UK Roundup - Ewan McGregor, Guys and Dolls, Chitty

There's already some big hype around the revival of Guys and Dolls. Not least is it a co-production between the Donmar Warehouse and the Ambassador Theatre Group, but it's now got a massive Hollywood name attached to it. Ewan McGregor, who arguably made musicals cool again with Moulin Rouge, has apparently been approached about taking a role in the show, which is rumoured to be opening at the Piccadilly Theatre (which personally I think is a ghastly venue – very poor sightlines). In other casting excitements, The Boy From Oz has announced it has plans for a 2005 London opening. With irreplaceable Hugh unlikely to do another year-long stint, could fellow Australian Jason Donovan (currently in Chitty) be a contender?

Speaking of which, I made a return trip to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the weekend, only to find Donavon out of the show. The first time I saw it, shortly after its opening, I found it quite tacky – mainly down to the audience's appalling behaviour. However this time round I warmed to it. The show has recently undergone some changes to try out some material for the Broadway production, this includes a song poking fun at the English and some wittier material for the Baron and Baroness. Chitty is a huge show; over fifty in the cast including children and numerous dogs. Whether it can run alongside The Lion King, Wicked and Beauty and the Beast will only be a test of time..

Absolutely baffling! Bat Boy, which is suffering poor houses - around 150 a night - and got a critical panning, is extending its run at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Where the logic comes from, considering they're also giving away a free ticket when you buy the CD, is unknown. The show opened to some wholly negative reviews, however its try out at the West Yorkshire Playhouse was warmly receieved by the same newspapers. It's suspected that what's happening is the producers are extending it to prove popular, which could help ticket sales short term. Its extension quashes the chances of touring show Footloose taking the venue.

Two one-man shows are to run concurrently at the West End's tiny Arts Theatre. Transferring from its sell-out reception at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Fully Committed – starring the original off-Broadway star Mark Setlock – will play early evening, then Toby Young will take to the stage in an adaptation of his book How To Lose Friends and Alienate People. Young is a journalist who was famously axed as the editor of Vanity Fair, going on to write the book on which the play is based. He is currently theatre critic for The Spectator and columnist for the Mail on Sunday. One person shows seem to be hot stuff at the moment – Anthony Sher is giving us Primo at the National and Cybill Shepherd with Cybill Disobedience.

And finally, Kevin Spacey's first play as artistic director of the OldVicTheatre was not the critically acclaimed triumph he may have planned. Cloaca, meaning 'sewer' in Latin, was criticised for being 'underwhelming' and unbelievable, though the acting was praised. Michael Billington of the Guardian wrote "I could never believe in the past friendship of Goos' quarrelsome quartet", a feeling shared by many. The play is written by a Dutch writer, Maria Goos, about four middle-aged men. It opened to much media attention last week featuring on many of Britain's primetime news programmes.