It has certainly been an exciting week in the world of theatre, and thanks to From The Box Office, you don’t have to worry about missing a beat. From brand new shows, to exciting opening nights and colourful parades, we’ve got all this week’s top theatre stories right here!
The big news story this week, of course, was that Heathers The Musical is transferring to the West End! Following its sold-out run at The Other Palace, the wildly popular smash-hit, which stars Carrie Hope Fletcher, will move to Theatre Royal Haymarket later this year. Tickets went on sale just a couple of days ago so grab them while you still can!
Following on from last week’s news that Maisie Williams will soon be adding stage performer to her already impressive resumé, Game Of Thrones looks set to continue its conquering of London’s West End. Westeros’ most infamous villain, Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton), will be returning to his stage roots in the West End premiere of Dawn King’s Foxfinder at the Ambassadors Theatre London. Click here for more on this chilling production and get your tickets here.
A new production of Shakespeare in Love, directed by Philip Breen, is heading on a UK tour starting in October. First stop is the Theatre Royal Bath on 4 October. After that, the production will play in Nottingham, Malvern, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Chichester, and further cities (to be announced).
Last but by no means least in the new shows category this week is the rapturously hilarious Nine Night. Following a highly successful run at the National Theatre, this touching comedy will be calling Trafalgar Studios home from the 1st December this year until 9th February 2019. Tickets went on sale this morning so make sure you get yours! If you want to know more about the riotous debut from Natasha Gordon, we’ve got you covered right here!
Sticking with the theme of new productions, The King And I had its official opening night this week, and by all accounts it was a roaring success. Reviews poured in, praising both the leading stars, Ken Watanabe and Kelli O’ Hara for their stunning performances, and also director Barlett Sher for making the show so much more than a condescending depiction of Far Eastern culture. For our take on this new classic, check out our review.
More news has finally been revealed this week on the musical adaptation of the much-loved film The Devil Wears Prada! Since the announcement of plans for a Broadway show over a year ago, little more has been said, but now it’s been revealed that the soundtrack will be written by none other than Sir Elton John, who said that the project is “super exciting”. Our friends across the pond may be benefitting from the British songwriter’s talent before us, but we’re sure there’ll soon be a West End transfer of what is sure to be a groundbreaking production.
If you didn’t hear, legendary choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne passed away Sunday evening in London, at age 92. Lynne’s works included Cats and Phantom of the Opera. Andrew Lloyd Webber, who collaborated with Lynne on several projects, tweeted: “Farewell dearest Gillie, three generations of the British musical owe so much to you. With love, Andrew.” Just two weeks before her death, Lynne celebrated the opening of the newly renamed Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End. As part of the ceremony, she was carried to the stage in a golden throne, flanked by dancers from Cats in full costume. If you ask us, that’s a pretty good way to go out.
Following a sold-out run at the Bush Theatre, Arinze Kene’s Misty will transfer to Trafalgar Studios, playing from 8 September to 20 October. Omar Elerian directs.
Aidan Turner is “a revelation” in Michael Grandage’s production of The Lieutenant of Inishmore. And those aren’t our words. The critics are thrilled all around, calling Turner’s performance “masterful,” “intense,” and “smolderingly virile.” Meanwhile, The Independent calls the entire production “exuberantly gruesome” and “blackly uproarious.” The general consensus seems to be that this revival is worth seeing
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child seems to be taking the world by storm. First Broadway, now Germany. Another production of the London-originated show will open in Hamburg, Germany in spring 2020.
And finally this week, the arrival of glorious sunshine and an abundance of colour in the capital can only mean one thing: London Pride has come around again! The West End, as always, has certainly been getting into the Pride spirit this year, with cast videos, special performances and artwork recoloured in the rainbow flag colours to show solidarity with the LGBT+ community. If you’re heading to London for the parade and other festivities tomorrow afternoon, be sure to head to Trafalgar Square before 12.25 so that you can catch a special performance from the spectacular cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie!
Whether you’re heading to London or not, we hope you have a day full of celebration, acceptance and, of course, love.
From everybody at From The Box Office, have a Happy Pride x
