NEWS ROUNDUP: 29 September - 5 October
- James Tradgett
- Oct 5
- 5 min read
We are well and truly into autumn as we begin to enter spooky season and the run-up to Halloween, so as we make the transition from September to October, let's look back at the news stories that have rocked the theatre world in one way or another
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MARIE AND ROSETTA
West end transfer announced for hit play
Following a UK premiere at the Rose Theatre in May this year, with a subsequent run at the Chichester Festival Theatre in the summer, hit George Brant play "Marie and Rosetta" is set to transfer to the west end in 2026, with Beverley Knight and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu to reprise their roles as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight respectively, and it will mark Ndlovu's west end debut.
The play will open at @sohoplace on the 28th of February, with press night on the 6th of March, and will run until the 11th of April, in a strictly limited season; tickets can be purchased now on the Nimax Theatres website, where you can also find out more about the show.
HERCULES
West end production to release cast recording
Bless my soul, Herc is on a r...ecord? Yes, it has been confirmed that the current west end production of Disney's "Hercules", running at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, is set to release a full cast album this November. Featuring a score by Alan Menken and David Zippel, and a new book by Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah, the show had its UK premiere in the west end in June, and is currently booking until the 28th of March 2026. Based on the 1997 animated Disney film of the same name, the stage adaptation first opened off-broadway in 2019, and has been revised several times through subsequent productions in New Jersey and Hamburg.
HUNGER GAMES ON STAGE
John Malkovich to feature (digitally)
It has been revealed that John Malkovich, Emmy winner and Oscar nominee, is set to play President Cornelius Snow in the upcoming production of “Hunger Games On Stage” at the new Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, to open later this month; it will mark a return to the London stage for the acting veteran after a six year absence, though it is confirmed that he won't be physically present during the production.
His role has been filmed prior, and will play during the show each day. “Hunger Games On Stage” is written by Conor McPherson and will be directed by Matthew Dunster, having adapted Suzanne Collins’ first book, and in turn the first film from the critically acclaimed series. The show will open on the 20th of October, and is currently booking until the 15th of February 2026, with tickets available from the production's official website.
THE CHOIR OF MAN
Musical to tour the UK and Ireland
The jungle is hitting the road! Following the announcement of its closure in the west end, “The Choir of Man” have revealed it will be touring the UK in 2026, launching at the Wimbledon New Theatre on the 14th of March, followed by runs in Bath, Cambridge, Coventry, Peterborough, Brighton, Glasgow, Manchester, Sunderland, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Sheffield, York, Leicester, Birmingham, Malvern, Canterbury, Colchester, Cheltenham, Chester, Richmond, Aylesbury, Southend, Guildford, Swindon, Northampton, Wolverhampton, Southampton, High Wycombe and Edinburgh.
The creation of Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, “The Choir of Man” features nine performers singing songs and telling stories, all in the setting of a local pub called The Jungle; it contains music by Adele, Katy Perry, Queen, The Proclaimers and more. Originally premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, the show will end five years at the Arts Theatre in early 2026, having also performed all over the world, including in the USA, Australia and around Europe. Further dates, as well as casting, will be revealed at a later date, and you can find out more, including how to book, from the official production website.
OH, MARY!
Hit broadway play to transfer to the west end
She certainly is a star, and she’s coming to London! Broadway sensation “Oh, Mary!”, penned by Cole Escola who also originated the title role, is set to make its west end premiere this winter, with casting already confirmed. Starring as Mary will be Mason Alexander Park (Much Ado About Nothing), alongside Giles Terera (Hamilton) as Abe Lincoln, Kate O’Donnell (Big Girl’s Blouse) as Louise, Oliver Stockley (Cabaret) as Simon, and Dino Fetscher (The Normal Heart) as Mary’s Teacher.
The play opened off-broadway in 2024, transferring to broadway’s Lyceum Theatre later that year, and continues to play to packed houses in New York, subsequently being nominated for 5 Tony awards, with Escola winning for actor in a play, and director Sam Pinkerton also walking away with a win. “Oh Mary!” will play at the Trafalgar Theatre from the 3rd of December 2025 until the 25th of April 2026; tickets are now on sale, and can be purchased through the ATG website.
MEAN GIRLS
Initial casting announced for UK tour
It’s October 3rd, and it’s time to meet the lead cast of the upcoming tour of “Mean Girls: The Musical”. Emily Lane (Hello, Dolly!) is set to play Cady Heron, being joined by Vivian Panka (Dear Evan Hansen) as Regina, Sophie Pourret (The Great Gatsby) as Karen, Georgie Buckland (The Devil Wears Prada) as Janis, Max Gill (Fly More Than You Fall) as Damien, Karim Zeroual (The Lion King) as Kevin G, and Joshua Ellmore (La Traviata) as Mr Duvall; you may be thinking "none for Gretchen Wieners??" and to you I say don't worry, further casting will be revealed at a later date.
"Mean Girls" will open at the Manchester Opera House on the 23rd of February 2026, followed by runs in Cardiff, Stoke, Sunderland, Milton Keynes, Eastbourne, Woking, Leicester, Aberdeen, Cheltenham, Hull, Bournemouth, Belfast, Wolverhampton, Glasgow, Southend, Llandudno, Canterbury, Blackpool, Bristol, Crawley, Bradford, Norwich, Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Wimbledon, Birmingham, Oxford, Southampton and Newcastle, where it will conclude in late January 2027. You can find out more, including how to book tickets, on the official Mean Girls website.
PATRICIA ROUTLEDGE
Legendary actress passes away at 96
Veteran stage and screen actor Patricia Routledge, boasting a glittering career that spanned 7 decades, has passed away at the age of 96. Best known to many as the eccentric snob Hyacinth Bucket in the 90s sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances", Routledge was also a prolific and successful stage performer, with a resume that comprised performances in work Shakespeare, Chekhov, Gilbert & Sullivan, Oscar Wilde and many, many more. Perhaps her greatest stage performance was her Tony winning turn as Alice Challice in the Jule Styne musical "Darling of the Day" on broadway.
Making her stage debut in 1952 as Hippolyta in a production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Liverpool Playhouse, Routledge would go on to an abundance of stage roles, making countless west end and broadway appearances, winning awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and appear in 12 musical cast recordings. She also had a long and storied history with the Chichester Festival Theatre, becoming the patron of its youth theatre programme, as well as being the president of the fundraising committee to fund the third space The Nest; her performances and overall legacy will go down in the annals of British theatre for centuries to come.
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