productions will now play at the Aldwych Theatre until 4 October 2014. Tickets for the extension go on public sale today.

Hilary Mantel’s enormously popular books have been adapted for the stage in two parts by Mike Poulton. The adaptations were commissioned by Playful Productions and brought to the stage by the RSC, working in collaboration with Playful. Directed by Jeremy Herrin, the productions have met with universal acclaim since premiering at the Swan Theatre in Stratford–upon-Avon and transferring into the West End.

FIRST LOOK: Mr Burns at the Almeida Theatre

The European Premiere of Anne Washburn’s Mr Burns is currently playing at the Almeida Theatre. Associate Director of the Almeida Theatre Robert Icke directs, following the success of 1984 which has transferred to the West End.

The company includes Fiona Digney, Adrian der Gregorian, Demetri Goritsas, Adey Grummet, Michael Henry, Justine Mitchell, Wunmi Mosaku, Annabel Scholey, Michael Shaeffer and Jenna Russell.

Mr Burns is designed by Tom Scutt who most recently worked on the Almeida’s current production of King Charles III. Philip Gladwell designs the lighting, sound designed by Tom Gibbons, with joint composition and musical direction by Orlando Gough and Michael Henry. 

FIRST LOOK: Skylight, starring Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy

Bill Nighy, Carey Mulligan and Matthew Beard star in the new production of David Hare's Skylight directed by Stephen Daldry, which opened at Wyndham's Theatre on 18 June 2014. The play, which has a limited run to 23 August, first ran at the National Theatre in 1995 before being revived in 1997 at the Vaudeville Theatre.

It tells the story of a schoolteacher, Kyra Hollis (played by Carey Mulligan), who one night receives an unexpected visit from her former lover Tom (played by Nighy) and his son Edward (played by Matthew Beard).

Matthew Beard makes his stage debut in Skylight. His film credits include And When Did you Last See Your Father?, An Education opposite Carey Mulligan and One Day, Chat Room and The Look of Love. Later this year he will be seen in the film adaptation of Laura Wade's Posh, as well as The Imitation Game and Singularity.

Casting announced for MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL

Casting was announced today for the West End production of hit Broadway musical MEMPHIS, which will have preview performances at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London from 9 October 2014 with Opening Night on 23 October 2014. Winner of four 2010 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, MEMPHIS has a Grammy® Award-winning original score by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan and book by Joe DiPietro.

Led by multi award-winning recording artist Beverley Knight as club singer ‘Felicia Farrell’ and stage star Killian Donnelly as radio DJ ‘Huey Calhoun’, with Rolan Bell as ‘Delray’, Tyrone Huntley as ‘Gator’, Claire Machin as ‘Gladys’, Jason Pennycooke as ‘Bobby’ and Mark Roper as ‘Mr. Simmons’, the full cast of MEMPHIS will include Keisha Atwell, Arielle Campbell, Mark Carroll, Joseph Davenport, Momar Diagne, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Kimmy Edwards, Hillary Elk, Laura Ellis, Charlotte Gorton, Benjamin Harrold, Waylon Jacobs, Rachel John, Dean Maynard, Devon McKenzie-Smith, Tim Newman, Simon Ray-Harvey, Jon Robyns, Ashley Rumble, Kyle Seeley, Helen Siveter, Dawnita Smith, and Alex Thomas.