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Published: 23 April 2008
Shakespeare’s tragedy Antony And Cleopatra has spawned numerous famous pairings in the title roles. On 9 April 1987 it was the turn of Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench, who played… Read More
On 10 April 1957 Laurence Olivier, king of the classical stage, Hollywood leading man and husband of film star Vivien Leigh, appeared in a role that would change the direction… Read More
Stephen Sondheim’s new musical A Little Night Music had already been a Tony Award-winning success on Broadway in 1973 when Harold Prince recreated his production in London two years later.… Read More
Edgar Wallace is one of the world’s most prolific crime writers, with 175 books, 24 plays, and many more poems and articles to his name. On 2 April 1930, one… Read More
When Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play and Broadway hit Cat On A Hot Tin Roof premiered in London 50 years ago this spring, it was to set in motion a… Read More
It is currently the third longest running musical in the West End, surpassed only by Les Misérables and The Phantom Of The Opera, but when Blood Brothers first graced a… Read More
The fight against censorship in the theatre prevailed when, on 18 March 1982, the case trying director Michael Bogdanov for gross indecency with regard to his production of The Romans… Read More
American musical The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, had its UK premiere at the Drury Lane on 26 February 1981. The musical, with a book by Larry L King and… Read More
To many, the name JM Barrie conjures only images of a green-clad young boy who wouldn’t grow up, by the name of Peter Pan. Yet the Scottish author was a… Read More
The early work of Richard Attenborough is strongly linked with one character which saw him crowned a star of both stage and screen: young south-coast criminal Pinkie in Graham Greene’s… Read More
Though not a date that strictly falls within the 100 years of Theatreland, 23 April 1564 is a date that resonates through London theatre’s history; it is the birthday of… Read More
Hollywood comes to Theatreland When Hollywood star Nicole Kidman stripped naked on the stage of the Donmar Warehouse in 1998 in The Blue Room, she caused a sensation and sparked… Read More
Perhaps more than ever, theatre was affected by, and reflected, world events in this decade. It was a time of great change – the early part of this period saw… Read More
It was one of the most anticipated musicals of the year: a new stage adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s famous Civil War-era novel Gone With The Wind, adapted for the stage… Read More
The late 70s and early 80s was a watershed time for women in power; Margaret Thatcher became the first female British Prime Minister and Verity Hudson was the first female… Read More
The end of the 60s and the start of the 70s was an era of change for the world, the country and the theatre industry. Boundaries were being pushed and… Read More
This may have been the decade in which the Theatrical Management Association launched the imaginatively titled ‘Go To The Theatre’ campaign to try counteract a perceived decline in audiences, but… Read More
After years blighted by war, London theatre had its best business for 10 years in 1948, partly due to the effect of the London Olympics. The decade was one of… Read More
Unsurprisingly, the period between 1938 and 1947 was a testing time for London’s Theatreland, dominated, as was everything, by World War II. The start of the war saw blackout restrictions… Read More
When the Thames broke its banks in January 1928, flooding the Playhouse and forcing the cancellation of performances across Theatreland, so began a decade of mixed fortunes for London’s West… Read More
The second decade of London’s Theatreland was an uncertain time. It began with World War One seeming to sound a death knell for the industry before Spanish flu, which claimed… Read More
On 20 February 1908, Britain's first actor knight, Sir Charles Wyndham, presided over a lunch meeting at the Hyde Park Hotel to form an association with 20 of his actor-manager… Read More
Lilian Baylis was arguably London’s most important theatre manager during the first half of the 20th Century and the companies she created still thrive today. Born in London in 1874,… Read More
Rambunctious, witty, gifted and decent, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was a dominant figure in London theatre from the late 1870s until his death in 1917. After initially making his name… Read More
In his 1920s heyday, Noël Coward was the West End’s most popular playwright. Like his predecessor Oscar Wilde, Coward’s plays succeeded through a blend of witty dialogue, precise plotting and… Read More
No performer since Laurence Olivier has inspired the universal affection and respect afforded to Dame Judi Dench. Like Olivier, Dench has achieved consistent box office success at the cinema while… Read More
John Gielgud’s astonishing career began in 1921 under the direction of Granville Barker and ended, just weeks before his death, in an appearance alongside Harold Pinter in a film adaptation… Read More
In the opinion of Andrew Seth, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Kingston University, where Sir Peter Hall was appointed Chancellor in 2000: “No living person has had as… Read More
Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of several of the longest running musicals in West End history. His most successful West End shows include The Phantom Of The Opera, which… Read More
Described by the New York Times as “the most successful, influential and powerful producer of our time”, Cameron Mackintosh is considered by many to be the man who transformed musical… Read More
Considered by many to be the greatest actor of modern times, Laurence Olivier enjoyed a 60-year career in which he touched greatness, as both actor and director, in a dizzying… Read More
One of the West End’s most applauded and acclaimed performers, Paul Scofield, is considered one of the finest classical performers of his, or any, generation.Scofield was best known for his… Read More
Sir Charles Wyndham was an actor, impresario and the founding president of the Society of West End Theatre (now the Society of London Theatre).Born in Liverpool in 1837 to Major… Read More
Published: 22 April 2008
Some 15 major London shows are already confirmed on the line up of this year’s free outdoor theatre festival, West End Live. The annual event, now in its fourth year,… Read More
Shaun Escoffery, who was nominated for the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance In A Supporting Role In A Musical, joins the cast of Disney’s The Lion King tonight… Read More
Actress Jessie Wallace leads a cast packed with television faces for the world premiere of new thriller Haunted, which opens at the Arts theatre in May. Wallace is joined in… Read More
Published: 21 April 2008
An exciting summer season of shows has been announced to follow Hello And Goodbye and Lifecoach in the Trafalgar Studio 2. David Bradley leads the season in black comedy The… Read More
English National Ballet is offering an intensive dance course for young students of ballet on 28-30 May, linked to the company’s new production Strictly Gershwin at the Royal Albert Hall.The… Read More
The new drama from playwright Steve Waters, Fast Labour, receives its London premiere at the Hampstead theatre on 3 June (previews from 30 May). The topical piece, which has its… Read More
Published: 18 April 2008
Elena Roger is to make her debut at the Donmar Warehouse playing French icon Edith Piaf in Pam Gems’s play about the tragic performer, Piaf. The production, which opens in… Read More
The great actress Sybil Thorndike is resurrected from the dead, two explorers trek to the Arctic, a group of humanitarians consider the value of poetry and the ice-breaker ship Fram… Read More
Nigel Harman, James Dreyfus and Reece Shearsmith are to star in a revival of Simon Gray’s comedy about friendship, The Common Pursuit, at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 9 May… Read More
In my experience, there are few interviewees who would happily let you continue recording them while they had a phone conversation. There are even fewer who would actively encourage you… Read More
Adam Long, co-founder of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, has turned his condensing talents to Charles Dickens with a new comedy musical called Dickens Unplugged, which opens at the West End’s… Read More
The latest edition of Access London Theatre, the brochure which lists all audio described, captioned and sign language interpreted performances in London’s Theatreland, has just been published. The brochure contains… Read More
With a simple red lit stage, containing just the four solitary characters and a chair for each, Peter Gill’s kitchen sink drama Small Change is a vivid portrayal of the… Read More
Letitia Dean, best known as Sharon Watts in the BBC soap EastEnders, is to play the role of eccentric drama teacher Ms Darbus in the stage production of High School… Read More
Laurence Olivier Award-winning song-writing team George Stiles and Anthony Drewe celebrate 25 years of collaboration on 6 July, in a gala concert at Her Majesty’s in support of Mercury Musical… Read More
Janie Dee, Clive Rowe and Lisa O’Hare will be hoping for a warm, dry summer this year as they join the season at the Open Air theatre, Regent’s Park, which… Read More
Published: 17 April 2008
A distinctly English story was sprinkled with some Spanish fairy dust at the Garrick today, when Peter Pan – El Musical was launched to the press. The production, which has… Read More
From the moment you step into the Soho theatre you know this play isn’t going to be your average production, with Polish Rock and Rap blaring from the speakers and… Read More
Is a person just a metaphorical jellyfish, who cannot swim and is pushed around by the tides of fate, or can he make things happen in his life? That is… Read More
The award-winning success of 2007’s Saint Joan was taken by National Theatre Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner as a sign that London theatre was ready for a bit more Bernard Shaw.… Read More
Hannah Murray makes her professional stage debut as she joins the cast of That Face when it transfers to the Duke of York’s in May. Murray is best known for… Read More
The King’s Head in Islington showed off the refurbishment of its pub theatre to guests and members of the press today, who were treated to a sneak preview of two… Read More
After the reality blurring Hollyoaks storyline that saw an ambitious Chester student tenaciously stalk Andrew Lloyd Webber until he offered her the part of Maria in The Sound Of Music,… Read More
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is encouraging teachers and students to take a more practical approach to Shakespeare in schools with a new manifesto called Stand Up For Shakespeare.Over the… Read More
Marti Pellow, David Bedella and Clarke Peters have been added to the star-studded line up of Chess In Concert, a two-night concert performance of Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny… Read More
Transferring from Broadway, where it collected awards like its main character collects furniture, Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife, starring Jefferson Mays and directed by Moisés Kaufman, is now… Read More
Actress Sue Johnston, best known for her television roles which include Barbara in The Royle Family, makes her theatre return in Peter Gill’s Small Change at the Donmar Warehouse. The… Read More
The law is a serious business, or so anyone would think before watching this double bill of plays (The Dock Brief and Edwin) by former barrister John Mortimer. Mortimer sees… Read More
She grew up in the leafy New Forest and spent her youth watching MTV and copying Janet Jackson’s dance routines. Now 33, Kate Prince is an established choreographer who has… Read More
For 20 years Ian Talbot was Artistic Director of the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, concerned with money, casting, programming and the well being of everybody who worked at the… Read More
Following last year’s teenage-centric triptych Burn/Chatroom/Citizenship, the National Theatre’s Connections programme continues its commitment to presenting theatre for and about teenagers with this trio of new plays which address teen… Read More
Originally performed as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival, Leo Butler’s I’ll Be The Devil received its first full staging at the Tricycle last night. A wincing… Read More
Oscar winning composer Michel Legrand will perform for one night only at the Haymarket on 13 April. Legrand will perform his own work alongside singers Ruthie Henshall and Julian Ovenden,… Read More
Three long running London theatre productions have announced extensions to their runs. Buddy has extended its run by seven months and is now booking to 28 March 2009 at the… Read More
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest has been a big success in the West End in recent years with two productions led by Hollywood star Christian Slater. But Slater would… Read More
As a family comes to terms with the world after the end of the Second World War, where and with whom they belong is brought into question as they struggle… Read More
Twenty-five years after Howard Brenton’s The Romans In Britain created all manner of controversy with its portrayal of male rape on stage, Brenton’s work has returned to the National in… Read More
If you missed the stage debut of Angelina Ballerina at the New Wimbledon last year, there is another chance to catch the musical mouse in London this spring as English… Read More
Derren Brown will be controlling minds in the West End once more when his new stage show, Derren Brown Mind Reader: An Evening Of Wonders, comes to the Garrick for… Read More
A reunion with an absent father at the age of 16 would be hard enough, but when he turns up out of the blue from Iraq with a gift you… Read More
Kerry Ellis, who is currently playing lead character Elphaba in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria, will pack her pointy hat and black cape, and fly her broomstick across the Atlantic… Read More
The nation’s favourite patchwork elephant is getting his very own stage show. Elmer, the multicoloured mammal from David McKee’s children’s books, comes to UCL Bloomsbury from 16 to 19 April… Read More