This week, we’ve got casting news galore, an exciting announcement about Waitress, and a nod to the lieutenant of Inishmore…we mean Aidan Turner. It’s all here in your weekly news round-up.
Have your pie and eat it, too! Tickets are now on sale for Sara Bareilles’ smash hit Waitress! It’s a long-awaited event, so don’t wait around for tickets to sell out….
As Hamilton prepares for its second year in the West End, new cast members have been announced! Sifiso Mazibuko will play Aaron Burr starting 3 December, with Courtney-Mae Briggs playing Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, Allyson Ava-Brown playing Angelica Schuyler, Dom Hartley-Harris playing George Washington, and Jon Robyns playing King George. Other new cast members include Robson Broad, Lisa Darnell, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Sinead Long, Emile Ruddock and Ellena Vincent. Current cast members Jam Westman (Alexander Hamilton) and Rachelle Ann Go (Eliza Schuyler) will remain.
Stage and screen actor Julian Ovenden (Downton Abbey) will play Bill in the upcoming premiere of All About Eve. He joins a cast that (so far) includes Gillian Anderson, Lily James, Monica Dolan, Sheila Reid, and Rhasdan Stone.
Meanwhile, the upcoming production of Nativity! the Musical is looking more and more like a family affair. After Danny Dyer joined the cast last week, his daughter Dani Dyer (we’re already confused) is now following in his footsteps. She’ll also star in the musical! Dani Dyer recently won fame (and love) when she appeared on and won the fourth series of Love Island.
We also have further casting for Pinter at the Pinter. Tom Edden will join the cast of Landscape, A Kind of Alaska, and Monologue. In Moonlight and Night School, recently announced cast members include Bríd Brennan, Janie Dee, Robert Glenister, Isis Hainsworth, Peter Polycarpou, Dwane Walcott, and Al Weaver. Meanwhile, Katherine Kingsley and Eleanor Matsuura round out the cast of Party-Time and Celebration, with John Heffernan leading the cast of A Slight Ache. OK, whew. We think that’s everyone.
In other casting news, we now know the full cast joining Sharon D. Clarke in the West End transfer of Tony Kushner’s Caroline, or Change. The line-up is: Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Keisha Amponsa Banson, Alastair Brookshaw, Me’sha Bryan, Angela Caesar, Dujonna Gift-Simms, Sue Kelvin, Teddy Kempner, Ako Mitchell, Abiona Omonua, Vincent Pirillo, Tanisha Spring and Lauren Ward with Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong, Zalika Henry, Laura Medforth, Timothy Quinlan and Teddy Wills. Plus, nine young performers will alternate the roles of Noah, Jackie, and Joe.
Any Wicked fans out there (we’re told there’s a lot) will be happy to know they can celebrate the musical’s 12th birthday this week! (The official date was Thursday, 27 September). Sounds like a great opportunity for a party–or maybe a special trip to Oz?
Congrats to Aidan Turner! The Poldark star won The Stage Debut Award on Sunday, beating out actors like Bryan Cranston and Kelli O’Hara. Quite an accomplishment! Other West End winners of the night included Amara Okereke (best actress in a musical for her role as Cosette in Les Misérables), and Andrew Thompson (best writer for his play In Event of Moone Disaster).
