Mel Giedroyc completes Starter For Ten musical cast
Mel Giedroyc is one of the final additions to the cast for the new University Challenge-inspired musical Starter For Ten ahead of its world premiere at Bristol Old Vic early next year.
The comedian, actress, presenter and writer whose theatre credits include The Crown Jewels at the Garrick Theatre and Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith will play Brian’s mum, Irene Jackson in the musical adaptation of David Nicholls’ best-selling novel and the subsequent hit HBO/Playtone film.
The cast will also include Robert Portal (The 39 Steps/The Boy Friend, Menier Chocolate Factory) in the role of legendary quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne, Gemma Knight-Jones (A Christmas Carol, Old Vic, Sister Act, UK tour) as Professor Bowman, Luke Johnson (Close-Up, Menier Chocolate Factory, The Light Princess, National Theatre) as Des and Natasha O’Brien (Aspects of Love, Apollo Theatre, Falsettos, The Other Palace) as Mrs Harbinson, with Finlay Blackman, William Hall and Rockingham Ooi-Griffiths sharing the role of Young Brian.
They will join the previously announced cast headed by Adam Bregman (Bar Mitzvah Boy, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Sing Street, Huntington Theatre) as the Southend-born, Bristol-bound undergraduate Brian and Eubha Akilade (Eve, CBBC, Find Me in Paris, Hulu/Disney) who will make her stage debut in the role of Brian’s closest friend on campus, Glaswegian Rebecca. The cast also includes by Stephenson Ardern-Sodje (Rock Follies, Chichester Festival Theatre, Once on This Island, Regent’s Park Theatre) as Brian’s childhood best friend Spencer; Miracle Chance (The Witches, National Theatre, Heathers, The Other Palace) as calm in a crisis quiz fanatic Lucy; Emily Lane (The Sound of Music, London Palladium, Frozen, Theatre Royal Drury Lane) as student am-dram celebrity and Brian’s unrequited crush Alice; and Will Jennings (Les Miserables, Sondheim Theatre, Shrek the Musical, UK tour) as the Bristol Challenge team captain and Brian’s biggest critic, Patrick.
Presented by Antic Productions, Bristol Old Vic, Longshot Films and Playtone, the production will make its debut in Bristol from 29 February until 30 March 2024 as part of Nancy Medina’s inaugural season as artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic.
The feel-good musical features a 1980s-flavoured original score and lyrics by pop-punk composers Tom Rasmussen and Hatty Carman with a book and lyrics by the artistic directors of Antic Productions, Emma Hall and Charlie Parham.
Parham will also direct the production which will be choreographed by Shelley Maxwell, with set and costume design by Frankie Bradshaw, lighting design by Rory Beaton, sound design by Gregory Clarke, casting by Will Burton for GBC, music supervision by Nick Barstow and orchestrations by Tom Kelly.
New production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown to debut in London
London’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse will play host to the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown from 14 December 2023 until 14 January 2024.
Presented by Chromolume Productions and featuring a five-piece band, the new production of the musical inspired by Charles M Schulz’s much-loved comic strip Peanuts will be directed and choreographed by Amanda Noar.
Jordan Broatch will take on the title role with Millie Robins as Sally Brown, Eleanor Fransch as Lucy Van Pelt, Jacob Cornish as Linus Van Pelt, Troy Yip as Shroeder and Oliver Sidney as Snoopy.
The creative team also includes musical director Harry Style, assistant director Isaac Bernier-Doyle, set designer Ruby Boswell-Green, costume designer Holly Louise Chapman and producer Annlouise Butt for Chromolume Productions.
Announcing the production, the Highgate venue’s new artistic directors Annlouise Butt and Isaac Bernier-Doyle said: “We are excited and mildly terrified to be continuing John and Katie Plews’ holiday tradition of ambitious revivals of musical theatre classics which push the boundaries of our intimate Off-West End setting.”
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown has a book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner with additional dialogue by Michael Mayer and additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.
& Juliet to celebrate German premiere in Hamburg in 2024
Just a few days after & Juliet celebrated its first year on Broadway, the producers of the multi-award-winning musical have confirmed the first German production will open at Stage Operettenhaus in Hamburg in October 2024.
Germany will become the sixth country to welcome & Juliet in under five years following the UK, Canada, USA, Australia and Singapore. The German production will be the first to feature a book translated into a different language.
Next year will also mark the launch of multiple tours including the previously announced North American tour which will play more that 65 cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and Charlotte NC.
A UK tour will launch in July 2024 and will take in 29 cities including stops in Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh, while the current Australian tour will play Perth from 30 December this year before heading for Sydney in February 2024.
The Broadway production celebrated its first year in New York with a week-long programme of fan activities including a Times Square flashmob, a singalong performance and multiple giveaways with partnering brands.
Directed by Luke Sheppard, & Juliet uses the most iconic pop songs written by prolific pop hit writer Max Martin over the last three decades along with new song ‘One More Try’ to accompany a re-imagined Juliet who finds a way past her doomed romance with Romeo by embarking on a whirlwind trip to Paris.
The musical which debuted at the Manchester Opera House in October 2019 before arriving at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre a month later, boasts a story by David West Read, and features arrangements of Martin’s chart-topping songs by Grammy Award-winning orchestrator Bill Sherman. The triple Olivier Award-winning production features choreography by Jennifer Weber, set design by Soutra Gilmour, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Gareth Owen, video design by Andrzej Goulding and casting by Stuart Burt.
Winner of three Olivier Awards and six WhatsOnStage Awards, the feel-good show’s West End run ended on 25 March 2023.
Swedish-born songwriter and producer Martin first made his mark in the 1990s with hits including Britney Spears’ ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’ and The Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want It That Way’. More recently, Martin has written or co-written hits for today’s biggest stars including Adele, Ellie Goulding, Kelly Clarkson, Usher, Taylor Swift and Pink.
Pre-show workshops on offer for hit show Operation Mincemeat
Operation Mincemeat is partnering with the Ambassador Theatre Group’s West End Creative Learning department to offer pre-show workshops to schools and community organisations who are booked to see the award-winning show.
Led by West End practitioners, the workshops will use key moments from the hit show to help students hone their skills, building characters, presence and performance techniques. From slapstick routines to devising techniques, from character work to comedy, the workshop has been designed to ignite participants’ imaginations by using the hit production.
The workshops are being offered to groups before they see the show at the Fortune Theatre or as part of a wider engagement programme in partnership with Imperial War Museums where students can explore the Second World War and visit the organisation’s Spies, Lies and Deception exhibition.
The workshops are presented by Avalon in partnership with ATG Creative Learning and Imperial War Museums. A range of further Creative Learning opportunities will be announced through Operation Mincemeat’s official channels.
The critic and audience-pleasing show began sold-out preview performances at the Fortune Theatre on 29 March this year. The show’s West End debut run follows on from five sold-out development runs in London at the New Diorama Theatre in 2019 and Southwark Playhouse in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and an extended run the Riverside Studios last summer. The production has already garnered 65 five-star reviews and has been extended six times with booking currently open through to 15 June 2024.
Described as Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Operation Mincemeat was co-commissioned by the New Diorama Theatre in London and The Lowry in Salford. The show won The Stage Debut Award for Best Composer/Lyricist and the Off-West End Award for Best Company Ensemble and was listed in The Observer’s Top 10 shows of 2019. The musical is written and composed by 2023 Stage Debut Award ‘Best creative West End debut’ nominated SpitLip – David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts.
Presented in the West End by Avalon in association with SpitLip, the innovative take on a strange but true story of a secret mission in the Second World War, was created by SpitLip’s David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson and Zöe Roberts along with Felix Hagan.
The 2023 Off-West End Best Musical award-winning cast of David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone and Zoë Roberts are joined in the West End by Seán Carey (returning from the Riverside Studios run), Geri Allan, Christian Andrews and Holly Sumpton. After providing directorial support for the production for its Riverside Studios run, 2023 Best Director Olivier Award-nominee Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge) took over as director for the show’s West End run.
Line-up confirmed for Box Office Radio’s VIP West End Weekend
Box Office Radio has confirmed the full star-studded line-up for its exclusive VIP West End Weekend in Torquay in Devon early next year.
Over 20 artists will appear over the three-day event which will turn the seaside town’s Riviera Hotel into a haven for musical theatre fans from 19-22 January 2024.
West End stars due to appear at the event include Kerry Ellis, Lee Mead, Lucie Jones, Rob Houchen, Alice Fearn, Cassidy Janson, Michael D Xavier, Emma Kingston and Kelly Mathieson. Musical theatre drag act Kara Van-Park will also feature along with tributes to hit shows Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia!.
Tickets for the event will cover five sessions of live entertainment along with dinner, bed and breakfast.
Launched in 2020, Box Office Radio taps into the public’s love affair with musical theatre and musical movies with a playlist packed with songs from the musicals new and old.
Cast and creatives for Watermill’s The Wizard of Oz
The Watermill Theatre has confirmed the full cast and creative for its Christmas production of The Wizard of Oz.
Inspired by L Frank Baum’s classic novel, the story of Dorothy and her journey to the Emerald City has been re-imagined for audiences at the popular Newbury venue by writer Marietta Kirkbride, director Georgie Staight and composer and musical director Nick Barstow.
Due to play the distinctive 200-seat venue until 31 December, the festive production’s cast includes Angela Caesar (The Wicker Husband, The Watermill) as Westly/The Wizard/Aunt Em, Sally Cheng (Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera, UK tour) as Scarrow, Chris Coxon (Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Leicester Curve/UK tour) as Tinman, James Gulliford (The Jungle Book, UK tour) as Lionel, Annabel Marlow (Six, Edinburgh Fringe) as Dot and Signe Larsson making her professional debut as Glenda/PA/Dance Captain.
The Wizard of Oz is designed by Sophia Pardon, with lighting designed by Ali Hunter, sound design by Anna Short and movement direction by Sarah Golding. The creative team also includes costume supervisor Hannah Gilbert, CSM Cat Pewsey, DSM Bethany Jefferies, Rehearsal ASM Natalie Toney and ASM Josette Shipp.
Sheffield’s White Christmas – full cast and creatives
The full cast and creative team have been unveiled for Sheffield Theatres’ festive production of Irving Berlin’s enduringly popular White Christmas.
George Blagden (Company, Gielgud Theatre, Tartuffe, Theatre Royal Haymarket) will take on the role of showman Bob Wallace alongside Stuart Neal (The Grinning Man, Bristol Old Vic, 42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane) as his partner in song and dance Phil Davis, with Grace Mouat (Six The Musical, & Juliet) as Betty Haynes and Natasha Mould (Annie Get Your Gun, Sheffield Theatres, 9 to 5 The Musical, Savoy Theatre) as her sister Judy.
They will be joined by Ewen Cummins (The Book of Mormon, UK/European tour, Guys and Dolls, Manchester Royal Exchange) as Waverley, Sandra Marvin (Sister Act The Musical, Hammersmith Apollo/UK tour, Waitress, West End/UK tour) as Martha, Craig Armstrong (La Cage aux Folles, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Come From Away, Phoenix Theatre) as Ezekiel and understudy Waverley) and Danny Collins (Show Boat, Sheffield Crucible/West End, 101 Dalmatians, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) as Sheldrake and Understudy Phil.
The cast will also include Megan Armstrong (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Aldwych Theatre, The Woman in Black, Fortune Theatre) as Ensemble and understudy Martha, Charlie Booker (Top Hat, The Mill at Sonning, BBC Proms: On the Town, Royal Albert Hall) as Ensemble, Alastair Crosswell (Sinatra, Birmingham Rep, Dirty Dancing, Dominion Theatre) as Onstage Swing, Adam Davidson (Strictly Ballroom, UK tour, Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre) as Ensemble, Jasmine Davis (Beauty and the Beast, London Palladium, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Union Theatre) as Ensemble, Emily Goodenough (My Fair Lady, Sheffield Theatres, The Third Man, Menier Chocolate Factory) as Ensemble, Understudy Judy and Dance Coach, Ryan Gover (42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, The Wizard of Oz, London Palladium), Chloe Hopcroft (42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Sister Act, UK tour) as Onstage Swing, Emma Johnson (La Cage aux Folles, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, My Fair Lady, London Coliseum/UK and Ireland tour) as Ensemble and Understudy Betty, Thomas-Lee Kidd (The Book Thief, UK tour, Curtains, Wyndham’s Theatre/UK tour) as Ensemble and Understudy Bob, Hakeem Timbu (Johannes Radebe’s Freedom Tour) as Ensemble, D’Mia Lindsay Walker ( Grease, Dominion Theatre, Bugsy Malone, UK tour) as Ensemble and Lucy Young (Newsies, Troubadour, Bugsy Malone, UK tour).
Due to play the Christmas season at the Sheffield Crucible from 9 December 2023 until 13 January 2024, the new production of the classic musical will be directed by Paul Foster (Sheffield Theatres productions of Talent, Kiss Me, Kate, Annie Get Your Gun).
The creative team also includes designer Janet Bird, choreographer Alistair David, lighting designer Richard Howell, sound designer Tony Gayle, musical director Alex Parker, new musical orchestrations Jason Carr, casting director Stuart Burt, assistant director Beth Knight and assistant choreographer Victoria Hinde.
Based on the much-loved 1954 Paramount Pictures film, White Christmas boasts music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by David Ives and Paul Blake. Written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, the stage version debuted in 2000 in St Louis. The production is based on the original 2008 Broadway stage production directed by Walter Bobbie, with original orchestrations by Larry Blank and original vocal and dance arrangements by Bruce Pomahac.
Leicester Curve casts its Eva Perón and Che
Martha Kirby and Tyrone Huntley will star in Leicester Curve’s highly anticipated new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.
Recently seen as Raven in the UK tour of Bat Out of Hell, Kirby (Sandy in the first UK tour of the Made At Curve production of Grease) will star as the formidable Eva Perón opposite Huntley (Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Dreamgirls, Savoy Theatre) as Che.
Artistic director Nikolai Foster, whose recent acclaimed productions include the UK Theatre Award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical, The Wizard of Oz and Sunset Boulevard, will take charge of the production which will run from 27 November 2023 until 13 January 2024.
The production will feature set design by Michael Taylor (Billy Elliot the Musical) and musical supervision from Stephen Brooker (White Christmas), with musical direction from Ben van Tienen (Funny Girl, UK tour) and choreography by World Choreography Award-winner Adam Murray (Rocketman, Cruella, The King’s Man).
The production team will also include costume designer Edd Lindley (Billy Elliot the Musical), lighting designer Joshie Hariette (Cake the Musical), sound designer Adam Fisher (The Wizard of Oz), and wigs, hair and make-up designer Sam Cox. Casting is by Curve Associate Kay Magson and Olivia Laydon.
Accessible performances will be available throughout the run including audio described performances on 15 December at 7:30pm (with a Touch Tour from 6pm) and 11 January 2024 at 2:15pm (with a Touch Tour from 12:45pm).
The performance on 19 December at 7:30pm will be British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreted, and performances on 20 December at 7:30pm and Thursday 28 December 2:15pm will be Captioned. A Relaxed performance, for those who would benefit from a more relaxed environment, will take place on 6 January 2024 at 2:15pm. A Dementia Friendly performance, tailored to support audience members living with Dementia, their families, friends and carers, will take place on 10 January 2024 at 2.15pm.
Tim Rice and Lloyd Webber’s Evita features some of the best loved songs in musical theatre, including ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’, ‘On This Night of a Thousand Stars’ and ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’.
Angela Thomas