Josephine Barstow News

The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music announced the unprecedented awarding of three First Prizes in the 25th annual Lenya Competition.

A gathering of stars and notables from the Broadway world will join together on Saturday 29 April to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Lotte Lenya Competition, the internationally renowned theatrical singing contest.

Since its inception in 2017, The Grange Festival has swiftly developed a reputation as a destination venue for outstanding singers, top-notch conductors, world-class productions and discerning audiences - and the 2023 season is set to raise its standing amongst the cognoscenti even higher.

A Little Night Music, Sondheim's acerbic musical romance, is set to beguile audiences once more this summer as it makes a welcome return to the Leeds Playhouse stage.

A wonderful revival of a show, marrying beautiful music and singing with poignancy and wit

New live performances by Opera North are announced today, with four performances of Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, planned to be the first large scale production for over a year as the Leeds-based opera company builds back towards a fuller programme of public events.

Last week, we acknowledged the forthcoming birthday of Andrew Lloyd Webber via a look back at five defining London stagings of his work. This time, we offer the same tribute to Stephen Sondheim, with whom Lloyd Webber, 18 years Sondheim's junior, shares a birthdate of March 22: on that day, the great man turns 91.

I owe a lot to Follies - friendships with fans and actors and occasional pieces of journalism have resulted from the show - but it made me realise how transformative live theatre can be. Thinking about it, it's ironic that a show signalling the death of old Broadway should ignite such a passion, but isn't that the point of Follies?

Following the final performance of Follies in the Olivier on 11 May, the National Theatre announces the CD release of Stephen Sondheim's legendary musical Follies - 2018 National Theatre Cast Recording this Friday, 17 May.

Today is the last day of Follies at the National Theatre, which means we have time for just one more Song Insight before they part, as Nigel Lilley talks 'One More Kiss'.

Follies returns to the NT for its final eight performances at the National Theatre on 6 May. Stephen Sondheim's legendary musical includes such classic songs as 'Broadway Baby', 'I'm Still Here' and 'Losing My Mind'. Featuring a cast of 40 and an orchestra of 21, Follies is directed by Dominic Cooke.

The world premiere of Iain Bell's Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel, following his critically-acclaimed In Parenthesis is playing at the London Coliseum through April 12, 2019.

The world premiere of Iain Bell's Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel, following his critically-acclaimed In Parenthesis. 

In February this year, historian Hallie Rubenfold brought out a poignant book describing the backstories of the five women killed in 1888 by a murderer nicknamed Jack the Ripper. It has always seemed a poor reflection on society that the victims of such horrific crimes have been almost forgotten in the midst of the ever-increasing celebrity and mystery of Jack himself.

National Theatre has announced its listings for May - October 2019. Check out the full lineup below!

The meticulous care of the National Theatre's production is continued in the soundtrack recording, demonstrating the collaborative brilliance of orchestrations from Jonathan Tunick and Josh Clayton, music supervision from Nicholas Skilbeck, and musical direction from Nigel Lilley - the latter conducting an exceptionally disciplined and articulate 21-piece orchestra.

After a sold-out run, Follies returns to the NT in 2019. Let's see what the critics had to say.

After a sold-out run, Follies returns to the NT in 2019. Stephen Sondheim's legendary musical includes such classic songs as 'Broadway Baby', 'I'm Still Here' and 'Losing My Mind'. Featuring a cast of 40 and an orchestra of 21, Follies is directed by Dominic Cooke. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Peter Forbes return to reprise their roles, with Alexander Hanson and Joanna Riding joining the cast as Ben and Sally.

After a sold-out run, Follies returns to the NT in 2019. Stephen Sondheim's legendary musical includes such classic songs as 'Broadway Baby', 'I'm Still Here' and 'Losing My Mind'. Featuring a cast of 40 and an orchestra of 21, Follies is directed by Dominic Cooke. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee and Peter Forbes return to reprise their roles, with Alexander Hanson and Joanna Riding joining the cast as Ben and Sally.

The National Theatre has announced its upcoming lineup for the first half of 2019.