Ready for your weekly news round-up? Get excited to welcome a new Jenna to the diner, catch Samantha Womack in her latest stage role, and prepare for the West End transfer of Equus–among other things.
Lucie Jones and Ashley Roberts (pictured above) will star in Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre. Starting 17 June, Jones will replace Katharine McPhee as Jenna, with Roberts replacing Laura Baldwin as Dawn.
Samantha Womack will star in The Girl on the Train at the Duke of York’s Theatre. Based on the novel by Paula Hawkins, the production will play in the West End as part of its national tour, from 23 July to 17 August. Womack, known for her role as Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders, will play Rachel Watson. Further casting will be announced later.
Equus will transfer from Theatre Royal Stratford East to Trafalgar Studio One this summer. Starring Ethan Kai, Robert Finch, Keith Gilmore, Norah Lopez Holdren, Ira Mandela and Zubin Varla, with further casting to be announced, Equus plays in London from 6 July to 7 September.
Dark Sublime at Trafalgar Studio Two announces full casting. Starring Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who, Sherlock), this sci-fi comedy will also feature Jacqueline King, Kwaku Mills, Simon Thorp and Sophie Anna Ward. Dark Sublime runs from 25 June to 3 August.
Miles Jupp will star in the West End engagement of The Life I Lead. The play tells the story of British actor David Tomlinson: known for playing Mr. Banks in Disney’s film Mary Poppins and Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. A comic yet moving tale, The Life I Lead explores the relationships between fathers and sons across generations. As part of its UK tour, the production will play at Wyndham’s Theatre from 16 to 21 September.
Bitter Wheat announces full casting. Joining John Malkovich in David Mamet’s new play will be Doon Mackichan, Ioanna Kimbrook, Alexander Arnold, Teddy Kempner, Matthew Pidgeon and Zephryn Taitte. Directed by David Mamet, Bitter Wheat runs 7 June to 21 September.
Caroline Sheen will reprise her role as Violet in 9 to 5. After taking over the role from Louise Redknapp, Sheen continued to 22 March, at which point Redknapp resumed the role. Now, following Redknapp’s last performance on 29 June, Sheen will step in starting 4 July. The rest of the cast will continue in their roles until the end of August, with further casting news to come.
Secret Cinema, in collaboration with Netflix, will present an immersive Stranger Things theatre experience. Drawing on all three seasons of the Netflix TV series, Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things will allow audience members to relive their favorite moments as they explore the town of Hawkins and create their own character. Performances begin 13 November.
Matt Baker will star in the London Palladium pantomime Goldilocks and the Three Bears. From 7 December, Goldilocks will play for a five-week run, with tickets on sale next Friday. The show will star TV presenter Matt Baker (The One Show) along with Paul O’Grady, Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Gary Wilmot. Further casting will be announced later.
Anna Nguyen will star in Summer Rolls: the first British-Vietnamese play to be staged in the UK. The cast will also include David Lee Jones, Kwong Loke, Keon Martial-Phillip, Christopher Nguyen, Linh-Dan Pham and Michael Phong Le. Written by Tuyen Do, this play about a second generation immigrant is directed by Kristine Landon-Smith.
Bare: A Pop Opera announces casting. Featuring a cast of West End, Broadway and screen stars, the musical will feature Darragh Cowley, Lizzie Emery, Stacy Francis, Mark Jardine, Jo Napthine, Daniel Mack Shand. Bare: A Pop Opera runs at The Vaults from 21 June to 4 August.
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole announces its children’s cast. Rufus Kampa, Aaron Gelkoff and Michael Hawkins will alternate in the role of Adrian Mole.
Mamma Mia! The Party extends its booking period to 16 February 2020, with new tickets now on sale.
The Lyric Hammersmith announces its 2019/2020 season. Helmed by Rachel O’Riordan as the new Artistic Director, the season will include a new version of A Doll’s House; a Cinderella Panto; Mike Bartlett’s award-winning Love, Love, Love; Seamus Heaney’s translation of Antigone; dark comedy The Beauty Queen; and a new play based on the cult science fiction novel Solaris by Stanislaw Lem.
Broadway star Caissie Levy will give a concert in London this fall. Currently starring as Elsa in Broadway’s Frozen, Levy’s other roles have included Fantine in the 2014 Les Misérables revival, Molly in Ghost, Sheila in Hair and Elphaba in Wicked. She’ll perform a solo concert at Cadogan Hall on 15 September.
