Marianka Swain - Page 54

Grace Jones meets Grindhouse in the form of Afrofuturistic performance artist Lady Vendredi, who makes her Soho Theatre debut next month. THE PASSION OF LADY VENDREDI plays at Soho April 12-20, as a co-production between new company MAS Productions and Britain's longest-running black theatre company nitroBEAT, which challenges the perception of live performance in its current form.

London is never short of theatre temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From a computer-created musical to tabletop Shakespeare, here are some of this week's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews, and if you need more ticket-booking inspiration, here is last week's round-up.

Due to unprecedented demand, the Jamie Lloyd Company's production of Doctor Faustus will extend its run at the Duke of York's Theatre by three weeks. Full casting has also been announced, with Jenna Russell taking the role of Mephistopheles. Jade Anouka (Wagner), Tom Edden (Good Angel), Danielle Flett (Valdes), Brian Gilligan (Cornelius), Forbes Masson (Lucifer), Craig Stein (Evil Angel) and ensemble member Gabby Wong join Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), who plays the title role.

Casting has been announced for the first ever national tour of Torben Betts's INVINCIBLE, directed by Christopher Harper. The full cast includes Alastair Whatley as Oliver, Emily Bowker as Emily, Graeme Brookes as Alan and Kerry Bennett as Dawn.

The Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography 2015 shortlist has been revealed. The contenders are Peter Whitebrook for John Osborne Anger is not about..., James Shapiro for 1606 William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, David Hare for The Blue Touch Paper, Qais Akbar Omar and Stephen Landrigan for A Night in the Emperor's Garden and Michael Pennington for Let Me Play The Lion/How to Be an Actor.

Actress Sam Womack launched a project to create the new 400-seat Broadway Theatre in Letchworth Garden City this week, as part of a £4 million investment in the arts which also sees the opening of a gallery in the town.

London is never short of theatre temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From an all-female reimagining of a classic tale to a late, great Shakespeare, here are some of this week's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews, and if you need more ticket-booking inspiration, here is last week's round-up.

Southwark Playhouse today announces the full cast for the UK premiere of JC Lee's LUCE, which runs March 9 to April 2. Joining Mel Geidroyc are Natasha Gordon, Martins Imhangbe, Elizabeth Tan and Nigel Whitmey. Natasha Gordon replaces Josette Simon who has had to withdraw from the production for personal reasons. Simon Dormandy, whose recent productions include his own stage adaptation of iconic film The Hudsucker Proxy, will direct, and his Hudsucker collaborator Dick Bird designs.

Buckland Theatre Co. launches as a full-scale producing company with an intimate version of Strindberg's MISS JULIE, which opens next week at Camden's Etcetera Theatre. The show will take over the space entirely for the duration of its four-week run. It features Laura Greenwood as Miss Julie, Charlie Dorfman as Jean and Danielle Henry as Kristin, directed by Gary Condes, with set and costume design by Carla Goodman and lighting and sound design by Joe Price.

New artistic director Emma Rice has made a statement of intent with a major piece of casting at her inaugural Globe Wonder Season. Performance artist Meow Meow will debut as Titania in opening production A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM this April, which Rice directs.

Udderbelly Festival and London Wonderground have announced that master satirist Andy Zaltzman, waspish comic Hal Cruttenden and psychedelic Tony Law will be entertaining the Purple Cow this summer. They'll be joined for the first time by WiFi Wars, a new interactive game show from comedian and gaming expert Steve McNeil, which sets the audience a series of play-along challenges on their smartphones.

The Maids, Trafalgar Studios Jamie Lloyd has enlisted a cracking trio of actresses to take on this contemporary adaptation of Jean Genet's psychological thriller. Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black), Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat) and Laura Carmichael (Dowton Abbey) join forces to explore sex, murder and class.

Next month, the Barbican devotes a whole weekend to 400th anniversary celebrations of the Bard. The centre's spaces will be filled with interactive workshops, talks, installations and performances, drawn from the worlds of theatre, dances, art and music across the UK. Artists will be giving their modern responses to Shakespeare's work, offering audiences a range of surprising and offbeat events.

As part of the Bard's 400th anniversary celebrations, the gallery at Compton Verney in Warwickshire - which is just nine miles away from Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon - has joined forces with the RSC to create a new exhibition. SHAKESPEARE IN ART: TEMPESTS, TYRANTS AND TRAGEDY, opening next month, pays tribute to a playwright whose work has inspired countless artists over the centuries, from Sargent, Fuseli, Rossetti, Blake and Watts to Romney, Karl Weschke, Kate Tempest and Tom Hunter.

New Wave storms the Young Vic next month in an anarchic world premiere conceived by Jane Horrocks and Aletta Collins. Horrocks, star of LITTLE VOICE, performs with a live band and company of dancers directed and choreographed by Collins, who was responsible for Bend It Like Beckham's choreography and music staging. IF YOU KISS ME, KISS ME, which conjures the rebel spirit, disillusionment and messy relationships of the UK's 1970s-80s music scene, hits the Young Vic's main house on March 10 and opens on March 16, running until April 16.

The latest play from French sensation Florian Zeller, who has already enjoyed a pair of London hits with THE FATHER and THE MOTHER, premieres at Menier Chocolate Factory next month, and the theatre today announces the full UK cast. THE TRUTH is about two couples - their friendship, suspicion and deceit.

Don't miss: This week's Top 10 new London shows

Rose Theatre Kingston has announced several new productions for 2016. Trevor Nunn returns to the venue to direct Shakespeare's KING JOHN, while John Malkovich makes his London directorial stage debut with the English-language premiere of Zach Helm's GOOD CANARY, and acclaimed American director Michael Rudman presenting the first Arthur Miller play staged at the Rose.

St. James Theatre has announced that Anita Dobson, star of stage and screen, will join Edward Seckerson to discuss her varied career on Sunday 20 March at 3pm. One of Britain's most distinguished actresses, Dobson's extensive list of credits ranges from popular TV staples like EastEnders to classical theatre and musicals.