UK Roundup - Radcliffe, Wicked, Drowsy Chaperone

Dates have been confirmed for the Daniel Radcliffe led production of Peter Shaffer's Equus. Co-starring veteran actor Richard Griffiths, who won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Actor, the revival will open at the Gielgud Theatre on February 27th following previews from February 16th. Radcliffe is, of course, best known for his role as Harry Potter in the film adaptations of the best-selling books. It has been widely reported that he will appear naked in the stage production, which will be performed in the round with parts of the seating on stage. Prior to Equus's run, the theatre will host the Donmar Warehouse transfer of Frost/Nixon starring Michael Sheen. An excellent website can be found at www.equustheplay.com.

The West End, unlike Broadway, doesn't publish its weekly grosses - it's one of those shy, taboo issues that leads to message board posters merely speculating on attendance percentages. Wicked, however, has broken that silence by publicly announcing that it had the highest 8-performance weekly take in West End history. The figure? £761,125 ($1,452,397.32), averaging just over 95% capacity, which in a 2304 seater theatre means that more than 130,000 people have attended since its arrival. Let's hope that the Wicked producers will start a trend and that eventually we'll see a weekly performance table for all our West End shows, as is the fashion in the States.

The Sound of Music has begun previews at the London Palladium. Starring Connie Fisher (winner of BBC1 talent competition How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria), Simon Shepherd (UPDATE: Simon Shepherd has now withdrawn from The Sound of Music, the part will be taken by Alexander Hanson instead - more on this next week) and soprano Lesley Garrett, the show officially opens on November 15th. Andrew Lloyd Webber co-produces with David Ian (both panelists on the BBC programme) and direction is by Jeremy Sams with choreography by Arlene Phillips. The Sound of Music has – thanks to the TV show – been one of the most talked about events of the year, causing massive controversy and sparking major public debate, including comments from Lloyd Webber collaborator Trevor Nunn.

Casting is shaping up for the West End production of Broadway hit The Drowsy Chaperone. A post supposedly made by actor John Partridge on a message board last week said that he'd be cast as Robert, with Summer Strallen as Janet. He claims that they will open at the Novello Theatre in May 2007 and that Bob Martin will come over to star as Man in Chair. David Benedict reported in Variety today that not only are producers looking for a house for The Drowsy Chaperone but also for Jersey Boys and Hairspray, making 2007 another busy year for Broadway transfers.

And finally, just in case you've missed out on some exciting casting news recently, I thought I'd recap on some confirmed casts for high-profile productions. Popstar Will Young will star in the Manchester Royal Exchange production of The Vortex from January 17th, Judi Dench and Alastair McGowan head a stellar cast in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Merry Wives the Musical from December 2nd and Billy Zane leads a transfer of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at the Haymarket from November 29th.

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