Happy Friday! Here’s your round-up of all the latest and greatest news in the world of London theatre.
Nikki Bentley and Helen Woolf (pictured above with Alastair Brammer) will join the cast of Wicked this summer. Nikki Bentley will take over the role of Elphaba from 22 July, with Helen Woolf as Glinda. Other new cast members will include Kim Ismay as Madame Morrible, Idriss Kargbo as Boq and Simeon Truby as Doctor Dillamond. They join the previously announced Alistair Brammer as Fiyero, with Andy Hockley continuing as the Wizard and Carina Gillespie playing Nessarose.
Ramin Karimloo and Laura Baldwin join the cast of Godspell at Cadogan Hall. The one-night concert will also feature Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Rachel John (Hamilton) and Max Bowden (EastEnders). The British Theatre Academy’s performance of Stephen Schwartz’s musical based on the Gospel of Matthew will play Cadogan Hall on 29 June.
Amour, Michel Legrand’s musical currently running at the Charing Cross Theatre, will close 8 June. That means you’re running out of chances to see this critically acclaimed and Tony-nominated production.
Zoë Wanamaker and Zrinka Cvitešić will star in the world premiere of Two Ladies at the Bridge Theatre. Written by Nancy Harris, the play focuses on the first ladies of France and America, who find themselves in a side room as their husbands negotiate international crises. The play runs from 14 September to 26 October. Further casting will be announced later.
Blake Harrison will join the cast of Waitress. Starting 17 June, Harrison, best known for playing Neil Sutherland in The Inbetweeners, will play Ogie in Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre.
David Morrissey will star in Jack Thorne’s the end of history… at the Royal Court Theatre. Morrissey is best known for his critically-acclaimed performances in television series like The Walking Dead and The Deal. A story about a middle-aged couple whose oldest children have just come home from university, the end of history… will also star Lesley Sharp, Zoe Boyle (Downton Abbey), Laurie Davidson (Will), Kate O’Flynn (Doctor Thorne) and Sam Swainsbury (Victoria). John Tiffany directs the production, which runs from 27 June to 10 August.
Sue Johnston will play Mrs. Watson in The Man in the White Suit at Wyndham’s Theatre. Known for her roles in Coronation Street, Downton Abbey, The Royle Family and Brookside, Johnston joins Stephen Mangan and Kara Tointon in the world premiere of this new play based on the 1951 film. The Man in the White Suit will play in London from 26 September 2019 to 11 January 2020.
The Leeds Playhouse production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will transfer to the Bridge Theatre this Christmas. The play comes to London for a run from 9 November 2019 to 2 February 2020. Casting will be announced at a later date.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin will transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre this summer. Rose Theatre Kingston’s production of the play, based on Louis de Bernières’ best-selling novel that takes place on a Greek island during the Italian and German occupation of WWII, will run in London from 4 July to 31 August.
Queen of the Mist will transfer to Charing Cross Theatre from 15 August. Pint of Wine Theatre Company’s production of Michael John LaChiusa’s musical is based on the story of Anna Edson Taylor–who in 1901 decided to become the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. With the original cast intact, the production will play in London from 15 August to 5 October. Queen of the Mist will also release a cast recording ahead of its transfer.
Love Is Only Love will headline The Other Palace’s Pride Festival. After a sold-out run last year, Sam Harrison’s play returns to The Other Palace from 1 to 6 July.
The Young Vic announces its 2020 season. Kicking off the new season will be Stef Smith’s retelling of A Doll’s House, directed by Elizabeth Freestone and produced with Citizens Theatre. The season will also include the premiere of Nmon Ford’s Orfeus: A House Music Opera; Nat Randall’s and Anna Breckon’s The Second Woman; Cush Jumbo in Greg Hersov’s Hamlet; and Ruth Negga in Marina Carr’s play Portia Coughlan.
