Paksie Vernon News

First-look production photos have been released of the UK premiere of Here There Are Blueberries, a co-production between Tectonic Theater Project and Stratford East.

HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES will make its UK premiere at Stratford East in early 2026, marking a major new collaboration with Tectonic Theater Project. The production brings Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s acclaimed work to London following celebrated runs in the U.S.

It’s an extensive rumination on family, Jewishness, marriage, and the boundaries of emotional infidelity, but it neglects the nuances and peculiarities of the characters, who ultimately remain two-dimensional figurines with very little identity. The narrative is severely self-indulgent, without as much scope or aim as it believes it's offering. It exploits womanhood for the benefit of its male protagonists and under-analyses the consequences of their actions. The direction and company are remarkable, but each element suffers the material.

All new photos have been released from the opening night of People, Places & Things at the Trafalgar Theatre and post-show party at Sophie's Soho. Check out the photos here!

All new rehearsal photos have been released from the return of the original, smash hit production of People, Places and Things. 

Updated casting has been announced for Festival 2022 at Chichester Festival Theatre. Learn more about the upcoming lineup here!

The National Theatre is touring Evan Placey’s Jekyll & Hyde, a radical reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, to state secondary schools nationwide until 1st April 2022.  

I knew there was something to say about today with Stevenson's novella Jekyll and Hyde about good and evil and the darkness in all of us.

The National Theatre will tour Evan Placey's JEKYLL & HYDE, a radical reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale, to five state secondary schools across Wolverhampton in partnership with Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

The National Theatre is to tour Evan Placey's Jekyll & Hyde, a radical reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale, to state secondary schools nationwide from 31st January 2022.  

Two lovers, each with hidden secrets, struggle to prosper as gin hawkers. At a time in the 18th century when the average Briton drank 1.5 litres of gin every day, women were being locked up in cells to sober up and disorder was breaking out on every street corner, panic spreads among the upper classes who look to the magistrates, the Church and even their tipsy Queen to restore sobriety.

The ensemble cast includes Debbie Chazen (The Girls, West End), Rosalind Ford (Once, UK Tour), Aruhan Galieva (King John, Royal & Derngate and Shakespeare’s Globe), Paula James (The Snow Queen, Park Theatre), Alex Mugnaioni (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Rose Theatre Kingston and West End), Peter Pearson (Welcome to the UK, The Bunker), and more!

Initial casting is announced today for the West End transfer of Laura Wade's The Watsons, following sold-out runs at both Chichester Festival Theatre and the Menier Chocolate Factory. Samuel West directs Sam Alexander (Robert Watson), Sally Bankes (Nanny), Jane Booker (Lady Osborne), Elaine Claxton (Mrs Edwards), Ralph Davis (Lord Osborne), Tim Delap (Mr Howard), Sophie Duval (Mrs Robert), Louise Ford (Laura), John Wilson Goddard (Mr Watson), Rhianna McGreevy (Margaret Watson), Grace Molony (Emma Watson a?" she was Evening Standard Award nominated for her performance), Elander Moore (Bertie), Paksie Vernon (Elizabeth Watson) and Cat White (Miss Osborne), who reprise their roles. Full casting will be announced shortly.

Chichester Festival Theatre and Menier Chocolate Factory today presents the London première of Olivier Award-winner Laura Wade's The Watsons at the Menier.

Laura Wade isn't the first to tackle Jane Austen's unfinished novel, abandoned in 1805, but she is the only one so far to write herself, the struggling adaptor, into the text. This witty, ingenious and surprisingly philosophical play, which premiered at Chichester last year, merges Austen with Pirandello, and satire with big existential questions.

Chichester Festival Theatre and Menier Chocolate Factory present the London première of Olivier Award-winner Laura Wade's The Watsons at the Menier.

Chichester Festival Theatre and Menier Chocolate Factory today announce the full cast for the London première of Olivier Award-winner Laura Wade's The Watsons at the Menier. Samuel West directs original cast members Sam Alexander (Robert Watson), Sally Bankes (Nanny), Joe Bannister (Lord Osborne), Jane Booker (Lady Osborne), Elaine Claxton (Mrs Edwards), Tim Delap (Mr Howard), Sophie Duval (Mrs Robert), Louise Ford (Laura), John Wilson Goddard (Mr Watson), Grace Molony (Emma Watson), Elander Moore (Bertie), Paksie Vernon (Elizabeth Watson), Cat White (Miss Osborne) and Laurence Ubong Williams (Tom Musgrave), who are joined by Rhianna McGreevy (Margaret Watson), with Isaac Forward, Sonny Fowler and Teddy Probets sharing the role of Charles Howard for the run at the Menier. The Watsons played to critical acclaim at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2018. The production opens at the Menier on 30 September, with previews from 20 September, and runs until 16 November.

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From a landmark musical and Caryl Churchill to Wall Street and ABBA immersion, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews, interviews and features!

Chichester Festival Theatre and Menier Chocolate Factory today announce the full cast for the London première of Olivier Award-winner Laura Wade's The Watsons at the Menier. Samuel West directs original cast members Sam Alexander (Robert Watson), Sally Bankes (Nanny), Joe Bannister (Lord Osborne), Jane Booker (Lady Osborne), Elaine Claxton (Mrs Edwards), Tim Delap (Mr Howard), Sophie Duval (Mrs Robert), Louise Ford (Laura), John Wilson Goddard (Mr Watson), Grace Molony (Emma Watson), Elander Moore (Bertie), Paksie Vernon (Elizabeth Watson), Cat White (Miss Osborne) and Laurence Ubong Williams (Tom Musgrave), who are joined by Rhianna McGreevy (Margaret Watson), with Isaac Forward, Sonny Fowler and Teddy Probets sharing the role of Charles Howard for the run at the Menier. The Watsons played to critical acclaim at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2018. The production opens at the Menier on 30 September, with previews from 20 September, and runs until 16 November.

Tobacco Factory Theatres has announced the casting of its second Factory Company - the resident professional ensemble that will perform new in-house productions of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good between February and May 2019.