Category: Theatre

Stage Latest

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London Theatre

David Seadon-Young20161122-1 will play the role of Adam in An American in Paris, the award winning Broadway musical opening at The Dominion Theatre in March 2017. Aleksandar Mikic reprises his role as The Lead in The Wish List directed by Matthew Xia at the Royal Court, Daniel Rabin opens in Robert Icke’s Mary Stuart at The Almeida, Howard Ward is in rehearsals for Wild Honey at the Hampstead Theatre, Gavin Spokes plays The Dame at this years Hackney Empire Panto Sleeping Beauty whilst Clemmie Sveaas returns to the Royal Opera House in Javier de Frutos’ production of Les Enfants Terribles. Laura Rogers will perform in Winter Solstice directed by Ramin Gray for The Orange Tree and Sarah Malin will play Prospero in The Tempest at the Southwark Playhouse directed by Amy Draper, whilst Arabella Neale takes over the role of Patricia in David Hare’s The Red Barn at The National’s Lyttleton Theatre from December.

Succesful openings include Tom Edden in Amadeus at The National Theatre, Stephen Kennedy in The Old Vic’s King Lear with Glenda Jackson, John Mackay in EV Crowe’s The Sewing Group at The Royal Court and Graham Turner in King Lear & Cymbeline for the RSC at The Barbican. Also transferring to London with the RSC are Sam Alexander and Peter McGovern in Much Ado About Nothing and Love’s Labour’s Lost playing in rep at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

And beyond

At The Sheffield Crucible Josie Walker will join the cast of the Everyone’s Talking About Jamie playing Jamie’s mum Margaret in the coming-of-age story of a teenage drag queen directed by Jonathan Butterell. Lisa Palfrey joins the cast of Headlong’s new Jack Thorne play Junkyard directed by Jeremy Herrin, RADA Grad George Caple is to join the fist resident Rep company at The Liverpool Everyman in 25 years where roles will include playing Romeo in Romeo and Juliet directed by Nick Bagnall. Geoff Leesley has opened to excellent reviews in Trouble in Mind directed by Laurence Boswell at the Ustinov Studio Bath whilst Richard Dempsey plays JJ Silvers in Strictly Ballroom and Jenna Augen plays Grandma in The Witches, both opening at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Jason Callender meanwhile begins rehearsals for The Play That Goes Wrong Tour, Sandy Foster opens in Maria Aberg’s production of Fantastic Mr Fox touring the UK next year and Jude Monk McGowan takes Punchdrunks acclaimed London show Sleep No More to Shanghai.

Summer theatre

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20160801In theatre news Tom Edden will play The Emperor in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus directed by Michael Longhurst for The National Theatre. Richard Teverson will play Sackville in Theatre Royal Bath’s production of The Libertine, directed by Terry Johnson coming to The Theatre Royal Haymarket in September. Stephen Kennedy joins the cast of Deborah Warner’s King Lear at the Old Vic this autumn with Glenda Jackson in the title role, Scott Karim returns to the Globe in Matthew Dunster’s Imogen and Amy Booth-Steel joins the company of Briony Kimmings’ musical A Pacifists Guide to The War on Cancer a co pro between The National Theatre and Complicite. At Regents Park, Tafline Steen and Jordan Mifsúd play Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, a revival of Deborah Bruce’s acclaimed production, this summer. Laura Rogers plays Dorothea in Tennessee William’s A Lovely Sunday For Creve Coeur at The Print Room. Derek Hutchinson, meanwhile, joins the cast of The Roundabout at The Park and Richard Dempsey plays Peter in Noel Cowards Home Chat at The Finborough theatre.

RSC transfers to the West End include Sam Alexander with Much Ado about Nothing and Peter McGovern in Love’s Labours Lost. Coming to The Barbican are Nicholas Lumley in Maria Aberg’s Doctor Faustus and Hywel Morgan with Polly Jerrold’s The Alchemist. Graham Turner meanwhile opens in Stratford as The Fool in Greg Doran’s King Lear prior to a Barbican run this autumn.

Out of town Geraldine Alexander heads to The Royal Exchange to play Sarah Turing in Breaking The Code directed by Rob Hastie, Rhys Rusbatch will play Captain Jack Absolute in The Rivals at Bristol Old Vic, Eugine O’Hare plays Sir Clifford in Sheffield Crucible’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover directed by Phillip Breen, Jason Callender joins the company of The Play that Goes Wrong on tour, and NYT graduate Melissa Vaughan plays Dora in Night Must Fall directed by Luke Sheppard and touring.

Gavin Spokes at the Olivier Awards

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© ITV

Olivier Awards

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Olivier AwardCongratulations to Gavin Spokes who earns an Olivier Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role as Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, currently playing in the West End.

Guys and Dolls also receives a nod for Best Musical Revival. Other Olivier nominations include Best New Musical for Mrs Henderson Presents featuring Robert Hands as well as Best New Comedy for Peter Pan Goes Wrong featuring Tom Edden as well as Nell Gwynn with Peter McGovern.

In Rehearsals:

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20160301Josie Walker will play Mrs Gogan and Stephen Kennedy Fluther Good in a revival of Sean O’Casey’s Plough and The Stars, directed by Howard Davies for The National Theatre and marking the centenary of the Easter Rising. Also for The National, Pooky Quesnel joins the cast of The Suicide in a fresh adaptation of Erdman’s original script relocated to contemporary London directed by Nadia Fall. Tom Edden will play The Good Angel in The Jamie Lloyd Company’s West End Production of Dr Faustus with Kit Harrington in the title role whilst at the Royal Exchange, Jodie McNee takes on the role of Kay in Sarah Waters’ The Night Watch directed by Rebecca Gatward. Sam Alexander returns to Hampstead Theatre in Howard Brenton’s new play Lawrence After Arabia with John Dove directing, Hywel Morgan joins the cast of the RSC’s The Alchemist directed by Polly Findlay, Natasha Gordon joins Mel Giedroyc in Simon Dormandy’s production of Luce at the Southwark Playhouse and Michelle Bonnard plays Jess in The Quiet House by Bruntwood Prize winning writer Gareth Farr at The Park Theatre. For the West Yorkshire Playhouse and London’s South Bank Centre, Carla Harrison Hodge plays Avocado and Pomegranate in two hander The Fruit Trilogy, 3 short plays from the Tony Award winning playwright of the Vagina Monologues Eve Ensler whilst over at The Birmingham Rep Sophie Stone plays the Postmaster in Artistic Director Roxanna Silbert’s innovative new production of Gogol’s The Government Inspector. Also out of London Tony Guilfoyle plays Prospero in William Galinsky’s production of The Tempest at Hippodrome/Great Yarmouth and Kate Maravan joins the cast of Phelim McDermott’s new show Opening Skinner’s Box for Improbable.

Opening Soon:

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Openings:

Husbands-And-Sons-posterLook out for Molly Logan who has opened as Viola in Twelfth Night for the Globe, Peter McGovern currently appearing in Nell Gwynne at The Apollo Theatre, Ferdy Roberts returning to The Lyric Hammersmith in Filter’s revival of A Midsummer Nights Dream, Howard Ward at The Orange Tree in German Skerries and Nicholas Lumley in Doctor Faustus/ Don Quixote at the RSC. Gavin Spokes continues to play Nicely Nicely in the current run of Guys and Dolls which transfers to the Phoenix Theatre whilst Husband and Sons with Josie Walker has transferred to The Royal Exchange after its London run.

New Year Stage News:

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On Stage

Robert Hands20160114 Theatre plays the Lord Chamberlain in Mrs Henderson Presents, directed by Terry Johnson and transferring to the Noel Coward Theatre, West End from February. Sophie Stone plays Michelle in a revival of the Simon Stephens’ play Herons at the Lyric Theatre directed by Sean Holmes. Charlotte Lucas revives her role as Ellen Tree in the critically acclaimed Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti as part of The Kenneth Branagh Season at The Garrick. Josie Walker continues her run at The National as Mrs Purdy in Husbands and Sons. Peter McGovern will play Ned in The Globe’s transfer of Nell Gwynn to the Apollo Theatre, West End whilst Dan Rabin continues at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse opening in The Winters Tale. Molly Logan, meanwhile, plays Viola in Twelfth Night director Bill Buckhurst also for The Globe. Graham Turner returns to the RSC playing the Fool to Tony Sher’s Lear in Greg Doran’s new production as well as Belarius in Melly Still’s Cymbeline. Nicholas Lumley is also returning to Stratford in Maria Aberg’s Dr Faustus and Angus Jackson’s Don Quixote.

Laura Rogers and Richard Teverson take a new production of Private Lives on a tour for Ambassadors, directed by Tom Attenborough, Penny Beaumont plays Camilla in Make Bartlett’s King Charles III touring the UK and then Australia whilst Geoff Leesley returns to PW’s An Inspector Calls. Natalie Radmall-Quirke and Chris Gordon both appear in Winter’s Tale for Cheek By Jowl touring Paris, Madrid and Italy and Scott Karim will play Edmund in the Philip Frank’s directed King Lear starring Michael Pennington. In a year for Lear’s Thomas Coombes will be playing Oswald in Michael Buffong’s version for The Royal Exchange whilst Sévan Stephan begins rehearsals for Breakfast At Tiffanys which will tour prior to opening at The Haymarket Theatre, West End.

And in 2016…

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On Screen

Kent Riley20160114 Screen will play the regular role of Barry in Brief Encounters, ITV’s new 6 part drama about the women and party planners behind Ann Summers filming from January. Jodie McNee joins the cast of the brilliant Ripper Street with Daniel Nettheim directing whilst Lisa Palfrey will film Hinterland the popular Welsh drama for BBC4 also filming early 2016. David Nellist films Taboo, the Ridley Scott produced new mini series starring Tom Hardy, Joe Sims will guest in the cult hit Red Dwarf and Geraldine Alexander films Marcella, ITV’s new 8 part drama from the creator of The Bridge. Pooky Quesnel films the last block of The A Word, BBC’s new drama that centres around an autistic child, Ken Bones finishes filming on Medici and newcomer Oliver Dench lands a leading role in new Nickelodeon drama Let It Ride shooting across Canada and Northern Ireland until Easter. In film, Sara Powell shoots Denial, David Hare’s new Holocaust drama whilst Gary Oliver has just completed filming on the feature Bitter Harvest, in which he plays Joseph Stalin directed by George Mendeluk.

Coming up on screen early in 2016, Stephen Kennedy appears in Lucky Man on Sky 1 as well as Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo’s World War 1 drama which will making its network premiere on BBC1 late Jan. Sam Alexander guests in Call the Midwife, Joe Sims will be in Beowulf ITV’s epic new fantasy drama and Terence Beesley can be seen in the BBC’s epic new drama War and Peace. Look out for Terry too in The Musketeers alongside Melanie Kilburn who also guests in BBC’s returning drama series.

News from the boards!

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On Stage:

Tafline Steen20151029 makes her Broadway debut in King Charles III at The Music Box Theatre, New York. Gavin Spokes opens as Nicely Nicely in Chichester Festival Theatre’s West End transfer of the critically acclaimed Guys and Dolls playing at The Savoy Theatre from December. Ferdy Roberts has opened at The Royal Court in the role of Jez in Plaques and Tangles directed by Lucy Morrison in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Michelle Bonnard plays Maxine in Marcus Gardley’s A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes at the Tricycle Theatre directed by Indu Rubasingham whilst Thomas Coombes appears in a revival of Barbarians (for which he won an Offie in 2013), as Tooting Arts Club bring Barrie O’Keefe’s play back to the site specific former St Martins School of Art. Hayley Carmichael opens in First Love Is The Revolution, a new play written by Rita Kalnejais’s directed by Steve Marmion for Soho Theatre whilst Tom Edden continues as Pompey in Joe Hill Gibbon’s Measure For Measure at The Young Vic.

Out of town:

Sara Powell plays Tituba in The Crucible at The Bristol Old Vic directed by Tom Morris; Jess Murphy joins the cast of ATG’s new musical The Choir directed by Dominic Hill at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and Scott Karim plays Helmholtz in The Royal and Derngate’s Brave New World directed by James Dacre.

Continuing:

Colm Gormley plays Ted in the NT’s War Horse, Geraldine Alexander finishes her run as Siobhan in the NT’s other great hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time for which she has been nominated Best Actress in the UK Touring and West End Awards. Chris Harper plays Benedick in The Globe’s Much Ado About Nothing now touring South America and Emma Handy and Richard Teverson complete the UK tour of Moira Buffini’s Handbagged.

Rehearsing this month

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In Rehearsals:

Peter Pan Goes WrongRWCMD graduate Chris Gordon joins the Cheek By Jowl company for their Winter’s Tale tour opening in Paris and touring Europe, New York and coming to London’s Barbican. Tom Edden joins the cast of Peter Pan Goes Wrong for a Christmas West End season, Dan Rabin returns to the Globe for Pericles, new client James Musgrave performs in a revival of Flowering Cherry at The Finborough, Joseph May starts rehearsals for the Sonia Friedman produced The Haunting of Hill House, directed by Melly Still for Liverpool Playhouse and finally Richard Teverson joins the Tom Attenborough directed Private Lives for The Ambassadors.