Drew McOnie News

Strictly Ballroom, la traspozione dell'omonimo film del 1992 di Baz Luhrmann ('Moulin Rouge', 'Romeo+Juliet', 'Il Grande Gatsby'), non convince del tutto il West End londinese.

Adapted from Baz Luhrmann's beloved and award-winning film, Strictly Ballroom has been transformed into a glorious stage musical. Now playing at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End, it stars Jonny Labey and Zizi Strallen, with Will Young until 31 July and then Matt Cardle. Get 38% off tickets in our sale - book here!

Watch below as the 2,000 pound, 20-foot high King Kong comes together in Melbourne Australia, and the Broadway Theatre front of house is installed!

For many San Diegans, their ability to understand and appreciate the wonders of the Bard during our Summer Shakespeare Festival has increased exponentially since they joined The Old Globe for Thinking Shakespeare Live!, a 90-minute exploration of the language of Shakespeare led by the Globe's Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and assisted by three professional classical actors. This special free program celebrates TCG's newly released revised edition of Edelstein's book Thinking Shakespeare: A How-To Guide for Student Actors, Directors, and Anyone Else Who Wants to Feel More Comfortable with the Bard.

Best-selling recording artist, X-Factor winner and West End star Matt Cardle is to join the cast of Strictly Ballroom The Musical. Based on Baz Luhrmann's acclaimed film and now transformed into a spectacular and joyous West End musical, Matt will play the role of band leader Wally Strand, from Tuesday 31st July at the Piccadilly Theatre. He takes over the role from Will Young.

The National Youth Music Theatre is proud to announce their 2018 season, opening with a mini touring production of Super Hero at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds as part of The Bury Festival before going on to Curve, Leicester and, finally, The Rose Theatre, Kingston for the International Youth Arts Festival.

For its 2018 season, the National Youth Ballet ("NYB") will present Bright Young Things, a mixed programme of ballets choreographed by some of the UKs most eminent professionals and rising talents, performed by a Company of young dancers aged 9-18 from across the UK.

Earlier this week Pitts and Morris performed songs from the new musical for a private audience at Haswell Green's. Check out photos of the new costars below!

Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Samuel Hodges, today announces Labour MP, Jess Phillips will join the writing team for the world premiere of Women In Power. The production sees some of the UK's most influential female voices, including Wendy Cope, Jenny Eclair, Suhayla El-Bushra, Natalie Haynes, Shappi Khorsandi and Brona C Titley, come together to write this musical comedy based on the Greek classic, The Assemblywomen. Directed by NST Associate Director Blanche McIntyre, the production opens on 6 September at NST City and runs until 29 September.

The Old Globe will once again share some of its favorite Shakespearean cinema as a complement to its stage productions with the return of Free Monday Night Film Screenings, presented in conjunction with the 2018 Summer Shakespeare Festival. Curated by the Globe's Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and introduced by KPBS's "Cinema Junkie" Beth Accomando, the films include Fred Wilcox's Forbidden Planet on July 9, Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus on July 16, Orson Welles's Othello on July 30, and Ian McKellen's Richard III on August 27. Admission is free. Seating for each film is first-come, first-served and by general admission. The line begins one hour before each screening.

Adapted from Baz Luhrmann's beloved and award-winning film, STRICTLY BALLROOM has been transformed into a glorious stage musical. Now playing at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End, it stars  Jonny Labey, Zizi Strallen and Will Young. Get 47% off tickets in our sale - book here!

The Old Globe, together with Children's Theatre Company (CTC), and in partnership with The Old Vic, today updated information for Dr. Seuss's The Lorax in its U.S. premiere. The production, based on the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, is adapted for the stage by David Greig (Artistic Director of Royal Lyceum Theatre Company; recent work: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cover My Tracks) with music and lyrics written by Charlie Fink (front man/songwriter for the hit musical group Noah and the Whale, 2007-2015).

Producers Carmen Pavlovic (Global Creatures) and Roy Furman have announced additional casting for the new musical King Kong. Joining the previously announced Christiani Pitts, (A Bronx Tale) as Ann Darrow, and Eric William Morris (Mamma Mia!) as Carl Denham, will be Erik Lochtefeld (Misery, Metamorphoses) as Lumpy.

King Kong will open at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway) on November 8, 2018. Preview performances will begin Friday, October 5, 2018. King Kong will star Christiani Pitts, currently starring in A Bronx Tale on Broadway, as Ann Darrow, and Eric William Morris, who played Sky in Mamma Mia!, will play Carl Denham.

Full casting is today announced for Nuffield Southampton Theatres workshop production of Son of Rambow - The Musical, running at The Other Palace from 24 May - 2 June. Director of NST, Samuel Hodges, directs Gemma Goggin (Miss Smith), Scarlet Billham (Tina), Tom Mccall (Barry), Jon Tarcy (Didier), Richard Dempsey (Brother Joshua), Cat Simmons (Sarah) and Felix Warren as Will and Aaron Gelkoff as Lee. Son of Rambow - The Musical is an adaptation of the hit cult film featuring an original 80s pop soundtrack by two of the UK's most successful pop writers Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler with the book by Richard Marsh. This marks Cooper and Coler's debut in writing for the stage.

The Old Globe today announced its next cast and creative team-including numerous Globe favorites and new faces-as the 2018 Summer Shakespeare Festival once again presents the finest of the Bard's work outdoors under the stars in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. Summer will officially arrive with The Tempest, directed by Joe Dowling (formerly the Artistic Director for Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and Abbey Theatre in Ireland), with star of stage and screen Kate Burton as Prospera, running June 17 - July 22, 2018. Tickets start at $30.00, on sale to the general public now. Previews run June 17 - 22. Opening night is Saturday, June 23 at 8:00 p.m.

Nuffield Southampton Theatres today announces the launch of a new writer's group in partnership with the award-winning South West theatre company Up in Arms led by co-artistic directors Barney Norris and Alice Hamilton, to help writers from the local area develop their skills in writing for performance.

Unless. What a powerful word. So many scary things might happen. Unless. Unless what, you ask? 'Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.' The best thing to happen lately in this dark and scary world is people caring a whole awful lot about things, and taking to the streets and the polls to make them better. That's the heart of Dr. Seuss's story THE LORAX, which specifically is talking about the environment, nature, the wilderness around us. The Old Vic Theatre in London has turned this beautiful story into a charming, playful, and poignantly relevant musical that is now receiving its US premiere at Minneapolis' Children's Theatre Company (in conjunction with San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, where it will play this summer). It gave me all the feels, and had me walking down the street on this first truly spring-like day in wonder. Such is the power of theater, of stories, of people who care a whole awful lot.

If you've ever wanted to rock out in a historic opera house, look no further than JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Lyric Opera of Chicago. In a bold departure from the American classics typically staged during the spring 'Broadway at Lyric' series, Lyric presents the North American premiere of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera.

The North American premiere of Timothy Sheader's explosive Olivier Award-winning production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar opens at Lyric tonight, April 27, with performances through May 20 (press opening April 28). Lyric is the only place to experience the grand scale of this acclaimed production in its first staging outside London.