NEWSROUND: How Jay Benedict Flew Too Close To The Sun

Too Close To The Sun star Jay Benedict, who walked out on his role as Rex a couple of weeks ago citing a gammy knee (and you can read about that whole miserable saga in Carrie's article here), is the first cast member to reveal his true thoughts about the production. On his blog, he said: "The money offered wasn't bad...my agent said it was a good offer in the current climate, considering the fact that I hadn't been in the West End for 20 years."

He added: "I really went into it hoping it would succeed. Very often in my business, you take things at face value. Sometimes, you get it wrong!" Read the whole sorry tale here.

Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, currently on at the Royal Court, has completely sold out. The production, starring Mark Rylance and Mackenzie Crook, received rave reviews, so it's not really a huge surprise - just a bit disappointing for the less organised amongst us.

In other well-sold news, Pirates of Penzance at the Union Theatre, which we wrote about earlier in the week, has now run out of tickets. Miss the next G&S production they put on at your peril, me hearties, arr, etc.

The Landor Theatre is to present a revival of Into The Woods, Stephen Sondheim's sometimes surreal, always fun musical. Casting is currently taking place, but, depressingly for budding thesps, word is that it's unpaid. If this doesn't put you off or if you just fancy popping along, the show will be on from 17th September to 17th October.

If you're a Rupert Goold fan (and who isn't?), well, you're in for a treat. Jack Shepherd and Catherine McCormack have been announced as part of his cast for Pirandello's Six Characters In Search Of An Author, which will play at Bristol Old Vic from 26th September - 10th October before touring. Goold says his and Headlong literary associate Ben Power's version is "vertiginous" and a "dark parable for a media-obsessed age."

The RSC's acclaimed production of Hamlet will air on American channel PBS next year, the channel has announced. There is as yet no word on when the film, starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, will air in the UK (where it is planned for BBC2). PBS seems similarly uncertain, only committing itself to "sometime" in 2010... we wait patiently, Gregory Doran.

Want more news? Keep an eye on the BWW:UK news page, where you can read our Edinburgh interview with writer Bea Roberts and find out about Northern Stages' north-east premiere of Rutherford and Sons.

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