Johan Persson News

Sir Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake' has a reputation as a beloved, fascinating, and powerful ballet. The latest production certainly justifies this reputation.

In 2018, Elmhurst Ballet School, the vocational school in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet, championed their home city of Birmingham in a photographic campaign that presented students dancing in and around Brum. Two years later and a brand new campaign, Surpass Your Potential: Train at Elmhurst Ballet School, celebrates the diversity, individuality and talent of Elmhurst students from across its Lower and Upper Schools.

'Europe was pushing against me, so I just kept pushing back,' writes Selina Thompson in her autobiographical solo drama of cultural discovery, salt.

In the town of Slurry, New York, post-war recession has bitten. Claire Zachanassian, improbably beautiful and impenetrably terrifying, returns to her hometown as the world's richest woman. The locals hope her arrival signals a change in their fortunes, but they soon realise that prosperity will only come at a terrible price.

Sonia Friedman Productions have today released rehearsal images for Conor McPherson's (The Weir, Girl from the North Country) new adaptation of Uncle Vanya directed by Ian Rickson (Rosmersholm, Jerusalem, The Seagull) which begins previews at the Harold Pinter Theatre on 14th January.

We saw a lot of theater this year, and we hope you did too. With 2 million tickets sold to 4,400 different shows around the world, we're excited about all the performances you saw using TodayTix this year. (Not to mention 7.5 million Lottery entries, 800,000 Rush unlocks.) In honor of 2019 coming to a close and a new year and decade just around the corner, we're taking a look back at some of the top shows of the year. (Spoiler alert: Everybody loves a?oeWaitressa?? and a?oeCome From Away.a??)

We're feeling the Christmas cheer, so we wanted to bring you some amazing deals for London's top shows. All of these productions start at just £20 in our Unbeatable Boxing Day Sale. Great shows at great prices: it's your ticket to the best of London theatre. Merry Christmas, and happy theatregoing!

BWW reviewer Natalie O'Donoghue highlights her favourite theatre productions and performances of 2019.

It's fitting that Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes returns to London to finish up another year of reviewing dance. By far Bourne's most accomplished, creative and complete work, it's a theatrical joy from start to finish that is performed with confidence by a cast who have now had time to perfect it since the 2016 premiere. 

The Crucible takes us to New York's bustling backstreets in this joyous revival.

Few English reigns have been quite as theatrical as that of Elizabeth I; from her fine gowns and jewellery to the youthful (or so she thought) wigs and makeup, she preserved her position as monarch by creating the characters of Gloriana and the Virgin Queen. This theatricality feeds into Ella Hickson's new play Swive, as a less familiar version of Elizabeth addresses the audience, tweaks history, and even plays with our expectations of the auditorium's surroundings.

Following successful runs at the Old Vic, in the West End and in New York, Conor McPherson's Girl from the North Country returns for a limited run at the Gielgud Theatre. Anna-Jane Casey's past work includes Chicago, Billy Elliot and Calendar Girls, alongside regular appearances in the BBC's Prom series. She talks about her role, Bob Dylan's music and the audience reactions she's experienced so far.

With 24 of Queen's biggest hits and Ben Elton's hilarious futuristic comedy writing combined, comes a show that boasts the scale and spectacle that marked the band's legendary live performances.

Among the new writing and nurturing of talent during a season at Richmond's Orange Tree Theatre, there is always a revival of a more classic piece. Artistic Director Paul Miller has an historical weakness for Bernard Shaw, with a new version of Candida being the fourth Shaw play he has directed at the theatre since 2014.

Sheffield Theatres presents Guys and Dolls, starring Natalie Casey (Miss Adelaide), Darragh Cowley (Lt Brannigan), Dafydd Emyr (Big Jule), Jacob Fisher (Harry the Horse), Adrian Hansel (Benny Southstreet), Dawn Hope (General Cartwright), Kadiff Kirwan (Sky Masterson), TJ Lloyd (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Matthew Malthouse (Rusty Charlie), Martin Marquez (Nathan Detroit), Ross McLaren (Angie the Ox), Garry Robson (Arvide Abernathy), and Alex Young (Sarah Brown) with Shaquille Brush (Havana Boy), Frances Camier (Havana Girl), Charlotte Coggin, Adam Denman, Emily Dunn, Tash Holway, Samantha Hull, Kate Playdon and Anthony Starr.

Nikolai Foster's production of White Christmas is the second in five years to run at the Dominion Theatre. The last a?" directed by Morgan Young a?" was a solid affair, but pales in comparison to this version which sparkles from top to toe.

Celebrate the magic of Christmas with the spectacular new production of Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS. The perfect heart-warming family musical will turn London's Dominion Theatre merry and bright for a strictly limited season until 4 January 2020.

Have you ever dreamed of seeing Juliet wrest control of her destiny from William Shakespeare, aided by a liberated Anne Hathaway, all while belting out stone-cold Nineties and Noughties pop bangers? Well, you're in luck! This jukebox musical take on the Bard is pure sugar rush a?' and with enough groan-worthy puns and panto pleasure to make it a raucously fun Christmas outing.

Mary Poppins has descended once again into our midst, and she is as amiably mischievous as ever. Based on the stories of P. L. Travers and the iconic 1964 Disney film, the Sherman Brothers' 2004 musical (with a book by Julian Fellowes) is back in the West End with several new songs, a buzzing cast, and pitch-perfect choreography.

Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Productions' production of Mary Poppins has now returned to its original West End home at the Prince Edward Theatre, marking the first time this new production has been seen in London.