NEWSROUND: La Cage Spreads Its Wings And Heads For New York

La Cage Aux Folles is a sweet, fun night out at the theatre. And it appears that the Americans agree, as it has just been announced that the show will make a move over to Broadway next spring, complete with Douglas Hodge as Albin. The show will open on 18th April at one of the Shubert theatres, although it is expected that the West End run will continue.

This will be Hodge's Broadway debut - he earned rave reviews during his West End run of the show for his performance, which was called "deeply touching" and "simply wonderful" by the critics. Additionally, more of La Cage's touring plans have come to light. The show (again, separate from the West End production) will play at the Sunderland Empire from the 2nd-6th March 2010.

Times may be tough for all of us, but it's not so bad for London's theatres. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) says theatre attendance in the first half of 2009 has gone up 2.5% on last year's results. As 'staycations' increase, Sunday performances slowly take hold and people feel the need to be entertained more than ever, theatre has naturally benefited. The results were dominated by musicals (61% of the attendances), but visits to plays made up 25% of all visits, a much stronger result than last year.

Society president Nica Burns said she was "ecstatic" at the figures. She added: "Audiences are flocking - and there is breadth to what is on. If you were coming to London for a week, you would have a hard time fitting in everything you wanted to see." Chief executive Richard Pulford agrees: "At a time of economic uncertainty, it's marvellous that people aren't retreating into their shells. Instead they're choosing to come together in our theatres to be entertained, challenged and uplifted."

Despite all this good news, reports have been surfacing for some while that Sister Act is struggling. Unhelpfully situated in the barn-like Palladium, Baz Bamigboye says that the show is "suffering the summertime blues" as it is not selling out, rather just about breaking even despite a proliferation of deals.

Bamigboye also says that Vanessa Redgrave may return to the stage sooner than expected after the shock loss of daughter Natasha. Friend Eileen Atkins reportedly wants Redgrave to star in her upcoming adaptation of Helen Garner's The Spare Room, though it is not certain whether this will come in the winter or at some point in 2010.

Sam Mendes is taking his Bridge Project to New York. The three-year series of co-productions between the Old Vic, Neal Street Productions and Brooklyn Academy Of Music will continue with As You Like It at the BAM Harvey Theatre in January, followed by the The Tempest the next month. The Project will then undertake an international tour and return to the Old Vic in the summer of 2010. Names already announced include Anne-Marie Duff and Stephen Dillane. Sam Mendes said he was "thrilled" and "delighted" to be bringing Dillane and Duff into the Project and that he was "hugely looking forward" to the nine-month journey the productions will go on.

Hurrah for Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, which this week recouped its production costs. The play will finish as scheduled on 12th September, but producers must be breathing a sigh of relief - not many shows manage this feat.

Punk Rock, a new play by Simon Stephens, will premiere at the Lyric Hammersmith from 3rd September. Directed by the Royal Exchange's Sarah Frankcom, the play draws on Stephens' teaching experiences and follows the stories of a group of teenagers in the upper sixth of an English grammar school. Cast include Nicholas Banks (Nicholas Chatman), Harry McEntire (Chadwick Mead) and Henry Lloyd Hughes (Bennett Francis), with The Boat That Rocked's Tom Sturridge making his stage debut as William Carlisle.

Finally, Riverside Studios' founding director and prolific playwright Peter Gill is to have his play The York Realist staged at the venue from 22nd September - 11th October. Presented by c*ckTavern Theatre's resident company Good Night Out Presents, it is the first time in 30 years that Gill's work has been shown at Riverside. Set in the 1960s, The York Realist follows two young men in love, who are unable to stay together thanks to familial and social issues.

Want more news? Keep an eye on the BWW:UK news page, where you can read our interview with Austentatious producer Peter Huntley, find out where and when John Barrowman's book signings will take place, read UK editor Carrie Dunn's new BACKSTAGE column and enjoy RoBert Gould's diary of making new musical After The Turn.

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