Menier Chocolate Factory News

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical, broke the house record at the Longacre Theatre last week for the third time. The show grossed $747,615.62 at the 1,057-seat playhouse for the week ending June 27, breaking its previous record of $687,824.90 for the week ending June 20.

Following its massive sell out success in 2009 Willy Russell's Our Day Out The Musical returns to the Royal Court Liverpool from 27 August - 9 October 2010, with press performances from 2 September. Our Day Out The Musical is directed by Bob Eaton, designed by Mark Walters with lighting Ian Scott, musical direction by Howard Gray and choreography by Beverley Norris-Edmunds.

Following its massive sell out success in 2009 Willy Russell's Our Day Out The Musical returns to the Royal Court Liverpool from 27 August - 9 October 2010, with press performances from 2 September. Our Day Out The Musical is directed by Bob Eaton, designed by Mark Walters with lighting Ian Scott, musical direction by Howard Gray and choreography by Beverley Norris-Edmunds.

Full casting is today announced for Sheffield Theatres' production of Hamlet starring John Simm. The production will be the opening show in Artistic Director Daniel Evans' second season of work and will be directed by Associate Director Paul Miller.

Today, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC's new ladies, Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch met the press in anticipation of their July 13th debut in Trevor Nunn's acclaimed production at the Walter Kerr Theatre, which is currently on hiatus while the new leads rehearse. Broadway Beat was there to talk to the show's new stars...

Tony, Grammy & Golden Globe Award winner Bernadette Peters, who begins performances in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC alongside Tony & Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch on Tuesday, July 13th, will be Regis Philbin's co-host tomorrow, Friday, June 25 on 'Live with Regis & Kelly,' airing at 9 a.m. Check local listings (Channel 7, WABC in the tri-state area).

Today, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC's new ladies, Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch met the press in anticipation of their July 13th debut in Trevor Nunn's acclaimed production at the Walter Kerr Theatre, which is currently on hiatus. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the photocall.

FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE is Produced by Underbelly Productions and Theatre Royal Stratford East, by arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh Ltd. It is A musical by Clarke Peters, Featuring Louis Jordan's greatest hits. The show will run at Theatre Royal Stratford East from 3 September - 2 October Press night: Tuesday 7 September 2010 at 7:30pm

This past weekend, Elaine Stritch performed her 'Singin' Sondheim' cabaret in West Hartford, CT. As reported by the Hartford Courant, the A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC-bound star was simultaneously in private rehearsals with director Trevor Nunn. According to the report, Stritch and Peters were in New York working on scenes with Nunn, who then rode to Hartford with Stritch to continue discussions over the two-hour car ride. They continued work at the Roberts Theatre, the same space Stritch performed 'Singin' Sondheim' that evening. Jeremy Cohen, associate artistic director of Hartford Stage, is quoted as saying that watching Stritch and Nunn 'was like [being] a kid in a candy shop ... He's definitely an actor's director and listening them talk about Sondheim was incredible. It's as if they had been working together for decades because they spoke in the common vocabulary of Sondheim.'

Osip Theatre Presents MISS LILLY GETS BONED Beginning 22 June

Adam Welsh is set to direct an urban adaptation of ROMEO AND JULIET at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London beginning July 14. The production will star Esther Smith and Kyle McPhail as Juliet and Romeo respectivly. Providing new original music will be Neil Layton with musical supervision by Michael Kantola.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical Revival, broke the house record at the Longacre Theatre last week for the second time. The show grossed $687,824.90 at the 1,057-seat playhouse for the week ending June 20, breaking its previous record of $673,706.50 for the week ending May 11.

Stephanie J. Block (Drama desk nomination for 9 to 5, Wicked, The Boy From Oz) will join Gretchen Bieber (Hairspray), Joel Blum (Two-time TONY nominee, Steel Pier, Showboat), Rebecca Eichenberger (Phantom of the Opera, Carousel), Jonathan Kaplan (Diary of Anne Frank, Theatre World Award, Tony nomination for Falsettos), Erik Liberman (Lovemusik), Lindsay Northen (Wicked), Noah Weisberg(Enron, South Pacific )and Lee Zarrett (Hair) for an industry reading of a new musical MY AMERICAN FAMILY .

Tony, Grammy & Golden Globe Award winner Bernadette Peters and Tony & Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch will return to Broadway in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Tony Award-winning masterpiece A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, directed by Tony Award-winner Trevor Nunn.

Kelsey Grammer, currently starring in his Broadway musical debut in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, will be a guest on CBS' 'The Early Show' on Saturday, June 19. In the New York area, 'The Early Show' airs on WCBS Channel 2 between 7:00 and 9:00 AM. Check local listings.

Famed director/designer Isaac Mizrahi will direct the upcoming production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Opera Theatre in St. Louis. The production will run June 6th through 19th at the Opera Theatre and will feature conductor Stephen Lord. NIGHT MUSIC was written by Hugh Wheeler and features a score by Stephen Sondheim.

Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre's David Babani told the U.K. Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye that plans are in progress to produce Stephen Sondheim & John Weidman's ROADSHOW at the venue.

Stephanie J. Block (Drama desk nomination for 9 to 5, Wicked, The Boy From Oz) will join Gretchen Bieber (Hairspray), Joel Blum (Two-time TONY nominee, Steel Pier, Showboat), Rebecca Eichenberger (Phantom of the Opera, Carousel), Jonathan Kaplan (Diary of Anne Frank, Theatre World Award, Tony nomination for Falsettos), Erik Liberman (Lovemusik), Lindsay Northen (Wicked), Noah Weisberg(Enron, South Pacific )and Lee Zarrett (Hair) for an industry reading of a new musical MY AMERICAN FAMILY .

La Cage aux Folles is the 2010 Tony Award Winner 'Best Revival of a Musical'. They performed the number 'The Best Of Times Is Now' during the show.

The American Theatre Wing's 64th Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Awards were held at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 13, 2010 and broadcast on the CBS Television Network. For more information visit tonyawards.com.