NEWS ROUNDUP: 10 - 16 March 2025
- James Tradgett
- Mar 18
- 4 min read
It has been a quiet week for me, however the theatre world in general has been anything but; here are the top stagey stories making waves from the past week.
MOULIN ROUGE
Full cast announced for touring production
They can can can! The full cast for the international tour if “Moulin Rouge” has been revealed; it will star Verity Thompson (Heathers) as Satine, with Nate Landskroner (Bonnie & Clyde) as Christian, and Cameron Blakely (Mrs Doubtfire) as Harold Zidler. Joining them are Kurt Kansley (Guys & Dolls) as Toulouse-Lautrec, German Santiago (West Side Story) as Santiago, James Bryers (The Rocky Horror Show) as the Duke, Kahlia Davis (A Chorus Line) as Nini, Summer Priest (Heathers) as Arabia, Scott Sutcliffe (Wicked) as Baby Doll, Ellie Jane Grant (SIX) as La Chocolat and Patrice Tipoki (Les Miserables) as alternate Satine.
The cast is completed by Dominic Booth, Alisha Capon, Sol Childs, Áine Curran, Kamau Davis, Martin Dickinson, Barry Drummond, Jacob Fearey, Tosca Fischer, Tessa Fox, Johnny Galeandro, Leyton Holmes, Sayaka Kato, Jacob Kohli, Tyler Lotzof, Avigalle Mendoza, Carly Miles, Luchia Moss, Matt Powell, James Revell, Josh Rose, Samuel Routley, Nathan Saxon, Sorcha Stephenson and Frazer Woolcott.
The tour will kick off at Edinburgh Playhouse on the 25th of April, and tour into 2026, with tickets on sale for all venues.
GRAVITY: CONCERT
Three former Elphabas to share a stage
They’re gonna work in tandem! Three former west end Elphabas (and also former Glinda in the case of Dearman) are set to perform a concert together at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with Louise Dearman (Side Show), Kerry Ellis (Anything Goes) and Rachel Tucker (The Great Gatsby) all to share a stage during the Wicked-themed concert event. Worth noting this is not a performance of, nor is it in any way associated with, the musical Wicked.
The concert will take place on the 31st of August at 3pm, with “showstopping anthems, career-defining performances and thrilling surprises” in store for all those in attendance. Tickets are now on sale from the LW website, so book now!
ARTEMIS FOWL
New Musical in development
It has been revealed that a new musical version of “Artemis Fowl”, based on both the Eoin Colfer novel series, and the subsequent Disney film it spawned, it is currently being workshopped, and received a private initial performance on the 14th of March. Colfer himself has written the book and lyrics, with music and further lyrics by Liam Bates (Noël: The Christmas Musical), and direction by Scott Graham (The 39 Steps). Stay tuned for more information and further news!
EVITA AT THE PALLADIUM
Rachel Zegler cast as Eva Peron
Don’t cry for her! Following Ariana Debose's withdrawal due to scheduling conflicts, it has been announced that Rachel Zegler is to star as Eva Perón in the Jamie Lloyd production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Evita” at the London Palladium this summer. This will mark Zegler’s west end debut, following her broadway bow in Romeo + Juliet last year, as well as her professional musical theatre debut.
The original west end and broadway productions of Evita were hugely critically acclaimed, receiving the Olivier and Tony awards for best new musical, with Elaine Page and Patti LuPone respectively receiving awards for their leading performances as Perón. This production is the fourth time the show has been revived in the west end; Evita will run at the London Palladium from the 14th of June until the 6th of September.
NEW MUSICAL CAST ALBUMS
The Book Thief, Maybe Happy Ending, Why Am I So Single
Three separate original cast recordings have been released on the same day, with The Book Thief, Why Am I So Single and Maybe Happy Ending all releasing their albums on the 14th of March. The Book Thief, based on the novel by Markus Zusak, and with music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, received its world premiere at Bolton's Octagon Theatre in 2022, with subsequent runs at Leicester's Curve Theatre and Coventry's Belgrade Theatre.
Originally premiering in 2016 in Seoul, South Korea, Will Aronson and Hue Park musical Maybe Happy Ending has become one of the most beloved new musicals on broadway, having its English-language premiere in 2020 at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, and then making its broadway bow in November 2024. Starring Darren Criss and Helen J Shen, the show is tipped as a favourite for a number of awards at the 78th Tony Awards.
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss exploded onto the scene in 2017 with Six: The Musical, so their much anticipated "second album" was always going to generate a great deal of hype. Why Am I So Single? had a semi-staged workshop performance at Sadler's Wells, before opening at the Garrick Theatre in London's west end, and subsequently became a best new musical Olivier nominee.
All three albums are now available to download and stream.
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