NEWS ROUNDUP: 30 June - 6 July
- James Tradgett
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
The end of this week saw the end of a national celebration of pride, and it has brought some rather exciting news announcements to keep the theatre world busy, here are the biggest news stories rocking the theatre world this week.
50 FIRST DATES: THE MUSICAL
Full cast announced for world premiere
The full cast for the upcoming world premiere of “50 First Dates: The Musical” have arrived, previously announced Georgina Castle and Josh St Clair will be joined by Georgia Arron (Mean Girls) as Sharon, Aizaac Aruna (Stardust) as Miles, Zoë Ann Bown (The Sound Of Music) as Miriam, Emily Olive Boyd (Les Misérables) as Fran, Greg Stylianou Burns (The Lightning Thief) as ensemble, John Marquez (Opening Night) as Marlin Whitmore, Natasha O’Brien (Starter for Ten) as Delilah, Aiesha Naomi Pease (Wicked) as Ukulele Sue, David Pendlebury (The Phantom Of The Opera) as Sid, Martha Pothen (Showstopper!) as Cora, Ricky Rojas (Moulin Rouge) as Marco, Chad Saint Louis (Ghost) as Sandy, and Charlie Toland (Sin The Musical) as Doug Whitmore.
The cast is completed by swings Cole Dunn, Samuelle Durojaiye, Paul Kemble and Samantha Thomas. The show will be directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (Some Like It Hot), with musical direction by Richard Beadle (Hamilton). 50 First Dates will run at the Other Palace from the 14th of September until the 16th of November, with tickets now on sale. More information and ticket sales can be found on the Other Palace website.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Full cast announced for UK and Ireland tour
The full cast for the upcoming UK tour of Aaron Sorkin’s play “To Kill A Mockingbird”, adapted from Harper Lee’s original novel, has been revealed. Leading the line as Atticus Finch will be Richard Coyle (Player Kings), a role he returns to after playing it during the show’s west end run, taking over from Rafe Spall. Also returning are Anna Munden as Scout Finch, Harry Attwell as Mr. Cunningham / Boo (Arthur) Radley, Phillipa Flynn as Miss Stephanie / Dill’s Mother, Colin R Cambell as Sheriff Heck Tate, and Simon Hepworth as Link Deas, all having also performed in the show at the Gielgud Theatre.
They will be joined by Gabriel Scott (Calvary & Purgatory) as Jem Finch, Dylan Malyn (pro debut) as Dill Harris, Andrea Davy (The Little Foxes) as Calpurnia, Stephen Boxer (Titus Andronicus) as Judge Taylor, Aaron Shosanya (A Raisin in the Sun) as Tom Robinson, Oscar Pearce (The Government Inspector) as Bob Ewell, Evie Hargreaves (Merchant of Venice 1936) as Mayella Ewell, Richard Dempsey (Dr Strangelove) as Horace Gilmer, and Sarah Finigan (Twelfth Night) as Mrs. Dubose. Completing the cast are Paul Albertson, James Mitchell, Jonathan Rubin, Cheryl Burniston, Charlotte Luxford, Oyin Orija, Tiwai Muza, Tom Brace-Jenkins, and John J. O’Hagan. The play is directed by Bartlett Sher, first premiering on broadway in 2018, and running in the west end for just over a year in 2022-23. The tour will commence at Leeds Playhouse in September before playing 19 further dates into spring of 2026. You can find more information on the production's official website.
NOUGHTS & CROSSES
New production images released
The producers of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre staging of Dominic Cooke's play “Noughts & Crosses” have released new photographs from the production, starring Corinna Brown and Noah Valentine. The new play is based on the Mallorie Blackman novel of the same name, and opened at Regent's Park on the 28th of June. It is part of Drew McOnie's first season as artistic director of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, a season that also features Shucked, Brigadoon and The Enormous Crocodile.
The new photos, taken by Manuel Harlan, can all be viewed at the West End Theatre website. You can catch the show now, running until the 26th of July, with more information and ticket sales available from the venue's website.
ELF THE MUSICAL
Festive west end return announced
Buddy is back for the holidays! For a limited time you can catch “Elf: The Musical” in the west end during the 2025-26 festive period. This is the third time in four years the show has had a winter run in London’s west end, however unlike previous runs when it was staged at the Dominion Theatre, this time it will play at the Aldwych Theatre, where it will run from the 28th of October 2025 until the 3rd of January 2026.
Elf had its world premiere at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on broadway in November 2010, in a production directed by Casey Nicholaw and starring Sebastian Arcelus, Amy Spangler and Beth Leavel. This year marks the musical’s 15th anniversary, as well as 10 years since it first played in London. Further details including cast and creatives to be announced at a later date, and you can find out more, as well as book tickets, through the production's official website.
LITTLE DANCER IN CONCERT
Full cast announced for London musical concert
The full cast for the world premiere musical concert of “Little Dancer” has been revealed, with Tiler Peck, principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, playing Young Marie van Goethem; she’s joined by Julian Ovenden (All About Eve) as Edgar Degas, Laura Pitt-Pulford (Standing at the Sky’s Edge) as Adult Marie, David Albury (Get Up, Stand Up!) as Christian, Imogen Amos (Mamma Mia!) as Charlotte, Imogen Bailey (Shrek) as Antoinette, Josefina Gabrielle (The Baker’s Wife) as Martine, Debbie Kurup (Girl From The North Country) as Mary Cassatt, and Rohan Tickell (Midnight Cowboy) as Corbeil.
Completing the cast are Derek Aidoo, Adam Crossley, Sebastian Goffin, Josie Harbertson, Jacob Hughes, Britt Lenting, Nell Martin, Gabriela Rodriguez, Holly Saw, Lowri Shone, Jessica Templeton, Gabriella Tooma and Jack Wilcox. Amy Ruggiero covers Young Marie off-stage, with Simi Jolaoso and Ying Ue Li as soprano booth singers. The Little Dancer concert will perform at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the 27th of July, with tickets on sale now from the LW Theatres website.
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
London revival reportedly in the works
It has been revealed by John Cameron Mitchell that he is planning on bringing his musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” back to London, the two-person rock musical first played in the west end 25 years ago, after having premiered off-broadway in 1998, and ver the years has starred a range of stage stars, including Michael Cerveris, Neil Patrick Harris, Darren Criss and Andrew Rannells.
Whilst no concrete plans are in place as of yet, writer Mitchell, in a conversation with Mickey-Jo Boucher, stated that “A new production will come to London, we’re working on that now…”, following rumours of a 2023 west end revival that never materialised. The last UK production of the show was a two-venue regional revival, starring Divina de Campo and Elijah Ferreira, which played at Leeds Playhouse and HOME in Manchester. Keep your eyes peeled, more news may be right round the corner!
RETROGRADE/ALTERATIONS
Recorded performances to air on NT at home
After having been filmed by the National Theatre, recent productions of Ryan Calais Cameron's "Retrograde", and Michael Abbensett's "Alterations" are both set to be released on the organisation's online streaming service National Theatre At Home. Alterations ran at the Lyttelton auditorium of the National from the 20th of February until the 5th of April 2025, telling the story of tailor Walter Holt, a man with big ambitions for his business, and a seemingly impossible order to fulfil over the course of 24 hours, with both friendships and trouser hems starting to fray by the end of the day; it will begin streaming from the 12th of August.
Retrograde meanwhile, telling the story of actor, director and activist Sidney Poitier, had its premiere at the Kiln Theatre in 2023 before transferring to the Apollo Theatre earlier this year, to huge critical acclaim, and will stream from the 9th of September. You can find out more about National Theatre At Home, as well as browse other available titles, on the National Theatre website, with monthly subscriptions priced at £9.99 a month, or annual subscription at £99.99 for the year.
Comments