Marc Brenner News

Preview performances begin tonight for the highly anticipated Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill'sHUGHIE starring Academy Award® winner, Golden Globe Award® winner & BAFTA winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, The Butler, Southpaw) and Tony Award® winner Frank Wood (Side Man, Angels In America, Clybourne Park), which will officially open on Thursday, February 25, 2016 at Broadway's Booth Theatre (222 West 45 Street). Directed by Tony Award® winner and Olivier Award® winner Michael Grandage (Photograph 51, Red, Frost/Nixon), Hughie will play a strictly limited engagement. Check out a first look at the cast in action below!

Christina Cole (The Magistrate, The Lightening Play), Jennifer Mudge (Into The Woods, Dutchman) and Lloyd Owen (Good People, The Bodyguard) join internationally acclaimed actor Matthew Perry (Friends, The Odd Couple) to complete the cast in the World Premiere of his playwriting debut, The End of Longing, at the Playhouse Theatre, London, from 2 February - 14 May 2016.  Design is by the 2015 Evening Standard award-winner, Anna Fleischle (Hangmen), with lighting by Lucy Carter and composition and sound by Isobel Waller-Bridge. Go inside rehearsal below!

Earlier today, BroadwayWorld reported that West End-bound FUNNY GIRL star Sheridan Smith would love to bring the musical to Broadway. Now the Daily Mail reveals rumors that director Michael Mayer and Smith could take the show to the Great White Way in 2017. The site's Baz Bamigboye writes that for now it's 'Purely rumour, at the moment, but a lot of people would like to see it happen.'

Fanny's back. Michael Mayer's Funny Girl just began its pre-West End run at Menier Chocolate Factory and star Sheridan Smith already has her sights on the show's life beyond London. When asked if she's like to bring the show to Broadway, she told the BBC: 'I'd be daft if I said no. I would love to, that's my dream. But would they take a Lincolnshire girl to do a New York-Brooklyn girl?

FUNNY GIRL returns to the London stage for the first time since its 1966 premiere. The sold-out run, led by Olivier and BAFTA award-winning actress Sheridan Smith as 'Fanny Brice', will play through March 5, 2016 before transferring to the Savoy Theatre in the West End from 9 April. The multi award-winning Michael Mayer directs both productions; the first opens tonight 2 December 2015.

Michael Grandage Company and Emily Dobbs Productions will stage the UK premiere of Richard Greenberg's THE DAZZLE at FOUND111, at the site of the old Central St Martins School of Art on Charing Cross Road. Check out a first look at rehearsals below!

Jamie Lloyd's 50th anniversary production of Pinter's multi-award winning modern classic THE HOMECOMING just celebrated its opening, starring Keith Allen (Sam), Gemma Chan (Ruth), Ron Cook (Max), Gary Kemp (Teddy), John Macmillan (Joey) and John Simm (Lenny). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!

Highlights from this week include MISERY opens on Broadway, BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY gets ready to hit the road, THE WIZ LIVE gets ready to hit TV screens, LAURA BENANTI ties the knot and SO much more!

FUNNY GIRL returns to the London stage for the first time since its 1966 premiere tonight, November 20, 2016. The sold-out run, led by Olivier and BAFTA award-winning actress Sheridan Smith as 'Fanny Brice', will play through March 5, 2016 before transferring to the Savoy Theatre in the West End from 9 April.

Due to unprecedented demand, the Menier Chocolate Factory Production of Funny Girl transfers to the Savoy Theatre in London's West End, following the sold out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory which begins later this month. Michael Mayer's production, starring Olivier and BAFTA award-winning actress Sheridan Smith as Fanny Brice and with the cast from the Menier Chocolate Factory, will begin performances at the Savoy Theatre on 9 April 2016 for a strictly limited 12-week run until 2 July 2016. Check out first photos from the production below!

Bakkhai is the second of the Almeida's trilogy of the Greeks, following on from Oresteia and coming before Medea. Euripides' 5th century BC play has been boldly recreated by Robert Icke, translated by Anne Carson and is directed by James Macdonald.

Adam Karim (Sajit Khan), Assad Zaman (Saleem Khan), Dharmesh Patel (Abdul Khan), Salma Hoque (Meenah Khan) and Simon Nagra(George Khan) join Pauline McLynn (Ella Khan) and original West End cast members, Ashley Kumar (Tariq Khan) and Darren Kuppan (Maneer Khan) in the national tour of Ayub Khan Din's critically-acclaimed play East is East. The Khans are joined by Kammy Darweish (Mr Shah), Sakuntala Ramanee (Mrs Shah) and Sally Bankes (Auntie Annie). Check out a first look below!

Ron Cook (Mr Selfridge, Henry V, King Lear, Hot Fuzz) as Sir Charles Gurney, Kathryn Drysdale (Suspects, Love's Labour's Lost, Tripping Over, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) as Grace Shelley, Joshua McGuire (Privacy, Posh, About Time, Mr Turner) as Dinsdale Gurney and Anthony O'Donnell (The Captain of Kopenick, Skyfall, Matchpoint) as Daniel Tucker, join BAFTA winning James McAvoy, as Jack, the 14th Earl of Gurney, in the first West End revival of Peter Barnes' satirical comedy, The Ruling Class, directed by Jamie Lloyd, Artistic Director of Trafalgar Transformed.

Ron Cook, Charles Gurney, Kathryn Drysdale, Joshua McGuire and Anthony O'Donnell, join BAFTA winning James McAvoy, as Jack, the 14th Earl of Gurney, in the first West End revival of Peter Barnes' satirical comedy, The Ruling Class, directed by Jamie Lloyd, Artistic Director of Trafalgar Transformed.

Gary Naylor sees a slice of early twentieth century life in which not quite enough happens, but in an interesting and innovative way, beautifully acted and intelligently staged.

Amit Shah (Abdul Khan), Ashley Kumar (Tariq Khan), Darren Kuppan (Maneer Khan), Nathan Clarke (Saleem Khan), Taj Atwal (Meenah Khan) and Michael Karim (Sajit Khan) join the previously announced multi award-winning actress Jane Horrocks (Ella Khan) and East is East's award-winning playwright Ayub Khan Din (George Khan) to complete the casting of the Khan family, in Ayub Khan Din's critically-acclaimed play. The Khans are joined by Sally Bankes (Auntie Annie), Rani Moorthy (Mrs. Shah) and Hassani Shapi (Mr Shah/Doctor). Ash Rizi, Karl Seth, Deepal Parmar and Pamela Bennett (Ensemble) complete the cast.

Hot ticket current West End production of William Shakespeare's hallowed history RICHARD III starring notable stage and screen star Martin Freeman recently kicked off in the UK and the actor discusses his participation in the play as part of a new interview.

A number of critics and some outspoken spectators have expressed their dissatisfaction with the perceivedly overzealous audiences being attracted to attend the current West End production of William Shakespeare's hallowed history play RICHARD III starring notable stage and screen star Martin Freeman.

Gina McKee (Di & Viv & Rose, King Lear, Ivanov, Our Friends In The North, Notting Hill) plays Queen Elizabeth, alongside the previously announced Martin Freeman (Clybourne Park, The Hobbit, Sherlock, Fargo) as Richard III in Jamie Lloyd's first production of his second season at Trafalgar Transformed, Richard III, running through 27 September, with press night on 8 July. Check out photos of the cast in action below!

Gina McKee (Di & Viv & Rose, King Lear, Ivanov, Our Friends In The North, Notting Hill) will play Queen Elizabeth, alongside the previously announced Martin Freeman (Clybourne Park, The Hobbit, Sherlock, Fargo) as Richard III in Jamie Lloyd's first production of his second season at Trafalgar Transformed, Richard III, running from 1 July to 27 September, with press night on 8 July.