Everybody loves a good movie musical. And extended show runs. But maybe not the new bilingual Tartuffe. Find out what’s going on this week in the ever-dazzling world of London theatre.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the 2017 hit that’s still drawing crowds to the Apollo Theatre, extends its run to 6 April 2019. And that’s not all. This fearless, funny, and fabulous musical is coming to the big screen, courtesy of Warp Films. The show’s book writer and lyricist Tom McRae, and its composer Dan Gillespie Sells, will adapt the musical for the screen, with the show’s original director Jonathan Butterell at the helm. Filming will start spring 2019. To hold you over in the meantime, you can catch a live screening of the show on 5 July, in movie theatres across the U.K. and Ireland.
Hamilton also extends its run! Soon, you’ll be able to buy tickets to see the smash hit at the Victoria Palace Theatre through March 2019.
Tartuffe is now up and running at the Royal London Theatre Haymarket, and critics are less than thrilled with this modern, dual-language adaptation. While several note the well-played performance of Sebastian Roché as the gullible Orgon, they seem to agree that this production fails to live up to its potential. Even the most enthusiastic reviewers confess themselves a little bewildered at the set design – which features a large, clear cube. Interessant….
Meanwhile, the National Theatre production of Brian Friel’s Translations is being praised to the skies. Critics are calling this revival starring Colin Morgan and Ciarán Hinds “flawless,” “magnificent,” and “unmissable.”
Naoko Mori joins the cast of The King and I at the London Palladium. Naoko Mori has appeared in various roles on London stages, including Kim in the original London production of Miss Saigon (when she became the first Japanese actress to play a leading role in the West End), and roles in On the Town, Avenue Q, and Hair. She’s also played a number of television roles, including Toshiko Sato in Torchwood and Sarah in Absolutely Fabulous. In The King and I, Naoko Mori will share the role of Lady Thiang.
Alan Bennett’s play Allelujah! (at the Bridge Theatre) will feature Peter Forbes, Deborah Findlay, Samuel Barnett, and Sacha Dhawan. The play about a small hospital threatened with closure opens in July. Meanwhile, Laura Linney will make her West End debut in My Name is Lucy Barton at the Bridge Theatre in June.
