Alex Young News

An all-singing, all-dancing old school musical that will delight fans of all ages.

This afternoon the winners of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year and Stiles + Drewe Prize were announced at the 12th anniversary West End Gala at the Savoy Theatre which was hosted Olivier Award winner Tracie Bennett.

This afternoon the winners of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year and Stiles + Drewe Prize were announced at the 12th anniversary West End Gala at the Savoy Theatre which was hosted Olivier Award winner Tracie Bennett.

The full company has been confirmed for Chichester Festival Theatre's summer musical ME AND MY GIRL, directed by Daniel Evans and running from 2 July - 25 August (press night: 9 July).

Further casting is announced today for Festival 2018 at Chichester Festival Theatre. Clive Rowe joins Matt Lucas, Caroline Quentin and Alex Young to lead the cast of the musical ME AND MY GIRL, which Daniel Evans directs at the Festival Theatre from 2 July - 25 August. Clive will play Sir John Tremayne, returning to Chichester following his appearance in Kiss Me Kate in 2012 which later transferred to The Old Vic.

Full casting is announced today for the London workshop of EMMA, A New Musical, based on the novel by Jane Austen, directed by Thom Southerland.

This week, Olivier Award-winner Imelda Staunton and record-setting Tony Award winner Audra McDonald were honored by the Royal Academy of Music and University of London.

Following the acclaimed run of 35mm: A Musical Exhibition, award-winning composer-lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver returns to The Other Palace to host Crazytown, an evening of his songs, performed by a star-studded cast.

Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments today announce Hannah Chissick, Adam Lenson, James Dacre, Peter Rowe, Josh Seymour, Tania Azevedo, Cressida Carre and Kate Golledge as directors for the eight 25-minute extracts from new musicals to be presented at BEAM2018.

The Mike Stern Band featuring Teymur Phell and Richie Morales will headline the 7th Les Paul Festival Concert at Ramapo College on Saturday, February 24, 2018 in the Berrie Center's Sharp Theater at 8:00 p.m.  The annual festival celebrates Mahwah resident Les Paul's innovative spirit as a musician and technologist by hosting a week of guest speakers and workshops for Ramapo's music students culminating in a concert for the college and regional community. The Les Paul Festival is presented by the Ramapo College Music Program, the Berrie Center for the Performing and Visual Arts, the School of Contemporary Arts, the student-run Ramapo Music Club, and the Mahwah Museum.

The Offies 2018 finalists were announced live on Twitter & Facebook at 1pm today by OffWestEnd Panel Judge & Critic for The Stage Mark Shenton.

London Playwrights' Workshop is partnering with musical theatre writing team Barlow & Smith to create the Women's Musical Theatre Initiative (WMTI), a new development programme for female musical theatre writers. The WMTI will launch with a cabaret 'Celebrating Female Songwriters' at The Pheasantry on 12 February 2018. The evening will be hosted by songwriters Barlow & Smith and will bring together a group of accomplished female songwriters to showcase new writing and to raise funds to support the initiative.

Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments today announce the programme selected from their pitching days held around the UK between September and November for BEAM2018. Fifty-eight of the new British musicals pitched at these days have been selected to be shared at the biennial industry showcase which will next year be held at Theatre Royal Stratford East on 1 and 2 March. BEAM is designed for anyone in a position to help develop and stage new British musicals to attend, bringing the most exciting musical theatre projects together from around the UK for industry professionals to grab the opportunity to become involved from the early stages of development.

Musical Theatre Network & Mercury Musical Developments & Lyric Hammersmith are delighted to announce that Kate Marlais will be The Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer at the Lyric Hammersmith commencing March 2018.

This December, Londoners are being invited to take a break from the panicked shopping, panto and awkward office parties to come mark the festive season at one of twelve unique events which are all part of 'The 12 Days of Christmas' season at Bishopsgate Institute.

This December, a ground-breaking new event, SIGNAL, takes over The Hospital Club's Oak Room. This free concert the first in a planned series of SIGNAL events showcases some of the best and boldest new British musical theatre. A curated selection of composers, lyricists and songwriters, present songs from shows that are currently being written. Helped by a selection of West End performers and accompanied by a live house band, SIGNAL looks to showcase the breadth and talent of those currently developing new British musical theatre.

Dates and casting have announced for new National Theatre season!

Including such classic songs as Broadway Baby, I'm Still Here and Losing My Mind, Stephen Sondheim's legendary musical FOLLIES is being staged for the first time at the National Theatre. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, the production is directed by Dominic Cooke (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom). In the video below, get a look behind the scenes with the company talking about what this classic musical is about!

Theatre has a long memory. Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's 1971 musical has been through myriad incarnations, donning and shedding numbers, an interval, an ill-conceived upbeat ending, and yet the original vision has lingered. It comes to extraordinary life in a blockbuster National Theatre revival that proves Follies isn't just still here - it's thrilling, heartrending and utterly vital.

1971, New York. There's a party on the stage of the Weissman Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves. See production pictures!