Gareth Gates to star in new tour of Footloose

Footloose is going on a  new tour from next April starring Gareth Gates as Willard. It will start at Wimbledon on 24th April 2020, before visiting Birmingham, Barnstaple, Sunderland, Llandudno, Aberdeen, Brighton, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Malvern, Blackpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with further venues to be announced.

Based on the 1980s film of the same name  the musical is directed by Racky Plews, with choreography from Matt Cole, musical supervision by Mark Crossland and design by Sara Perk. It features numbers including "Holding Out for a Hero", "Almost Paradise" and "Footloose". Further casting is to be announced.

Gates, who  appeared in the show in 2017, said: "I'm thrilled to be back playing the role of Willard in the 2020 UK tour of Footloose. I had so much fun the first time around that I jumped at the chance to play such an exciting role again. I was born in 1984, the year Footloose the movie was first released; I used to watch the movie lots as a kid not knowing some years later I'd be playing the ‘cowboy that can't dance' on stages up and down the country. I'm a terrible dancer, so it's pretty much life imitating art!"


Tickets for the tour go on sale today.

Marisha Wallace debut concert tour announced

Marisha Wallace – star of smash-hit shows including  Dreamgirls, Waitress, Aladdin, The Book of Mormon and very soon Hairspray with MIchael Ball  – has announced  her first ever UK Tour next  March beginning at Sale’s Waterside.

Tickets are currently  on presale  and on general sale at 10:00 am on Friday November 1st.

Marisha, has just completed a critically-acclaimed run in West End hit Waitress and, starred alongside Will Smith in Disney’s big screen summer blockbuster Aladdin, said: “I’m so excited to be heading out on my first ever UK Tour. I fell in love with the UK from the moment I first I stepped on stage here. The warmth and love I’ve received from audiences has been really special and I cannot wait to head out to play theatres around the UK – it’s going to be amazing.”

Following her debut UK tour Marisha will take on the iconic role of Motormouth Maybelle in the eagerly-awaited West End return of Hairspray the Musical  alongside Michael Ball.

Marisha  (whose new single ‘Fight Like A Woman’ is out now) was born and raised in a small town in North Carolina. On Broadway, Marisha starred in shows including Disney's Aladdin, The Book of Mormon and Something Rotten and then  in the UK, as Effie White in the  West End hit Dreamgirls before following this up as Becky in  Waitress.


Inspired by the likes of the late, great Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald, Marisha’s voice will pull you from your seat and to your feet. She effortlessly infuses jazz, gospel and R&B with a healthy dose of soul that will leave you feeling inspired and uplifted.

David Hasselhoff to take over from Brian Conley in 9 to 5 Musical

Dolly Parton is delighted to announce that David Hasselhoff will play Franklin Hart Jr in 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL at The Savoy Theatre from 2nd December 2019 until 8th  February 2020 taking over from Brian Conley who is leaving the show on 30th November to do his annual panto.

David will join Caroline Sheen as Violet Newstead, Chelsea Halfpenny as Judy Bernly, Natalie McQueen as Doralee Rhodes and Bonnie Langford as Roz Keith.

 Dolly Parton said today ‘I am so pleased that David is joining our show. He will be a terrific addition to an already amazing cast, the audiences are going to love him just as much as I do! Get ready to be Hassled Hoff !’.

 David Hasselhoff said today ‘I went to see the show back in June and I thought it was ‘Hofftastic’.  That’s when I knew I wanted to be part of it. Franklin Hart Jnr. is going to be a fun part for me to play and I’m looking forward to being back on stage in the UK’.

David Hasselhoff’s TV credits include playing Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch, Michael Knight in Knight Rider and two series of the International Emmy award-winning Hoff the Record. In 2000 he made his Broadway debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde. His other theatre credits include Roger De Bris in The Producers in Las Vegas and Billy Flynn in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End. He has also appeared as a judge on both NBC’s America’s Got Talent and ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. His film credits include Dodgeball and Spongebob Squarepants The Movie, among many others. David is also a chart-topping recording artist with his album Looking for Freedom going triple platinum in Europe. His latest album Open Your Eyes was released earlier this year and garnered great reviews.  The album features collaborations with a stellar cast of backup musicians.  He has just recently completed a sell-out multi-city concert tour in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

From 2 December the cast of 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL is completed by Victoria Anderson, Alexander Bartles, Simon Campbell, Alexander Day, Rhiane Drummond, Demmileigh Foster, Molly-May Gardiner, Llandyll Gove,  Ben Irish, Jenny Legg, Natasha Mould, Sean Needham, Jon Reynolds, James Royden-Lyley, Giles Surridge, Antoine Thomas-Sturge, Sasha Wareham and Emily Woodford.

John Owen Jones and Peter Polycarpou among stars performing in West End Gala for Croydon charities

On  3rd November  at 6:30pm, stars from the West End will head to  Croydon's recently re-opened Fairfield Halls to support the Mayor's five charities in a one-off concert that celebrates past and present musicals

Headlining the concert are screen John Owen-Jones, ('Valjean', Les Miserables; London and Broadway, Phantom of the Opera) Peter Polycarpou (Evita, Miss Saigon, Oklahoma, Birds of a Feather), Amy Lennox (Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots, Holby City) Sabrina Aloueche (Les Misérables, We Will Rock You, Brooklyn) Nathan Amzi (Good Omens, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rock of Ages, Aladdin) Stephen Rahman-Hughes (EastEnders, Aladdin, Rock of Ages) and Bronte Barbe (Oklahoma, Beautiful, Shrek)

They will also be joined by Gemma Knight-Jones (Falsettos) Brian McCann (Phantom) Luke McCall (Les Miserables) Tim Oxbrow (Bat Out of Hell) Chris Auckett (Wind in the Willows) Katy Stredder (Mamma Mia) Tom Hargreaves (Wicked) Jacqui Sanchez (Priscilla) Caroline Rodgers (Horrible Histories) Stephen Rolley (Book of Mormon) Kage Douglas (Ghost) Jasette Amos (Daddy Cool) and Rakesh Boury (We Will Rock You)

*Performer line-up may change due to availability

The evening will also feature students from The Urdang Academy and the award winning weekend Performing Arts School, The Boury Academy.

The five Charities  being supported  are Mind in Croydon:  Croydon Vision: Ashdon Jazz Academy: Apasen International (Croydon) and Croydon Refugee Day Centre.  A percentage of the profit will also be donated to The Boury Academy who provide professional Performing Arts training to children who would otherwise not be able to afford to access it.

Tickets for the charity gala concert are now on sale priced at £25/£15 and can purchased online at www.fairfield.co.uk, through the ticket link

New Sammy Davis Jr musical directed by Clarke Peters

A workshop of Leslie Bricusse's new musical SAMMY will be presented by Anthology Theatre Productions and Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment on Thursday 3st  October to an invited audience of producers, theatre owners and investors. Olivier Award-winning actor, singer, writer, and director, Clarke Peters will direct Olivier Award-winner Giles Terera (Hamilton London) in the title role in the musical written by Oscar and Grammy Award winning composer, lyricist and playwright Leslie Bricusse.

The producers hope to mount a full production of the show in 2020 which will mark what would have been Sammy Davis Jr.'s 95th Birthday

Clarke Peter's vision for this modern re-imagining of Bricusse's original musical played a short season in San Diego . It will examine the life and  legacy of the 20th Century's greatest entertainer, Sammy David Jr via the  music of Leslie Bricusse (Sammy's collaborator and friend) with elements of projection and dance, 

SAMMY celebrates Sammy Davis Jr. as a phenomenal talent, a cultural pioneer, and a complicated man. He recorded more than 60 songs written by Leslie Bricusse, including his only No.1 hit, "The Candy Man." Mike Dixon will be the musical supervisor for the musical which will feature new work by Bricusse as well as numbers from the Bricusse and Anthony Newley songbook, including; "What Kind of Fool Am I?" "Feeling Good", "Who Can I Turn To?" and "The Candy Man Can". 

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Initial casting news for Hairspray London starring Michael Ball

Breaking news from Baz in this morning's Mail is initial casting news for the musical Hairspray which stars Michael Ball  reprising  his role as Edna Turnblad  for a 12 week run at the London Coliseum starting on April 23rd, 2020

He will be joined by Lizzie Bea (Pat in Kinky Boots London and new musical Becoming Nancy), playing  the musical's heroine, Tracy Turnblad, while Marisha Wallace who  originated the starring role of Becky in Waitress London (Disney's Aladdin, Dreamgirls London) will play  the one and only Motormouth Maybelle!

Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Saunders to join Sister Act for limited run in London

Breaking news  this morning is that Academy® Award winning actress Whoopi Goldberg is back as Deloris Van Cartier with BAFTA award winner Jennifer Saunders in the role of Mother Superior in  Sister Act The Musical when it comes to London for just 39 performances from Wednesday 29 July- Sunday 30 August 2020 with tickets now on sale . 

They are to join the tour of Sister Act  which stars Brenda Edwards in the title role at all other venues for a limited run at London's Hammersmith Evenim Apollo 

Whoopi Goldberg plays Deloris Van Cartier for the first time on stage having played the part in the hugely successful films Sister Act and Sister Act 2 – Back in the Habit. Whoopi is one of the few people to hold the distinction of winning the four major American awards – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. As well as Sister Act, Whoopi’s other film credits include Ghost and The Color Purple. On TV she has hosted the Oscars four times and is a moderator and co-host on The View. On stage Whoopi has appeared in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Xanadu on Broadway, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and her own acclaimed one-woman show.


Jennifer Saunders is a multi award-winning actress, comedian and writer. She is one half of the successful comedy duo French and Saunders and also wrote and starred in five series, three specials and a feature film of her hit comedy Absolutely Fabulous. Her many other TV credits include writing and starring in Jam and Jerusalem and guest starring in Friends and Roseanne. Film credits include the voice of the evil Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2. On stage she has appeared in Lady Windermere’s Fan at the Vaudeville Theatre and Blithe Spirit at Bath Theatre Royal. This production transfers to the Duke of York’s Theatre next year. Sister Act the musical will mark Jennifer’s musical theatre debut.

Mark McMullan - BGT Finalist - to play Joseph on tour in Doncaster

Mark McMullan – a 2019 finalist on Britain's Got Talent 2019 – will play the lead in the tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when it  visits Doncaster Dome for three weeks this Christmas from 18 December-4 January 2020.

The role represents McMullan's first major musical role, he is  best known for his performance ib the show of Bring Him Home from Les Misérables  on the TV show.

McMullan said of the role: "Being cast as Joseph in Bill Kenwright's record-breaking production is absolutely amazing! I grew up performing musical theatre and it really helped me find my voice as a singer and gave me the drive to pursue my passion."

Hannah Tointon to join Waitress in London

Waitress Musical has just announced that television star Hannah Tointon (The Inbetweeners, Mr Selfridge and Hollyoaks) will be joining the West End company from 2nd December in the role of Dawn. taking over from Laura Baldwin who will make her final performance on 30 November. Waitress is also delighted to announce that Lucie Jones will extend her role of Jenna performances in the smash hit musical through to 25th January 2020.

Hannah Tointon (Dawn) is best known for her role as Tara in the award-winning comedy The Inbetweeners and as Violette in the highly acclaimed British period drama Mr Selfridge. Hannah most recently starred as Zelda in The Jazz Age at the Playground Theatre. Other credits in recent years include, The Festival, Penny Dreadful, Call the Midwife, and Hollyoaks.

Peter Andre to guest star in Thriller Live! In London

Peter Andre is  returning to guest star in Thriller Live in  West End's Lyric Theatre for a two-week season  from 10th-22nd December (except Sunday evenings) . He will be the  first in a series of guest stars that mark the show's final six months at the theatre as it ends its record-breaking 11-year run on 26th April 2020 for the venue to be refurbished. The musical will have completed 4,705 performances, making it the longest running show ever at the theatre and the 11th longest running musical in West End history.

Peter Andre has almost 6 million social media followers. When he first burst to international fame as a pop artist in the Nineties with hits including 'Mysterious Girl' and 'Flava', he was the sixth highest selling artist in the UK, having had numerous number one hit singles, two number one albums, and collected a multitude of national and international awards.

Plans are in hand to transfer Thriller Live to another West End theatre and a second production will start a 12-month world tour, opening in Lausanne Switzerland on 27th December. The tour will also visit a number of UK cities, including Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Cheltenham, Liverpool, Woking, Glasgow, Oxford, Brighton and Sunderland.

The singer last appeared in the production in 2018 as part of its 4,000th West End performance celebration and has more recently appeared in the UK tour of Grease. Andre said: "I had such an amazing experience performing in Thriller Live's 4,000th gala night and I can't wait to come back for a full run of shows. This is such an honour for me because Michael Jackson was musically the biggest influence in my life and career. He made me dream of being on stage and to be part of music."

Open Air Theatre Evita to transfer into Barbican next summer

The Barbican has just announced its January - August 2020 theatre and dance programme which includes  the transfer of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's 2019 sell-out production of Evita playing an eight week season from 27th  June to 22nd August. 

The musical, reinvented by director Jamie Lloyd, was seen by over 75,000 people in Regent's Park earlier this year and became the theatre's highest grossing production ever.

Lloyd will direct the transfer and be joined by the full creative team from the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production – design by Soutra Gilmour, choreography by Fabian Aloise, musical supervision by Alan Williams, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Nick Lidster, fight direction by Kate Waters and casting by Will Burton.

Tickets go on sale 1st November with  casting information to  be announced in due course.

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Details of UK Theatre Awards

It has just been announced that Jodie Prenger will host this year's UK Theatre Awards on Sunday 27th October at London's Guildhall. This year she  has  been touring the UK in a number of  hit productions including Abigail's Party and Annie, and is currently starring in the tour of The National Theatre's production of A Taste Of Honey, which transfers into the West End in December.

Awards will be presented by performers Denise Black, Lesley Joseph, Gary Wilmot and Ashley Zhangazha, with Emma Rice being presented with the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre by her regular collaborator, the designer Vicki Mortimer.

This year's recipient of the Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts is the theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh. The award will be formally presented at a separate event at the Gielgud Theatre on 28th October which is the  25th anniversary of the theatre's renaming.The Gielgud Award was established by The Shakespeare Guild in 1994. Previous recipients include Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Christopher Plummer, Patrick Stewart, Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Eyre.

The full list of nominations for this year's  Awards is available on the UK Theatre website.

Final casting for The Boy Friend at the Menier Chocolate Factory

With rehearsals starting today for Matthew White's revival of Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend at the Menier Chocolate Factory final casting has been announced. Joining Jack Butterworth (Bobby Van Husen), Janie Dee (Mme Dubonnet), Adrian Edmondson (Lord Brockhurst), Tiffany Graves (Hortense), Dylan Mason (Tony), Amara Okereke (Polly) and Issy van Randwyck (Lady Brockhurst) are Tom Bales (Alphonse), Ryan Carter (Pierre), Chloe Goodliffe (Nancy), Matthew Ives (Pépé), Bethany Huckle (Lolita), Emily Langham (Fay), Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson (Maisie), Annie Southall (Dulcie), Peter Nash (Marcel) and Robert Portal (Percival Brown).

The production opens on 3rd December, with previews from 22nd November, and runs until 7th March 2020.

First guests announced for Barricade Boys Christmas Cabaret back in London

Updated 21st November: The initial guests have just been announced have jsut been announced for the Bricade Boys Chrsitmas Concerts With more star names to be announced shortly. They are:

Camilla Kerslake - 16th December

Samantha Barks-17th December

Alice Fearn - 23rd December

Nadim Naaman  27th December

Kieran Brown  - 28th December (matinee) 

Camilla Kerslake is a classical crossover soprano who has toured with Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo and Russell Watson.  After becoming the first artist to sign to Gary Barlow’s record label Future Records, she released her debut album Camilla Kerslake in 2009, and was subsequently nominated for a Classical Brit Award.  She has played Cosette in Les Misérables, opposite Samantha Barks and Nick Jonas.

Samantha Barks rose to fame after coming in third in the BBC series I'd Do Anything in 2008. In 2012, she starred alongside Jonathan Bailey in the Disney Channel series Groove High and made her film debut as Éponine in the film version of the musical Les Misérables, going on to win the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer.  She has since starred in the UK Tour of Oliver!, Josie Rourke’s production of City of Angels and most recently made her Broadway debut originating the role of Vivian in the stage musical Pretty Woman which played for a year at the Nederlander Theatre.

Alice Fearn started her career in the Woman In White before joining the cast of Les Misérables, both in the West End. Credits since include Princess Aurora in Awaking Beauty (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn), Annie Get Your Gun (Young Vic), Rapunzel in Into The Woods (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), Renee in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Nancy in Oliver! at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury. Most recently, Alice starred as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked.

Nadim Naaman’s credits include Gibran in Broken Wings (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty's Theatre); Charles Clarke in Titanic (Southwark Playhouse); Rolf in The Sound Of Music (London Palladium).

Kieran Brown has recently appeared in the 2019 Barricade Boys UK Tour.  His West End theatre credits include The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre) and Love Never Dies (Adelphi Theatre) and he appeared in The Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena.  

Following their critically acclaimed season in 2017, The Barricade Boys, are to return to London for a Christmas Cabaret for three weeks only at The Other Palace from Tuesday 10th  - Saturday 28th December 2019. 

The Barricade Boys (Simon Schofield, Dougie Carter, Lee Honey Jones and George Tebbutt ) are some  of the finest male voices from the West End, International Tour and Hollywood movie of the world’s longest-running musical – Les Misérables. After sell-out performances in London’s West End, an appearance at the St James Theatre on Broadway and many international dates, they  are quickly securing their place as theatreland’s newest and most exciting male vocal group. They hav e have being guests on many primetime TV shows including, The Paul O’Grady Show, Sunday Night at The London Palladium, Children In Need, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and most recently Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris.

At their Christmas party  they not only perform the world’s greatest show tunes but also music from some of the most iconic names in the music industry, from powerful ballads and beautiful operatic arias to some of the best pop, rock and swing numbers of all time.

Buy tickets for The Barricade Boys Christmas Cabaret

Moulin Rouge Confirmed for London's Piccadilly Theatre in March 2021

It has finally been confirmed that the  Broadway hit musical , Moulin Rouge, is heading to the West End in 2021 beginning  performances at London's Piccadilly Theatre in March 2021.  It will followPRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL which is  running   there for 46 WEEKS until 2nd January 2021

According to reports, the production will  transform the space into the decadent spectacle currently found on Broadway.

Director Alex Timbers confirmed that casting for the production will begin in six months with the Broadway creative team and UK casting director due to will hold auditions in spring 2020.Tickets for the show's West End run go on sale in 2020.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is based on the 20th Century Fox Motion Picture by Baz Luhrmann. Directed by Alex Timbers (Tony Award®-nominated for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Peter and the Starcatcher) Moulin Rouge! The Musical has a book by John Logan (Tony Award® for Red), choreography by Sonya Tayeh (Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for Kung Fu, and Emmy winner), and music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Justin Levine (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

The Broadway cast currently includes Karen Olivo (Tony Award® for West Side Story, In the Heights) as Satine, Aaron Tveit (Catch Me If You Can, Next to Normal) as Christian, Danny Burstein (six-time Tony Award®-nominee, Fiddler On the Roof, Cabaret) as Harold Zidler, Sahr Ngaujah (Tony® and Olivier award-nominee for Fela) as Toulouse-Lautrec, Tam Mutu (Doctor Zhivago, Encores!'s Hey, Look Me Over! and The New Yorkers) as The Duke of Monroth, Ricky Rojas (Burn the Floor) as Santiago and Robyn Hurder (Nice Work If You Can Get It) as Nini.

New casting announced for The Bodyguard tour starring Alexandra Burke

New casting has been announced for the 2019/20  tour of The Bodyguard.  

From 12th November 2019 Alexandra Burke (Rachel Marron)  will be joined by Ben Lewis as Frank Farmer, Emmy Willow as Nicki Marron and Neil Reidman as Bill Devaney. Continuing in the show will be Craig Berry as Tony, Gary Turner as Sy Spector, Phil Atkinson as The Stalker and Simon Cotton as Ray Court. At certain performances the role of Rachel Marron will be played by Jennlee Shallow.

The cast is completed by Rosie Cava-Beale, Myles Cork, Jaime Cox, Kerry Crozier, Sia Dauda, Gustav Die, Chris Edgerley, James Lee Harris, Holly Liburd, Natalie Jayne Hall, Jack Loy, Helen Parsons, Daniil Shmidt, Jessica Simmons, Yiota Theo and Michael Wade Peters.

Ben Lewis was most recently seen in the West End as Larry in the award-winning production of Company at the Gielgud Theatre. His other West End credits include the title role in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre and Forbidden Broadway at the Vaudeville Theatre. In his native Australia, Ben played the role of The Phantom in Love Never Dies for which he was nominated for a Helpmann Award and won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. His other credits include the national tour of Love Me Tender, Frank Butler in the Sheffield Crucible’s production of Annie Get Your Gun and Candide at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Emmy Willow has previously played the role of Nicki Marron in The Bodyguard on the International tour. Neil Reidman’s musical credits include The Color Purple at the Menier Chocolate Factory and The Big Life at the Apollo Theatre in the West End. His other theatre credits include The Dispute for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the national tour of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Craig Berry’s many theatre credits include Mamma Mia!, Cats, Closer to Heaven, Titanic and The Producers. Gary Turner is probably best known for playing Carlos Diaz in ITV1’s Emmerdale and Nathan Blake in Hollyoaks. His many theatre credits include national tours of Dead Guilty, How the Other Half Loves, Jekyll and Hyde and most recently Strictly Murder. Phil Atkinson recently played Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Kilworth House. He has also appeared in Little Shop of Horrors and Spring Awakening. Simon Cotton has appeared in A Clockwork Orange at the Park Theatre and The Dumb Waiter at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre. Jennlee Shallow’s many theatre credits include Nala in The Lion King in both Australia and Germany, Deena in Dreamgirls and Sarah in Ragtime. Jennlee has also performed in the Cirque du Soleil shows Kooza and Viva Elvis.

Casting news for Wicked in London

From Monday 20th January 2020, Nicholas McLean (currently Gary Coleman in UK Tour of Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon) will take on the part of Boq in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, with Idriss Kargbo  playing his final performance on 9th November 2019, with George Ure then taking over in the role for two months from Monday 11th November 2019 -Saturday 18th January 2020.

McLean will join a cast led by Nikki Bentley, Helen Woolf and Alistair Brammer with  Kim Ismay (Madame Morrible), Andy Hockley (The Wizard), Simeon Truby (Doctor Dillamond), Natasha Ferguson (Nessarose, maternity cover for Carina Gillespie), Laura Pick (Standby for Elphaba) and Lisa-Anne Wood (Standby for Glinda).

Roger Bart to play Doc Brown in new Back to the Future musical

More casting has been announced for Back to the Future the Musical. Joining the previously announced Olly Dobson in the show will be Hugh Coles as George McFly, Rosanna Hyland  as Lorraine Baines and Cedric Neal as Goldie Wilson. Tony Award-winner Roger Bart (The Stepford Wives)  makes his UK stage debut as Doc Brown in the show.

Back to The Future - The Musical will open at the Manchester Opera House on 20th February  running until 17th May  2020 for a strictly limited 12-week season, ahead of a planned transfer to the West End.

Hugh Coles graduated from LAMDA in 2017 and landed one of the lead roles in last year's British summer movie The Festival. He most recently finished working on the BBC series Defending the Guilty, playing young barrister 'Liam' alongside Will Sharpe and Katherine Parkinson. Hugh's other screen credits include Urban Myths: The Mysterious Disappearance of Agatha Christie for Sky Arts and the final series of Doc Martin for ITV.

Rosanna Hyland's theatre credits include 'Rosalie Mullins' in School Of Rock The Musical (Gillian Lynne), 'Alice' in I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road (Jermyn Street), 'Betty Hapschatt' in Shock Treatment (King's Head), 'Hope Cladwell' in Urinetown (Apollo), Shrek The Musical (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Sister Act The Musical (London Palladium) and Carousel (The Savoy).

Cedric Neal most recently was a semi-finalist on The Voice UK 2019 Series. He made his West End debut as 'Berry Gordy' in the original London cast of Motown The Musical. Neal was featured as 'The Arbiter' in the first revival of Chess at London's Coliseum. He can currently be seen as 'Willie' in the Soho Theatre premiere of The View Upstairs. Other London theatre includes the critically acclaimed concert staging of Martin Smith's musical King, portraying Martin Luther King Jr., Cy Coleman's revue Rhythm Of Life (St. James's Theatre), and 'Sporting Life' in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Olivier nominated production of Porgy And Bess. Broadway credits include the Tony nominated After Midnight and the 2012 Tony Award-winning revival of Porgy And Bess. Television credits include The Good Guys (Fox) and Seasons 4 & 5 of the Emmy Award-winning drama Friday Night Lights (NBC-Universal). Film credits include Lost In London, which was written and produced by and starred Woody Harrelson.

New November cast announced for Hamilton in London's West End

The new cast for the West End production of Hamilton has been announced. From 18th  November, Karl Queensborough -  formerly the alternate in the show - will  play the title role of Alexander Hamilton, with Allyson Ava-Brown and Jason Pennycooke continuing in their roles as Angelica Schuyler and Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson respectively.

They are joined by Emilie Louise Israel as Peggy Schuyler/ Maria Reynolds, Trevor Dion Nicholas as George Washington, Simon-Anthony Rhoden as Aaron Burr, Sharon Rose as Eliza Hamilton, Emile Ruddock as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, Carl Spencer as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton and from 4th November 2019 Gavin Spokes will play King George. Nuno Queimado will play the role of Alexander Hamilton at certain performances.

The cast is completed by Jade Albertsen, Curtis Angus, Robson Broad, Ashley Daniels, Lisa Darnell, Kelly Downing, Lydia Fraser, Dujonna Gift-Simms, Manaia Glassey-Ohlson, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Gregory Haney, Peter Houston, Barney Hudson, DeAngelo Jones, Jake Halsey-Jones, Phoebe Liberty Jones, Travis Kerry, Natasha Leaver, Aaron Lee Lambert, Sinead Long, Louis Mackrodt, Jay Perry, Alexzandra Sarmiento and Lindsey Tierney.

The show is currently booking until the end of March 2020.

More casting news for Goldilocks at the Palladium

More casting news has just been revealed for Goldilocks and the Three Bears which is this year's Palladium Panto opening on 7th December for a five week run until  Sunday 12 January 2020.

Joining the previously announced One Show and Countryfile host  Matt Baker, as Joey the Clown, Paul O'Grady and Julian Clary as the bad and good ringmasters Gary Wilmot, Paul Zerdin and Nigel Havers as Dame Betty Barnum, Silly Billy and Daddy Bear respectively are Sophie Isaacs  (Cruel Intentions the Musical  Heather McNamara in Heathers, Kinky Boots and Made in Dagenham)in the title role as Goldilocks. Janine Duvitski (Benidorm, One Foot in the Grave) as Mummy Bear and Lauren Stroud (Strictly Ballroom, Scrooge, Top Hat and Hairspray) as Baby Bear. 

Unusually the story  will take place in a circus setting following Dame Betty Barnum and her daughter Goldilocks, whose circus is under threat from an evil rival circus owner .

 

More casting news for A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic

Rebecca Trehearn and Andrew Langtree are to  join Paterson Joseph in A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic from 23rd November to 18th  January with  Maria Omakinwa, Gloria Onitiri, Nick Hart, Myra McFadyen, Steven Miller, James Staddon, Samuel Townsend, Steven Miller, Fred Haig, Hollie Edwin, Kwêsi Edman and Melissa Allan  also in the cast, plus  Rayhaan Kufuor-Gray, Lara Mehmet, Lenny Rush and Eleanor Stollery sharing the role of Tiny Tim.

The adaptation by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) will be directed by artistic director Matthew Warchus. Set and costumes are by Rob Howell, with composition and arrangement by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker, movement by Lizzi Gee, casting by Jessica Ronane and associate direction by Joe Austin and Josh Seymour.
 

Buy tickets for A Christmas Carol

Mazz Murray & Jerome Pradon join Cinderella cast at Cadogan Hall

Mazz Murray is Madame and Jérôme Pradon is playing Sebastian in the UK premiere of Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA in concert at Cadogan Hall on Sunday 20 October 2020.

They join the previously announced Christine Allado (Prince of Egypt, Hamilton and In The Heights) who will star as Ella with Jodie Jacobs (Unexpected Joy, Bananaman and Lizzie) as Charlotte, Dean John-Wilson (Cruel Intentions, The King & I and Aladdin) as Jean-Michel, Cedric Neal (Back To The Future, The View UpStairs and Motown The Musical) as Lord Pinkleton, Dianne Pilkington (Only Fools and Horses, Young Frankenstein and Wicked) as Marie, Zoë Rainey (Kiss Me Kate, An American in Paris and MAMMA MIA!) as Gabrielle and Jac Yarrow (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Winner of the 2019 Stage Debut Award) as Prince Topher.

Joining them from the LMTO chorus are Christopher Cameron, Charlotte Clitherow, Abigail Earnshaw, Benjamin Froehlich, Charlotte Kennedy, Richard James-King, Jade Marvin, Matt McDonald, Chris McGuigan, Mia Michaud, Sam Oladeinde, Michael Robert-Lowe, Justine Saville, Katie Shearman, Joe Thompson-Oubari and Lizzie Wofford.

Mazz Murray is currently starring as Donna Sheridan in MAMMA MIA! at the Novello Theatre in the West End. Her previous theatre credits include nine years as Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre), Mama Morton in Chicago (Phoenix Theatre), Tanya in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre), Mabel in Fame (Victoria Palace), Grandma Bertha in Pippin (Bridewell Theatre) and Dusty Springfield in A Girl Called Dusty (Duke of York's Theatre). On television, she has appeared in EastEnders and Footballers' Wives, and on film in John Boorman's Hope & Glory and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. She has toured with Earth Wind & Fire and Billy Ocean as part of the band Woman the Band, and with Il Divo as a solo artist. Her debut solo album, Midnight Mazz, was released in 2018.

Jérôme Pradon has had a huge amount of success as an actor both in the UK and his native country, France. His UK theatre credits include Chris in the original production of Miss Saigon (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Leon Czolgosz in Assassins (Derby Playhouse), Guillaume in the original production of Martin Guerre (Prince Edward Theatre), Aragorn in Lord of the Rings (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), the Man in Whistle Down the Wind (Aldwych Theatre) and Javert in Les Misérables (Palace Theatre). Jerome received an Olivier Award Nomination for his roles in Pacific Overtures (Donmar Warehouse). Most recently, he appeared as Ivan in Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre), Louis Braille in Braille (Charing Cross Theatre) and George in Aspects of Love (Hope Mill Theatre/Southwark Playhouse).

Cast and tour details announced for Sting and Kate Prince's Message in a Bottle

Cast and creative information have been announced for Kate Prince and Sting's Message in a Bottle,  premieres at the Peacock Theatre in from 6th February 2020

Combining Prince's hip hop dance with music by Sting, the show tells the story of a village that is besieged, forcing its inhabitants to flee. Songs featured in the show from Sting's back catalogue include "Every Breath You Take", "Roxanne", "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Walking On The Moon", "Englishman in New York", "Shape of My Heart" and "Fields of Gold".

Appearing in the show will be  Lukas McFarlane as Leto, Tommy Franzen as Mati and Natasha Gooden as Tana. Lizzie Gough, Kino McHugh, Michael Naylor, Aaron Nuttall, Delano Spenrath, Annie Edwards, Nestor Garcia Gonzalez and Gavin L Vincent are also cast, with Samuel Baxter, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Anna Holmström, Emma 'Shortbread' Houston, Ajani Johnson-Goffe, Daniella May, Daniel Phung and Hannah Sandilands making their ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company debuts in the show.

Alex Lacamoire, who has worked on the likes of Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen and Fosse/Verdon, will join the creative team as music supervisor, creating new arrangements for the show. Music production and additional arrangements are from Martin Terefe, with design by Ben Stones, video design by Andrzej Goulding, costume by Anna Fleischle and lighting by Natasha Chivers.

Sound design is by David McEwan, music co-production and mixing is by Oskar Winberg and dramaturgy is by Lolita Chakrabarti.

After its run at The Peacock, Message In A Bottle tours to Theatre de la Ville Luxembourg (26 to 28 March), The Lowry, Salford (1 to 4 April) and Birmingham Hippodrome (8 to 11 April), with further international dates to be confirmed.

Michael Ball Live From The Savoy In Aid Of BBC Children In Need

Michael Ball will be performing his BBC Radio 2 show live from the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End on Sunday 18th November, in aid of BBC Children in Need,along with special guests Alfie Boe, Boyzone and the Kingdom Choir .

 

After the show, Michael will be hosting an intimate lunch at theSavoy Hotel. Joining Michael at the lunch, and hosting their own tables, will be a selection of Radio 2’s finest presenters and some of the guests from Michael’s show. It will undoubtedly be an entertaining afternoon raising money for BBC Children In Need 

The day will run as follows:

Michael Ball Show

• 10.30am Arrive at the Savoy Theatre

• 11.00am 1.00pm Michael Ball Live from the Savoy Theatre

Michael Ball’s Children In Need Lunch (limited tickets)

• 1.15 pm Champagne Reception (lunch ticket holders only)

• 2.00 pm Children In Need Lunch (lunch ticket holders only)
  Intimate live performance from Michael
  Children in Need Auctions

• 5.00pm Carriages

Dress code for drinks and lunch: Smart Casual

Tickets for Michael Ball Live From The Savoy In Aid Of BBC Children In Need

Sandra Marvin new Becky in Waitress the Musical

Sandra Marvin has been cast as the new Becky in Waitress in the West End taking over from Marisha Wallace who leaves the show on 10th October.

Marvin most recently appeared on screen in ITV’s Emmerdale as Jessie Dingle. She has previously appeared in Committee and City of Angels at The Donmar Warehouse and starred in several West End productions including Showboat as Queenie, Hairspray as Motormouth Maybelle, Porgy & Bess and Ragtime and many more. Her wide-ranging career also includes performing with Kate Bush in concert and on her live album Before The Dawn.

She will have her first performance on 17th  October joining a cast currently led by Lucie Jones as Jenna, Laura Baldwin as Dawn, David Hunter as Dr Pomatter, Joe Sugg as Ogie, Tamlyn Henderson as Earl and Andrew Boyer as Old Joe.

Waitress is booking until 28th  March 2020.

Heathers the Musical to tour next year

Heathers the Musical, which had its UK premiere at The Other Palace before transferring to Theatre Royal Haymarket in September 2018, will return for a new tour in June 2020.

The musical is is based on the 1988 cult movie that starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater and is about a teenage misfit who gets taken under the wings of three beautiful people called the Heathers, but until things take a bloodsoaked twist.

The musical is directed by acclaimed American screen and stage director Andy Fickman, with choreography by Thriller Live’s Gary Lloyd, design by David Shields, lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound by Dan Samson.

The UK premiere starred Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer alongside Jodie Steele, T'Shan Williams and Sophie Isaacs as the three titular Heathers. Casting and full tour dates are to be announced very soon.

More Les Misérables casting for the Sondheim Theatre and on tour

More  casting has been revealed for Les Misérables when opens the  renamed Sondheim Theatre in December.

Joining the previously announced cast, led by Jon Robyns, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Shan Ako and Bradley Jaden, will be Harry Apps as Marius. Apps made his professional debut in the touring production of the show, and will now take on the part in the West End from 18th  December.
 

New casting  for the tour of the show visiting  venues across the UK and Ireland. From 18th November, Felix Mosse (Aspects of Love) will take on the role of Marius, with Frances Mayli McCann (The Great Wave) playing Eponine.