On the Wire

In line with the SOLT directive of Wednesday 3 June, all performances for THE PRINCE OF EGYPT are now confirmed as cancelled up to and including Saturday 1 August 2020. We are continuing to refund all bookings in chronological order.

MARY POPPINS at the Prince Edward Theatre is now booking to Sunday 20 September 2020.

Directed by Mike Alfreds, Five Characters In Search Of A Good Night's Sleep will play at the Southwark Playhouse from the 29th April-23rd May 2020.

Devised by Alfreds, Sonja Linden and the company - including Geraldine Alexander, Andrew Hawkins, Sally Knyvette, Gary Lilburn and Vincenzo Nicoli- the narrative follows a group of insomniacs as they wade through a restless night.

From the 15th April 2020, Emma Reeve's critically acclaimed adaptation of Jaqueline Wilson's Hetty Feather is to be screened in cinemas across the UK. 

Directed by Sally Cookson, the production was filmed live at Nuffield Southhampton Theatres and produced by Broadway HD. Having enjoyed its premiere the Rose Theatre in Kingston before a sell-out West End transfer in 2014, Hetty Feather had another successful run at The Duke of York's the following year. 

The full cast includes Matt Costain (Jem/Matron Bottomly), Sarah Goddard (Peg/Ida), Mark Kane (Gideon), Isaac Stanmore (Saul), Phoebe Thomas (Hetty Feather) and Nikki Warwick (Madame Adeline).

Following on from performances in 2020 in Bristol, Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Birmingham, Dreamgirls will continue its UK Tour into 2021, travelling to Sunderland, Hull, Nottingham, Liverpool, Norwich, Canterbury and Leeds. 

Casting to be announced soon, along with further venues and dates.

On the 25th of February 2020, the Alexandra Palace opened their new Creativity Pavilion to the public. Situated in the East Wing of the building, it will act as a home for the charity's Creative Learning Programme. 

The pavilion is a flexible space, designed to adapt to a range of activities including interactive workshops, music and theatrical performances, community-curated exhibitions and creative sessions for families and those with disabilities. 

Louise Stewart, Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust chief executive, said:

“We’re delighted to be opening the Creativity Pavilion. Having a dedicated and specially designed space for these activities means we will be much better placed to deliver a creative programme to inspire people. It’s going to be exciting to see how this space will support the charity to benefit more people in new ways.

The Creativity Pavilion also marks the latest phase in our restoration of the park and palace. To see how much this space has changed in the last few years is almost unbelievable, and we’d like to thank everyone who has worked with us to make this possible.”

The Prince of Egypt has already extended its run at London's Dominion Theatre by seven weeks. On account of its 20 sold-out preview performances, 100,000 new tickets are now on sale, with booking until Saturday 31st October 2020 to limited engagement. 

Following a successful run at last years Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Last Of The Pelican Daughters will be returning to the Royal & Derngate this spring as part of their Made In Northampton Season. A newly extended 90-minute version, the production will be playing from the 3rd-7th March 2020 ahead of a UK Tour.

The newly restored Alexandra Palace will play host to a recently revived version of Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof from the 30th September-11th October 2020. The production will then go on to play at the Rose Theatre before a UK Tour.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof will be directed by Anthony Almeida, with casting to be announced. 

Playing from the 19th March-18th April 2020, Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter celebrates its 60th anniversary at the Hampstead Theatre. 

Alice Hamilton directs Philip Jackson (Poirot) and Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones), who will play the roles of Ben and Gus respectively. 

Mark Hawes will be succeeding Sian Alexander as the Chair of Frantic Assembly on the 1^st of March. To the Board, he brings his experience in charity governance, years of legal expertise and a passion for diversity and inclusion.

Harvey Virdi has been cast in the title role of Beverley in Mike Leigh's satire Abigail's Party. The production will play at the Watford Palace Theatre from the 29th April-23rd May 2020, with further casting to be announced soon.

After securing smash-hit status both on Broadway and in London's West End, Waitress will be touring the UK and Ireland for the first time. 

The production will open at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on the 14th of November 2020 and is currently set to tour until the 3rd April 2021.

Further dates and casting to be announced soon.

Running from the 19th March-30th May 2020, Lucy Prebble's The Effect will see its first London revival at The Boulevard Theatre. Directed by Anthony Neilson, the cast includes: Eric Kofi Abrefa in the role of Tristan Frey, Christine Entwisle as Lorna James, Tim McMullan as Toby Sealey and Kate O’Flynn as Connie Hall.

Ade Apetian MBE - gold-medal winning wheelchair basketball player and BBC Presenter - is to be a patron for Blue Sky Actors. Resident creatives at The Stratford Circus Arts Centre for adults with learning disabilities, the company has been creating work professionally since 2011. Apetian will also be joined by footballer Vince Hilaire, one of the first black players to be established in the sport in England.

Award-winning songwriter Ross Golan will be performing his acclaimed concept album The Wrong Man at The Other Palace on Thursday the 20th of February 2020, at 8pm. It will be the first time the work has been performed in the UK, and will play for one night only.

In the most hotly-contested category of the year, the Critics’ Circle awarded the 2020 Best Actress Award to both Juliet Stevenson for The Doctor and Sharon D Clarke for her role in Death Of A Salesman. 

The one-woman show Everywoman will feature at the Bunker Theatre as part of its closing season. Written anonymously, the peice stars Jade Williams with direction by Amelia Sears.

The production will run from the 18th-22nd February 2020, with a host of creatives having been commissioned for a post-show series, Everywoman: Confessions, dedicated to themes of parenthood and identity.

These include: Robyn Addison and Jenny Worton performed by Addison on 17 February, Tinuke Craig on 18 February, Anna Jordan on 19 February, Hannah Khalil performed by Rendah Haywood on 20 February, Eve Leigh performed by Nadia Clifford on 21 February and Leo J Skilbeck performed by Griffyn Gilligan on 22 February.

Willy Russell's Educating Rita celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year. After a highly-acclaimed tour in 2019, Max Roberts' stage production is set to journey across the UK once again.

Educating Rita will star Stephen Tompkinson as Frank, and Jessica Johnson as Rita. The play has already begun touring, having just completed its run at the Oxford Playhouse. It will be on the road until the 23rd of May 2020.

Holly Gladwell has now been appointed as the Executive Producer for Paines Plough, newly led by Joint Artistic Directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner.

Holly Gladwell said: “I am both thrilled and humbled to be joining Charlotte and Katie at Paines Plough at the start of their first season packed full of new stories and exciting voices. I am passionate about new writing and hugely inspired by their collaborative vision that champions and empowers writers to create truthful plays. I bring with me a commitment to contributing to this vision to build a truly inclusive theatre that celebrates unheard voices and invites audiences from every corner to experience the best in new British theatre.”

Performance dates from 7th July to 4th October 2020 of THE LION KING at the Lyceum Theatre is now on sale.

Jamal Gerald's new play Idol will run at The Yard Theatre next week (from 11th-15th February 2020), before embarking on a tour of the UK. 

Idol will travel to the Derby Theatre on the 28th of February, then to the MAC Birmingham (13th-15th March), the Royal Exchange Theatre (19th-21st March), Sheffield Theatres (8-9th March), Cambridge Junction (7th May), Brighton Festival (11th May), before concluding at the Leeds Playhouse (22nd-23rd May).

March 2020 sees the return of Million Dollar Quartet, the Tony-award winning, smash hit musical, for a UK and Ireland tour.

Full casting is as follows: Robbie Durham (Johnny Cash), Ross William Wild (Elvis Presley), Matthew Wycliffe (Carl Perkins) and Katie Ray (Dyanne), with the role of Jerry Lee Lewis shared across the tour by Ashley Carruthers, Martin Kaye and Matthew Wycliffe. All return to the stage in their much celebrated roles, as will actor-musician Peter Duncan.

After securing sell-out, smash hit status at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw's The Shark Is Broken will be playing at The Ambassadors Theatre for a strictly limited run from 11th May-18th June 2020.

Tickets on sale from Friday 7th February 2020.

Due to popular demand, Mamma Mia! The Party - the new immersive theatrical and dining experience at The O2 London - will be extending its booking period to Sunday 28th March 2021. 

New tickets will go on sale from 9.00am on Friday 7 February 2020.

Running at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester from the 14th March-18th April 2020, Zorro The Musical sees the adventures of this legendary hero reimagined through the lens of immersive performance.

Full cast includes: Antony Costa as Garcia, Alex Gibson-Giorgio as Ramon, Emma Kingston as Luisa, Genevieve Nicole as Inez, Kit Orton as Don Alejandro and Benjamin Purkiss as the masked hero, Zorro. The cast is completed by Ajjaz Awad, Amy Bastani, Isobel Bates, Ben Boskovic, Maxwell Griffin, Matthew Heywood, Jessica Pardoe, Thomas Ping, Seren Sandham-Davies and Stylianos Thomadakis.

Best known for playing the roles of Glinda and Elphaba (the only actor to have starred as both) in Wicked on London's West End, Louise Dearman is due to perform her biggest solo concert yet. The date is set for the 31st of May at Cadogan Hall, with tickets on sale now. 

The hosts of the next Waitress Cast Album Karaoke Night on the 24th of February will be Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel. 

Audience members can sign up before the show for the chance to sing one minute of any song from Waitress live on stage at the Adelphi, accompanied by the show’s musical director Katharine Woolley.

Young performers Leo Babet, Jonah Collier, Taylor Jenkins, Mia Lakha, Iman Pabani and Hannah Selk are due to join the 42-strong cast of The Prince of Egypt, which is set to open at London's Dominion Theatre on the 5th of February 2020. 

This year sees the return of Peter Andre to the cast of Grease. As well as reprising his role as Teen Angel - a part for which he garnered critical acclaim in 2019 - he will also be taking on the parts of Vince Fontaine and The Sergeant. The production will tour across the UK from the 22nd May-28th November 2020, with further venues to be announced. 

Following its sold-out debut at the Shoreditch Town Hall in 2018, Tim Cowbury's The Claim returns, running from the 18th February-7th March 2020. 

Full cast is as follows: Nick Blakeley (as A), Tonderai Munyevu (Serge) and Indra Ové (B), with direction by Mark Maughan. 

Comedy icon Paul Merton (best known for the popular TV programme Have I Got News For You), is set to join the cast of Hairspray, which begins its run at the London Coliseum on the 23rd April 2020, where it will run for 18 weeks. This appearance will mark his West End debut.

Cast includes: Michael Ball (who will returning to his Olivier Award-winning role as Edna Turnblad), Lizzie Bea (Kinky Boots), Marisha Wallace (Dreamgirls, Waitress), Rita Simons (Eastenders) and Jonny Amies (Sex Education).

On Sunday 14 June 2020 at London’s Eventim Apollo, there will be two more concerts of The Best of Rock Musicals for the benefit of the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

It's cast will feature New York’s Adam Pascal (Rent); Europe’s Kristina Love (Tina), Sabrina Weckerlin (Wicked), Elvie Ellis (The Little Shop of Horrors), Christian Lund (Phantom of the Opera) and David Michael Johnson (Jesus Christ Superstar); and London’s Kerry Ellis (Wicked), Ricardo Afonso (Jesus Christ Superstar), Patrick Smyth (Strictly Come Dancing) and Debbie Kurup (The Prince of Egypt) together with a host of Broadway and West End talent. This includes the West End Chorus, as well as the City of London Philharmonic AllStars.

Due to an injury suffered by one of its cast, the opening of Ida Rubenstein: The Final Act at the Playground Theatre has now been rescheduled for Autumn, 2020. 

Rose Theatre Kingston today announce the opening of The Creature [Frankenstein Retold], a new production based on the classic by Mary Shelley. Adapted for the stage by Ciaran McConville and directed by Lucy Morrell, the production wil run from the 27th-29th February. 

Cast includes: Billy Brown (Henri/Landlord), Eleanor Clark (The Creator), Katherine Liley (Flic/Safi), Louis Mertens (Mr Kirwin/Elias/Aleksei), Joshua King Milne (Professor Waldman/Fira/ Moritz), Frankie Oldham (Mr Kremp/Vadim), Anna Pryce (The Creature), Francis Redfern (Ralf Wile) and Daisy Tucker (Elizabeth) - all Rose Youth Theatre alumni. 

Sam Crane (Farinelli And The King, 1984) will star as Sergio Blanco in the UK première of The Rage of Narcissus, directed by Daniel Goldman. The production opens at Pleasance Theatre on the 21st of February 2020, where it will run until the 8th of March.

Following sell-out performances at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and The Bush Theatre, Richard Gadd's Baby Reindeer will transfer to the Ambassadors Theatre for a strictly limited season from April 2nd-May 2nd 2020 before heading to BAM, in New York.

From the 6-8th March 2020, London's Southbank Centre will play host to the WOW (Women Of The World) Festival.

This year marks WOW's 10th anniversary, with the line-up including a range of Day Pass and ticketed events featuring some of the world’s most exciting performers, activists and voices. 

This summer, the world premiere of The Garden Of Words, a new theatrical adaptation based on the anime from Makoto Shinkai/ CoMix Wave Films, comes to London's Park Theatre. 

The production will run from the 16th of July-15th August 2020. 

God of Carnage - Yasmina Reza's award-winning examination of middle-class parenting - celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Now playing at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre until 18 January 2020, the production will continue on to Theatre Royal Bath (20 – 25 January), then to Theatre Royal Glasgow (27 January – 1 February), Cambridge Arts Theatre (3 – 8 February) and Rose Theatre Kingston (10 – 15 February).

Due to personal reasons, Stephanie J. Block has had to cancel her performance at London's Cadogan Hall on the 12th of April 2020. 

Of the upheaval, Block says:

"The last few days have been a whirlwind of unexpected events and, sadly, I must reschedule my Sunday, April 12th 2020 concerts. HOWEVER, within those last 48 hours, the producers, Cadogan Hall and I have worked hard to secure another date this season. So hold onto those tickets because I’m comin’ for you this summer! Everyone who has purchased seats will be automatically transferred to the corresponding matinee or evening performance for August 30th, 2020."

Spearheading celebrations in light of their 25th year as a company, Frantic Assembly's I Think We Are Alone (a major new play by Sally Abbott) will premiere at the Theatre Royal Plymouth on the 3rd of February before embarking on a UK Tour. 

Tour venues and dates as follows: Liverpool Playhouse (11th-15th Feb), King’s Theatre Edinburgh (17th-21st Feb), Theatre Royal Stratford East (25th Feb-21st Mar), Leicester Curve (24th-28th Mar), Nuffield Southampton Theatre (31st Mar-4th Apr), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford (14th-18th Apr), Northern Stage Newcastle (21st-25th Apr), Bristol Old Vic (28th Apr-2nd May), Oxford Playhouse (4th-9th May) and The Lowry Salford (12th-16th May). 

Exploring the divergent lives of two sisters, award-winning playwright Chloë Moss' latest work Run Sister Run will open at Sheffield Theatres on the 27th of February 2020 before tranferring to the Soho Theatre from the 25th March-2nd May.

Cast includes: Lucy Ellinson; Helena Lymbery; Lucas Button and Silas Carson.

The next Waitress London Cast Album Karaoke Night has been confirmed for Wednesday 15 January 2020, hosted by Lucie Jones and David Hunter in partnership with Encore Tickets.

Audience members can sign up before the show for the chance to sing one minute of any song from Waitress live on stage at the Adelphi, accompanied by the show’s musical director Katharine Woolley.

For one night only, West End stars Alice Fearn and Emma Hatton will perform in The Spark of Creation, a gala fundraiser celebrating the work of Stephen Schwartz at the Park Theatre on the 18th of January, 2020. 

Starring Toby Jones and Richard Armitage, Conor McPherson's adaptation of Uncle Vanya is set to open at the Harold Pinter Theatre on the 23rd of January. The production will run until the 2nd of May, with tickets available to book now. 

Cast also includes: Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee Lou Wood, Anna Calder-Marshall, Dearbhla Molloy, Peter Wight and Ciarán Hinds. 

& JULIET has extended its booking period for individuals up to Sat 3rd October, 2020.

Kevin Elyot's Coming Clean will be staged at the Trafalgar Studios in the New Year, with previews from the 2nd-8th of January 2020, running until the 1st of February 2020. 

Cast includes Lee Knight as Tony, Elliot Hadley as William/Jurgen, Stanton Plummer-Cambridge as Greg and Jonah Rzeskiewicz as Robert. 

In the New Year, Evelyn Hoskins is set to join the cast of hit musical Waitress in the role of Dawn. Original cast member Marisha Wallace is also due to return to the West End production.