Judi Dench News

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is coming to the stage and has found its leading players. According to the Daily Mail, Tom Bateman will star as William Shakespeare opposite Lucy Briggs-Owen as Viola de Lesseps in the upcoming West End adaptation by Lee Hall.

BRUSH off your bustle and fasten your bonnets -- good old-fashioned gossip and romance are coming to Garrick Theatre this July. Adapted from the Elizabeth Gaskell novel by Martyn Coleman, Cranford is set in the sleepy English village of the same name where a mysterious new arrival sets hearts aflutter. Scroll down for a first look at the cast!

This week, in honor of BroadwayWorld's simply spectacular charity concert celebration of the men behind the music to most of the most important and indelible musicals of the last 50 years at Monday night's THE LORD & THE MASTER: BROADWAYWORLD.COM SINGS ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER & STEPHEN SONDHEIM, we turn our attention to the sole clip of the two modern musical theatre marvels performing side by side.

Greenwich Theatre, one of London's foremost Off-West End theatres has over the past 5 years become one of the country's leading supporters of young and emerging theatre companies. With its Edinburgh profile rising year on year, five productions are supported at this year's festival across the Pleasance, C venues and Assembly.

Brush off your bustle and fasten your bonnets -- good old-fashioned gossip and romance are coming to Garrick Theatre this July. Adapted from the Elizabeth Gaskell novel by Martyn Coleman, Cranford is set in the sleepy English village of the same name where a mysterious new arrival sets hearts aflutter. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the cast in rehearsal!

The ensemble cast of The Weinstein Company's TULIP FEVER continues to grow.

Benedict Cumberbatch has been trying to get Judi Dench to star alongside him in BBC's upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III. He was having some trouble persuading her, but, according to The Telegraph, Dench has finally agreed.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: We're kicking off the week leading up to the Tonys with an awards-filled Monday -- stay tuned for our coverage of the Theatre World Awards, Lilly Awards and Astaire Awards (oh my!), plus HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME begins on Broadway tonight!

Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's MISS SAIGON makes its highly anticipated return to London tonight, May 21, 2014 at the Prince Edward Theatre, in the musical's 25th anniversary year. Let's see what the critics had to say...

Today we are talking to an accomplished and charismatic West End and Broadway star who originally made a name for herself as the title character in the infamous page-to-stage adaptation of Stephen King's CARRIE who has gone on to achieve acclaim for numerous starring roles in the UK ranging from JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT to CHICAGO as well as the original West End casts of THE SECRET GARDEN, MARY POPPINS, and, most recently, LONDON ROAD - Linzi Hateley. Shedding some light on her unforgettable West End and Broadway debut as well as bringing us all the way up to the present day commenting on her hotly anticipated return to New York later this month with her new cabaret show at 54 Below, titled SINCE CARRIE, Hateley grants a rare all access pass to her career onstage and onscreen. Besides all about SINCE CARRIE and CARRIE itself, Hateley also recounts her experiences participating in the original cast of a number of notable West End and UK productions, including THE SECRET GARDEN, MARY POPPINS and more. Also, Hateley shares first news of the forthcoming feature film adaptation of UK hit LONDON ROAD and how her stage role will be adapted to the big screen iteration. On the topic of screen roles, Hateley also offers the 411 on her participation in the smash hit cinematic version of international stage hit LES MISERABLES and voices her thoughts on the movie musical revolution in general. Besides all of that, Hateley reflects on her work in the Stephen Sondheim revue MOVING ON and offers opinions on some of her most cherished studio recordings. All of that, a look ahead to starring in Cameron Mackintosh's upcoming UK tour of BARNUM and much more in this wide-ranging chat with an astonishingly versatile and always engaging West End and Broadway leading lady.

Today we continue the 2014 edition of our annual BroadwayWorld feature series spotlighting the very best Tony Awards-related moments of all time with a special spotlight on a multi-Tony Award-winning Broadway musical unlike any other, CATS.

The Daily Mail reports that Billie Piper and Oliver Chris are among the actors working on a top-secret new play for Richard Bean at the National Theatre.

NextStop Theatre Company's new production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, running tonight, May 1-June 1, 2014, makes a major announcement for the season-closing production. Directed by NextStop's Artistic Director Evan Hoffmann, the production team is announcing the addition of TODAY Show Co-Host, Kathie Lee Gifford, as the voice of the Giant's Wife. The addition of Ms. Gifford is a significant achievement for the emerging company as they close out their inaugural main stage season.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: HERE LIES LOVE, THE FABULOUS MISS MARIE and TOO MUCH SUN begin today off-Broadway!

Red Bull Theater has announced the Sixth Annual RUNNING OF THE RED BULLS BENEFIT on Monday June 2nd, at 6pm, celebrating their 10th Anniversary and honoring Juliet Rylance, ART/New York, and Olympia Dukakis with the 2014 Matador Awards For Excellence In Classical Theater

Featuring theatre and film heavyweights-and real-life friends-Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation, X-Men) and Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings, X-Men) and offering a compelling look behind the scenes of a West End production of Beckett's influential Waiting for Godot, Theatreland debuts on DVD on May 13, 2014 from Athena, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. Filmed on location at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, a historic London playhouse that dates back to 1720, the program features rare, candid behind-the-scenes footage that follows two productions,Waiting for Godot and Breakfast at Tiffany's, from rehearsals to opening night. Broadcast on public television in October 2010, the documentary is ever more relevant with Stewart and McKellen's recent Broadway performances in Waiting for Godot andNo Man's Land. The DVD 2-Disc set includes eight episodes, plus a 12-page viewer's guide (201 min., $39.99,AcornOnline.com).

The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E. Wareham are thrilled to present screen legend Leslie Caron, in her first Southern California theatrical performance in over 25 years! SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS, written by Richard Alfieri, with choreography by Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) and directed by Michael Arabian (Waiting for Godot). SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS will also feature 6-time Ovation Award-winning actor David Engel. 'What an honor to have on our stage the incomparable Leslie Caron and the multi-talented David Engel,' remarks Wood. 'It's a dream cast and a dream come true. With Michael Arabian and Donna McKechnie directing and choreographing, this has to be one of the most anticipated productions in the Playhouse's storied history,' adds Wareham. SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS will begin previews tonight, April 26 and will open on Saturday, May 3 at 7:30pm and run through Sunday, June 8, 2014 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

'What good is sitting alone in your room?' Especially when a big splashy revival of John Kander, Fred Ebb and Joe Masteroff's celebrated Weimar Germany musical CABARET is back on Broadway, starring Michelle Williams and Alan Cumming!

The Olivier prize for Best Actress 2014 was awarded to first-time winner Lesley Manville for her part in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts - a production nominated for five awards itself.