Caroline Cronin - Page 3

David Hare is well known for his biting commentary on public institutions. The Church of England, the legal system: none have escaped his observation unscathed, and with Beat the Devil, the Conservative Government is the target of choice.

My recent visit as a first-timer to this much-celebrated space was to see Educating Rita - a truncated version of the David Pugh production that was due to tour the country, pre-COVID.

Layton Williams will be headlining his own concert as part of the West End Musical Drive-In series on 29 August

Jason Robert Brown has gifted the world with immeasurable talent through his flair for theatrical compositions with a pop/rock bent and broad vocal ranges. The UK has been gifted with a wealth of JRB productions over the years - most recently an inspired lockdown performance of The Last Five Years, and before that a stunning Menier Chocolate Factory production of Bridges of Madison County.

Fans of Jason Robert Brown will be embracing the opportunity to witness a fresh production of Songs From A New World. It was last performed in the UK way back in 2015 - when The Other Palace was known as St James Theatre - and had an impressive cast of Jenna Russell, Cynthia Erivo, Dean John Wilson and Damian Humbley. Songs For A New World is Brown's first musical, and Lambert Jackson Productions is bringing it back to the masses with a new isolated production starring Rachel John, Cedric Neal, Rachel Tucker and Ramin Karimloo.

What Club11 London has always done so brilliantly is unite communities, and Turn Up London is perhaps their most effective and important example of that.

During this unsettling time, here at BroadwayWorld we've been buoyed by witnessing the outpouring of support, encouragement and collaboration that members of the arts community have been offering each other as the weeks have passed.

Cats. Possibly the most recognisable Andrew Lloyd Webber creation, known worldwide for its elaborate feline choreography and signature song 'Memory'. Its profile makes it the perfect candidate to close the 'The Shows Must Go On' streaming series of Lloyd Webber productions, which has successfully raised over $500,000 across the past seven weeks.

The hype around the National Theatre's production of Twelfth Night when it premiered in 2017 was, understandably, centred around Tamsin Greig. Not necessarily because of her celebrity status (although that of course will have been a factor), but primarily because she would be undertaking a gender-swapped role - from Malvolio to Malvolia.

David Hunter has become a renowned West End leading man - from Guy in Once to Charlie Price in Kinky Boots, and, most recently, Dr Pomatter in Waitress. Since theatres went dark and lockdown began, he's kept himself busy (and his fans entertained) by actively creating and sharing new material online with his trademark infectious enthusiasm. We had a natter to David about his involvement in the upcoming All The Web's a Stage online concert, why he'll miss Waitress so much, and which of his previous roles he thinks would cope best in a lockdown.

Premiering at Chichester Festival Theatre in September 2018 (although first produced in Sheffield in 2016), Daniel Evans' production of Flowers for Mrs Harris takes us on a heart-warming journey of self-discovery. Based on Paul Gallico's 1958 novel of the same name, Rachel Wagstaff's book is overflowing with an authentic sense of humanity, and what it means to truly find oneself.

It's a strange old time right now, with our beloved theatre community mourning the loss of jobs, of creative outlets, and of the human connections that theatre is so brilliant at creating. This collective grief is felt over at BroadwayWorld UK too, and we want to do what we can to continue celebrating the industry we love so much, so we've launched a series of features that celebrate musicals and plays from days gone by.

A stage adaptation of Pretty Woman makes a lot of sense. It's possibly one of the most beloved movies of its time, with its iconic costumes and quotable one-liners...and it propelled the ever-popular Julia Roberts into superstardom. 

Some might consider The Pirate Queen an odd choice for a producing debut, but Tom Gribby clearly has an affection for the material and no-one can question the credentials of the great Boublil and Schonberg - most notable for writing the book and score to Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.

Lucie Jones has certainly earned her musical theatre stripes in the past few years. Stints in Rent, Legally Blonde, and more recently Waitress, have cemented her as one of our most accomplished musical theatre actresses. And last night during Lucie Jones Live at the Adelphi, as theatreland came together to celebrate her talents, Jones showcased her authentic self and it was a delight to witness.

Nikolai Foster's production of White Christmas is the second in five years to run at the Dominion Theatre. The last a?" directed by Morgan Young a?" was a solid affair, but pales in comparison to this version which sparkles from top to toe.

Anxiety. Isolation. Depression. One would be forgiven for thinking that a musical addressing such weighty topics would be downbeat and maudlin - yet Dear Evan Hansen is anything but.

The most famous love story of all time. Remixed. That's the opening strapline for & Juliet, the new British musical that is now in previews in London, after a successful run in Manchester. & Juliet picks up the Shakespearean story we all know and love and runs with it, turning it on its head and posing the question: What if Juliet's famous ending was really her beginning? Punctuated with a plethora of pop hits from music mogul Max Martin, & Juliet looks set to shake up the musical theatre landscape and deliver audiences something that's fresh and engaging. We chat to musical theatre legend Oliver Tompsett.

Sheer brilliance. Any lesser description wouldn't do justice to the new production of Noises Off that has come barreling into the West End on a wave of relentless belly laughs.

BIG the Musical first premiered on Broadway in 1996 and closed after just six months. It had its UK & Ireland premiere in Plymouth in 2016, shortly followed by a stint in Dublin - both starring Jay McGuiness as Josh, who reprises the role for this West End production.