Another week, another exciting 7 days of theatre news. How could you possibly keep up with it all? Lucky for you, From The Box Office is here to deliver all of the week’s top news stories, from exciting new summer events and the latest casting news. You’re welcome!
Our friends at Disney have made a special announcement just in time for the summer holidays: they’ll be running a pop-up in Covent Garden from 31st July through to 26th August! Get an up close look at the props, puppets and special effects of both The Lion King and Aladdin, and take part in fun treasure hunts to win exclusive prizes. There will be a spectacular range of activities every day but be sure to arrive early; guests are admitted on a first come, first-served basis. Find the full schedule of events here.
![Backstage photography at Disney's The Lion King in London [Helen Maybanks]](https://i0.wp.com/blog.fromtheboxoffice.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/behind-the-scenes-at-disneys-the-lion-king-large.jpg?w=856&h=570&ssl=1 "Backstage at Disney's The Lion King")
Sad news coming from the Theatre Royal Drury Lane this morning – 42nd Street will be closing on 5th January 2019, when the theatre will also close for planned refurbishment. That means time is running out for you to see London’s most glitzy and glamorous showbiz musical. Make sure you don’t miss out before it bows out of the West End, get your tickets here! The company has also announced that Eastenders star Bonnie Langford will be taking over the role of Dorothy Brock from September 3rd.
42nd Street weren’t the only ones making casting announcements this week, with School of Rock, Dance Nation and Company all revealing the newest stars in their line-ups.
Craig Gallivan (Footballer’s Wives) will be heading up the cast of School of Rock from 22nd August, and will be joined by THREE teams of incredibly talented young musicians, all aged between just ten and twelve years old! Full casting list can be found here. You can check out the latest trailer below and book your tickets right here.
Dance Nation, which lands at the Almeida Theatre in September, announced its full cast yesterday (Thursday 12th July) and it’s certainly not lacking in talent. Sarah Hadland, Brendan Cowell, Nancy Crane, Karla Crome and Miranda Foster are all set to star in this exciting UK premiere of the highly acclaimed off-Broadway show, which will be directed by Bijan Sheibani. Full cast and creative here.
Finally in casting news this week, the full line-up for Company has been revealed. The roles have been gender swapped, with Rosalie Craig playing the central character in Marianne Elliot’s production. This, of course, means that Bobby’s girlfriends have also been gender swapped and are now boyfriends, with George Blagden playing PJ (originally Marta), Matthew Seadon-Young playing Theo (replacing Kathy), and Richard Fleeshman playing Andy (instead of April). Get your tickets for this modern adaptation here!
Finally this week in London Theatre News, Britain’s stage and film legend is at it again, proving just why we love him so much. Sir Ian McKellen, of Macbeth, Lord of the Rings, X-Men and Beauty and the Beast, to name just a few, is currently starring in King Lear in the very theatre where he began his multi-award winning West End stage career. As an added bonus, 16-25 year olds could see this West End transfer for just £5. No, it’s not a typo – we really mean five pounds! It’s part of the Prologue Scheme, and all you have to do to get your hands on the limited tickets is head down to the Duke of York’s theatre on the day of the performance with some ID to prove your age. The tickets are available from 10am each day, and we can’t imagine it would take long for them all to get snapped up!
