David Tennant News

RSC Chief Associate Gregory Doran's production of Twelfth Night will transfer after its sell-out run at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon to the West End in December with Richard Wilson in his RSC debut as Malvolio.

At a star-studded nominations party held today (4th December) at London's Café de Paris, the shortlist reveals that popular British screen stars, including Jude Law, Lenny Henry, Helen Mirren, Rachel Weisz, Alison Steadman, Dominic West, Mackenzie Crook and Patrick Stewart, will all battle it out for acting gongs.

Miriam Zendle takes a look at the London theatre scene, recommends shows and actors to see and to avoid

Leading lady Muriel Brassler (Portia), though an accomplished stage actresses, was described by Houseman as 'decorative, adequate and hardly memorable'.

Seductive, darkly comic with a rollercoaster of a plot line SPEAKING IN TONGUES is the play everyone has been talking about this season.

The 55th Annual Evening Standards Theatre Awards, honoring outstanding achievements in London Theater, today has released their long list of 2009 nominees. The award ceremony, which will take place on November 23 at the Royal Opera House, will honor some of theater's biggest stars, including Ian McKellen, Kevin Spacey, Sam Mendes, and more. Sponsored by U.K'.s Evening Standard newspaper, with nominees selected by a panel of London theater critics, the shortlist of nominees will be sometime next week.

Shakespeare's ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, in a highly acclaimed production by Marianne Elliott, will be filmed live at the National Theatre in London on 1st October and broadcast by satellite to cinemas worldwide. All?s Well is the second play in the pilot season of NT Live, the National?s ground-breaking initiative which launched in June with the hugely successful broadcast of Phèdre with Helen Mirren, which was seen by 50,000 people in 19 countries around the globe. ALL'S WELL will be the first play broadcast from the largest of the National's three theatres, the Olivier, with its fan-shaped auditorium and open stage.

The RSC announce three London shows for winter 2009.

Lapsed member of the Too Close To The Sun team reveals all, Into The Woods comes back to London and Hamlet gets an American airing. Miriam Zendle reports

Actor David Tennant has signed on to reprise the title role he played on stage in 'Hamlet' in a BBC television production of the drama.

Richard Eyre's production of The Last Cigarette, adapted by Hugh Whitemore and Simon Gray from Gray's critically acclaimed The Smoking Diaries, is to transfer to the West End having previously opened the 2009 Season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Starring Felicity Kendal, Nicholas le Prevost and Jasper Britton, who all perform as Simon Gray, The Last Cigarette will run at Trafalgar Studios from 21 April - 1 August, with opening night 28 April 2009. Designs are by Rob Howell with lighting and projection by John Driscoll and music by George Fenton.

Richard Eyre's production of The Last Cigarette, adapted by Hugh Whitemore and Simon Gray from Gray's critically acclaimed The Smoking Diaries, is to transfer to the West End having previously opened the 2009 season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Starring Felicity Kendal, Nicholas Le Prevost and Jasper Britton, who all perform as Simon Gray, The Last Cigarette will run at Trafalgar Studios from 21 April - 1 August, with opening night 28 April 2009. Designs are by Rob Howell with lighting and projection by John Driscoll and music by George Fenton.

Richard Eyre's production of The Last Cigarette, adapted by Hugh Whitemore and Simon Gray from Gray's critically acclaimed The Smoking Diaries, is to transfer to the West End having previously opened the 2009 Season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Starring Felicity Kendal, Nicholas le Prevost and Jasper Britton, who all perform as Simon Gray, The Last Cigarette will run at Trafalgar Studios from 21 April - 1 August, with opening night 28 April 2009. Designs are by Rob Howell with lighting and projection by John Driscoll and music by George Fenton.

Whats On Stage revealed that Oliver Ford Davies spoke to the Sunday Telegraph in regards to a much requested film of the David Tennant led HAMLET, according to the actor it would appear that the project is indeed going ahead.

The winners in the ninth annual Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards, the only major UK theatre prize-giving decided by the public, were announced today (Sunday 15 February) at a glittering, star-studded evening at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2008 were hosted on January 27th, by its new Chairman Mark Shenton - theatre critic for the Sunday Express, daily blogger for The Stage website, and a regular contributor to The Guardian online - at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London. For the fifth year, the awards were presented in association with Nyman Libson Paul Chartered Accountants, leading entertainment industry specialists; and supported by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres and lastminute.com. Media Partner, What's On In Theatre / TV London. As ever, the ceremony was an informal gathering of award recipients, the drama critics, theatre practitioners, and the media, convivially coming together to celebrate the critics' personal choice of the best in theatre, from throughout the UK, during the last calendar year. In contrast with other theatre awards during this jam-packed trophy season, the Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners are always decided by the independent votes of Drama Section members, with no panel discussions or public/industry influence exerted.

David Tennant , who missed the December 9th opening night of the transfer of the RSC's Stratford-upon-Avon production of Hamlet to the West End's Novello Theatre will not be returning to role before Christmas the Royal Shakespeare Company revealed in a statement.

Hamlet directed by Gregory Doran opens tonight at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Variety is reporting that powerhouse UK actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will be teaming up to help save the struggling Theatre Royal Haymarket. Rumor has it that the two actors will play the clowns Pozzo and Lucky in Beckett's classic Waiting For Godot. All proceeds will go to benefit the Haymarket.

Francesca Annis, Lisa Dillon, Chris O'Dowd, Dominic Rowan and Catherine Tate are to star in the West End premiere of David Eldridge's Under The Blue Sky which will open at the Duke of York's Theatre on 25 July, with previews from 15 July, and is currently booking until 20 September 2008. Directed by Anna Mackmin, Under The Blue Sky is designed by Lez Brotherston with lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Paul Arditti, and is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Robert G. Bartner. Final casting will be announced shortly.