Marianka Swain - Page 46

Tim Firth can't keep away from the Calendar Girls. Following the 2003 film and 2008 play, he's back again adapting the real-life story of Yorkshire WI heroines stripping off for a charity calendar after one of their number loses her husband to cancer - this time in a musical adaptation with Gary Barlow.

Kate Fleetwood's varied career encompasses everything from musicals London Road and High Society to Macbeth and Medea. She's currently starring in American writer Lindsey Ferrentino's play about a soldier who returns home to Florida after suffering a life-changing injury in Afghanistan. The production begins previews tonight. 

Last night, Gary Barlow and Tim Firth's new musical THE GIRLS held a gala opening night in aid of charity Bloodwise. Guests at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End included Phillip Schofield, Michael Ball, Graham Norton, Mel Giedroyc and Sian Phillips.

Last night, winners were announced at London's Prince of Wales Theatre for the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, celebrating the best of the UK's theatre over the past year, as voted for by the audience.

The winners were announced this evening at the Prince of Wales Theatre for the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, presented by Simon Lipkin and Vikki Stone, celebrating the best of the UK's theatre over the past year, as voted for by the audience.

Composer and lyricist Robert J Sherman's work includes musicals Love Birds and Bumblescratch. The latter, set during the Great Plague and Great Fire of London and told from a perspective of a plague rat, received a gala concert presentation last year at the Adelphi Theatre starring Darren Day, Jessica Martin and Michael Xavier. The cast recording is now available on CD from SimG Records.

Amy Morgan's credits include Red Velvet and Hay Fever in the West End, The Beaux' Stratagem at the National Theatre, and, on screen, Father Brown and Mr Selfridge. She's currently starring as Gwendolen in Tom Stoppard's Travesties, which has transferred to the Apollo Theatre following a hit run at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

American actor Joe Aaron Reid's Broadway credits include If/Then, Chicago and Curtains. In London, he starred as Benny in In the Heights and is currently playing Curtis in the hit West End revival of Dreamgirls.

Actress Vicky McClure's projects include Shane Meadows' This Is England series, Line of Duty and Broadchurch. She's now taking on her first major stage role with Nottingham Playhouse's 40th anniversary production of Stephen Lowe's World War II drama Touched, centring on a family of working-class women during the 100 days between VE Day and VJ Day. It begins previews on 17 February.

Don Gallagher's stage credits include Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Producers and Les Miserables in the West End, as well as work for the National Theatre and RSC. He's currently starring in the musical version of Disney's Aladdin as the nefarious Jafar.

Australian actor Simon Gleeson's extensive musical theatre credits include Far Pavilions, Eureka, Mamma Mia! and Love Never Dies. He's currently starring as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre.

This is pure titular titillation - a strategy that backfires with this dated, laboured and distinctly unsexy piece. 'Serious' writer Olivia (Emilia Fox) at one point bemoans the fact that her failed first novel was falsely marketed as a chick-lit romp, and here too there's a mismatch between erotic promise and Laura Eason's polemical two-hander about the inner workings of the publishing industry.

Anton Stephans became a household name following his stint on The X Factor. His musical theatre credits include Porgy and Bess, Smokey Joe's Cafe and Moby Dick, and tonight he brings his show Brave to Live at Zedel.

Steffan Lloyd-Evans's work includes Into The Woods at Menier Chocolate Factory, The 306: Dawn at the National Theatre of Scotland, Beyond the Fence at the Arts Theatre, and the UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He's currently starring in Mischief Theatre's latest West End hit The Comedy About A Bank Robbery.

Kate Stanley Brennan's theatre work includes Wuthering Heights at the Gate Theatre, Yerma at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and The Night Alive at Lyric Belfast. She's currently starring in Annie Ryan's production of Webster's The White Devil in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the evocative candlelit indoor space at Shakespeare's Globe.

Conleth Hill is beloved by millions of Game of Thrones watchers as spymaster Varys, but he's also a respected theatre actor, with work ranging from The Cherry Orchard and Stones in His Pockets to the 2013 revival of Quartermaine's Terms. He's about to embark on Edward Albee's masterpiece Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring opposite Imelda Staunton; the production begins previews at the Harold Pinter Theatre on 22 February.

'I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion,' declares Tom Wingfield, the narrator of Tennessee Williams's exquisite memory play. Director John Tiffany has proved gloriously adept at handling both sides of the equation in the magical trick-filled yet emotionally authentic Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and here too, in this acclaimed production that comes to the West End via Broadway and Edinburgh, wonders rub shoulders with bruising truths.

Leo Bill's work includes Laura Wade's Posh, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire at the National, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring Hamlet at the Barbican, and, on screen, Mike Leigh's Vera Drake and TV series Taboo. He's currently playing Bottom in Joe Hill-Gibbins's dark production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which begins previews at the Young Vic on 11 February.

London is never short of theatre temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From a major Albee revival to starry Shakespeare and a steamy musical, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews...

As part of Hull UK City of Culture, the Back to Ours festival transforms local venues - including schools, shopping centres and social clubs - into performance spaces for everything from theatre, music and comedy to dance and cabaret. In order to give all residents an opportunity to see the work, ticket prices begin from as little as £2.50. Three participants give us a sneak preview.