If you feel like Oscar Wilde when he said: “I love acting. It is so much more real than life…” then you’re in the right place! With industry news, the latest castings, and upcoming projects, we’ll make sure stay updated on the ever-changing theatrical world. Whether it’s West End, fringe or regional theatre, we have your back.
Meghan Markle patronises her roots.
The Duchess of Sussex has been made a royal patron of the National Theatre. Having been an actor herself – best-known for her stint on American TV drama Suits – the patronage aligns with her personal interest. Meghan has been an activist from a young age, using her voice to make change. As an adolescent, she wrote to then-first lady Hillary Clinton about a Proctor and Gamble advertisement that suggested women were the only ones in the home who washed dishes. The company then changed its use of the word “women” to “people” in the advert. Stay tuned to see what her patronage does for the arts world.
Doctor Dolittle will treat fewer audiences.
The UK tour of a new musical version of Doctor Dolittle, starring Mark Williams in the title role and directed by Christopher Renshaw, has announced it is closing early. The tour, which began in November 2018 in Bromley, will close at the end of January, though it had originally been meant to tour until November 2019. Poor ticket sales have forced production company Music and Lyrics to reassess and ultimately take the decision to end the tour prematurely. Your last chance to see Doctor Dolittle is in Oxford until 26 January.
Louise Redknapp will have to wait to work 9 to 5.
Following facial and wrist injuries from a fall, Louise Redknapp will delay her appearance in the Dolly Parton musical 9 to 5, opening at the end of January at the Savoy Theatre. Redknapp, who had once been a member of R&B group Eternal, was set to play Violet. The producers announced they made the decision to delay her appearance in the show as she has been signed off work for two months in order to recuperate. Redknapp is expected to take over the role intended for her in March or April 2019.
Read: So You Want to Act in the West End?
Kingston is back.
Alex Kingston, beloved by Doctor Who fans as River Song and ER fans as Dr Elizabeth Corday, will return to the stage in the UK in Admissions at Trafalgar Studios before embarking on a national tour. After a recent premiere in New York, the show, directed by Daniel Autkin, will transfer to London for a short run at Trafalgar before visiting Richmond, Cambridge, Malvern and Salford. The play is by Joshua Harmon, perhaps best-known for his play Bad Jews, and delves into liberal politics as Sherri (played by Kingston) faces the challenge of diversifying a prep school.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ will finally delight audiences again.
For the first time in nearly thirty years, jazz musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ will again be seen in London. Direction will be by Tyrone Huntley – making it his debut, though he can soon be seen onstage in Leave to Remain at the Lyric Hammersmith – and choreography will be by Oti Mabuse, making it her theatrical debut as well. Mabuse was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing and is currently a mentor on the BBC’s The Greatest Dancer. With co-production by Paul Taylor-Mills and Mercury Theatre Colchester in association with Tamasha Theatre, audiences can immerse themselves in the 1920s in both Colchester and at the Southwark Playhouse in London this spring.
Vanessa Redgrave brings her family’s story to the stage.
Vanessa Redgrave is currently working on a play based on a story she discovered in her father’s papers. Centred around a poet called Stephen Spender – a friend of Redgrave’s father, Vienna 1934 – Munich 1938 examines the true events that took place as Spender tried to obtain fake passports for Jews fleeing Austria. Redgrave, currently onstage in The Inheritance, will be joined by two of her co-stars, Paul Hilton and Robert Boulter, along with Daisy Bevan, as they perform the work-in-progress for three performances in February at Rose Theatre Kingston.
The sun will come out in February!
The UK tour of Annie has announced its full cast. Opening in February in Manchester, the tour will crisscross the country with Alex Bourne as Daddy Warbucks, Carolyn Maitland, Jenny Gayner, and Richard Meek. Most notably, the role of Miss Hannigan will be split by Anita Dobson and Craig Revel Horwood: Dobson from February to April, and Revel Horwood from April to July. Both Bourne and Revel Horwood had played their respective roles in the West End. Faye Katsande, Ava Smith and Freya Yates will share the titular role in a production directed by Nikolai Foster.