Southbank Centre News

Singer and comedienne Liza Pulman is about to embark on the final leg of her latest tour celebrating the life and music of one of the biggest names in showbusiness.

Southbank Centre today announced that Madani Younis has resigned from his role as Creative Director in order to pursue new creative opportunities.

The cast album for the critically acclaimed Broadway production of David Byrne's American Utopia, has been released today, with music and lyrics by David Byrne. It is available now via the Nonesuch Store, iTunes, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, and other digital service providers. The two-CD version will be released on November 22 and is available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store; a vinyl edition will be available this winter. The cast recording track list is below.

Today, commuters at Birmingham New Street station were in for an unexpected surprise as Peanut the baby elephant and Ringmaster Willy Whipsnade arrived in the city centre to celebrate the opening of Circus 1903. The international hit production opens at Birmingham Hippodrome this Friday 25 October and runs until Saturday 2 November.

On the heels of a highly successful multi-city tour and run on Broadway, the world's best-selling touring magic show, THE ILLUSIONISTS - LIVE FROM BROADWAY (www.theillusionistslive.com), will play the Majestic Theatre (224 E. Houston St.) in San Antonio, TX on March 7, 2020 for two performances at 4PM & 8PM as part of its North American tour in 2020. Tickets for THE ILLUSIONISTS will go on sale on Friday, October 18, 10AM.

On Saturday 26 October, Birmingham Hippodrome will be celebrating its 120th birthday by heading back to the theatres origins as a circus with a free open day for all the family.

Six clowns take to the stage. They sit and stare at one another, before one of them launches into a giant rage. As a game of cat and mouse occurs, the other clowns struggle to break the pair apart. They attempt to hold them back and block their path by putting obstacles in the way. Eventually, calmness resumes and the six sit down. But it doesn't last for long, as the music begins again and more chaos arises.

As part of the Southbank Centre's Classical Season, the Philharmonia Orchestra performed a fantastic Sunday matinee of Beethoven's Symphony No.7, along with Schumann's overture to Manfred and Mendlessohn's superb Violin Concerto.

For 2020, the 44th year of London's annual festival of contemporary visual theatre, 10 overseas companies join 8 British groups, including 4 LIMF co-commissioned productions: This Time, a tender take on relationships and ageing from aerial theatre company Ockham's Razor; Romancing the Apocalypse from multi award winning dance duo Thick & Tight; Dead Good, a funny and poignant story of dying from full mask theatre company Vamos Theatre; and the story of one of showbiz's long overlooked partnerships, The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel performed by Told by an Idiot at new festival venue, the iconic Wilton's Music Hall.

Following a series of highly successful WOW - Women of the World Festivals around the world, The WOW Foundation has announced plans for more events across the UK in 2019 funded by Spirit of 2012. Following the first ever WOW - What Now? in London this March, this major gathering will take place in a further nine locations, from Perth to Essex, in celebration of WOW's tenth anniversary year in 2020. WOW - What Now? will take place in cities including Perth, Norwich, Milton Keynes, Exeter, Falmouth and Rotherham over the next four months.

Dance Umbrella, now in its 41st year, continues its mission to celebrate 21st-century choreography with international performers and choreographers in events happening across London.

They're back at last! Dillie Keane, Adele Anderson and Liza Pulman return to the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall for a four-week Christmas season followed by a huge UK tour in the spring of 2020.

Playwrights Foundation's 1st Rough Reading of the season will be Derecho by Noelle Viñas, directed by Lauren Spencer. Derecho is an experimental play that explores how fragmented identity can tear you apart.

Dante or Die announce further UK touring dates for their hit show User Not Found. The show which enjoyed huge critical success is performed in the intimate setting of cafes around the UK.

The 2019-2020 season sees the innovative JACK Quartet continuing to push the boundaries of contemporary music, with a series of performances in the ensemble's hometown of New York City, tours to Europe in both the Fall and Spring, numerous premieres of new works, performances of the complete quartets of John Zorn and Clara Iannotta, the inaugural JACK Frontiers festival, and the inaugural season of the ensemble's new JACK Studio program. 

Hackney Showroom today announce the full cast for the world première of for all the women who thought they were Mad by Zawe Ashton. Associate Director of Hackney Showroom's Jo McInnes directs Layo-Christina Akinlude (Angela), Mina Andala (Joy), Jennifer Dixon (Kim), Joy Elias-Rilwan (Margaret), Jumoké Fashola (Ruth), Michael Fitzgerald (Boss/Doctor), Janet Kumah (Rose), with Elena Coleman, Chiamara Nwosu and Rae Ann Quayle sharing the role of Nambi. The production opens at Stoke Newington Town Hall on 17 October, with previews from 14 October, and runs until 9 November a?" marking Hackney Showroom's a new partnership with the London Borough of Hackney to bring theatre to Stoke Newington Town Hall.

Entertainment Exhibitions International (UK) Ltd (EEI), in association with ABBA The Museum in Stockholm, have announced ABBA: Super Troupers The Exhibition in a 14,000 square foot space within London's home of music, The O2. Running from 6th December 2019 to 31st August 2020, the immersive exhibition brings to life the world of chart-topping Swedish pop sensation ABBA (Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid (a?oeFridaa??) Lyngstad) in a visitor experience that charts their music, lyrics, creative process and influence as one of the most iconic pop bands of the modern age.

In September 2019, the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen present turbulent times with the second half of their series Weimar Berlin: Bittersweet Metropolis at Southbank Centre. This new series, which began in June, is an ambitious journey through the music, science and culture of a period of intense political turbulence and explosive creativity in Germany and beyond.

The WOW Foundation has today announced initial programming for its 2020 10th anniversary WOW - Women of the World Festival in London, which runs from 6 to 8 March across Southbank Centre. Day passes for Friday and Saturday went on sale in July and the Festival have now added a selection of additional ticketed evening events across the weekend featuring some of the world's most exciting performers, activists and voices.

Claire Gaydon (ARCOLA THEATRE, CAMDEN PEOPLES THEATRE, SUMMERHALL, ASSEMBLY VENUES, LINCOLN DRILL HALL) and Harris Cain in his first major credited role since graduating from East 15 Acting School, have been cast in award-winning Zest Theatre's Youthquake, a new play about being young and changing the world,touring nationally across 12 venues from 10 October 2019.