Debbie Gilpin - Page 9

The world of musical theatre is being shaken up once again, as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz gets the Sh*t-faced Showtime treatment. The company's Shakespeare sibling is also in town over the summer with Much Ado About Nothing.

Shakespeare in the Squares returns after a successful introduction in 2016 with Much Ado About Nothing, this time taking on a tragedy that has been another popular choice this year - Daniel Kramer's controversial production has almost finished its run at Shakespeare's Globe, for one.

After exploring themes of vanity and corporate culture in Marius Von Mayerburg's The Ugly One, Park90 now turns its attentions towards science and the environment with Chuck Anderson's brand new play The View From Nowhere. With Brexit looming large, the economic and immigration issues have been headline news, but what effect will that have on the scientific community? Or is big business involved too much for it to matter?

Hot on the heels of the success of the reworked Half a Sixpence, Stiles & Drewe team up with Julian Fellowes once more to adapt a well-loved children's book for the stage. The Wind in the Willows has premiered at the end of last year in a short tour and now has a limited London season over the summer - just in time for the school holidays and Kids Go Free (now running for the entirety of August).

Another tale of doomed love continues Emma Rice's 'Summer of Love' apace. Currently making its way around the country, Kneehigh's revival production of their much-beloved Tristan & Yseult weighs anchor at the Globe for a short run before continuing its UK tour. It sits somewhere in between concurrent productions Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night, blending tragic romance with music, dance and comedy.

Following a successful national tour, Ramps on the Moon's co-production of The Who's Tommy continues its journey with a run at Theatre Royal Stratford East this month. Ramps on the Moon is a budding consortium that is associating closely with several UK theatres and theatre companies as they work on new projects over the course of the next few years. One of their partners, Graeae Theatre Company, will be at Stratford East later this year with their production of Reasons To Be Cheerful.

Continuing Chichester Festival Theatre's run of plays, prior to its first musical offering of the season, is Tennessee Williams' 1959 work Sweet Bird of Youth. It comes a few months after Williams' classic The Glass Menagerie enjoyed an Olivier-nominated run at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End, sharing a cast member (Brian J. Smith).

Following the success of Dr Seuss's The Lorax during the festive season of 2015-16, and prior to its return this autumn, the creative team have reunited to create an original piece of theatre from the first solo outing by singer-songwriter Charlie Fink (formerly frontman for Noah and the Whale). It plays alongside Woyzeck at the Old Vic prior to a UK and international tour.

With Wicked going strong across the world, and Hamilton a few months away from its much anticipated West End transfer, it seems like the perfect time for the European première of a reworked musical that features compositions from the pens of both Stephen Schwartz and Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as many others. It continues Southwark Playhouse's varied season, hot on the heels of The Cardinal.

With Donald Trump's social media habits regularly causing a stir worldwide, it seems quite apt for the latest Park Theatre production to focus on this wide-ranging topic. Chris England's play Twitstorm revolves around popular TV host Guy Manton's spectacular fall from grace as a tweet from his official account causes widespread offence, and engulfs his entire life.

This seems to be the year of Twelfth Night, with the National Theatre's production recently closing and several other touring companies taking it on. But what better place to bring it to life than the Globe, in Emma Rice's 'Summer of Love'? It now plays alongside Daniel Kramer's Romeo and Juliet, making it the first of Shakespeare's comedies being performed there this season.

A timely revival of the Brecht epic continues the 2017 Young Vic season with a vengeance. Joe Wright directs a wholly modern production, which also features music composed by Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers.

The first in a series of film concerts dedicated to the massively successful Harry Potter film franchise is currently making its way around the world, stopping off for a few days at the historic Royal Albert Hall. It is an experience like no other, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra onstage and a large screen suspended in front of the choir stalls.

In our new column, THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE SONGS, BroadwayWorld writers discuss their top picks from musical theatre. Let us know your favourite!

Based on the life and career of cosmetics magnate Helena Rubinstein, John Misto's new play stars Miriam Margolyes and continues a varied season at the Park Theatre. It's a successor of sorts of Ryan Craig's Filthy Business that recently ended its run at Hampstead Theatre, telling the story of a female Jewish immigrant who went on to great success in the business world - though it's more of a comedic biography than a play out to make a social or political point.

The sun and stars were out at the same time this afternoon as London's theatre community descended upon the Royal Albert Hall for this year's Olivier Awards. With excitement high, the nominees, presenters and guests were all keen to share their hopes and predictions for the evening ahead.

Love and disguise are the order of the day as the Orange Tree's 2016-17 programme continues with a new John Fowles translation of Pierre Marivaux's The Lottery of Love. The 18th century play in this production has more than a whiff of Jane Austen about it, with characters in Regency dress and placing great importance on propriety and good manners.

Stewart Permutt's two-hander is the latest piece to run in Park Theatre's Park90 performance space, running alongside Action To The Word's A Clockwork Orange in Park200. As the play begins it looks like it will be a study on religious intolerance and culture clash, but as it goes on it tries to deal with the weighty topic of mental health. This lack of focus is one of the play's biggest failings.

Fresh from the success of The Last Five Years at the former St James Theatre, which culminated in a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production, acclaimed composer Jason Robert Brown last night joined a stellar cast for a one-off concert performance of his Broadway hit Honeymoon In Vegas. Accompanied by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra, Samantha Barks and Arthur Darvill led the cast as engaged couple Betsy and Jack.

Following stints in Bath and Richmond, Sean Foley and Phil Porter's new adaptation of the Moliere classic is now in the West End's Garrick Theatre for a limited run. Whilst it does retain a satirical edge, its main aim is to entertain - and does so in spades.