Menier Chocolate Factory News

Fra Fee, Cassidy Janson, Ben Lewis, Scarlett Strallen and David Thaxton have been cast in the Menier Chocolate Factory's Christmas musical Candide with music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur and additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein.

Ian Rickson will direct Brendan Coyle, Rupert Grint, Daniel Mays, Colin Morgan, Ben Whishaw and Tom Rhys Harries in a major West End revival of Jez Butterworth's award-winning Mojo, reuniting director and writer who previously collaborated on the play's world premiere at the Royal Court in 1995. Mojo will preview at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 26 October 2013 with press night on 13 November and is booking to 25 January 2014. Tickets for Mojo go on public sale today.

Ian Rickson will direct Brendan Coyle, Rupert Grint, Daniel Mays, Colin Morgan, Ben Whishaw and Tom Rhys Harries in a major West End revival of Jez Butterworth's award-winning Mojo, reuniting director and writer who previously collaborated on the play's world premiere at the Royal Court in 1995. Mojo will preview at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 26 October 2013 with press night on 13 November and is booking to 25 January 2014. Tickets for Mojo go on public sale today. Designs are by Ultz with lighting by Charles Balfour, music by Stephen Warbeck and sound by Simon Baker. Mojo is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions who also produced Butterworth and Rickson's internationally-acclaimed Jerusalem.

Olivier Award nominee and Theatre World Award winner Linzi Hateley, Clare Foster, and the legendary Louise Gold headline a cast of West End leading ladies at the St. James Theatre, tonight September 7th 2013.

London-based KiwiFruits Productions continues their sell-out season of exclusive concerts, returning to the St James Theatre with 'SONDHEIM: Women' celebrating over five decades of the great anthems of Broadway composer and lyricist, the incomparable Stephen Sondheim.

The cast for the World Premiere of Stephen Ward, directed by Richard Eyre, will comprise Alexander Hanson as Stephen Ward, Charlotte Spencer as Christine Keeler, Charlotte Blackledge as Mandy Rice Davies, Anthony Calfas Lord Astor, Daniel Flynn as John Profumo, Joanna Riding as Valerie Hobson, Ian Conningham as Ivanov, Chris Howell as Murray, Ricardo Coke Thomas as Lucky Gordon and Wayne Robinson as Johnny Edgecomp. Other cast members are Martin Callaghan, Kate Coyston, Jason Denton, Julian Forsyth, Amy Griffiths, Paul Kemble, Emma Kate Nelson, Carl Sanderson, Emily Squibb, John Stacey, Helen Ternent and Tim Walton.

In To Sir With Love, joining the previously announced Olivier Award winning actor Matthew Kelly (Florian), are Mykola Allen (Denham), Harriet Ballard (Monica), Peta Cornish (Gillian), Kerron Darby (Seales), Ansu Kabia (Ricky),Paul Kemp (Weston), Heather Nicol (Pamela) and Nicola Reynolds (Clinty).

CinemaLive and Digital Theatre have just announced Maria Friedman's award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG as the first production to be distributed as part of the West End Theatre Series.

Following on from Sunday in the Park with George, Little Shop of Horrors, La Cage aux Folles, A Little Night Music, Sweet Charity, Pippinand Merrily We Roll Along, the Menier Chocolate Factory is delighted to announce that its Christmas musical will be Candide with music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur and additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Park and Leonard Bernstein.

Stage Entertainment and Syco Entertainment invited the press today to meet the leads of the upcoming I CAN'T SING!, The X Factor Musical by Harry Hill and Steve Brown. Tickets for the brand new comedy are now on general sale ahead of the world premiere of I CAN'T SING! at the London Palladium on WEDNESDAY 26 MARCH 2014, with previews from THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2014.

West End Musical Theatre legend Hannah Waddingham (three times Olivier Award nominated star of Spamalot, Kiss Me Kate and A Little Night Music, WhatsOnStage Award winner for The Wizard of Oz) headlines KiwiFruits Productions 'SONDHEIM: Women' returning to The St James Theatre for an exclusive second concert on the 28th September 2013.

The Daily Mail reports that Simon Cowell has finally cast the actor who will portray him in the new X FACTOR musical I CAN'T SING, set to begin performances at the London Palladium on February 27. It's Nigel Harman, who won an Olivier for his role as 'Lord Farquaad' in SHREK THE MUSICAL in the West End. In addition, Cynthia Erivo, currently starring in Menier Chocolate Factory's revival of THE COLOR PURPLE, has been cast in the lead.

Simon Evans directs the world premiere of this exciting new play by Maureen Chadwick, creator and writer of award-winning dramas Bad Girls, Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road. The Speed Twins, which runs for five weeks at Riverside Studios 3 from tonight 29 August - Saturday 28 September, is an exhilarating, intriguing and moving story about a long lost love between two women. Press night is Tuesday 3 September at 7.45pm.

The new musical SHIDA, written and performed by Jeannette Bayardelle -- whose Broadway appearances include leading roles in THE COLOR PURPLE and HAIR - will end its strictly limited engagement today, Wednesday, August 28 with the 8pm performance. SHIDA will have played 12 previews and 36 regular performances.

How do you become a director? Just take the plunge!

Off-Broadway's Vineyard Theatre -- where the hit comedy musical Avenue Q got its start -- is expanding its presence in London this summer and fall, according to an article by WhatsOnStage.

Just last week, Oprah Winfrey chatted with The New York Daily News about her long-professed desire to take to the stage. Now according to the New York Times, the media mogul is looking into bringing John Doyle's current reimagined production of THE COLOR PURPLE, which is currently playing at the Menier Chocolate Factory, to Broadway.

The full cast for To Sir With Love, joining the previously announced Olivier Award winning actor Matthew Kelly (Florian), is Mykola Allen (Denham), Harriet Ballard (Monica), Peta Cornish (Gillian), Kerron Darby (Seales), Ansu Kabia (Ricky), Paul Kemp (Weston), Heather Nicol (Pamela) and Nicola Reynolds (Clinty) and we've got the first photos of the cast in rehearsal!

Isla Blair and Nicholas Day complete the cast for the European premiere of Nicky Silver's The Lyons at the Menier Chocolate Factory 19th September - 16th November. They will join Tom Ellis, Katy Secombe, Charlotte Randle and Ben Aldridge, as previously announced.

Theatre Royal Bath has announced Richard Wilson will star in the final production of its Summer Season, A Little Hotel On The Side directed by Lindsay Posner and Cal McCrystal. Adapted by John Mortimer, this hilarious comedy by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallieres will appear at Theatre Royal Bath from tonight 15th August - Saturday 31st August.