Maria Aitken News

The 39 Steps, now celebrating its sixth year in the West End, has grossed over twenty million pounds since it opened at the Criterion Theatre in 2006. It is now the longest running consecutive show in the theatre's 137 year history.

Alfred Hitchcock's award-winning The 39 Steps is Broadway's longest-running comedy thriller. Winner of two Tony and Drama Desk Awards and London's Oliver Award for Best New Comedy, The 39 Steps is packed with laughs, thrills and over 150 unique characters-performed by four actors-and it will take the stage at Three Stages for three shows on October 23-24.

Gerard McCarthy (Bruce) and Oliver Wilson (Christopher) join the previously announced, Robert Bathurst (Robert), to complete the cast of Blue/Orange. The second show in Theatre Royal Brighton Productions inaugural season, directed by Christopher Luscombe, Joe Penhall's Blue/Orange will tour nationally from 13 September 2012, before transferring to the West End. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!

Gerard MCcarthy & Oliver Wilson join Robert Bathurst in Theatre Royal Brighton's Production of Blue/Orange.

Single tickets to productions in the Huntington Theatre Company's 2012-2013 Season go on sale to the general public onThursday, August 16.

Today, 9 July, Paul Bigley (Man) joins other cast members Andrew Alexander (Richard Hannay), Catherine Bailey (Pamela/Annabella/Margaret) and Stephen Critchlow (Man) in the hilarious, multi award-winning comedy, The 39 Steps.

Today, 9 July, Paul Bigley (Man) joins other cast members Andrew Alexander (Richard Hannay), Catherine Bailey (Pamela/Annabella/Margaret) and Stephen Critchlow (Man) in the hilarious, multi award-winning comedy, The 39 Steps.

Starring Patricia Hodge and Nicholas Le Prevost, DANDY DICK by Arthur Wing Pinero will have its opening tonight, July 3. This Theatre Royal Brighton Productions and Ambassador Theatre Group collaboration kicks off the first of many planned classic plays to tour the country's best playhouses nationwide before the West End.

Theatre Royal Brighton Productions presents the second show in their debut season, Joe Penhall's multi award winning play, BLUE/ORANGE, directed by Artistic Director Christopher Luscombe (The Madness of George III, Spamalot in the West End) with Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet, Wild at Heart, Downton Abbey) in the role of Robert.

Drink in this effervescent Noel Coward champagne cocktail during its final weekend at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston

The Geffen Playhouse announces an unprecedented eight plays - five in the Gil Cates Theater and three in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater - for its 2012/2013 season. With an ongoing focus on introducing audiences to new plays, reimagined classics and emerging voices, the Geffen's season features three world premieres - including a commission by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies (Coney Island Christmas), a classic adaptation by Tony Award nominee Neil LaBute (August Strindberg's Miss Julie) and a new work by Michael Golamco (Build); two American premieres - one marking the return of Olivier Award nominee Joanna Murray-Smith (The Gift) and the other a riotous British import by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn (Yes, Prime Minister); two West Coast premieres - including Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage's new work (By the Way, Meet Vera Stark) and comedienne Judy Gold's acclaimed off-Broadway memoir (The Judy Show); and a brand new production of David Mamet's defining work American Buffalo helmed by Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Randall Arney.

The Geffen Playhouse announces an unprecedented eight plays - five in the Gil Cates Theater and three in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater - for its 2012/2013 season. With an ongoing focus on introducing audiences to new plays, reimagined classics and emerging voices, the Geffen's season features three world premieres - including a commission by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies (Coney Island Christmas), a classic adaptation by Tony Award nominee Neil LaBute (August Strindberg's Miss Julie) and a new work byMichael Golamco (Build).

The Huntington Theatre Company announces its 2012-2013 Season. Continuing its 30-year tradition, the Huntington will present world-class productions of new works and classics made current that are created by the best local and national talent.

Olivier Award-winning director Maria Aitken (39 Steps) will direct John Glover (Death of a Salesman), Marthe Keller (Judgment at Nuremberg) and Lisa Banes (Present Laughter) in a staged reading of Noel Coward's A Song at Twilight on Monday, April 16 at 7 pm at the Mainstage Theater (Playwrights Horizons). The performance, sponsored by the Noel Coward Foundation, is presented in conjunction with The Noel Coward-New York Festival 2012. A reception with the cast and director will be held following the performance. Ms. Aitken serves on the Artists Advisory Board of The Acting Company; Ms. Banes is an Alumna of the Company. Tickets @ $35 are available from 212-258-3111.

Starring Patricia Hodge and Nicholas Le Prevost, DANDY DICK by Arthur Wing Pinero will have its opening night on July 3. This Theatre Royal Brighton Productions and Ambassador Theatre Group collaboration kicks off the first of many planned classic plays to tour the country's best playhouses nationwide before the West End.

Simon Callow has returned to London's Trafalgar Studios 1 to reprise his highly acclaimed show BEING SHAKESPEARE for a strictly limited season from 7 to 31 March, before heading across the seas to appear at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music in New York and then at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre at the Broadway Playhouse.

The Noël Coward Foundation today announced further details of the Noël Coward Festival which will run in conjunction with the previously announced Exhibition STAR QUALITY: The World of Noël Coward at the New York Public Library (NYPL) for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. NYPL will also be presenting a number of Coward related programs in the Bruno Walter Auditorium. For further information visit www.nypl.org/lpaprograms.

The Noël Coward Foundation today announced further details of the Noël Coward Festival which will run in conjunction with the previously announced Exhibition STAR QUALITY: The World of Noël Coward at the New York Public Library (NYPL) for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. NYPL will also be presenting a number of Coward related programs in the Bruno Walter Auditorium. For further information visit www.nypl.org/lpaprograms.

The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards recognize the extraordinary wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community, and this year's nominations have just been announced. IRNE Reviewers include among others David Brooks Andrews, Sheila Barth, Jules Becker, Kay Bourne, Beverly Creasey, Shirley Esthimer, Richard Fahey, Guy Giampapa, Norm Gross, Nancy Grossman, Bryce Lambert, Beatrice Lee, Kilian Melloy and Larry Stark.