Ben Elton News

All the news from the Grosvenor as UK theatre's most prestigious gongs are given out...Mark Rylance and Rachel Weisz win actor/actress, Iwan Rheon, Samantha Spiro and Aneurin Barnard win the musical awards, with Wicked picking up the brand-new audience award and Spring Awakening getting the nod for best new musical

The Olivier Awards take place on Sunday evening - and you can follow all the news here!

This week we are taking a look at the just-released cast album of the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical sequel, LOVE NEVER DIES, which has proven to be among many phans and theatre fans, in a word, divisive. Be sure to check out last week's Phantom Round-Up for a rundown of the original PHANTOM OF THE OPERA as it stands on disc if only because it is beneficial to have at least a tertiary knowledge of that show‘s score in order to fully appreciate the music here... And what rich, rapturous music it is!

The 2010 Olivier Awards will take place on 21 March 2010 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, with Spring Awakening, Enron, Jerusalem and A Little Night Music among the standouts of the season with the most nominations. The Laurence Olivier Awards were established in 1976 as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, and Lord Olivier agreed to have his name associated with them in 1984. The Awards are run by The Society of London Theatre but are adjudicated by panels that are equally made up of members of the theatregoing public and experts chosen for their knowledge and professional experience. For more information and updates, visit www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards.

RELAX is set in the Gemini Lodge Guesthouse, near Weston super Mare, where the kinky guest house owner has a habit of seducing his unsuspecting male guests, but the next morning blaming it on his supposed identical twin brother.

The next Olivier Awards will take place on 21 March 2010.

Stage and screen star Imogen Stubbs is set to star in the upcoming UK tour of THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams. The tour will begin in Salisbury with performances from March 4th through March 20th. The production will be directed by Polly Teate.

Now running in its eighth year, Queen and Ben Elton's musical WE WILL ROCK YOU, is set to rock on through 2010. Bookings are now available through to October 2010, guaranteeing the show a further year at least at the Dominion Theatre, a wholly-owned Nederlander venue.

Recently celebrated as the Best Musical of the Decade by Entertainment Weekly magazine, WICKED London is proud to launch its 2010-11 cast with the news that Rachel Tucker and Louise Dearman will be taking over the West End's most sought after leading lady roles of Elphaba and Glinda.

Well, as Miss Fleck (aka Niamh Perry) has reported, yesterday was the Meet and Greet.

2009 was a fantastic year for Canadian Theatre, and with many exciting things on the horizon for 2010, there is a lot for us to be thankful for. Throughout the year, BWW interviewed many people who were part of the various productions that graced the Canadian stage, and asked them for their advice on how to break into musical theatre. Here is a recap of some of the best tips we heard throughout 2009, to help gear up for 2010!

Bald macht sich im Apollo Theater Stuttgart allabendlich ein Kreuzfahrtschiff auf die Reise.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA - THE EAGLES EXPERIENCE, The Mandela, January 20th to January 31st

The former Wicked star will be starring at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane as from March 2010

David Mirvish is delighted to announce a change to the line-up of shows for the 2009-10 Mirvish Theatre Subscription Season. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton's new musical THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH will be the second show in the season, replacing the already announced Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The new show will play October 20 to November 29, 2009 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

The Cock Tavern Theatre presents LONDON NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2009- New plays from some of the UK's most up-and coming new writers and featuring; THREE MINUTE HERO by Phil Setren 28th October - 14th November

David Mirvish is delighted to present Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton's new musical THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, which will play September 22 through November 1, 2009 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. This will be the second show of the 2009/2010 Mirvish Subscription Season and tickets will go on sale on Saturday August 22, 2009.

This week marks the end of the successful Toronto run of The Boys in the Photograph. The Andrew Lloyd Webber/Ben Elton musical about a group of Irish football players growing up during a tumultous time in their country has been playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre since September 22nd. We had the chance to sit down and talk with Tony LePage, who plays John Kelly, the male lead.

Now running in its eighth year, Queen and Ben Elton's musical WE WILL ROCK YOU, is set to rock on through 2010, according to an announcement today that the show's present run will be extened once again. Bookings are now available through to October 2010, guaranteeing the show a further year at least at the Dominion Theatre, a wholly-owned Nederlander venue.

Watch this space for the latest updates on the world of Broadway right here in Toronto! The city has a ton to offer, you just have to know where to look. First up is the story of a trip into the city to see Boys in the Photograph, the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that played in the UK and Europe under the title The Beautiful Game.