Ben Elton News

KERRY ELLIS, the award-winning star of the London production of WICKED and Broadway's newest Elphaba, has recorded two songs from WICKED, Defying Gravity and I'm Not That Girl.

The first act of the new musical sequel to Phantom of the Opera, 'Phantom: Once Upon Another Time' is about to be performed privately for friends of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Cherwell, Oxford University's student newspaper reports that renowned UK singer and performer John Barrowman is mulling the choices to star as either P.T. Barnum in a late-2009 West End revival of the musical Barnum or join the upcoming 'Phantom 2', Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to his mega hit, The Phantom of the Opera.

We Will Rock You will conclude its hugely successful Toronto run on May 11. A Canadian tour is being planned.

According to BBC News Online, Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that a sequel to We Will Rock You- the rock musical based on Queen's songs- is in the works. While speaking at a formal ceremony to install him as the Chancellor of John Moores University May said, 'We are planning a sequel. It's a real challenge.'

According to The Stage News, writer Ben Elton will be teaming up with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the upcoming sequel to Phantom of the Opera. Elton teamed up with Webber in 2000 to write the book and lyrics for The Beautiful Game. He has recently worked as book writer for the musicals We Will Rock You and Tonight's The Night.

Cameron Mackintosh will present Rowan Atkinson as 'Fagin' in Lionel Bart's musical masterpiece 'OLIVER!' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with performances commencing from 12 December 2008 and a press night on 14 January 2009.

After playing more than one year of performances at Toronto's Canon Theatre, We Will Rock You announces its final extension through May 11, 2008. The new and final block of tickets will go on sale Sunday March 16, 2008.

Kerry Ellis, currently starring as London's Elphaba in Wicked, is to recreate her award-winning performance on Broadway. Kerry will play her final performance in London on June 7, 2008 before beginning performances at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre on June 17, 2008. Following her Broadway engagement, Kerry will return to the London production at the end of the year.

David Mirvish is delighted to present a total of eight shows in the new 2008/2009 Mirvish Theatre Season. Six of the shows - five acclaimed musicals and one classic drama - will be available in a subscripton package. Two bonus shows, both musicals, round out the season.

Highlights from We Will Rock You

Toronto loves its theater and always has a diverse selection available throughout the year. This winter theatergoers to Broadway's north is no exception with such musicals as 'Sweeney Todd' (an international Tour featuring Judy Kaye alongside revival cast member's Lauren Molina and Benjamin Magnuson), Queen's jukebox spectacle 'We Will Rock You', Dirty Dancing' and the holiday appropriate, 'White Christmas' which features several well-known New York based performers such as (married in real life) leads Kate Baldwin and Graham Rowat.

The hit Toronto production of WE WILL ROCK YOU has now extended to November 4, 2007. The new block of tickets will go on sale Saturday August 11, 2007.

Tickets for We Will Rock You, the hit Queen musical in Toronto, are now extended through the summer months to September 2, 2007

Australian-born actor/singer Andrew Bevis will play the title role of Martin Guerre in Craig Revel-Horwood's re-invention of the Boublil and Schonberg musical at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury from July 11 to September 1. Having begun his career as a musician and musical director, Bevis first gained attention down under as a musical theatre performer when he was cast in a revival of 'Hello Dolly', playing alongside Warren Mitchell and the grande dame of Australian musical theatre, Jill Perryman. In the West End he played star-crossed lover Romeo in the ill-fated Gerard Presgurvic/Don Black musical 'Romeo and Juliet', Marius in 'Les Miserables' and wowed audiences as the 'chick with a dick' in 'Jerry Springer, the Opera'.

When the show rocks, it really rocks. When it talks, it becomes embarrassingly amateurish. * * 1/2 (out of five)

The Queen musical We Will Rock You has extended its run at Toronto's Canon Theatre.

David and Ed Mirvish have announced the complete all-Canadian cast of We Will Rock You.

Idina Menzel gave her final performance as the unusually green witch, Elphaba, in the London production of the hit musical Wicked on the 30th December at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Her three-month contract, which paid a record-breaking $30,000 per week, is now over and Kerry Ellis takes over the role from 1st January 2007.

From Monday, January 1st, Kerry Ellis will play the role of Elphaba in Wicked, London's smash-hit musical at the Apollo Victoria Theatre