UK Roundup - Oliviers, Drowsy Chaperone, Little Shop

The Laurence Olivier Awards have been announced, with Wicked noticeably snubbed for nominations in both the Best New Musical and Best Actress in a Musical categories. It is – however – nominated for Best Direction with just two other contenders. Instead, Spamalot heads the nominations with seven nods, unusually including a Best Actress nomination, despite the Tony Award committee viewing that role as a supporting one. Eve Best and Kathleen Turner lead the Best Actress category, with both their productions of A Moon For the Misbegotten and Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf respectively vying for Best Revival. A full list can be found here.

Elaine Paige is to make a return to the West End in a transfer of the Broadway hit The Drowsy Chaperone. Paige, who launched her career with Evita in the 1970s, has remained a high profile star and received an OBE in 1995 for her services to Musical Theatre. Bob Martin, who co-wrote the libretto, will also come over with the show to play Man in Chair. Opening at the Novello Theatre on June 6th, with previews from May 14th, the Broadway musical – about a man whose favourite musical comes to life in his apartment – won five 2006 Tony Awards including Best Original Score. Paige will take the title role with all of the design team reprising their credits in London. Further casting is expected to be announced in the near future.

The Menier Chocolate Factory's excellent production of Little Shop of Horrors will transfer to the West End, confirming their status as one of the leading new houses for musical theatre. With a cast led by Sheridan Smith and Paul Keating, for the transfer they will be joined by comedian Alistair McGowan, who replaces Jasper Britton as the dentist Orin. With music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, the production will transfer to the intimate Duke of York's Theatre from March 6th. The acclaimed off-West End venue previously transferred their award-winning production of Sunday in the Park with George, which is now eyeing a Broadway bow. You can read Broadwayworld.com's review of Little Shop here.

Connie Fisher - who won Andrew Lloyd Webber's talent competition to find a Maria Von Trapp on live TV - will stay with The Sound of Music until February 2008. She has been playing the role since previews began on November 2nd 2006. Though not nominated for an Olivier Award for the role, she is in the running for a Theatregoers' Choice Award. Following the success of the programme, producers are now scouring the country looking for the next cast of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in a programme entitled Any Dream Will Do. A rival programme – casting Grease – will air later this year too, taking the total count of reality musicals to three.

In bits of casting news; Ed Stoppard – son of Tom – will join Jessica Lange in The Glass Menagerie at the Apollo Theatre, 80s pop star Tony Hadley will be the next Billy Flynn in Chicago from January 29th, Jenny Agutter and Will Kemp lead the supporting cast in Equus alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths and Jerome Pradon, Michael Therriault (from the original Canadian production) and Malcolm Storry head the finalised casting for Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Phew!

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