Imelda Staunton News

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

Actor Michael Ball is in talks to portray the title role in the musical 'Shrek' which is slated to play in London next year, reports Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail.

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.

Ball confirms to chat show host Jonathan Ross that he'll be playing Sweeney Todd next year

Stephanie Sinclaire announced today that she has appointed Adam Spreadbury-Maher as Artistic Director of the King's Head Theatre. She will continue her role as Chief Executive.

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

Reports are circulating that Jeffrey Katzenburg, who runs Dreamworks Animation, has been looking around the London Palladium with the creative team of Shrek: The Musical.

In big news from the U.K. today, Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton have teamed up to star in a new production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd at the Chichester Festival Theatre, prior to leading the show to the West End, according to a report from Baz Bamigboye in the U.K.'s Daily Mail.

Taking Woodstock opens nationally in theatres August 28th.

Two-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent and Philip Davis will star in director and award-winning playwright Mike Leigh's upcoming film, according to Variety.

Written by James Schamus and based on the book by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte, Taking Woodstock also stars Tony Award winner Dan Fogler; two-time Olivier Award winner Henry Goodman; two-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton; Tony Award winner Liev Schreiber; Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening); two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin; Paul Dano (Things We Want); Kelli Garner (Dog Sees God); Mamie Gummer (Dangerous Liaisons); and Richard Thomas (A Naked Girl on the Appian Way).

Taking Woodstock is coming to select cities on August 14th from Focus Features. The film had a New York City premiere on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on 143 East Houston Street (between Chrystie and Allen Streets). BroadwayWorld.com cameras were there as the stars arrived!

London's most innovative theatre venue, Trafalgar Studios, has unveiled an explosive, star-studded Autumn Season for 2009.

Our correspondent speaks to the producer and playwright behind the new soul musical...

The comedian and actor is taken ill during a performance

Written by James Schamus and based on the book by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte, Taking Woodstock also stars Tony Award winner Dan Fogler; two-time Olivier Award winner Henry Goodman; two-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton; Tony Award winner Liev Schreiber; Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening); two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin; Paul Dano (Things We Want); Kelli Garner (Dog Sees God); Mamie Gummer (Dangerous Liaisons); and Richard Thomas (A Naked Girl on the Appian Way).

Ian Rickson will direct Amanda Drew, Andrew Lincoln and Toby Jones in the European premiere of Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song which runs at the Almeida from 19 March - 9 May 2009 with press night on 26 March. Designs are by Jeremy Herbert, lighting is by Peter Mumford and music is by Stephen Warbeck. Parlour Song is sponsored by Aspen Re.

Simon Paisley Day has wowed critics in the latest hit production of the Joe Orton Classic ?Entertaining Mr Sloane?. Forty-five years it was first premiered in London and it seems alive today as it was back then. Once critic has classed it funnier than Oscar Wilde?s ?The Importance of Being Earnest?. Headed by Imelda Staunton, Simon Paisley Day backs her up as her rather limp and repressed brother Ed play by Simon. As we chatted between rehearsals he began to retrace the journey for him between the ?page to stage???

Sean Mathias will direct Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot which is his first production as Artistic Director of the 2009 Theatre Royal Haymarket Company. Waiting for Godot will tour the UK prior to its opening in London in April.

Ian Rickson will direct Amanda Drew, Andrew Lincoln and Toby Jones in the European premiere of Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song which runs at the Almeida from 19 March - 9 May 2009 with press night on 26 March. Designs are by Jeremy Herbert, lighting is by Peter Mumford and music is by Stephen Warbeck. Parlour Song is sponsored by Aspen Re.