Today it was announced that School Of Rock will be closing on 1 March 2020 ending its Olivier Award-winning run to make space for something new from the king of the West End.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s highly-anticipated Cinderella will be coming to London, stepping into the shoes of the hit musical at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in September this year. Before the opening, the venue will undergo a seat upgrade and further refurbishments.
The brand-new show is a complete reinvention of the classic fairytale based on an original idea from the Emmy Award-nominated writer of Killing Eve, Emerald Fennell.
After gallantly stepping into the role of Thénardier in the new production of Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre, Matt Lucas has sadly had to take his final bow after sustaining a back injury. He took the role after Gerard Carey was unable to perform due to a vocal injury caused by contracting pneumonia.
But the show must go on and Ian Hughes will slip into the role from today (Friday 10 January) until the end of February when Gerard Carey is expected to return to the role as originally announced. Ian recently starred in the current sell-out UK and International tour of Les Mis so the role is in very good hands.
Star power is the name of the game for Hello, Dolly! which today announced that Andy Nyman and Jenna Russell will be joining the legendary Imelda Staunton in the upcoming production at the Adelphi Theatre.
Andy Nyman – who will play Horace Vandergelder – recently starred in the critically acclaimed Fiddler On The Roof. He also penned the West End fave Ghost Stories and won an Olivier Award in 2006 for Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Olivier Award-winner Jenna Russell will play Irene Molloy. Jenna’s prolific career includes the sold-out Fun Home at the Young Vic, Merrily We Go Along, and her award-winning performance in Sunday In The Park With George at the Menier Chocolate Factory (a performance she later reprised on Broadway).
New year, new cast for last year’s Best New Musical Olivier-winner Come From Away who has announced its 2020 line-up which features the beloved Alice Fearn known for playing Elphaba in Wicked.
From Monday 10 February 2020, the joyous show which tells the story of 7,000 passengers stranded in Newfoundland after the 9/11 attacks will star: Tarinn Callender (Bob and others), James Doherty (Claude and others), Alice Fearn (Beverley/Annette and others) Kate Graham (Diane and others), and Alasdair Harvey (Nick/Doug and others), with Ricardo Castro, Stuart Hickey, Sorelle Marsh, Micha Richardson and Matthew Whennell-Clark.
They join Jenna Boyd (Beulah and others), Mary Doherty (Bonnie and others), Mark Dugdale (taking over the roles of Kevin T/Garth and others), Jonathan Andrew Hume (Kevin J/Ali and others), Harry Morrison (Oz and others), Emma Salvo (Janice and others), Cat Simmons (Hannah and others) and Chiara Baronti, Alexander McMorran and Jennifer Tierney.
Alice Fearn will be replacing Rachel Tucker who also found fame while playing Elphaba on the West End.
Dear Diary, today the winner of The Curtain Up Show‘s Best Cast Recordings 2019 was revealed. The winner? Heathers The Musical!
With 25,000 public votes, 2019’s best London, Broadway and Solo recordings were decided. Taking home the West End win was the stage adaptation of the 1980s cult film which featured starlet Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jamie Muscato. The announcement comes just months ahead of Heathers’ UK tour which kicks off in May.
Moulin Rouge! took the title for Best Broadway and John Owen-Jones’ sixth studio album, Spotlight, scooped Best Solo Album.
The Broadway win bodes well for the upcoming production of the film-to-stage show Moulin Rouge which is set to open at Piccadilly Theatre next year. Oh, la, la!
On 22 January, Thriller Live will be turning 11. To celebrate its birthday, the Michael Jackson tribute show will be hosting its first-ever singalong performance.
For one night only, audience members will be invited to join the cast in chorus as they perform the MJ and Jackson Five classics. Sadly, you won’t be invited to moonwalk onto the stage but fans will have the freedom to hum, sing or yell along to their favourite hits without their seat neighbour clearing their throat, elbowing them or calling an usher for assistance.
A spokesperson said: “MJ wrote some of the most iconic songs of the 20th century and they mean so much to fans of Thriller Live who have celebrated them at over 4,000 West End performances to date. For many, the temptation to join in with the show’s catchy hits including ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘Rock With You’ ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘PYT’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Man In The Mirror’, ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Thriller’,‘Bad’ and ‘Black or White’ can be almost unbearable. Our Singalong night will be a celebration of that and a chance for our energetic, passionate audiences to be a step closer to our talented cast. This unique performance promises to be a night at the theatre, a party and a rock concert all in one!”