Bob Bartner News

Mark Rylance returns to the Apollo Theatre to play the title role in Richard III and Olivia in Twelfth Night from 2 November when Tim Carroll's Shakespeare's Globe productions transfer to the West End. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the show below.

Deadline.com reports that a deal is now in place for Belle Pictures and the Mark Gordon Company to head a film adaption of Memphis at Warner Brother's Aclon Entertainment. The film will be produced by Mark Gordon, Molly Smith and Alcon's Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson with a new script by Tony-winner Joe DiPietro.

Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and Bob Bartner are delighted to announce that 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL will have its UK Premiere at the Manchester Opera House on Friday 12 October 2012. Tickets will go on sale in all venues at 4.51pm (nine to five!) on Tuesday 27 March.

A Christmas Story, The Musical takes its search nationally for a young boy to play the iconic role of 'Ralphie' with submissions now available online. As the Broadway-bound production prepares to launch a 2012 holiday engagement, the show's producers invite young performers to submit their audition within the next ten days by visiting www.AChristmasStoryTheMusical.com and following three simple steps:

The producers of the 2010 Tony Award-winning Best Musical MEMPHIS announced today that the production will recoup its $12 million investment as of its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, August 5, 2012 after 30 previews and 1,166 regular performances. MEMPHIS opened on October 19, 2009 at Broadway's Shubert Theatre (225 W. 44th Street), having begun previews on September 23rd.

Since last October 2011, the most acclaimed production ever of Rodgers and Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC has been thrilling audiences and breaking records in theatres across the UK, playing to well over half a million people, becoming the best-selling show of the Season in venues including Wimbledon and Stoke-on-Trent, and the best-selling two-week musical ever to play in Glasgow and Milton Keynes.

The producers of the 2010 Tony Award-winning Best Musical MEMPHIS announced tonight that the production will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, August 5, 2012 after 30 previews and 1,166 regular performances. MEMPHIS opened on October 19, 2009 at Broadway's Shubert Theatre (225 W. 44th Street), having begun previews on September 23rd.

Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and Bob Bartner are delighted to announce that 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL will have its UK Premiere at the Manchester Opera House on Friday 12 October 2012. Tickets will go on sale in all venues at 4.51pm (nine to five!) on Tuesday 27 March.

According to a report by Baz Bamigboye for Daily Mail, SOUTH PACIFIC, which is currently touring the UK, might open at the London Palladium this fall. An official announcement has not yet been made.

According to rumours posted by dailymail.co.uk, the UK touring production of SOUTH PACIFIC might transfer to the West End early next Autumn. The show would run at the London Palladium, filling in the gap between the runs of THE WIZARD OF OZ and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

Jeremy Herrin will direct David Armand, Elizabeth Berrington, Katherine Parkinson, Steffan Rhodri, Reece Shearsmith and Kara Tointon in Alan Ayckbourn's classic comedy of manners and social embarrassment Absent Friends, previewing at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly the Comedy Theatre).

Jeremy Herrin will direct David Armand, Elizabeth Berrington, Katherine Parkinson, Steffan Rhodri, Reece Shearsmith and Kara Tointon in Alan Ayckbourn's classic comedy of manners and social embarrassment Absent Friends, previewing at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly the Comedy Theatre) from 26 January 2012. With press night on 9 February Absent Friends, produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Bob Bartner, is currently booking until 14 April. Designs are by Tom Scutt with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph.

Jeremy Herrin will direct David Armand, Elizabeth Berrington, Katherine Parkinson, Steffan Rhodri, Reece Shearsmith and Kara Tointon in Alan Ayckbourn's classic comedy of manners and social embarrassment Absent Friends, previewing at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly the Comedy Theatre) from 26 January 2012. With press night on 9 February Absent Friends, produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Bob Bartner, is currently booking until 14 April. Designs are by Tom Scutt with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph.

Jeremy Herrin will direct David Armand, Elizabeth Berrington, Katherine Parkinson, Steffan Rhodri, Reece Shearsmith and Kara Tointon in Alan Ayckbourn's classic comedy of manners and social embarrassment Absent Friends, previewing at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly the Comedy Theatre) from 26 January 2012.

Paulo Szot, who has recently emerged as one of the most exciting voices in opera and who won a Tony for his performance as Emile de Becque in the Lincoln Center Theater (Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) production of SOUTH PACIFIC, will be recreating the role of the French plantation owner at the Barbican Centre in London, where the production will run for a limited season of 7 weeks only from 15 August to 1 October, with an opening night on 23 August.

Shout! Factory and Broadway Worldwide, Inc. today announced a new deal to bring Broadway's 2010 Tony Award®-winning Best Musical MEMPHIS to the home entertainment marketplace in the U.S. and Canada. Under this multi-year agreement, Shout! Factory will be the exclusive home entertainment distributor to release MEMPHIS featuring the original Broadway cast, on Blu-rayTM, DVD and for digital download. This announcement was made by Shout! Factory's founding partners Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos; and Broadway Worldwide's founder and CEO Bruce Brandwen.

Samantha Womack is now confirmed to be playing Nellie Forbush for additional cities in 2012 on the current nationwide tour of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical SOUTH PACIFIC. Originally, she was going to finish in Oxford, but it is now confirmed that she will continue in the tour in Southampton, Birmingham and Liverpool.

The most acclaimed production ever of Rodgers and Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC comes to the end of its seven-week season at London's Barbican Theatre this Saturday 1 October. SOUTH PACIFIC is currently playing to over 85% financial capacity at the Barbican and is already sold out several dates across the UK tour, where extra performances have had to be added.

According to a report by Baz Bamigboye for Daily Mail, the Barbican production of SOUTH PACIFIC, which runs through October 1, might be making a West End transfer following the UK tour. Additional details have not yet been announced.

According to a report by Baz Bamigboye for Daily Mail, SOUTH PACIFIC star Samantha Womack injured two of her toes during 'Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair' at Monday night's preview performance, but performed in last night's opening against doctor's orders. Director Bartlett Sher shared: 'The doctors pumped her full of steroids and bound her foot . She went on in the finest showbusiness tradition that the show always goes on.'