Latest news from the West End and beyond.
Last updated: Wednesday, 12 December 2018 at 22:47
Katharine McPhee is set to star in the West End premiere of Waitress as Jenna Hunterson, opening at the Adelphi Theatre next year.
McPhee will make her West End debut in this production, reprising her Broadway performance as Jenna Hunterson after playing the role for a four month engagement in 2018.
The Comedy About A Bank Robbery has extended its booking period at the Criterion Theatre, playing until 3rd November 2019, as well as announcing a new cast for its run.
Those joining the cast are Julia Frith (Caprice Freeboys), Liam Jeavons (Mitch Ruscitti), Jack Whittle (Sam Monaghan) and Jean-Luke Worrell (Warren Slax). On 15th January 2019, Gareth Tempest (Mitch Ruscitti) and Emily Stott (Caprice Freeboys) join the cast. The cast continuing in their roles include Samson Ajewole (Cooper), Jenna Augen (Ruth Monaghan), Jack Baldwin (Officer Randal Shuck), Leonard Cook (Robin Freeboys) and Chris Leask (Everyone Else).
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will return for a UK tour in 2019, opening at Curve Leicester on 7 February.
Wicked the Musical has been extended from to Saturday 30th November. Tickets are nwo on sale.
Matilda the Musical has been extended from Tue 22 October 2019 to Sun 24 May 2020.
Cameron Mackintosh announced today further dates for the UK and Ireland tour of LES MISÉRABLES. In addition to the previously announced dates, the musical will also play Plymouth Theatre Royal (11 June – 6 July 2019), Bradford Alhambra (9 July – 10 August 2019), Liverpool Empire (9 – 26 October 2019) and Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff (26 November 2019 – 4 January 2020).
Mythic @ Charing Cross Theatre has been extended and is booking until 15th December 2018.
Tonight, Wednesday (14 November) Delfont Mackintosh Theatres will be undertaking some significant work on their system. The work will commence at 8.15pm. This means the following shows and venues will be affected during this time:
The work will be completed in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Audiences have two weeks left to catch Ken Urban’s arresting new drama A Guide for the Homesick, with its ‘mesmerizing performances’ (Aleks Sierz, Theatre Times) by the talented Douglas Booth and Clifford Samuel. This gripping new drama completes its hit run on 24 November 2018. The production is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle and produced by Stage Traffic Productions.
The Book of Mormon has been extended and is now running until 2nd March 2019.
The Comedy About a Bank Robbery at the Criterion Theatre has been extended. The new performances are from 9th April to 3rd Nov 2019.
The Simon and Garfunkel Story have added further performances to their run at the Lyric theatre and will now be performing into 2019.
This show is now booking until 24th June 2019.
Todrick Hall will star as Billy Flynn in CHICAGO from 19 November 2018 until the end of the show’s run at the Phoenix Theatre on 5 January 2019.
Europe’s largest immersive survival experience, Variant 31 arrives at a secret Central London location from 13 April 2019.This brand new, adrenaline-fuelled immersive show allows audiences to answer the question - ‘What would you do inside a horror movie?’ Putting you dead-centre in the action, this one-of-a-kind experience requires immense bravery and rewards survival skills while testing friendships and teamwork, like never before. In a vast interactive environment completely under your control, your choices will have consequences, and not all players will succeed. Packed with cutting edge technology and a host of hair-raising theatrical surprises, this game is not for the faint-hearted!
True West has extended its booking period by an extra week at the Vaudeville Theatre. The production will now play until Saturday 23 February 2019.
The performance schedule and prices remain the same for the additional week.
The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre has been extended until Saturday 1st June 2019.
Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre has been extended until Saturday 1st June 2019.
The producers of DREAMGIRLS have announced an extra matinee on FRIDAY 11th JAN 2019 – 14.30pm.
Les Misérables is extending its run at the Queen’s Theatre from Monday 4 March 2019 to Saturday 29 June 2019.
The Mousetrap at St. Martin’s Theatre has been extended to run until Saturday 5th October.
London Box Office has an exclusive offer for 42nd Street with Band A tickets for £42 top price. The offer is valid from 29 October – 21 December (all performances). Book by 31 October. + No booking fee on all other price bands from 22 Oct-21 Dec. Book by 18 November.
The new booking period runs from Tuesday 9 April to Sunday 29 September 2019.
The performance schedule and prices remain the same.
Devil You Know Theatre Company is delighted to announce the first London production since 2005 of the multi-award winning play THE RUBENSTEIN KISS by James Phillips, opening at Southwark Playhouse for a limited 4-week run from 14 March 2019, directed by Joe Harmston. There will be a national press night on 18 March 2019.
Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Hope Mill Theatre announced the transfer of their production of Aspects of Love at Southwark Playhouse for a limited season from 7 January to 9 February 2019, with a national press night on Thursday 10 January.
Full casting has been announced for the special 10th anniversary tour of American Idiot – the ground breaking Tony award-winning rock musical with music by punk-pop and multi Grammy award-winning band Green Day. Leading the cast is: Waterloo Road’s Tom Milner as Johnny; 2013’s X Factor third place runner-up Luke Friend as St Jimmy; and 2016 X Factor finalist Sam Lavery as Whatsername.
The cast is completed by: Glenn Adamson (Theo); Laura Marie Benson (Lesley); Jennifer Caldwell (Swing); Joshua Dowen (Tunny); Raquel Jones (Extraordinary Girl); Daniel Law (Swing); Rory Maguire (Gerard); Shekinah McFarlane (Alysha); Siobhan O’Driscoll (Heather); Samuel Pope (Will); Alexandra Robinson (Libby); and Christian Tyler-Wood (Declan).
Thriller Live will celebrate its 10th birthday in the West End on January 22.
On April 9 it will become the 13th Longest Running West End Musical in history.
Due to popular demand, Alexandra Burke and Duncan James will extend their runs in CHICAGO at the Phoenix Theatre. Alexandra Burke will play Roxie Hart until 10 November 2018 and Duncan James will play Billy Flynn until 17 November 2018. Laura Tyrer will play Velma Kelly until 20 October followed by Josefina Gabrielle who returns to the role of Velma Kelly from 22 October – 5 January 2019.
Please note: Alexandra Burke will not appear between 15 – 24 October 2018 and Duncan James will not appear between 6 - 12 November 2018. Sarah Soetaert will play the role of Roxie Hart between 15 – 24 October 2018.
the production of Caroline, or Change at The Playhouse Theatre has now extended public bookings until Saturday 6th April 2019.
Wayward Productions, led by Judith Dimant, today announce their inaugural production of Enda Walsh’s adaptation of Max Porter’s award-winning novel Grief is the Thing with Feathers. Walsh also directs, reuniting him with Cillian Murphy, following the huge success of their past collaborations: Disco Pigs, Ballyturk and Misterman.
New Adventures announced today the world premiere of Matthew Bourne’s ROMEO AND JULIET opening at Curve, Leicester on Monday 13 May 2019, as part of a UK tour to 13 venues including a four-week summer season at Sadler’s Wells from Wednesday 7 August to Saturday 31 August 2019.
The West End season of the award-winning Bat Out Of Hell - The Musical must end at the Dominion Theatre on Saturday 5 January 2019. Meanwhile, the North American Tour opens in Toronto, Canada on 16 October 2018 and the German language premiere will open in Oberhasuen, Germany on 2 November 2018.
A musical based on the classic British sitcom Only Fools and Horses is set to premiere in the West End, written by and starring Paul Whitehouse.
The Almeida's theatre transfer of The Twilight Zone to the Ambassadors is now on sale on London Box Office.
The Ambassador Theatre Group just announced that the production of Caroline, or Change at The Playhouse Theatre has now extended public bookings until Saturday 6th April 2019. The new dates are now available on London Box Office.
As Robert Hastie’s new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens at Sheffield Theatres, he announces further programming to complete the current season.
Joining the previously announced co-production with Out of Joint – Kate Bowen’s Close Quarters; the Christmas musical Kiss Me, Kate directed by Paul Foster; Caroline Steinbeis’ production of Rutherford and Son; debbie tucker green’s hang and the world première of Standing at the Sky’s Edge with book by Chris Bush and music and lyrics by the internationally acclaimed musician Richard Hawley;are the world première of a major new stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s Man Booker Prize winning Life of Pi by Lolita Chakrabarti,directed by Max Webster; and Third Angel’s The Department of Distractions – a co-production with Northern Stage, produced in association with Sheffield Theatres.
Producer Stacey Mindich announced today that the Tony award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen will open at the Noël Coward Theatre in Autumn 2019, reuniting the original Broadway creative team for this West End production.
Directed by Michael Greif and winner of six Tony awards including Best Musical as well as the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album, Dear Evan Hansen features book by Tony award-winner Steven Levenson and a score by Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composers Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.
Further information including on sale dates will be announced later this year.
Foxfinder, the Dawn King play currently running at the Ambassadors Theatre in London, will close early in the West End, playing its final performance later this month.
The play, which opened last month, was set to run until 5th January 2019. It will now close in the West End later this month, on 20th October.
Foxfinder received mixed reviews when it opened at the Ambassadors, despite the play receiving a positive response from critics when it premiered at the Finborough Theatre in 2011, and winning the Papatango Playwriting Prize.
Following numerous runs at The Other Palace, Eugenius! the Musical is set to transfer to the West End for a limited run over Christmas.
Produced by Warwick Davis, with a book, music and lyrics by Ben Adams and Chris Wilkins, the musical tells the story of Eugene, a teenage boy and avid comic book fan with dreams of getting a superhero he’s created on the silver screen.
Eugenius! the Musical will run at the Ambassadors Theatre from 27th October to 5th January.
Wayne Sleep will lead the cast of its 2018 family pantomime, Aladdin, in the role of Abanazar from 29 November to 6 January 2019 at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.
Following three critically-acclaimed, sold-out seasons on stage in London’s West End, Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love) brings Charles Dickens’ beloved classic A Christmas Carol to the big screen in December 2018. On Tuesday 11 December the stage-to-film adaptation, reimagined especially for cinema, will be released in 444 cinemas across the UK and Ireland by leading event cinema distributors CinemaLive.
Come From Away makes its European premiere at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, before opening at London's Phoenix Theatre on 30 January 2019. The launch will be celebrated at Canada House on Trafalgar Square on Wednesday 10 October. By invitation only.
The Almeida's The Twilight Zone is rumoured to transfer to the Ambassadors Theatre from March 2019.
The Press Night for Waitress has been changed from the 5th March 7.30pm to the 7th March at 7.30pm.
The 7.30pm performance on the 5th March has now been put on-sale at the Off Peak Preview pricing.
Please note, although the 6th March performances (matinee and Evening) are now classed as ‘Previews’, these will still be sold at the RUN prices.
Any individual bookings already made for the 7th March Press Night will be honoured and we hope to make some further seats available for sale in the next few days.
The National Theatre transfer of Nine Night will now play for an additional two weeks at Trafalgar Studios (11/02/2019 to 23/02/2019).
Schedule and pricing will remain exactly the same as the main run already set up.
