These Theatre Thoughts

  EMMY AND TONY AWARD WINNER  BILLY CRUDUP MAKES WEST END DEBUT IN THE UK PREMIERE OF DAVID CALE’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PLAY HARRY CLARKE OPENING IN THE WEST END MARCH 2024   'A formidable solo actor…Crudup is a master in this craft' New York Theatre Guide Ambassador Theatre Group Productions today announce that the Emmy and Tony Award-winning, and 2024 Golden Globe nominee,  Billy Crudup ( The Morning Show ) is reprising his role to make his West End debut in the UK premiere of David Cale ’s critically acclaimed one man play Harry Clarke , which transfers to the West End following two hit runs in the US. The production, directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman , opens at the Ambassadors Theatre on Wednesday 13 March, with previews from Saturday 9  March, and runs until Saturday 11 May 2024 Billy Crudup said today, “I love London and I have loved seeing theater in London for decades. West End theater-goers are some of the most discerning, inte

  BRIDGERTON ’S CHARITHRA CHANDRAN TO STAR IN ONE-WOMAN SHOW INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON   Katy Galloway Productions today announces a limited run at the Garrick Theatre of one-woman show Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon with Charithra Chandran , the break-out star of the Netflix drama Bridgerton . Written by actor/director Rosie Day , Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon received multiple 5-star reviews when she presented it at Southwark Playhouse in 2023.   With two performances on Sundays, the production will open on 17 March and will run for six weeks until 28 April 2024. Public booking opens tomorrow, 19 January - tickets are from £25.   Katy Galloway Productions presents INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON Written by Rosie Day   Cast: Charithra Chandran   Director Georgie Staight ; Set and Costume Designer Jasmine Swan; Lighting Designer Rory Beaton ; Video Designer Dan Light ; Associate Director Hanna Khogali   17 March

  WESSEX GROVE, GAVIN KALIN PRODUCTIONS AND PLAYFUL PRODUCTIONS FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE NEW MUSICAL OPENING NIGHT BENJAMIN WALKER TO PLAY ‘MAURICE’, REBECCA THORNHILL ‘KELLY’, CILLA SILVIA ‘CARLA’, IAN McLARNON ‘LEO’ and JOS SLOVICK ‘GUS’ OPPOSITE THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED SHERIDAN SMITH AS ‘MYRTLE’ HADLEY FRASER AS ‘MANNY’, SHIRA HAAS AS ‘NANCY’, NICOLA HUGHES AS ‘SARAH’, AMY LENNOX AS ‘DOROTHY’ AND JOHN MARQUEZ AS ‘DAVID’ BOOK BY IVO VAN HOVE MUSIC AND LYRICS BY RUFUS WAINWRIGHT DIRECTED AND CONCEIVED BY IVO VAN HOVE AT THE GIELGUD THEATRE IN LONDON’S WEST END FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON FROM 6 MARCH TO 27 JULY 2024 Wessex Grove, Gavin Kalin Productions and Playful Productions are delighted to announce full casting for the World Premiere of John Cassavetes’ OPENING NIGHT , a new musical with book by Ivo van Hove and music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright.   Joining the previously announced Sheridan Smith a

  PEPPA PIG’S FUN DAY OUT Photo credit: Barry Rivett Wednesday 28 & Thursday 29 February, The Hawth Crawley Wed 1pm & 4pm, Thu 10am Fierylight in partnership with licensor Hasbro, presents the brand new ‘oink-tastic’ show Peppa Pig’s Fun Day out! Based on the much-loved animated TV series, the live show packed with fun, games and lots of laughs, will take to the stage at The Hawth from Wednesday 28 to Thursday 29 February. Join Peppa, along with her family and friends as they go to the zoo and also the beach for a special party- it’s going to be an exciting and fun packed day. Prepare to sing and dance with colourful scarecrows, feed the penguins, build big sandcastles, and even swim in the sea! Packed full of songs, dance and muddy puddles. Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out guarantees giggles and snorts for all Peppa fans, and is a perfect introduction to theatre. Over the past 14 years, Peppa Pig Live has taken to the stage in six popular tours and has been enjoyed by more

  NEW ADVENTURES ANNOUNCES MATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE The Next Generation IN CELEBRATION OF THE 30 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS LEGENDARY PRODUCTION OPENING AT PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL ON 11 NOVEMBER 2024 THEN PLAYING AT THE LOWRY, SALFORD AHEAD OF THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SEASON AT SADLER’S WELLS, LONDON AND A 2025 UK TOUR New Adventures is delighted to announce that Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake will return for its 30 th anniversary with a 2024-25 UK tour . This reinvention of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece caused a sensation when it premiered almost 30 years ago and has since become the most successful dance theatre production of all time. In celebration of that ongoing impact, Swan Lake will take flight once more in this major revival.   Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake begins at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 11 November until 16 November before visiting The Lowry, Salford from 19 November until 30 November, ahead of the 8-week annual Christmas season at Sadler’s Wel

  The New Wolsey Theatre presents Romeo & Juliet A punchy adaptation for students, showcasing rising East Anglian talent Directed by Douglas Rintoul, Artistic Director Running from 1 – 8 February 2024; Livestreamed 8 February at 1.30 and 7pm   The New Wolsey Theatre presents a pacy and inventive 80-minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy Romeo & Juliet from 1-8 February 2024, with a livestream on Thursday 8 February at 1.30pm and 7pm (the latter is followed by a Q&A). Directed by the theatre’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive Douglas Rintoul , the production is specially created for students and teachers of English and Drama, and anyone new to the play.  Following on from last year’s successful and critically acclaimed production of DNA , The New Wolsey Theatre proudly brings together the very best of East Anglia’s emerging talent to devise a contemporary and playful Romeo & Juliet for audiences of today.  A hostile and dangerous cit

Photo credit: Mark Douet Date: 12th January 2024 Seat: A8 (Circle) Tickets: Gifted Rating: 3 Stars  What does Kim’s Convenience have in store for audiences? A lot of laughs, heart, and a story that everyone can understand, no matter what language they happen to speak.  Kim’s Convenience was originally written in 2011 by Ins Choi, and thanks to how well the one-act play was received, a Netflix series of the same name was produced, which was also hugely popular. It’s still available to watch, and it’s well worth taking a look at if you want some gentle laughs and a real story – quite different from what most other sitcoms (for want of a better word) can manage.  The story of Kim’s Convenience revolves around Mr Kim (or Appa as his family calls him) trying to deal with his fears of the future while also being a good father and husband. He doesn’t always get it right; he can be a bully, he can be rude, he borders on being racist, and he’s perpetually annoyed about something, but he tries

Date: 5th January 2024 Seat: J16 (Stalls) Tickets: Gifted Rating: 3 Stars  If you’re a fan of impressive circus acts and you’re a bit of a fan of musical theatre, Cirque: The Greatest Show is definitely going to be up your street. It’s a combination of the two things and it all blends together to create an evening of fun and thrills with some excellent musical song and dance numbers thrown in. What more could you ask for?  The songs come from various shows, and as the name suggests, there’s a fairly big emphasis on tunes from The Greatest Showman ( Cirque begins and ends with songs from that musical). Other musicals showcased included Moulin Rouge, Rocketman, We Will Rock You, and more.  The songs perform the backdrop to some excellent circus acts, including aerial acrobats, a contortionist, a fire performer, loads of gymnastics, juggling, and a set piece that included more quick changes than I’ve ever seen on stage before to finish off the first act.  Linking all this together, and p

  Photo credit: Mark Brenner LONDON’S “SHOW OF THE YEAR” COMES TO BROADWAY IN 2024   JAMIE LLOYD’S NEW PRODUCTION OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S “SUNSET BOULEVARD” TO OPEN ON BROADWAY THIS YEAR   STARRING NICOLE SCHERZINGER REPRISING HER AWARD-WINNING PERFORMANCE AS ‘NORMA DESMOND’ IN HER EAGERLY ANTICIPATED BROADWAY DEBUT   SCHERZINGER TO BE JOINED BY HER LONDON CO-STARS TOM FRANCIS, GRACE HODGETT-YOUNG, AND DAVID THAXTON   SIGN UP FOR NEWS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AT WWW.SUNSETBLVDBROADWAY.COM   Nicole Scherzinger will bring her “unmistakably triumphant” ( Telegraph ) performance as ‘Norma Desmond’ to Broadway this year in director Jamie Lloyd ’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber ’s Sunset Boulevard . The production was hailed as London’s 2023 “best show of the year” ( Time Out ) and features book and lyrics by  Don Black and Christopher Hampton , based on the  Billy Wilder  film.  Joining Scherzinger on Broadway will be her acclaimed Londo