LAST UPDATED: May 9 2022

Upcoming openings in London, the regions, and on Broadway from May 9 2022 onwards

• Tuesday May 10:

REGIONAL: Passion (Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester) May 5-June 5, press night May 10. Ruthie Henshall stars as Fosca in a re-imagining of Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1994 Broadway musical about the consequences of intense passion, obsessive love and the lengths people will go to for desire, based on Ettore Scola’s Italian film Passion d’Amore. Michael Strassen directs a limited run of 37 performances. Press contact: Caitlin Plimmer at Chloé Nelkin Consulting. https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/events/passion

• Tuesday May 17:

LONDON: Grease (Dominion Theatre) Previews from May 3, with a press opening on May 17. Tthe 1971 stage musical, best known for 1978 film that was based on it, is to return to the Dominion Theatre, where a hit revival opened in 1993 and made several West End returns in 2001, 2002 and 2007 (at different venues). This new production, which originated at Curve, Leicester, is directed by Nikolai Foster (Curve artistic director) and choreographed by Arlene Phillips, the latter of whom also choreographed the 1993 revival. The production stars Dan Partridge and Olivia Moore as Danny and Sandy respectively, with Peter Andre making his West End debut as Vince Fontaine at certain performances. The cast also features Jocasta Almgill as Rizzo, Paul French as Kenickie, Mary Moore as Jan, Jake Reynolds as Doody, Lizzy-Rose Esin-Kelly as Marty, Damon Gould as Sonny, Eloise Davies as Frenchie, Jessica Croll as Patty Simcox, Katie Lee as Cha Cha, Ronan Burns as Johnny Casino and Corinna Powlesland as Miss Lynch. Darren Bennett will play Officer Mailie and Vince Fontaine at certain performances. Press contact: Alexandra Buchanan at Amanda Malpass PR: alex@amandamalpass.com. Website: https://www.greasemusical.co.uk/

• Wednesday May 18:

LONDON: My Fair Lady (London Coliseum) May 7-August 27, press night May 18. Barlett Sher’s 2018 Lincoln Center revival of the 1956 Lerner and Loewe musical adaptation of Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, is to transfer to London’s Coliseum for a summer season. Harry Hadden-Paton will reprise his Tony nominated performance as Hnery Higgins, newly joined by Amara Okereke as Eliza Doolittle. Dame Vanessa Redgrave will play Henry’s mother Mrs Higgins, Maureen Beattie will play Mrs Pearce, and Sharif Afifi will play Freddie Eynesford-Hill. It is co-produced in London by James L. Nederlander, Jamie Wilson, Hunter Arnold, Playful Productions and the English National Opera. Folllowing its London run, it will tour to Bradford’s Alhambra (Septemer 9-October 1), Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (October 6-30), Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Cenrtre (November 8-25) and Southampton’s Mayflower (January 12-29). Press contact: Ben Chamberlain and Amy Dearing at Bread and Butter PR. https://myfairladymusical.co.uk

LONDON: LIFT (Southwark Playhouse) May 13-June 18, press night May 18. Return of Craig Adams and Ian Watson’s 2013 musical, originally premiered at Soho Theatre, set in a London Underground lift. It will be directed by Dean Johnson, with musical direction and new arrangements by Sam Young. In a press statement, Johnson has commented, “LIFT has been one of those shows that has grown in popularity since the concept album and original production 10 years ago, while the performers involved in that process came to define a generation of British talent.” Press contact: Connor Tobin, TM PR, connor@tobinandmilespr.co.uk. Website: https://www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show-homepage/lift/

• Thursday May 19:

LONDON: The Father and the Assassin (National’s Olivier Theatre) May 12-June 18, press night May 19. Indhu Rubasingham directs a new play by Anupama Chandrasekhar that traces Nathuram Godse’s life over 30 years during India’s fight for independence: from devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi, through to his radicalisation and their tragic final encounter. Shubham Saraf plays Godse alongside Sagar Arya, Ayesha Dharker and Peter Singh. Press contact: Sophie Wilkinson at National Theatre. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-father-and-the-assassin

REGIONAL: Corrina, Corrina (Liverpool Everyman) May 19-June 4. Headlong premieres a new play by Liverpool-based playwright Chloe Moss, directed by artistic director Holly Race Roughan. A thriller set on a cargo ship travelling from the UK to Singapore, it explores the exploitation and power dynamics on board.  Press contact: Kate Kassall at Bread and Butter PR. https://headlong.co.uk/productions/corrina-corrina/

• Friday May 20:

REGIONAL: Murder on the Orient Express (Chichester Festival Theatre) May 13-June 4, press night May 20. Jonathan Church, former artistic director at Chichester, returns to direct Ken Ludwig’s stage version of Agatha Christie’s story7, featuring Henry Goodman as Poirot. After Chichester, it will run at Bath Theatre Royal from June 9-25. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/murder-on-the-orient-express

• Monday May 23:

LONDON: We Started to Sing (Arcola Theatre) May 19-June 18, press night May 23. The Arcola opens its doors for the first time since March 2020 with the world premiere of We Started to Sing, written and directed by Barney Norris whose first play Visitors was premiered here, as well as Eventide. In a statement, Norris has said, “This is a play about family and home, and I am fortunate to be able to make it with the Arcola, who have made me feel part of the family ever since they let me stage my first play, Visitors, there. It was at the Arcola that I first started trying to write plays out of love, in order to connect audiences with what they love in their own lives; We Started To Sing is an attempt to come home to that idea, and welcome audiences back from the isolation of the last few years. I am happy to be home.” Press contact: Kate Morley. https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/we-started-to-sing/

• Tuesday May 24:

LONDON: Legally Blonde (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park) The 2007 Broadway musical vision of the 2001 film of the same name that was a West End hit starring Sheridan Smith when it transferred to London in 2010 is revived in a new production at Regent’s Park, directed by Lucy Moss, co-writer and co-director of the West End and Broadway hit Six. Written by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin (music and lyrics), and Heather Hach (book), it will star Six alumnus Courtney Bowman as Elle Woods. She is joined by a cast that includes Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Emmett), Lauren Drew (Brooke), Vanessa Fisher (Vivienne), Isaac Hesketh (Margot), Nadine Higgin (Paulette), Alžbeta Matyšáková (Enid), Eugene McCoy (Callahan), Grace Mouat (Pilar), Alistair Toovey (Warner) and Hannah Yun Chamberlain (Serena). Press contact: James Lever at Jo Allan PR, james@joallanpr.com. Website: https://openairtheatre.com/production/legally-blonde

Thursday May 26:

LONDON: Henry VIII (Shakespeare’s Globe) May 19-October 21, press night May 26. Shakespeare and Fletcher are newly joined by the Globe’s 2022 Resident Writer Hannah Khalil to re-tell the story from a female perspective. It is directed by Amy Hodge. Press contact: Claudia Conway, Jessica Strawson at the Globe. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/henry-viii-2022/

REGIONAL: The Unfriend (Chichester’s Minerva Theatre) May 21-July 9, press night May 26. Amanda Abbington, Frances Barber and Reece Shearsmith star in Mark Gatiss’s production of a satirical new play by Steve Moffat (best known for his screen work for Doctor Who, Sherlock and Dracula, the latter pair of which were co-written with Gatiss) about middle-class England’s disastrous instinct always to appear nice. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-unfriend

• Friday May 27:

LONDON: The Lion (Southwark Playhouse) May 25-June 25, press night May 27. Max Alexander-Taylor performs Benjamin Scheuer’s autobiographically-inspired one-man guitar folk musical, telling a true story of survival. Previously seen in London, New York and other cities around North America performed by Scheuer himself, this is the show’s first revival. Directed by Alex Stenhouse and Sean Daniels, it is produced by Danielle Tarento in association with Arizona Theatre Company, of which Daniels is artists director, and where it will play after its London run. Daniels, who also directed the original production, commented, “I am delighted to be back in the world of The Lion, a project Benjamin and I started eight years ago as he first told me his own personal and inspiring story. ATC and I are honoured to be working with Danielle Tarento on this award-winning musical. For me, this piece reminds me that great and redemptive things can come from awful things, and that the bonds between parents and children are with us a lifetime.” Press contact: Kevin Wilson. www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/the-little/the-lion

• Tuesday May 31:

LONDON: The Glass Menagerie (Duke of York’s) May 23, 2022-August 28, 2022, opening night May 31. Amy Adams makes her West End debut to star as Amanda Wingfield in a new production of the Tennessee Williams classic, directed by Jeremy Herrin, former artistic director of Headlong and deputy artistic director of the Royal Court, in the first production of Second Half Productions, of which he is a director. In a press statement, he has said: “I can’t wait to work with such a talented cast led by the brilliantly transformative Amy Adams on one of the best plays ever written. Tennesse Williams’ masterpiece is a delicate work of genius and I look forward to working with a world class creative team including Vicki Mortimer, Paule Constable and Ash J Woodward to allow the play to resonate in a fresh and exciting way. I’m grateful to the Williams’ estate who have allowed me to split the role of Tom Wingfield – and thrilled to have cast Paul Hilton to play him, and Tom Glynn-Carney to play his younger self.” The cast will also include Tom Glynn-Carney and the professional debut of Lizzie Annis. Press contact: Kate Hassall at Bread and Butter PR. https://theglassmenageriewestend.com/

• Wednesday June 1:

LONDON: Britannicus (Lyric Hammersmith) May26-June 25, press night June 1. Atri Banerjee, resident director at the Almeida, directs Racine’s tragedy of monarchy, dictatorship and depravity, in a version translated and adapted by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Press contact: Su-Ann Cow-Seegoolam at Lyric Hammersmith. https://lyric.co.uk/shows/britannicus/

• Wednesday June 8

LONDON: Tony [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] (Park Theatre) June 1-July 9, press night June 8. World premiere of a satirical rock opera with music and lyrics by Steve Brown (Spend Spend Spend) and book by by Harry Hill. It is described as “the story of how one man went from peace-loving, long-haired hippy and would-be pop star to warmongering multimillionaire in just a couple of decades.” In a press statement, Hill commented, Ask yourself this – if you bumped into Tony Blair in the street would you ask for a selfie? Gordon maybe – but Tony… Don’t think so! Think of the insta-hate! Yet 25 years ago there he was – the master of all he surveyed surfing his Britpop wave with Cherie at his side. Ah, Remember Britpop? The future all looked so rosy back then didn’t it? It’s struck me for a while that Tony Blair’s life is epic – operatic even, in its story arc. I know it doesn’t sound like obvious material for a comedy musical but we’re not laughing at Tony so much as laughing at the choices WE made back in the 90’s and early 2000’s.” It is directed by Peter Rowe. Press contact: Rosie Bauer at Mobious Rosie@mobiusindustries.com Website; https://www.parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/tony-the-tony-blair-rock-opera

• Sunday June 12:

NEW YORK: The 75th Tony Awards (Radio City Music Hall) June 12. The 2022 Tony Awards will be held at Radio City Music Hall, with nominations due to be announced May 3. The awards will honour the 2021-2022 Broadway season, with productions opening between February 20, 2020 (one day following the cut-off eligibility date for last year’s honours) and April 28, 2022 eligible for nominations. The awards will be shows live on CBS from 8pm-11pm EST, and streamed live and on demand on Paramount+, which will also host a preview programme only on Paramount+ preceding the ceremony, from 7pm-8pm EST. Press contact: Slate PR, tonyawardspr@slate-pr.com. For details, visit https://www.tonyawards.com/

• Wednesday June 15

LONDON: Jitney (Old Vic) Co-produced with Headlong and Leeds Playhouse, Tinuke Craig’s production of August Wilson’s play was first seen in Leeds last October. The cast will include Geoff Aymer, Leanne Henlon, Wil Johnson, Leemore Marrett Jr and Tony Marshall. The eighth in Wilson’s Pittsburgh cycle, it was originally premiered on Broadway in 2017. Set in an unlicenced cab office in the city, the play explores the fragile bond between eight men as they live, love and work in a racially segregated, post-Vietnam America. After the Old Vic, it will tour to Oldham Coliseum (July 13-16), Worthing’s Connaught (July 19-23 and Bath Theatre Royal (July 26-30). Press contacts: Katie Marsh,Armani Ur-Rub at Old Vic. https://headlong.co.uk/productions/jitney/

• Thursday June 16:

LONDON A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Donmar Warehouse) June 10-August 6, press night June 16. Lucas Hnath’s play, originally premiered on Broadway in 2017, receives its European premiere, in a new production direct by James Macdonald. Noma Dumezwini will return to the London stage as Nora Helmer in this play that picks up where Ibsen’s play left off, when Nora slammed the door on her marriage and left her family behind. Press contact: Kate Morley, kate@katemorleypr.com. Website: https://booking.donmarwarehouse.com/events/1647529276

LONDON: That is Not Who I Am (Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Downstairs) June 10-July 16, press night June 16. The Royal Court presents the premiere of a play by Dave Davidson, who has worked in the security industry for the last 38 years and has now written his first play. Described in press materials as a slippery new thriller in which nothing is as it seems and nobody is who they are, fellow playwright Dennis Kelly has commented, “Dave Davidson is quite simply the best playwright that this country has never produced. The fact that this is his first major production is a shocking indictment of the system. His voice genuinely has the capacity to change everything.” The lay will be directed by Lucy Morrison, associate director at the Royal Court. Press contact: Anouska Warden, anoushkaWarden@royalcourttheatre.com. Website: https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/that-is-not-who-i-am/

• Friday June 17:

LONDON King Lear (Shakespeare’s Globe) June 10-July 24, press night June 17. Twenty-five years after their original, ground-breaking production, Helena Kaut-Howson, movement director Marcello Magni and Kathryn Hunter reunite to bring King Lear to a new generation. Hunter was the first British woman to play King Lear professionally and returns to the Globe after playing Richard III in 2003. The Globe’s Artistic Director Michelle Terry plays Cordelia and the Fool, and Magni plays Kent. Also joining the cast are Ryan Donaldson, Emma Ernest, Max Keeble, Glyn Pritchard, Marianne Oldham, Ann Ogbomo, Mark Jax and Diego Matamoros. Press contact: Claudia Conway, Jessica Strawson at the Globe. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/king-lear-2022/

REGIONAL:The Southbury Child (Chichester Festival Theatre) June 13-25, press night June 17, then transferring to London’s Bridge Theatre from July 1-August 27. Alex Jennings leads the cast of Nicholas Hytner’s production of a new play by Stephen Beresford about family, faith, tradition and tolerance in a rapidly changing world. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-southbury-child

• Monday June 20:
  

LONDON: The Witches of Eastwick (Sondheim Theatre) One night concert version of The Witches of Eastwick will be directed by Maria Friedman (who co-starred in the original London production at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 2000 as Suki), and will star Giles Terera (Olivier award winner for Hamilton) as Daryl Van Horne. Book and lyrics are by John Dempsey and music by Dana P. Rowe, based on the novel by John Updike and the Warner Brothers motion picture. It is being produced by Jack Maple, by arrangement with original producer Cameron Mackintosh; in a press statement, Mackintosh has commented, “I’m really thrilled that Jack Maple is conjuring up the wickedly funny WITCHES OF EASTWICK again, for one night only in concert with a glorious cast at the Sondheim Theatre.  It has always been one of my favourite scores, which I’m very much looking forward to hearing in its full splendour.” Press contact: Alexandra Buchanan at Amanda Malpass PR, alex@amandamalpass.com

• Tuesday June 21:

LONDON: Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World (Theatre Royal Stratford East) June 15-July 17, press night June 21. New pop musical, adapted by Chris Bush with lyrics by Bush and Jennifer Decilveo and music by Miranda Cooper and Decliveo, is brought to the stage by director Amy Hodge, in a co-production with Kenny Wax Family Entertainment in association with Mast Mayflower Studios. Press contact: James Lever at Jo Allan PR. https://fantasticallygreatwomenthemusical.com/

• Wednesday June 22:
  

REGIONAL: Rock/ Paper /Scissors (Sheffield Theatres: The Crucible, Lyceum and Studio respectively) June 14-July 2, press day June 22, 11.30am, 2.30pm, 7.30pm. Three new plays by Chris Bush are premiered in each of the theatre’s three auditoria, with the same cast performing each simultaneously — as with Ayckbourn’s House and Garden (though that was staged in only two theatres simultaneously), one a character exists one stƒage, they arrive on another. The three interlinked but standalone plays will tell the story of Sheffield’s oldest scissor manufacturer and the three generations who go to war over what happens to the factory site. They will be directed by artistic director Robert Hastie, associate artistic director Anthony Lan and a third director to be announced. Press contact: James Lever at Jo Allan PR. https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/rock; https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/paper; https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/scissors

• Thursday June 23:

LONDON: The Fellowship (Hampstead Theatre) June 17-July 23, press night June 23. Paulette Randall directs the world premiere of Roy Williams’s play about children of the Windrush generation. Press contact: Clare McCormack at Hampstead. https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2022/the-fellowship/

• Friday June 24:

LONDON: Beauty and the Beast (London Palladium) June 24-September 17. Disney Theatrical Productions’s revival of its first long-running Broadway adaptation of one of its film titles (the Oscar-winning 1991 animated feature of Beauty and the Beast, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice , which first opened on Broadway in 1994 and ran to 2007, comes to London for a summer season as part of its current UK national tour. A West End transfer of the original Broadway production played at the Dominion Theatre from 1997 to 1999. The production will feature Courtney Stapleton and Shaq Taylor in the title roles, with Sam Bailey as Cogsworth and Gavin Lee as Gaston (pictured above). Press contact: David Bloom at Storyhouse PR. https://www.beautyandthebeastmusical.co.uk/

• Sunday June 26:

LONDON: Madhouse (Ambassadors Theatre) June 15-September 4, press night June 26. David Barbour and Bill Pullman (pictured above) return to London to star in the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s play, set at a family reunion where siblings arrive to pay their last (dis)respects to their dying father, as they seek to work out how much money Dad actually has left and how they’re getting their hands on it. It is directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, who previously directed Rebek’s Bernhardt/Hamlet for New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company. Pullman was last seen on the London stage in All My Sons at the Old Vic, and Harbgour was in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Apollo.  Press contact: Georgie Grant at Kate Morley PR. georgie@katemorleypr.com

• Thursday June 30:

REGIONAL: Richard III (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon) June 23-October 8, press night June 30. Artistic director Gregory Doran directs Arthur Hughes (pictured above), who previously appeared in The RSC’s War of the Roses in 2022, in the title role. In a press statement, Hughes commented, “It’s no exaggeration to say that playing Richard at the RSC is a dream come true. Richard is the most murderous and charismatic character in Shakespeare’s plays, and… he’s disabled!  I’m thrilled not only to be playing this title role at the RSC, but also that a major production of this play is putting disability centre stage. It’s sadly rare in many plays to find a leading disabled character, and with this production I hope we prove that disabled talent deserves to be in the spotlight.” Sets and costumes are by Stephen Brimson Lewis. Press contact: Kate Evans at the RSC. https://www.rsc.org.uk/richard-iii/

LONDON: Favour (Bush Theatre) June 24-August 6, press night June 30. Co-commissioned and co-presented by the Bush and Clean Break, Ambreen Razi’s play about duty, addiction, and the battle of putting yourself back together is co-directed by Róisín McBrinn and Sophie Dillon-Moniram . Press contact: Martin Shippen, martinshippen@bushtheatre.co.uk. Website: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/favour/

• Wednesday July 6:

LONDON: The Seagull (Harold Pinter Theatre) June 29-September 10, press night July 6. Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Chekhov’s play, in a version by Anya Reiss, that was forced to shut down during previews when it was originally premiered in 2020, owing to COVID, returns, with Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke making her West End theatrical debut as Nina. The cast also includes Daniel Monks as Konstantin, Indira Varma as Arkadina, and Sophie Wu as Masha. Press contact: Freya Cowdry at Kate Morley PR. https://www.haroldpintertheatre.co.uk/shows/the-seagull

REGIONAL: A Little Night Music (Quarry Theatre at Leeds Playhouse) July 1-16, press night July 6. James Brining’s production — a co-production between Leeds Playhouse and Opera North — returns with a cast that includes Dame Josephine Barstow (except July 9 evening and July 13 matinee) as Madam Armfeldt, Sandra Piques Eddy as Desiree Armfeldt and Quirijn de Lang as Frederj Egerman, James Holmes and Oliver Rundell share conducting duties. Press contacts: For Leeds Playhouse: Jo Haywood,at Leeds Playhouse Jo.haywood@leedsplayhouse.org.uk, Elizabeth Simmonds at Opera North, elizabeth.simmonds@operanorth.co.uk. Website: https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk/events/a-little-night-music-3/

Thursday July 7:

REGIONAL: The Tempest (Bath Theatre Royal’s Ustinov Studio) July 1-August 6, press night July 7. Deborah Warner (pictured above) launches her inaugural season as artistic director of Bath’s Ustinov Studio with Shakespeare’s valedictory play, with a cast that includes Dickie Beau, Gary Sefton, William Chubb and Stephen Kennedy. Press contact: Lewis Jenkins at Storyhouse PR. lewis.jenkins@storyhousepr.co.uk Website: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/event/the-tempest/

• Thursday July 14:

LONDON: Jack Absolute Flies Again (National’s Olivier Theatre) previews from July 2, press night July 14. New comedic version of Sheridan’s The Rivals, co-written by Richard Bean and Oliver Chris (who co-starred in the National’s original production of One Man, Two Guvnors, also adapted by Richard Bean). Emily Burns directs a cast that includes Laurie Davidson as Jack Absolute, Caroline Quentin as Mrs Malaprop, Natalie Simpson, Kevin Fletcher, and Kerry Howard. Press contact: Louise Terry. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/jack-absolute-flies-again

REGIONAL: Billy Elliot (Curve, Leicester) July 7-August 14, press night July 14. Nikolai Foster, artistic director at Curve, directs a brand-new production of the Elton John/Lee Hall musical based on the 20000 film that was directed by Stephen Daldry. The title role of the miner’s son with a passion for ballet, will be performed by Leo Hollingsworth from Nottinghamshire, Alfie Napolitano from Northamptonshire, Samuel Newby from Hertfordshire and Jaden Shentall-Lee, whose family live in Leicestershire.The adult cast is led by Sally Ann Triplett as dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson (pictured above with the Billy’s), with Joe Caffrey as Billy’s father Jackie, Rachel Izen as Billy’s grandmother Edna, Luke Baker as Billy’s older brother Tony and Jessica Daley as Billy’s dead mother. Press contact; Arabella Neville-Rolfe at ANRPR, arabella@anrpr.co.uk. Website: https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/billy-elliot-the-musical/

• FrIday July 15:

LONDON: Anything Goes (Barbican Theatre) July 15-September 3, and touring before. Last summer’s hit import of director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall’s 2011 Broadway revival of the 30s Cole Porter/PG Wodehouse musical returns to the Barbican for a summer season, preceded by a spring tour to Bristol Hippodrome (April 11-16), Liverpool Empire (April 20-30), Edinburgh Playhouse (May 11-21) and Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre (May 24-June 4). The cast will be led by Kerry Ellis as Reno Sweeney, with Denis Lawson as Moonface Martin, Simon Callow as Elisha Whitney and Bonnie Langford as Evengeline Harcourt. Reprising their co-starring roles in this year’s UK tour and Barbican season are Samuel Edwards as Billy Crocker, Carly Mercedes Dyer as Erma, Nicole-Lily Baisden as Hope Harcourt and Haydn Oakley as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Further casting is still to be announced. Press contact: Neil Reading at Neil Reading PR. https://anythinggoesmusical.co.uk/

• Monday July 18:

LONDON: Much Ado About Nothing (National’s Lyttelton Theatre). Simon Godwin, who directed the NT’s filmed version of Romeo and Juliet during lockdown, directs Katherine Parkinson as Beatrice and John Heffernan as Benedict in a production set in the Italian Rivera at the frictional Hotel Messina.. Previews from July 7, opens July 18. Press contact: Sophie Wilkinson. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/much-ado-about-nothing

• Tuesday July 19:

REGIONAL: Crazy for You (Chichester Festival Theatre) July 11-September 4, press night July 19. Susan Stroman, who choreographed the original Broadway production of the overhaul of Gershwin’s Girl Crazy interpolating other songs from the catalogue of George and Ira Gershwin’s catalogue, now directs and choreographs a brand-new production to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary. The cast includes Richard Stemp as Bobby, and Tom Edden as Bela Zangler. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/crazy-for-you

• Wednesday July 20:

LONDON: Closer (Lyric Hammersmith) July 14-August 13, press night July 20. Claire Lizzimore directs a new production of Patrick Marber’s play about a tangle of relationships amongst modern Londoners that originally premiered at the National before going on to West End and Broadway runs, and being made into a feature film. Press contact: Su-Ann Cow-Seegoolam at Lyric Hammersmith. https://lyric.co.uk/shows/closer/

LONDON: Sister Act (Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, July 20-August 29, then touring) Originally scheduled for 2020 and then again for 2021, this revival of the musical version of Sister Act finally opens in London, followed by a regional tour. The cast will be led in London by Jennifer Saunders as the Mother Superior, who will also continue at Southampton, Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff, with other dates played by Lesley Joseph. Saunders is joined by Beverley Knight, Keala Settle, Clive Rowe and Lizzie Bea in principal roles in London. Press contact: Simon Raw, Emily Webb or Daniel O’Carroll at Raw PR, simon@rawpr.co.uk,  emily@rawpr.co.uk, daniel@rawpr.co.uk. Full tour dates: https://sisteractthemusical.co.uk/uk-tour/

• Thursday July 21:

BROADWAY: The Kite Runner (Hayes Theatre) July 6-October 30, opening night July 21. Giles Croft’s stage production of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling 2003 novel, adapted by Matthew Spangler, originally seen at Nottingham Playhouse and which has had two West End runs, transfers to Broadway for a summer season. Press contact: Jackie Green at Boneau/Bryan-Brown. http://thekiterunnerbroadway.com/

• Friday July 22:

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LONDON: 101 Dalmatians (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park) July 12-August 28, press night July 22. New musical based n the book by Dodie Smith, with music and lyrics by Douglas Hodge and book by Johnny McKnight from a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris. Kate Fleetwood stars as Cruela de Vil under Timothy Sheader’s direction, with choreography by Liam Steele and musical supervision by Sarah Travis. Press contact: James Lever at Jo Allan PR, james@joallanpr.com. Website: https://openairtheatre.com/production/101-dalmatians

REGIONAL: Great British Bake Off – The Musical (Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham) July 22-August 6. World premiere of a musical inspired by the cult TV series, following eight amateur bakers as they compete to impress two judges . Featuring an original score by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary, the show is endorsed and created in association with TV series Executive Producer Richard McKerrow and Love Productions/ Press contact: Dee McCourt at Borkowski, dee@mg.borkowski.co.uk. Website: https://www.everymantheatre.org.uk/shows/great-british-bake-off-the-musical/

• Monday July 25:

LONDON: Chasing Hares (Young Vic Theatre) July 16-August 13, press night July 25. Milli Bhatia directs Sonali Bhattacharyya’s play in a co-production with Theatre Uncut. A tale of resistance and dignity in the face of global exploitation, it won Theatre Uncut’s 2021 Political Playwrighting Award. Press contacts: Kate Hassell, Interim Head of Press kate@breadandbutterpr.uk, Karl-Lydie Jean-Baptiste, Press Officer KarlLydie@youngvic.org Website: https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/chasing-hares

• Tuesday July 26:

LONDON: Yeast Nation (The Triumph of Life) (Southwark Playhouse) July 22-August 27, press night July 26. The European premier of a bio-historical musical, set in the brine of the primordial soup over 3 and a half billion years ago, that was originally produced in Alaska in 2007, and was written by Greg Kotis and Mark Hillman, who also wrote the Tony winning Urinetown, as part of an, as yet, unproduced trilogy with Urinetown to which it constitutes a prequel. It is directed by Benj Sperring, who previously directed The Toxic Avenger at Southwark Playhouse. In a press statement has commented, “Having directed shows ranging from the Rocky Horror sequel which predicted the dangers of Reality TV, to a show about a monstrous mutant ripping people up for not recycling, of course I’m attracted to the wacky weirdness that comes from a show about Yeast. But with the genius minds of Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann behind it, the show is about so much more than that – it’s about love, the soul, the state of the world we are in now, and the ways we are dealing with the terrifying global problems on our doorstep. And while The Yeast might only be little, they prove they can grow into the biggest heroes and change existence as we know it; what a brilliant metaphor for what we need today.”  Press contact: Flavia Fraser-Cannon  at Mobius Industries, flavia@mobiusindustries.com. Website: https://www.proudhaddock.com/

• Wednesday July 27:

LONDON: South Pacific (Sadler’s Wells) July 27-August 28, then touring regionally. Last summer’s Chichester Festival revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1949 musical masterpiece, directed by artistic director Daniel Evans, has a London season at Sadler’s Wells, prior to a UK and national tour that will visit Dublin (from September 13), then Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Canterbury. Prior to Sadler’s Wells, it will also play at Manchester’s Opera House from July 16-23. Julian Ovenden and Gina Beck will reprise their Chichester lead roles as Emile de Becque and Nellie Forbush respectively, joined by returning original cast members Rob Houchen as Lieutenant Joseph Cable, Joanna Ampil as Bloody Mary and Sera Maehara as Liat. Press contact: Simon Raw at Raw PR. https://southpacifishow.com

REGIONAL: Sing Yer Heart out for the Lads (Chichester’s Minerva Theatre) July 22-August 13, press night July 27. Roy Williams’ play, originally premiered at the National in 2002, is revived in a new production directed by Nicole Charles, who previously staged Emilia at the Globe and its subsequent West End transfe. Original cast members Kirsty J Curtis, Jennifer Daley, Michael Hodgson and Mark Springer return, with further casting to be announced. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/sing-yer-heart-out-for-the-lads

• Friday July 29:

LONDON: The Tempest (Shakespeare’s Globe) July 22-October 22, press night July 29. Sean Holmes, Associate Artistic Director of the Globe, directs the Globe Ensemble including Peter Bourke, Rachel Hannah Clarke, George Fouracres, Nadi Kemp-Sayfi and Ciaran O’Brien.Press contact: Claudia Conway, Jessica Strawson at the Globe. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/the-tempest-2022/

• Tuesday August 2:

REGIONAL: Identical (Nottingham Playhouse) July 26-August 14, press night August 2. Trevor Nunn directs a new musical version of Erik Kästner’s novel The Parent Trap, featuring music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (Honk!, Mary Poppins) and a book by Stuart Paterson. Press contact: David Burns at David Burns PR. https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/identical/

• Thursday August 4:

LONDON: All of Us (National’s Dorfman Theatre).Previews from July 27, opens August 4. Francesca Martinez makes her National Theatre debut writing and starring in a new play exploring the human cost of abandoning those who struggle to fit in. Ian Rickson will direct. Press contact: Sophie Wilkinson. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/all-of-us

• Friday August 12:

LONDON: The Trials (Donmar Warehouse) August 12-27, press night to be announced. Natalie Abrahami directs the UK premiere of Dawn King’s play, that received its world première at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus in 2021. It is presented as a Donmar LOCAL production, combining young performers alongside leading actors to identify talent of the future and platform them and the issues that matter. Press contact: Kate Morley, kate@katemorleypr.com.

• Tuesday August 23:

REGIONAL: All’s Well That Ends Well (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon) August 16-October 8, press night August 23. Blanche McIntyre’s directs a contemporary take on William Shakespeare’s play that is described as a production for “the social media generation” that explores “themes of romantic fantasy, toxic masculinity and consent.” It will be designed by Robert Innes Hopkins. Press contact: Kate Evans at the RSC. https://www.rsc.org.uk/alls-well-that-ends-well

Thursday August 18:

Phaedra/ Minotaur (Bath Theatre Royal’s Ustinov Studio) August 12-23, press night August 18. Deborah Warner directs Christine Rice in a performance of Britten’s last vocal work Phaedra, previously staged by Warner at the Royal Opera House in 2020. Working with music director Richard Hetherington, she now re-imagines the piece in a piano version, specially designed by for the Ustinov studio. It is paired an a double bill with a newly commissioned dance piece, Minonaur, choreographed by Olivier Award-winner Kim Brandstrup, with a cast that includes the Royal Ballet’s Kristin McNally and Jonathan Goddard. Press contact: Lewis Jenkins at Storyhouse PR. lewis.jenkins@storyhousepr.co.uk
Website: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/event/phaedra-and-minotaur/

• Thursday August 25:
  

REGIONAL: Into the Woods (Theatre Royal, Bath) August 19-September 10, 2022, press night August 25. Terry Gilliam co-directs Sondheim and Lapine’s 1987 Broadway fairytale musical that was originally due to be staged at the Old Vic, co-produced by Scenario Two, but cancelled after Gilliam’s remarks on transexuals caused theatre staff there to protest at his presence in the building. In a press statement, John Berry — co-director of Scenario Two with Anthony Lilley — commented, “Stephen Sondheim‘s recent death has led to a worldwide outpouring of love and appreciation for his unique genius. We feel privileged to be working on this wonderful work and we are extremely grateful to Steve and James Lapine for their support as we searched for a new home for this production.” The cast features Nicola Hughes as the Witch, Rhashan Stone as the Baker, Alex Young as the Baker’s Wife, Audrey Brisson as Cinderella and Julian Bleach as Mysterious Man, joined by Gillian Bevan, Nathanael Campbell, Maria Conneely, Lauren Conroy, Phoebe Fildes, Samuel Holmes, Charlotte Jaconelli, Henry Jenkinson and Barney Wilkinson. Press contact: Mark Borkowski at Borkowski PR. https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/event/into-the-woods/

• Wednesday August 31:

REGIONAL: The Narcissist (Chichester’s Minerva Theatre) August 26-September 24, press night August 31 Josh Seymour directs the premiere of Christopher Shinn’s new play about personal and political communication in the internet age. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-narcissist

• Thursday September 1:

LONDON: Joan (Shakespeare’s Globe) August 25-October 22, press night September 1. Written by Charlie Josephine and directed by Ilinca Radulian, this new play rediscovers the story of the unexpected leader, Joan of Arc. Press contact: Claudia Conway, Jessica Strawson at the Globe. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/the-tempest-2022/

• Friday September 2:

REGIONAL: Mrs Doubtfire (Manchester Opera House) September 2-October 1, 2022. This new musical, which opened on Broadway in December, is based on the 1993 film; it will receive its UK premiere in Manchester. Press contact: Lewis Jenkins at Storyhouse PR. https://www.mrsdoubtfiremusical.co.uk/

REGIONAL: Family Album (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough) September 2-October 1. Alan Ayckbourn directs and writes his 87th play at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, where he was formerly a long-time artistic director. The new play chronicles the trials, tribulations and temptations of three generations of one family across 70 years in the same home. Set in a moving-in day in 1952, a birthday party in 1992 and a moving-out day in 2022, it revolves around RAF veteran John and housewife Peggy as they proudly move into the first home they can really call their own; daughter Sandra, frantically negotiating the challenges of a 10-year-old’s birthday party without her AWOL husband; and grandaughter Alison, finally escaping the house she has somewhat unwillingly inherited. Press contact: Jennie Swales, jeannie.swales@sjt.uk.com. https://www.sjt.uk.com/event/1324/family_album.

• Monday September 6:

LONDON: Silence (Donmar Warehouse) September 1-17, press night September 6. Abdul Shayek, artistic director of Tara Theatre, directs a co-production of his company and the Donmar in a new play adapted from Kavita Puri’s Partition Voices: Untold British Stories, co-written by Sonali Bhattacharyya, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Ishy Din and Alexandra Wood. It is inspired by the remarkable personal testimonies of people who lived through the last days of the British Raj. Press contact: Kate Morley, kate@katemorleypr.com.

• Wednesday September 8:

LONDON: Who Killed My Father (Young Vic) September 7-24, press night September 8. Ivo van Hove adapts Édouard Louis’s letter to his father for the stage, making its UK premiere in an International Theater Amsterdam production that is also directed by van Hove, and peroffmred as a monologue by Hans Kesting. Press contacts: Kate Hassell, Interim Head of Press kate@breadandbutterpr.uk; Karl-Lydie Jean-Baptiste, Press Officer KarlLydie@youngvic.org. Website: https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/who-killed-my-father

REGIONAL: Kinky Boots (New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, then Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch) September 1-24, press night September 8; then Hornchurch, September 28-October 22, press night September 29. Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein’s hit 2013 Broadway stage version of the 2005 film is revived in a new production, directed by Tim Jackson, that is being co-produced by Ipswich and Hornchurch. Douglas Rintoul, who is departing Hornchurch to become chief executive at Ipswich, comments, “I can’t think of a better way to mark the start of my new role at the New Wolsey Theatre than with this very special regional premiere. Made by my favourite theatres, and directed by a supremely talented director, Kinky Boots is going to be a smart and gloriously uplifting night out.” Press contact: Aeron James, aeron@aeronjames.com

• Wednesday September 14

LONDON: The P Word (Bush Theatre) September 9-October 22, press night September 14. Waleed Akhtar’s play, a Bush commission, charts the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men. It is directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike. Press contact: Martin Shippen, martinshippen@bushtheatre.co.uk. https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/the-p-word/

• Monday September 19
  

NEW YORK: The Piano Lesson (St James Theatre) From September 19 for 16 weeks; opening night to be announced. LaTanya Richardson Jackson directs a cast headed by Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington and Dainielle Brooks in a new Broadway production of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, that originally premiered on Broadway in 1990. In a press statement, the director has commented, “August Wilson dedicated his life and devoted his talent to dramatizing our stories and our experience. In doing so, he forever changed what it means to be Black in America. His plays built empathy, created community, and showed us the power of representation. The Piano Lesson is one of his most enduring, profound and consequential masterpieces, and I am reveling in this opportunity to present it to Broadway audiences for the first time since its premiere.” Press contact: Rick Miramontez / Marie Bshara / Kendall Edwards at DKC O&M. rick@omdkc.com / marie@omdkc.com / kendall@omdkc.com
Website: https://pianolessonplay.com/

• Saturday September 24:

LONDON: The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse) September 24-December 3 (press night to be announced). David Yazbek and Itamar Moses’s 2017 Tony winning musical, based on the 2007 Oscar-winning film of the same name, comes to London, in a new production that will be directed by the Donmar’s artistic director Michael Longhurst. Press contact: Kate Morley, kate@katemorleypr.com. Website: https://booking.donmarwarehouse.com/events/1647527967

• Tuesday September 27:

LONDON: Blues for an Alabama Sky (National’s Lyttelton Theatre). Previews from September 20, press night September 27. Lynette Linton, artistic director of the Bush, makes her NT directing debut with Pearl Cleague’s play. Set in 1930 during the Harlem renaissance, t is about four friends whose lives and passions collide when a newcomer from Alabama arrives. The cast comprises Samira Wiley (pictured), Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Osy Ikhile, Sule Rimi and Giles Terera.  Press contact: Louisa Terry

• Wednesday September 28:

REGIONAL: Woman in Mind (Chichester Festival Theatre) September 23-October 15, press night September 28. Justin Martin directs a new production of Alan Ayckbourn’s play about a woman undergoing a nervous breakdown. It was originally premiered in Scarborough in 1985 and subsequently transferred to the West End in 1986, where the cast was led by Julia McKenzie. A 2008 revival of the play at Scarborough, starring Janie Dee, also transferred to the West End in 2009. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/woman-in-mind

REGIONAL: Noises Off (Bath Theatre Royal) September 21-October 1, press night September 28. Felicity Kendal stars in Lindsay Posner’s revival of Michael Frayn’s backstage comedy, which will play in Bath, Richmond, Brighton and Cambridge before a planned return to the West End. Lindsay Posner, who directed the last London revival of the play at the Old Vic in 2011 that subsequently transferred to the Piccadilly, will direct. He previously directed Kendal in a revival of Coward’s Hay Fever. Press contact:
Lewis Jenkins at Storyhouse PR, lewis.jenkins@storyhousepr.co.uk

• Thursday September 29:

LONDON: John Gabriel Borkman (Bridge Theatre) September 24-November 26, press night September 29. Simon Russell Beale plays the title role in a new production of Ibsen’s play, presented in a new version by Lucinda Croxon, that will be directed by Nick Hytner. Beale was previously seen at the Bridge in A Christmas Carol and Bach & Sons, both also directed by Hytner. Press contact: Janine Shalom at Premier PR. Janine.shalom@premiercomms.com or grace.barber@premiercomms.com Website: https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/john-gabriel-borkman/

REGIONAL: The Famous Five (Theatr Clwyd) September 23-October 15, press night September 29, then Chichester Festival Theatre, October 21-November 12, press night October 25). New musical based on the books of Enid Blyton will be directed by Clwyd’s artistic director Tamara Harvey, in a co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre where it will play after Clywd. Music and lyrics are by Theo Jamieson, with book by Elinor Cook. Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-famous-five

• Monday October 10

LONDON: The Doctor (Duke of York’s) September 29-December 11, press night October 10. Robert Icke’s production of his own play, very freely adapted from Shnitzler’s Professor Berhardi, finally transfers to the Duke of York’s, two and a half years after it was originally due to in 2020. First seen at the Almeida in August 2019, Juliet Stevenson reprises her performance that won her a Critics’ Circle Award for Best Actress. Prior to the West End, the production will visit Brighton Theatre Royal (September 5-10), Bath Theatre Royal (September 13-17) and Richmond Theatre (September 19-24). In a press statement, Stevenson has commented, “I am beyond thrilled that The Doctor is travelling to Brighton, Bath and Richmond and then onto the West End. So much has happened in the last two years since we first played the show – I am so excited to share these new resonances and conversations with audiences, everywhere we go. Never has this debate been more needed.” Press contact: Emma Holland/ Didi Ralph at EHPR, emma@emmahollandpr.com;  didi@emmahollandpr.com. Website: https://thedoctorwestend.co.uk

Monday October 17:

REGIONAL: Local Hero (Chichester’s Minerva Theatre) October 8-November 19, press night October 17. Chichester artistic director Daniel Evans directs a new musical based on Bill Forsyth’s 1983 film, with a book by David Greig, and songs by Mark Knopfler (formerly of pop group Dire Straits). Press contact: Lucinda Morrison at Chichester. https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/local-hero

Tuesday October 18:

LONDON: My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) October 8-January 21, 2023, press night October 18. The 1988 animated feature by Hayao Miyazaki, exploring the fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination, is adapted for the stage by its original composer Joe Hisaishi in an RSC adaptation, written by Tom Morton-Smith, and to be directed by Phelim McDermott (co-founder of Improbable Theatre). It is designed by Tom Eye, with puppetry created by Basil Twist. In a press statement, Hisaishi, who is also the show’s executive producer, has said, “In Japan, many people are passionate about theatre and musicals, but there are no original Japanese shows or musicals performed in the world. Totoro is a Japanese work famous throughout the world, and so this stage adaptation could have the potential to reach global audiences. That’s what I thought, and I told Mr Miyazaki ‘I want to see such a show’ and he said ‘yes, only if you are going to do it’.Press contact: Bethany Arnold at the RSC, bethany.arnold@rsc.org.uk;  Website: https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/event/royal-shakespeare-company-my-neighbour-totoro

• Thursday October 20:

REGIONAL: Dido and Aeneas (Bath Theatre Royal’s Ustinov Studio) October 14-November 5, press night October 20. Isabelle Kettle directs Purcell’s opera about Dido, the widowed Queen of Carthage, and her lover the Trojan prince, Aeneas, shipwrecked on his way to Italy, where he will found a new Troy. The musical director will be Michael Papadopoulos. Press contact: Lewis Jenkins at Storyhouse PR, lewis.jenkins@storyhousepr.co.uk Website: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/event/dido-and-aeneas/

• Wednesday October 26:

REGIONAL: A Christmas Carol (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon) October 26 to January 1, press night to be announced. The RSC’s adaptation of Dickens’s story, originally premiered in 2017 and revived the following year, returns. It is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and written by David Edgar, the RSC’s most produced living playwright whose history with the company spans some four decades, from Destiny in 1976 and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby in 1980 (also adapted from Dickens) to Written the Heart in 2011 and his own solo one-man show Trying it On in 2019. Press contact: Dean Asker at the RSC, dean.asker@rsc.org.uk. Website: https://www.rsc.org.uk/a-christmas-carol/

• Sunday November 6:

REGIONAL: Cinderella (Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester) November 1-December 11, press night November 6. The revised 2013 Broadway version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1950s television musical Cinderella is to receive its UK premiere at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre. Venue founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton will direct and choreograph respectively, with Whelton also co-directing.Press contact: Kate Goerner KateGoernerPR@outlook.com. Website: https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/events/cinderella

• Tuesday November 22:

REGIONAL: ¡SHOWMANISM! (Bath Theatre Royal’s Ustinov Studio) November 11-December 10, press night November 22. Billed as “a concise histrionic of performance”, Dickie Beau devises and performs a show that stretches across a haunted landscape of performance for thousands of years, tracing its roots and branches across unexpected realms. The dramaturg is former Daily Telegraph opera critic Rupert Christiansen. Press contact: Lewis Jenkins at Storyhouse PR, lewis.jenkins@storyhousepr.co.uk Website: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/event/ishowmanism/

• Wednesday November 23:

LONDON: A Christmas Carol (Old Vic) November 12-January 7, press night November 23. Presented in Jack Thorne’s version that was first seen at the Old Vic in 2017 and has made annual returns ever since, this stage adaptation of Dickens’s seasonal tale returns once again for a run from Matthew Warchus directs. Press contacts: Katie Marsh, Armani Ur-Rub at Old Vic. https://www.oldvictheatre.com/whats-on/2022/watch-at-the-theatre/a-christmas-carol-6

Thursday November 24:

LONDON: Elf The Musical (Dominion Theatre) November 14-January 7, press night November 24. Return season for a stage version of the 2003 film, with book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin and songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, running at the Dominion for an 8-week Christmas run. This new staging is directed by Philip Wm McKinley, with sets and costumes by Tim Goodchild and choreography by Liam Steel. Press contact: Amanda Malpass,  amanda@amandamalpass.com. Website: https://elflondon.com

Monday November 28:

LONDON: Disney’s Newies (Troubadour Wembley Park), from November 28. Matt Cole directs and choreographs the UK professional premiere of the stage version of the Disney live-action film. It was originally seen on Broadway in 2012; it received its British premiere in a student production at ArtsEd that starred Jac Yarrow in 2019; he went on to make his professional debut in the title role of Joseph and the Amazing Techicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium later the same year!   Press contact: Alexandra Buchanan alex@amandamalpass.com Website: https://newsiesthemusical.co.uk/

• Thursday December 1

LONDON: Mother Goose (Hackney Empire) November 19-December 31, press night December 1. Clive Rowe directs and stars in Hackney’s annual pantomime, where he has become a fixture. In a press statement, he commented, “I’m incredibly proud, in Hackney Empire’s 120th birthday year, to be directing and playing Mother Goose, which was first created for music hall legend Dan Leno 120 years ago. Big shoes to fill but I will do my very best to make the walls shake with the love and laughter we’ve come to expect from Hackney’s pantomime.” Press contact: Laura Myers/Alice Rickett at About Grace PR, laura@aboutgracepr.com  / alice@aboutgracepr.com. Website: https://hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/mother-goose/

• Thursday December 8

LONDON: Mandela (Young Vic) November 28-February 4, 2021, press night December 8. World premiere of a biographical musical ab out the late Nelson Mandela, presented “in proud partnership” with the Mandela family. With a book by Lalona Michelle and music and lyrics by Greg Dean Borowsky and Shaun Borowsky, Nandi Mandela — granddaughter of Mandela — comments, “As my grandfather once said, music has the power to free us to dream, to unite people as one voice, and we hope that our musical will do just that. We are so proud to be bringing his story to the stage, with our brilliant creative team led by Greg and Shaun Borowsky, Laiona Michelle, Bongi Duma, Gregory Maqoma and Schele Williams in a way that honours and celebrates Madiba, for who he was – a grandfather, a father, a man who tried to do the best that he could during his journey on earth. We hope that my grandfather’s story, of a man from humble beginnings who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, will resonate with audiences far and wide, and communicate his message of hope – that we are all capable of doing great things, as long as we are true and authentic to ourselves.” Press contacts: Kate Hassell, Interim Head of Press kate@breadandbutterpr.uk; Karl-Lydie Jean-Baptiste, Press Officer KarlLydie@youngvic.org. Website: https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/mandela

2023

• Friday February 17:

LONDON: Bat out of Hell – The Musical (Peacock Theatre) February 17-April 1, 2023. Previously seen in London at the Coliseum and Dominion Theatres in 2017-2019, Bat out of Hell returns to London as part of its current UK and Ireland tour that began in September 2021. This tour is dedicated to the memory of its composer Jim Steinman, who sadly passed away on April 19 2021, and its original star Meat Loaf, who passed away on January 20, 2022.  The production is directed by Jay Scheib, with choreography adapted by Xena Gusthart, and set and costume design by Jon Bausor. Press contact: Sarah Wharton at Amanda Malpass PR, sarah@amandamalpass.com. Website: https://www.batoutofhellmusical.com/uk-tour

POSTPONED PRODUCTIONS (DATES TBC)

• Sunday in the Park with George (Savoy) Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford reprise their roles from the Broadway revival

• Good (Pinter) David Tennant in a revival of CP Taylor’s play originally premiered at the Donmar Warehouse under the RSC’s auspices in the 1980s.

• 4,000 Miles (Old Vic) Eileen Atkins and Timothée Chalamet are due to star in Amy Herzog’s Pulitzer nominated play. In a statement sent to ticket holders on May 5, it was stated: ““Despite an enormous amount of effort from all involved, we have now sadly and reluctantly concluded that we are unable to reschedule the show at a time possible for everyone involved.”