Menier Chocolate Factory News

The Theatrical Management Association (TMA) is delighted to announce the nominations for its annual Theatre Awards ceremony, which celebrates the best of British theatre from around the United Kingdom.

Ian Talbot will direct Peter Sham and Brad Carroll's new musical comedy, Lend Me A Tenor The Musical, based on the award-winning West End and Broadway hit comedy by Ken Ludwig. A riotous, unpredictable explosion of mistaken identities and unexpected romance, Lend Me A Tenor The Musical will run at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 24 September - 6 October 2010, prior to an anticipated West End run in the Autumn which will be produced by Martin Platt and David Elliott in association with Eileen and Allen Anes.

Due to popular demand, Tony, Grammy & Golden Globe Award winner Bernadette Peters and Tony & Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch have extended their stay in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Tony Award-winning masterpiece A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, directed by Tony Award-winner Trevor Nunn. Peters & Stritch were originally only scheduled to perform through Sunday, November 7, 2010 and will now stay with the production through its final performance at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street) on Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM after 20 previews and 425 regular performances.

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

Sheffield Theatres is delighted to announce it is to stage a brand new production of Sondheim's Company at the Crucible Theatre for Christmas 2011.

Tracie Bennett will play Judy Garland in the West End premiere of Peter Quilter's End of the Rainbow. Directed by Terry Johnson, End of the Rainbow combines humour and heartbreak to capture both the drama of Garland's final performances in London and her controversial life off stage.

Shakespeare's Globe revives its acclaimed 2008 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor this summer for a run at the Globe, before embarking on an international tour.

CATCO will present the pre-New York production of the new musical comedy, The Last Smoker in America, with book and lyrics by Tony nominee Bill Russell (Side Show) and music by Drama Desk nominee Peter Melnick (Adrift in Macao).

PS CLASSICS, the label dedicated to the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, will release the New Broadway Cast Recording for the 2010 Tony Award-winning production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES tomorrow, Tuesday, September 28.

Following a sell-out season at the Menier Chocolate Factory, the West End run of Willy Russell's Educating Rita starring Tim Pigott-Smith and Laura Dos Santos, and Shirley Valentine starring Meera Syal, will close on Saturday 30 October 2010 as previously announced.

Producer Orin Wolf and Off the Aisle Productions have announced that It Must Be Him, a new comedy by Kenny Solms, co-creator and writer of the legendary, Emmy Award-winning 'Carol Burnett Show,' will premiere this summer at the Peter J. Sharp Theatre (416 West 42nd Street). Directed by Daniel Kutner, It Must Be Him began performances on Tuesday, August 24, and officially opened on Wednesday, September 1. The limited engagement ends Sunday, September 26.

The Menier Chocolate Factory's production of the Tony award-winning musical, Sweet Charity, which transferred to the West End in April 2010, will complete its run on 6th November 2010.

Ian Talbot will direct Peter Sham and Brad Carroll's new musical comedy, Lend Me A Tenor The Musical, based on the award-winning West End and Broadway hit comedy by Ken Ludwig. A riotous, unpredictable explosion of mistaken identities and unexpected romance, Lend Me A Tenor The Musical will run at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 24 September - 6 October 2010, prior to an anticipated West End run in the Autumn which will be produced by Martin Platt and David Elliott in association with Eileen and Allen Anes.

The Menier Chocolate Factory's production of the Tony award-winning musical, Sweet Charity, which transferred to the West End in April 2010, will complete its run on 06 November 2010. Matthew White's critically acclaimed production, which originally opened at the Chocolate Factory in November last year, has a cast led by Tamzin Outhwaite, Mark Umbers, Josefina Gabrielle, Tiffany Graves and Paul J Medford.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10am on Friday 24 September for Ken Hill's The Invisible Man which previews at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 12 November with press night on 24 November and is booking until 13 February 2011. The Invisible Man will be directed by Ian Talbot, with illusions by Paul Kieve, set designs by Paul Farnsworth, costume designs by Matthew Wright, lighting by Jason Taylor, music by Steve Edis, sound by Gareth Owen and choreography by Sam Spencer-Lane. Casting details will be announced shortly.

BroadwayWorld has learned that Stephen R. Buntrock will take over for Alexander Hanson in the role of Frederick Egerman in the Broadway revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC on September 28, 2010. Hanson will take his final bow on September 26, 2010.

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.

Little did composer/lyricist Jerry Herman know that when he wrote that lyric for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, he was actually predicting his own future. The original production of LA CAGE opened to enormous critical acclaim in 1983 and is currently receiving its second revival on Broadway in The Menier Chocolate Factory's brilliantly scaled-down version. The second act showstopper in every version is 'The Best of Times' which inevitably has the audience singing along when it's performed during the final bows. It's also the song that seems to be going through Herman's head ever since August 13th when he learned he'd been named to receive one of this year's Kennedy Center Honors.

Chocolate Factory productions, Tom Salamon and Neil Patrick Harris present the European Premiere of Accomplice. Set on the streets of SE1, Accomplice - part game, part theatre, part tour - takes audiences on a walking discovery of theatre and mystery.

The award-winning musical Five Guys Named Moe will extend for a week due to phenomenal demand at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Five Guys Named Moe is directed by Paulette Randall and stars The Wire's Clarke Peters as Nomax. With choreography by original cast member and Olivier nominee Paul J Medford.