Matthew Bourne News

Dorian Gray returns in 2009 Following the record breaking world premiere of Dorian Gray at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2008, Matthew Bourne's darkly seductive dance theatre event went on to play to sell-out houses at Sadler's Wells last summer. This mesmerising adaptation of Oscar Wilde's cautionary fable The Picture of Dorian Gray, will now tour to regional venues across the UK and play a further two week season at Sadler's Wells as well as International Festivals in Italy and Russia in 2009.

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater, has announced that Kyrian Friedenberg, the ten-year old singer, violinist and actor most recently seen in Gypsy with Patty LuPone on Broadway, has been cast as Charlie Bucket in ALT's upcoming workshop and reading of The Golden Ticket, a new opera based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Speaking of the young performer, Edelson said that 'Kyrian has a wonderful voice, is incredibly musical, and has charisma that is truly contagious. After hearing him sing Charlie's first act Aria from The Golden Ticket, I had no doubt that he was the right boy to bring Roald Dahl's classic character to life in our upcoming workshop.'

The Banks children from Mary Poppins ?popped in? on Wednesday, March 11 to make an appearance at the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau?s Annual Meeting of Membership Luncheon at McCormick Place Convention Center. Backstage, Chicagoan Abigail Droeger (Jane Banks) and Christopher Flaim (Michael Banks) met Mayor Richard M. Daley. MARY POPPINS began previews March 11 and will open on March 25, 2009 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre for a limited engagement through July 12, 2009.

The North American National Tour of Mary Poppins commences in Chicago on March 11, 2009 with preview performances. The show opens on March 25, 2009 with the two original Broadway stars, Ashley Brown as 'Mary Poppins' and Gavin Lee as 'Bert.'

Broadway In Chicago and producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher are delighted to announce that MARY POPPINS will be extending its stay at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through July 12, 2009. Tickets for newly announced performances from May 20 to July 12, 2009 will go on sale March 13, 2009 at 10 a.m. Individual tickets for performances are available for as low as $23. In addition, MARY POPPINS will have special Sunday evening performances at 6:30 p.m. throughout the Chicago engagement.

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of ALT, has announced that the company has commissioned The Golden Ticket, a new opera based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In his announcement, Edelson explained that all of Dahl's beloved characters find a unique voice in this exciting new opera. 'If thoughts of Augustus Gloop being swept away in the Chocolate River, Violet Beauregarde inflating like a giant blueberry, Mike Teavee being demagnified into the tele-dimension, and Veruca Salt being thrown down the rubbish shoot by a gang of nut-inspecting squirrels sound like your idea of a fun night at the opera - or better yet, unlike any night at the opera or theater you've ever experienced - The Golden Ticket is....just the ticket!'

The winners in the ninth annual Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards, the only major UK theatre prize-giving decided by the public, were announced today (Sunday 15 February) at a glittering, star-studded evening at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Gavin & Stacey's James Corden and Sheridan Smith, star of Grownups and Two Pints of Lager, will reunite to once again co-host the Winners' Concert for the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards, which takes place this year on Sunday 15 February at the West End's 1,100-seat Prince of Wales theatre, home of Mamma Mia!. A record 32,000+ theatregoers have voted in the 2009 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards

Center Theatre Group's 2009-2010 season at the Ahmanson Theatre is a yearlong celebration of big, lush Broadway hits, including four Tony Award-winning musicals, the 2008 winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, and a rare, limited engagement of two stage virtuosos.

Omid Djalili will replace Rowan Atkinson as Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh's OLIVER! The Iranian comedian will take over starting July 20, 2009, joining the rest of the original cast. He is scheduled to continue in the part until December 12, 2009. Cameron Mackintosh presents his triumphant new staging of Lionel Bart's masterpiece 'OLIVER!' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which was last seen at the Palladium in 1994. Oliver! is one of the most beloved British musicals, vividly bringing to life Dickens' timeless characters with its ever-popular story of the boy who asked for more.

Gavin & Stacey's James Corden and Sheridan Smith, star of Grownups and Two Pints of Lager, will reunite to once again co-host the Winners' Concert for the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards, which takes place this year on Sunday 15 February at the West End's 1,100-seat Prince of Wales theatre, home of Mamma Mia!. A record 32,000+ theatregoers have voted in the 2009 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards

Broadway In Chicago and producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher are pleased to announce full casting for the eagerly anticipated North American National Tour of MARY POPPINS. Performances begin Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) in preparation for a Wednesday, March 25 opening night. In addition to this Chicago engagement, productions of MARY POPPINS are currently running in NY and on tour in the UK. As previously announced, the show's two original Broadway stars, Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee, will be reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert respectively on the tour.

Sir Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular ?4.5 million revival of Oliver! is already the fastest selling on record, with ?15 million in advance ticket sales before it even opened on January 14th at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Oliver took in ?3 million more than Dirty Dancing did in 2006, a stunning feat in these tough economic times. Robert Goold (Best Director, 2008 Olivier Awards) directs this production of Oliver!, which is based on Sam Mendes' triumphant 1994 staging, along with Tony award winning co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. Production design is by Anthony Ward; lighting design by Paule Constable and sound is by Paul Groothuis, with orchestrations by William D Brohn and musical supervision by Martin Koch. Cameron Mackintosh presents Rowan Atkinson as 'Fagin' in Lionel Bart's musical masterpiece 'OLIVER!' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Cameron Mackintosh presents Rowan Atkinson as 'Fagin' in Lionel Bart's musical masterpiece 'OLIVER!' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with performances officially beginning tonight, 14 January 2009.

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is thrilled to host the NYC premiere of Simon Green Sings COWARD AT CHRISTMAS: A Cabaret for Noel. Simon Green Sings COWARD AT CHRISTMAS: A Cabaret for Noel began performances on Sunday, December 14 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 4. There was a special Noel Coward Birthday Celebration Performance on Tuesday, December 16 at 8:30 PM, which included a champagne toast, birthday cake and special guest theatre icon Elaine Stritch.

59E59 Theaters' Holiday E:Café toasts the Festive season with SIMON GREEN Sings COWARD AT CHRISTMAS: A Cabaret for Noël

Cameron Mackintosh's new production of OLIVER!' starts previews tonight Saturday 13 December at 7.30pm at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The earlier scheduled preview performances on Friday 12 December at 7.30pm and Saturday 13 December matinee at 2.30pm were canceled.

Matthew Bourne's stage adaption of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, produced by New Adventures, will make its first return to the United Kingdom since its original 2005 London premiere, following a world tour. At the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris through November 2, the production will return to England, making stops at the Hippodrome Theatre in Birmingham, Lowry Theatre in Salford and New Wimbledon Theatre in London before returning to its original home at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre, where it will begin performances on December 2.

The new production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane promises to be even more spectacular than ever before, starring Rowan Atkinson as Fagin with a cast and orchestra of over 100 - including Jodie Prenger as Nancy, Burn Gorman as Bill Sikes, Julian Glover as Mr Brownlow, Rosemary Leach as Mrs Bedwin, Julian Bleach as Mr Sowerberry, Louise Gold as Mrs Sowerberry, and Gwion Jones, Harry Stott or Laurence Jeffcoate as Oliver.

Cameron Mackintosh will present Rowan Atkinson as 'Fagin' in Lionel Bart's musical masterpiece 'OLIVER!' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with performances commencing from 12 December 2008 and a press night on 14 January 2009.