Marianka Swain - Page 26

Andrew Lloyd Webber may seem an unlikely rock god, but he's harnessed anarchic musical liberation for this big-hearted, irresistibly entertaining new show, adapted from the popular Jack Black film. Its success on Broadway looks likely to be replicated here, given its broad appeal, hummable hits and giddy, live-action cartoon hijinks framing the seriously impressive talent of its young rockers.

Watch videos of the West End cast of DEAD FUNNY at Vaudeville Theatre

Mark Umbers' diverse work includes Home Fires and Mistresses on screen and, on stage, The Glass Menagerie at the Apollo Theatre and the acclaimed revival of Merrily We Roll Along at Menier Chocolate Factory. He's returned to the Menier for She Loves Me, whose plot - two feuding employees in a Budapest shop are also, unbeknownst to them, one another's romantic pen pals - also formed the basis for the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film You've Got Mail. Umbers stars opposite Scarlett Strallen, and the show begins previews on 25 November.

Singer and actor Jack Shalloo's theatre credits include Madness musical Our House, Departure Lounge and Hamlet the Musical, and he released an album, London Soul, in 2011. He's currently appearing in The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales at Shakespeare's Globe, which begins previews on 24 November.

Actor Jeremy Irvine got his big break as the lead in Steven Spielberg's film version of War Horse. His other screen credits include Great Expectations, The Railway Man and Stonewall, but he's now back on stage alongside Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and Charlotte Hope in Sam Shepard's Buried Child, currently in previews at Trafalgar Studios.

Composer Howard Goodall's remarkable career ranges from lauded choral works to West End musical Bend It Like Beckham, the Emmy Award-winning score for HBO film Into the Storm, and themes for beloved British TV shows like Mr Bean, Blackadder, Red Dwarf and QI. On 20 November, Goodall's Eternal Light: A Requiem makes its New York debut at Carnegie Hall, presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York and performed by ensembles from both America and the UK.

New musical SCHOOL OF ROCK opened at the West End's New London Theatre tonight. Based on the smash hit 2003 film of the same title, the show features music from the movie, as well as new music written byAndrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes. Comedy star David Fynn stars as substitute teacher Dewey Finn, the role made famous by Jack Black in the film, and a nationwide search to find the three teams of 13 young performers took place earlier this year.

Last night, theatre luminaries turned out for the Evening Standard Awards at the Old Vic, where winners included Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, Billie Piper and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The evening was co-hosted by Sir Elton John and Evgeny Lebedev, and the Duke of Cambridge presented Sir David Attenborough with the Beyond Theatre Award for his contribution to broadcasting, while Amber Riley performed 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' from the upcoming Dreamgirls. Find the full list of winners here

The latest instalment of LET THERE BE LIGHT, our series showcasing some of Britain's best theatrical lighting designers, focuses on Lucy Carter. A regular collaborator with Wayne McGregor, as well as numerous other leading choreographers and dance companies, she's also worked on operas and plays, including Husbands & Sons at the National Theatre and Oil, currently playing at the Almeida.

Like David Bowie himself, this is a show that defies definition. It's both all and none of a musical, a play, a gig, performance art, philosophical meditation, a fever dream, a collective trip into the unknown. It's aesthetically ravishing, musically profound, and though inarguably weird and frequently indecipherable at times emotionally devastating.

Last week, Matilda the Musical - that soaring celebration of storytelling - marked its fifth year in the West End. Appropriately enough, the show begins with a birthday party in the marvellously caustic "Miracle" (over 41,000 balloons have been used since the show opened at the Cambridge Theatre), and the audience was invited to join the party, treated to birthday cupcakes in the interval. No word on whether Bruce Bogtrotter made a play for them first…

Last night, a starry crowd turned out for JURASSIC PARK LIVE at London's Royal Albert Hall. The iconic venue hosts the world premiere of Steven Spielberg's masterpiece in a film and live orchestra extravaganza: the 1993 blockbuster is screened in high-definition on a giant screen, while John Williams' classic score is played live on stage by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Guests at the premiere included Myleene Klass, The Wanted's Tom Parker, Miranda Hart, Stephen Merchant, Samuel West, Laura Wade, and tennis pro Heather Watson.

Last night, Meat Loaf launched Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell - The Musical in a special live preview event outside London Coliseum in the West End. Meat Loaf and producer Michael Cohl introduced star Andrew Polec and the cast, who performed three numbers from the show: 'Bat Out of Hell', 'Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad' and 'Dead Ringer for Love'.

Sonia Friedman, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions, producers of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, announce today that a further 60,000 tickets will be released for sale on Tuesday, 22 November 2016, at 11am GMT, for performances from 13 December 2017 - 4 February 2018. Tickets are priced from £15 per part and for every performance there will be over 300 tickets at £20 or less per part.  This will be followed by regular ticket releases throughout the next year, details of which will be announced via the official Harry Potter and the Cursed Child website, social media channels and the official newsletter.  

London is never short of theatre temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From Bowie's Lazarus and Glenda Jackson's King Lear to Mark Rylance's return, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews…

Leading theatre publisher Nick Hern Books (NHB) has acquired the rights to publish Nice Fish, the new play by multi-award-winning actor Mark Rylance and acclaimed prose poet Louis Jenkins, alongside its UK premiere in November.

Following on from the success of his 2016 Maastricht Concert in cinemas earlier this year, which took more than £1.4 million at the UK box office in one weekend and became the highest grossing music concert of all time, 'The King of Waltz' Andre Rieu has announced a very special Christmas with Andre cinema event.

From today, there's a 48-hour priority sale for the new Old Vic season, including the 50th anniversary production of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire (25 February-29 April 2017).

It's not just the title that's daunting in Tony Kushner's exhaustive three-and-a-half-hour epic, which tackles everything from socialist history, belief systems and family dysfunction to maternity strap-ons and meta jokes about cell phones at the theatre. It's such a barrage of polyphonic arguments and relentlessly destructive behaviour that one begins to develop a sneaking sympathy with the patriarch's desire for 'self-delivery' AKA suicide. But, under Michael Boyd's sure hand, a strong cast delivers the meat of this hefty piece - for those who can stick with it.

Clive Francis's varied stage and screen career includes A Clockwork Orange, Entertaining Mr Sloane, the original Poldark and upcoming Netflix drama The Crown. He's currently starring in Stephen Daldry's lauded revival of An Inspector Calls at Playhouse Theatre, which begins previews on 4 November.