London Theatre News Today: Monday 15 March

The Play That Goes Wrong to reopen at the Duchess Theatre in June

The Play That Goes Wrong, the Olivier Award-winning box office hit, is delighted to announce today that it will return to the Duchess Theatre, its home for the last seven years, from 18 June 2021. Tickets are on sale now and the production is currently booking through to 30 January 2022.

Producers Kenny Wax and Stage Presence Ltd say: ‘The shortest emotional distance between two people is a laugh. So, we’re delighted to have the chance to bring people together again. It’s going to be very emotional. In a good way.’

Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer, Company Directors of Mischief say: ‘We are so excited that The Play That Goes Wrong will soon be delighting audiences again. Cornley have been rehearsing on Zoom throughout lockdown and have assured us that the play is now ready and will go ahead without a hitch.’

The Duchess Theatre reopens in line with current government guidelines plus robust risk mitigation.  Preventative measures include:

• Health questionnaire to be emailed 48 hours in advance of the performance
• Contactless tickets
• Compulsory facemasks
• Hand sanitisation stations throughout the building
• Click and Collect bar App
• Deep clean and building sanitation
• Additional entrances and exits
• Supporting NHS Track and Trace

For further information please click here.

The Play That Goes Wrong is part of the See it Safely scheme run by SOLT and UK Theatre. This scheme supports theatres by providing a toolkit and practical help and training to ensure that they are following the latest Covid secure guidelines. When audiences go into a venue displaying the See it Safely mark they can feel confident that all the correct safety measures in place. Check out the video below that was created with the epic Mischief Team and cast members of Six and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie as part of the See It Safely scheme’s launch last year.

Awarded the 2014 WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Comedy, the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and a Tony Award for the Broadway transfer, The Play That Goes Wrong continues to delight audiences in the West End. The show’s success is a testament to the hard work and determination of a group of drama school graduates who became friends, set up a company under the name ‘Mischief’ and created an extraordinary body of work. The Play That Goes Wrong shows no signs of slowing down since its first performance at a London fringe venue with only four paying customers. Since then, it has played to an audience of over two million and now has productions in over 30 countries.

The West End cast includes: Blayar Benn, Milo Clarke, Ross Green, Michael Keane, David Kirkbride and Ciara Morris. The understudies are Tom Bulpett, Oliver Clayton and Jack Michael Stacey.

The Play That Goes Wrong is co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields and is directed by Mark Bell, with set designs by Nigel Hook, costumes by Roberto Surace, lighting by Ric Mountjoy and sound design by Andy Johnson. The Play That Goes Wrong is produced in the West End by Kenny Wax Ltd and Stage Presence Ltd.

For audience members with tickets for The Play That Goes Wrong performances before 18 June, their ticket provider will be in touch to re seat them for performances from 18 June 2021.

To find out what other shows have announced reopening dates, check out our story below.

Theatre Chat Live marks one year anniversary of theatre closures with special guests

Join us tomorrow on Official London Theatre’s Instagram channel at 6pm for a very special episode of Theatre Chat Live. To mark the one year anniversary of theatre closures across the UK, Jess will be joined by West End star Kerry Ellis to talk about Make A Difference Trust’s new charity single, Head of marketing and communications at the Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre, Emma De Souza and founders of Theatre Support Fund+ and the Show Must Go On! merchandise, Chris Marcus and Damien Stanton.

We’ll look forward to seeing you then and in the meantime, you can check out our previous episodes right here.

Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax to be streamed in the Old Vic: In Camera live streams series

As The Old Vic looks forward to reopening later in 2021, they continue to work hard to bring together people from across the globe through the OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series – live streaming theatre directly into homes from our iconic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop.

The Old Vic is committed to bringing the uplifting experience of live theatre to families and schools this April and, along with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, in celebration of Earth Day and the iconic book’s 50th anniversary will present Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax for six performances only, with Jamael Westman (Hamilton, West End) as the Once-ler and Audrey Brisson, David Ricardo-Pearce and Ben Thompson as The Lorax. Other cast includes: Richard Katz, Melanie La Barrie and Silas Wyatt-Barke.

Staged in celebration of Earth Day and the book’s 50th anniversary of publication, David Greig and Charlie Fink’s Olivier Award-nominated adaptation, directed by Max Webster, is inventively transformed into a semi-staged pint-size version to keep young (and older) minds entertained, enchanted and empowered with its central message of protecting the planet.

Our OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series has been an important service in providing almost 100,000 people across 90 countries with live theatre throughout lockdown. For this, our fifth global live stream, we will be extending the production to family audiences and schools who continue to miss out on live theatre experiences.

Three free IN CAMERA: PLAYBACK performances of the live recording will be offered to schools across the globe on Earth Day on 22 April. From Mon 29 March, teachers will have the opportunity to book for one of the three performances which will be streamed at various times throughout the day, and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Offering this access is crucial to our mission to educate and inspire the next generation of theatre makers and audiences.

As global leaders begin to map out COVID-19 recovery plans, they collectively have a unique opportunity to factor sustainability and green-recovery at the heart of them – and we all have the chance to do the same; to have important conversations around our role in protecting the planet, and to take this moment to reset and examine how we can live more sustainably.

‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better.

It’s not.’

Dr. Seuss Enterprises continues to promote this ethos and used the author’s birthday to take positive action, removing six of his books from circulation, and reiterating their commitment to supporting all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion and friendship.

Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director, said:

‘We first presented our hugely popular production of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax back in 2015 and I still regard David Greig’s dazzling adaptation as one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. It’s a hugely entertaining and urgently relevant parable about how all of us, adult and child alike, can play our part in saving the planet. We are aiming to bring that full production back to The Old Vic but in the meantime, this stripped-back version for our fundraising OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series is a timely way of sharing this perfect tale of a global catastrophe followed by joyous renewal and rebirth.’

Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax will be live streamed for six performances from 14–17 April with tickets priced from £10–£40. A limited number will be available at each price band and whilst all ‘seats’ offer the same view (from the comfort of your own home), we’re asking audiences to choose the ticket price they can afford in return for access to this totally unique experience. Those planning to watch together on the same device only need to book a single ticket and every performance will be audio described and captioned and available to stream live from anywhere in the world.

The schools IN CAMERA: PLAYBACK will be available at 9.30am, 1pm and 7pm (BST) on 22 April only for any schools from across the globe to watch for free via Zoom. Capacities will be limited and allocated to eligible schools on a first come, first served basis, and every school wanting a ticket is required to book in advance from Mon 29 March via HERE to secure their booking. Terms and conditions apply.

On this OLD VIC: IN CAMERA Susan Brandt, President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, said:

‘We are honoured that The Old Vic is bringing Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax back to the stage for fans around the world, including thousands of students who will have access to the production this Earth Day for free. It’s perfect that so many people will be able to watch this beautiful production as The Lorax marks its 50th anniversary.’

Click here to grab your tickets or to find out more.

Audiences to enjoy a second run of new British musical The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from 25 March

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was filmed live with multiple cameras at Southwark Playhouse in February 2021 after its planned season was cancelled due to lockdown restrictions.

Producer James Seabright said: “‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ has already been seen by more people via stream-theatre than we could have fitted into six weeks of live shows at Southwark Playhouse. Happily this is not the end of our streaming adventure. Today we announce a new streaming period from 25 March to 11 April on stream.theatre, targeted at family audiences over the Easter period. This will be complemented by scheduled streaming over the same dates on the Stellar platform to make the show more accessible to audiences in the USA.”

Click here for more information.

To find out what other theatre you can enjoy online, check out our virtual theatre fix page by clicking here.