Declan Bennett News

On Friday 6 December 2013 whilst visiting New York, Declan Bennett, who plays Guy in the West End production of Once, dropped in to visit Arthur Darvill and Joanna Christie who play Guy and Girl in the Broadway production. They met on the shows onstage bar at the Bernard B. Jacob's Theatre where they swapped anecdotes about performing on both sides of the Atlantic in this multi-award winning production. Check out photos from backstage below!

It's still tight at the top of all the BWW:UK 2013 Award categories! Your votes can still make a difference as The Book of Mormon, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Once all battle it out for the musical theatre prizes.

Voting closes on Friday for this year's BWW:UK Awards! The Book Of Mormon, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Once all look set to win for the musicals - and Hadley Fraser may pick up a special double award for his performances in a musical and a play.

The Book of Mormon is leading in many of the New Musical categories - but Once and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is running it close!

Highlights this week include the Matilda's being drawn at Sardis, A TIME TO KILL, THE LANDING, and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY opening, and a marriage proposal for Allison Case!

The eight time Tony award-winning musical Once is currently booking at the Phoenix Theatre to 31 May 2014. With a cast led by Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cviteši? as Guy and Girl respectively, John Tiffany's West End production of the hit musical opened at the Phoenix Theatre in April this year where it has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. At each performance, live on stage, the Company play 10 CF Martin guitars, 2 violins, 1 melodica, 1 cello, 2 mandolins, 1 ukelele, 1 bass guitar, 1 banjo, 2 cajon's, 1 drum kit, 1 piano, 1 harmonica and 1 concertina and on the West End's only on stage bar, audience members can join the cast for the start of the show and at the interval. Check out a first look below!

Big West End showstoppers Once, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Book of Mormon are leading the way, with the competition just as tight for the fringe categories - Chichester's The Pajama Game and Southwark Playhouse's Titanic are also garnering the votes at the moment.

Voting opened this week for the 2013 BWW:UK Awards - and we've already had a record number of votes in!

Direct from sell-out shows at New York's prestigious 54 Below, star of Broadway and TV's Glee, Telly Leung (Godspell, Wicked, RENT) will make his UK debut with Telly Leung: Live in London at the London Hippodrome for two shows only on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st July 2013.

The annual festival West End LIVE - organised by Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre, in association with MasterCard - returned to Trafalgar Square yesterday, 22nd June and continues today, 23rd June 2013, for a weekend of free entertainment from some of London's top theatre productions and performers. Watch ONCE's Declan Bennett perform 'Say It To Me Now' below!

With a cast led by Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cviteši as Guy and Girl respectively, John Tiffany's West End production of the hit musical opened at The Phoenix Theatre in April this year where it has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. At each performance, live on stage, the Company play 10 CF Martin guitars, 2 violins, 1 melodica, 1 cello, 2 mandolins, 1 ukelele, 1 bass guitar, 1 banjo, 2 cajon's, 1 drum kit, 1 piano, 1 harmonica and 1 concertina and on the West End's only on stage bar, audience members can join the cast for the start of the show and at the interval.

Today, Friday 14 June 2013, the Company of the eight time Tony award-winning Once made history as the first West End musical cast to busk on the London Underground. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the licensed busking scheme on the Tube, the cast of Once spent two hours in Leicester Square Tube station performing songs from the show alongside some of the station's regular buskers.

Last Friday, Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cvitesic, the two leads in Once, performed the Oscar-winning song "Falling Slowly" on The Graham Norton Show

The Producers of the eight-time Tony award-winning musical Once today announce that booking for the West End production extends to 31 May 2014, releasing over 200,000 new tickets for sale at the Phoenix Theatre.

Once London shook convention up by encouraging an audience not to turn off their phones during a special performance and Q and A.

Glen Hansard, Academy Award winner and co-writer of the music and lyrics for Once, visited the Phoenix Theatre to meet with Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cvitesic, the leading actors in the critically acclaimed West End production.

Direct from sell-out shows at New York's prestigious 54 Below, star of Broadway and TV's Glee, Telly Leung (Godspell, Wicked, RENT) will make his UK debut with Telly Leung: Live in London on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st July 2013.

The Olivier Awards 2013 took place tonight, hosted by Sheridan Smith and Hugh Bonneville, at the Royal Opera House.

UK editor in chief Carrie Dunn follows the Oliviers Party in the Piazza, red carpet and the ceremony, and gives her opinions on the runners and riders...