Fantastic News! Matthew Lopez's THE INHERITANCE, will transfer into the West End later this year following its critically acclaimed run at The Young Vic which has been booked out solid.
We loved it at LondonBoxOffice. Read my review HERE and Stuart King’s “second look” HERE.
It’s especially good news that most of director Stephen Daldry’s superlative original cast are staying with the transfer including Hugo Bolton, Robert Boulter, Andrew Burnap, Hubert Burton, John Benjamin Hickey, Paul Hilton, Samuel H Levine, Syrus Lowe, Michael Marcus, Vanessa Redgrave, Kyle Soller and Michael Walters.
Producers describe it as “Loosely transposing EM Forster's Howards End, the piece follows a group of young New Yorkers reflecting on the generations that came before them, particularly after the AIDs crisis”.
It’s very long and to experience the whole thing you’ll need to see the two-part production in its entirety on one day or over consecutive evenings.
It will open at the Noël Coward Theatre on 21 September, running until 5 January 2019.
Set and costumes are by Bob Crowley, lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Paul Arditti and Chris Reid, music by Paul Englishby and it was cast by Julia Horan, Jordan Thaler and Heidi Griffiths.
Expect the up-coming Chichester production of the glorious musical comedy ME AND MY GIRL to transfer to the West End.
The feel-good piece features songs including "The Sun Has Got His Hat On", "Lambeth Walk" and "Me and My Girl” and is a silly “Cinderella” tale from the 1930s about a cockney barrow boy in the 1930s who turns out to be an aristocrat.
It was a massive West End and Broadway hit in the 1980s when the original 30’s script was fine-tuned by Stephen Fry and Mike Ockrent.
The new revival has a great cast of established musical theatre and comedy performers including Matt Lucas as Bill Snibson, Caroline Quentin as the Duchess of Dene, Clive Rowe as Sir John Tremayne and Alex Young as Sally with Lydia Bannister, Ronan Burns, Jennie Dale, Jacqui Dubois, Davide Fienauri, Lauren Hall, Siubhan Harrison, Matt Harrop, Victoria Hinde, Melissa Lowe, Dominic Marsh, Natasha Mould, Ryan Pidgen, Pippa Raine, Emile Ruddock, Charlotte Scott, Jak Skelly, Monica Swayne, Oliver Tester and Toyan Thomas-Browne.
The new production is directed by Daniel Evans, with choreography from Alistair David.
Star of TV’s Hollyoaks & Doctors Andy Moss will play the lead role of Gawain in new rock musical KNIGHTS OF THE ROSE at the Arts Theatre from 29 June.
It’s a juke box which features songs from the likes of Bon Jovi, Muse, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler & Enrique Iglesias and it’s described as being about “a band of plucky and lyrically-inclined knights” and a “high-voltage production”.
The director is my friend Racky Plews who did such an amazing job at staging the Green Day musical, AMERICAN IDIOT at the this same venue and the rest of the cast is Adam Pearce, Rebecca Bainbridge and Oliver Savile.
Controversial director Emma Rice’s larky stage adaptation of the classic film weepy BRIEF ENCOUNTER has extended its run at the specially adapted cinema in the West End on Haymarket which will be followed by a world tour in 2019.
We love it at LondonBoxOffice. Here’s my first night review.
It’s described as following “a series of couples dealing with romantic trysts, ranging from forbidden to fledging love”.
It will continue to star Jim Sturgeon as Alec, Isabel Pollen as Laura, Lucy Thackeray as Myrtle, Beverly Rudd as Beryl, Jos Slovick as Stanley and Dean Nolan as Fred/Albert, with Katrina Kleve and Peter Dukes.
Mel Brooks' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN will close at the Garrick Theatre on 25 August and a UK national tour will follow from September 2019 with an Original West End Cast Recording. “Recorded live at the Garrick Theatre over several performances earlier this year, it will be released through all usual outlets in July”
The old-school sexist humour has divided audiences and critics, many people have been appalled at the retro 1970s attitude towards women but enough people have enjoyed it to fuel a respectable run of a year in the West End.
We enjoyed it too. Read Christian Durham’s review.
Veteran Hollywood director Mel Brooks, who also adapted the phenomenally successful stage show THE PRODUCERS says –
"Thank you London audiences for embracing Young Frankenstein and for making us such a smash hit in the West End. I'm so happy that soon the rest of the UK will get a chance to see it... so see it before you die or you'll regret it forever!"
3WOMEN by comedian Katy Brand is currently playing at Trafalgar studios and critics are either embracing or rejecting its feel good sit-com charms.