NEWS ROUNDUP: 17 - 23 November
- James Tradgett
- Nov 24
- 6 min read
The holidays are fast approaching, panto season is rearing its head once more, and we have a right healthy heap of theatrical news to look back over, here are the biggest stories from the past seven days that have been keeping us intrigued and engaged!
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THE GUY WHO DIDN'T LIKE MUSICALS
StarKid productions to have full west end debut
StarKid Productions are coming to the west end, where they will perform their first fully staged production, the Broadwayworld.com award winner “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals”, which first debuted in 2018 at the 99-seater Matrix Theater in Los Angeles. This comes after several hugely successful concert performances at the London Palladium, in 2024 and 2025 respectively. The cast will feature StarKid regulars Jon Matteson, Joey Richter, Jeff Blim, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Mariah Rose Faith Casillas, Corey Dorris, and Lauren Lopez (who also directs the production).
StarKid was founded in 2009 by Darren Criss, woth their first ever production being the fan favourite "A Very Potter Musical", a musical which spawned two sequels and a whole host of new fans. With music and lyrics by Blim, and a book by Nick & Matt Lang, the show’s full debut will open at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in London, where it will play from the 14th to the 30th of May 2026. Further details will be revealed at a later date, and tickets can be purchased via the Nimax Theatres website.
ROMEO & JULIET
New production starring Sadie Sink to open in London
It has been announced by Empire Street Productions that Sadie Sink (John Proctor Is The Villain) and Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) will both make their west end debuts in a new staging of William Shakespeare’s hugely popular "Romeo & Juliet" directed by Robert Icke, to open next spring at the Harold Pinter Theatre. It will be the second west end staging of the play in as many years, after the Jamie Lloyd directed production starring Tom Holland played at the Duke of York's Theatre in 2023.
The production will run from the 16th of March until the 6th of June 2026, with tickets currently on sale for all performances. ASditionally there will be 10 day seats released for each performance, as well as 30 “pay what you can” lottery seats per performance, released each Wednesday for the following week. Further casting will be revealed at a later date, and tickets can be purchased via the ATG website.
OH, MARY!
New rehearsal photos released for west end production
New images from the “Oh, Mary!” rehearsal room have been released, giving an exclusive look into the process of putting together the London transfer of Cole Escola’s Tony-winning play. Mason Alexander Park (Much Ado About Nothing) stars as Mary Todd Lincoln, alongside Kate O’Donnell (Big Girl’s Blouse) as her chaperone, Dino Fetscher (The Normal Heart) as her teacher, Giles Terera (Hamilton) as husband Abraham, and Oliver Stockley (Cabaret) as his assistant.
Originally opening off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2024, the spoof comedy play transferred to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre in June of the same year, where it continues to play to packed houses nightly. Its London run will begin previews at the Trafalgar Theatre on the 3rd of December, and is set to run until the 25th of April, with tickets now available from the ATG website.
1536
Almeida Theatre production to get west end transfer
The hit play by Ava Pickett "1536", which premiered in May this year at the Almeida Theatre, is set to transfer to the west end next spring, in a co-production between Sonia Friedman Productions, Annapurna Theatre and the Almeida. Directed by Lyndsey Turner, the play, set in England at the height of the Tudors' power, tells the story of three women in Essex, whose lives are adversely affected by rumours spread from the court of Henry VIII regarding the fall of his second wife, and mother of Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn.
Following a fully sold out run at the Almeida, "1536" will open at the Ambassador's Theatre on the 2nd of May 2026, and will run until the 1st of August 2026 in a strictly limited engagement, with a runtime of two hours straight through with no interval. Tickets are now on sale, and can be purchased via the ATG website; casting for the production will be revealed at a later date.
PADDINGTON
Cast recording to be released, lottery details revealed
In the lead up to his official opening, it looks like Paddington will have a full cast album released next spring, now available to pre-order. Additionally, a new monthly £35 ticket lottery is set to commence next month, with the first draw taking place on the 3rd of December, and audiences can enter now online, even for sold-out performances.
The cast album, produced by Decca Records, will release in March 2026, with an additional preview of a new track entitled “Rhythm of London” now available on YouTube and the production’s social pages. You can find out more about the show, including the cast, creatives, and how to book tickets, via the Paddington website.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Ollie Dobson and Ben Joyce to return for one night only
This is heavy, man!! To celebrate 40 years since the original film was released, two previous Marty McFlys will return to the Adelphi Theatre for a special performance of Bob Gale and Alan Silvestri musical “Back To The Future” next month, Ollie Dobson who originated the role back in 2020, and Ben Joyce whom took over from him when he left the west end production in 2022. The pair will join current Marty actor Caden Brauch, with each of them rotating throughout the performance, which will be on the 3rd of December.
“Back to the Future: the Musical” had its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House on the 20th of February 2020, with a planned 3-month run that was cut short only days after its official opening due to COVID-19. It later opened in the west end, where it has performed for over 4 years; additionally it had a stint on broadway, opening in July 2023 at the Winter Garden Theatre, in a production led by Casey Likes, Roger Bart and Hugh Coles, the latter two of whom also featured in Manchester and London; the broadway run closed in January this year. To find out more and book tickets for the event, visit the production’s website.
THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND
New musical to transfer to the west end
A brand new musical, set to open as part of the RSC 2026 season, has announced a west end transfer for the summer, with the full cast having also been announced. Written by Richy Hughes and Tim Sutton, “The Boy Who Harmessed The Wind” will run from the 10th of February until the 28th of March 2026 at the RSC’s Swan Theatre, before transferring to @sohoplace, where it’ll perform from the 25th of April until the 18th of July 2026, in a strictly limited 12-week engagement. Leading the cast will be Alistair Nwachukwu, making his debut for the RSC, in the role of William Kamkwamba.
Further cast include Madeline Appiah as Agnes Kamkwamba, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe as Annie Kamkwamba, Owen Chaponda as Mike Kachigunda/Blessings, McCallam Connell as Chief Wimbe, Eddie Elliott as Jeremiah Kamkwamba/Patience, Shaka Kalokoh as Charity, Idriss Kargbo as Gilbert Mofat, Newtion Matthews as Mister Ofesi, Sifiso Mazibuko as Trywell Kamkwamba, Choolwe Laina Muntanga as Mika Kamkwamba, Tomi Ogbaro as Mizeck, Lori Barker as Ensemble, Alex Okoampa as Ensemble, Yana Penrose as Khamba, and Helena Pipe as Edith Sikelo, with Tad Hapaguti and Daniel Haswell as offstage understudies. You can find out more and book tickets via the RSC website.
HAMILTON
Concord Theatricals acquire rights for Pulitzer-winning musical
Ten years after opening on broadway, multi award winning Lin-Manuel Miranda musical "Hamilton" is to become available for amateur and non-replica professional productions to be performed all over the world, as the rights have been released and acquired by Concord Theatricals. It has also been revealed that a Teen version of the show is currently in development, and is set to be released in 2028. The musical joins "In The Heights", "Bring It On" and "21 Chump Street" in Miranda's back catalogue to have been released for amateur and youth performance.
This year celebrating its tenth anniversary, "Hamilton" has become nothing short of a global cultural phenomenon, winning 11 Tony awards, 7 Olivier awards, a Grammy, a Pulitzer, and pretty much every other type of award going. It has also been performed all over the world, as well as on broadway and in the west end, it has been staged in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Peru and the Philippines; you can find out more via the Concord Theatricals website.
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