Marianka Swain - Page 42

After months of anticipation, the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child finally begins previews at the Palace Theatre in the West End this week. The new play is a collaboration between Potter creator J.K. Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, and stars Jamie Parker as Harry Potter, Poppy Miller as Ginny Potter, Sam Clemmett as Albus Potter, Paul Thornley as Ron Weasley, Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger, Cherrelle Skeete as Rose Granger-Weasley, Alex Price as Draco Malfoy, Anthony Boyle as Scorpius Malfoy.

Last night, Jesse Eisenberg's THE SPOILS had its press night at Trafalgar Studios. His third play, The Spoils originally ran Off-Broadway in 2015 at The Pershing Square Signature Center. The London production stars Eisenberg, Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Katie Brayben (Beautiful - The Carole King Musical), Annapurna Sriram (Billions) and Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory), and plays until August 13. It's directed by The New Group's Scott Elliott. To book tickets: 0844 871 7632, atgtickets.com

The Circus comes to town with the London premiere of sizzling new show BLANC DE BLANC. After a sold-out, critically acclaimed run at the Sydney Opera House, Blanc de Blanc comes to the London Hippodrome from the 14 July until the 28 August with press night on Friday 22 July. Blanc de Blanc is brought to you from the award-winning creative team behind Madonna's recent Rebel Heart Tour, and is directed by Scott Maidment (LIMBO, Cantina, Madonna' Rebel Heart Tour), choreographed by Kevin Maher (choreographed for Justin Bieber, Britney Spears and Madonna), with costumes by James Brown (All Saints, Australian Idol).

TWIST Theatre Company (The Way I See Theatre), Hackney Empire's new graduate company, brings the premiere of a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's MACBETH, set in the in the cutthroat world of the British Music Industry, to C Venues, Chambers Street, for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2016 - Wednesday 3 to Saturday 20 August. 

Charm City Fringe will present its third annual Nights on the Fringe with two shows of vaudeville-inspired acts July 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m.at the Baltimore Theatre Project. Both nights will be hosted by WYPR's Aaron Henkin and Gin & Jokes' Umar Khan. Friday's show features a performance by 2015 Baltimore Youth Poet Laureate Derick Ebert, hip hop by Bmore Than Dance, acrobatics by Club Sandwich and more. Aerial performers In the Dark Circus and Charm City Fringe award-winners "A Fool's Paradise" and Interrobang Theatre Company are part of the seven-act lineup Saturday.

Actress and Emmy Award-winning commentator Nancy Giles (CBS News Sunday Morning) curates and hosts THE MOSQUITO, her free, fast and furious monthly variety show with stand-ups, sit-downs and music at the Dixon Place Lounge on Manhattan's Lower East Side on Monday, June 13, 2016 at 7:30pm. 

Sydney's only contemporary arts festival dedicated to children and families, Way Out West (WoW) Festival for Children, will return for its sixth year to Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre for four inspirational days of free creative sessions with Australia's leading artists from 13 to 16 July 2016.

Four new artists and companies have been selected to join The Point for the next 18 months as Associate Artists. Joining the venue with some fantastically creative ideas and exciting works in development, these new artists have been selected based on their talent, passion and drive for the arts and performance making.

The Metropolitan Opera announced that the acclaimed conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguinwill be the company's new Music Director. The position has previously been held by only two artists in the company's storied 133-year history-James Levine, who after 40 years in the position stepped down at the end of the recently concluded season to become the company's first Music Director Emeritus, and Rafael Kubelik, who held the title briefly in the company's 1973-74 season.

The Ambassador Theatre Group is to produce a brand new stage musical based on the life of the legendary Frank Sinatra, in partnership with Stewart Till and Frank Sinatra Enterprises.  The show, which is planned to open in 2018, will feature a number of timeless hit songs from Sinatra's incredible catalogue of over 1400 tracks recorded during his illustrious career. Script development for the Frank Sinatra musical is planned to start shortly.

This summer, award-winning theatre company Antic Disposition will present a brand new production of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors in beautiful Gray's Inn Hall in London, the very space where the play was first performed in 1594. The production runs from 20 August to 1 September 2016.

Following their acclaimed, sell-out performances recreating The Band's The Last Waltz concert at the Belgrade in 2011, the Mustard and Blood band return to the B2 auditorium in 2016 with three very special live shows this June.

Agatha Christie's beloved murder mystery THE MOUSETRAP will begin the final leg of its record-breaking, and first ever, UK tour at Glasgow Theatre Royal on 12th September. The tour will then visit Swindon, Cardiff, Wakefield, Perth, Ayr, Edinburgh, Guildford, Birmingham, Tunbridge Wells, Isle of Wight, Derry, Oxford, Carlisle and Aberystwyth.

Following the publication of Charlie Gray's HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD portraits, the show has released a behind the scenes video of the character photo shoot. Check it out below!

A casting update is announced today for the world premiere of new musical A Pacifist's Guide to the War on Cancer with book by Bryony Kimmings and Brian Lobel, music by Tom Parkinson and lyrics by Bryony Kimmings. Kimmings directs a cast including Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Amy Booth-Steel, Hal Fowler, Amanda Hadingue, Akiya Henry, Golda Rosheuvel, Rose Shalloo, Gareth Snook and Gary Wood.

CLD - THE REAL LEWIS CARROLL tells the story of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (CLD), the shy young mathematician at Christ Church College who wrote the 'Alice' books as Lewis Carroll. This ultimate Oxford musical, which runs at St Columba's United Reformed Church from Thursday 14th July to Saturday 6th August, uses his absurd 'Alice' characters, text and songs to reveal the tragic story of his love affair with Lorina Liddell - Alice's mother in real life.

Hijinx (Cardiff), in association with Blind Summit (London) and Wales In Edinburgh, are bringing MEET FRED, a snapshot into the life of a potty-mouthed puppet with a feisty personality who fights prejudice every day, to Summerhall for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2016, from 5 to 25 August. NB - Contains strong language and puppet nudity.

Last night Alexi Kaye Campbell's new play, SUNSET AT THE VILLA THALIA, directed by Simon Godwin, had its press night at the National's Dorfman Theatre. The show features design by Hildegard Bechtler, lighting design by Natasha Chivers, music by Michael Bruce, movement by Jonathan Goddard and sound design by Tom Gibbons. The cast includes Christos Callow, Sam Crane, Glykeria Dimou, Elizabeth McGovern, Ben Miles, Pippa Nixon and Eve Polycarpou. 

South London-based theatre company Velvet Trumpet present the grimy, dark, bittersweet and, above all, funny debut play of excitable Welsh playwright Ffion Jones. UGLY LOVELY is at the Old Red Lion Theatre June 28th to July 16th.

In anticipation of its New York presentation with the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) this July, producers Jorge de la Garza and German Cavazos will present a special concert version of the new musical CHILDREN OF SALT, music by Jaime Lozano and book and lyrics by Lauren Epsenhart, with arrangements & orchestrations by Jesus Altamira and Jaime Lozano, musical direction by Geraldine Anello and musical supervision by Zach Dietz.