Peter Darling News

The hit West End show Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes, today released new portraits of Alex Jennings as Willy Wonka, with the five lucky golden-ticket winners who win a tour of his chocolate factory - Charlie Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt and Mike Teavee. Check them out below!

One of the most popular stories of the year so far, the unexpected announcement of a special one night only charity concert performance of a fan favorite musical-within-the-series from NBC's musical series SMASH, BOMBSHELL, to benefit the Actors Fund, is already a huge hit here on BroadwayWorld, and, now we bring you an exclusive chat with two elemental figures in the creation of the project, songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, all about the hotly anticipated evening. As part of our conversation, Shaiman and Wittman offer up a slew of new details on what plans are currently in place for the unprecedented SMASH reunion as well as shares first reactions to the wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that has already racked up more the $230,000 in donations in only a few short days, having begun with a goal of $50,000 when the event was first announced last week. Additionally, Shaiman and Wittman parse the finer points of the BOMBSHELL score and outline what fans can expect from the songstack on the evening as well as preliminary staging and presentational plans and also what the momentum engendered by BOMBSHELL could lead to in the future, near and far. Plus, Shaiman and Wittman comment on the recent rousing performance of SMASH standout 'I Can't Let Go' performed by Jennifer Hudson on the 2015 Academy Awards. All of that and much, much more!

Anna-Louise Knight and Lara McDonnell will join Matilda Shapland and Violet Tucker in the title role of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical from 17 March 2015.

Thomas Hazelby, 10 years old from Doncaster, today (11 March 2015) joins the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical to play the title role. He becomes the fortieth boy to play the role in London, where in May the internationally award-winning musical celebrates its tenth anniversary. Also joining the cast today to play Billy's best friend Michael is 11 years old Nathan Jones from Prudhoe, Northumberland. Take a first look at the two (and more) in photos from the show below!

Thomas Hazelby, 10 years old from Doncaster, today (11 March 2015) joins the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical to play the title role. He becomes the fortieth boy to play the role in London, where in May the internationally award-winning musical celebrates its tenth anniversary. Also joining the cast today to play Billy's best friend Michael is 11 years old Nathan Jones from Prudhoe, Northumberland. Check out the video below!

Jonathan Slinger will play Willy Wonka in the West End production of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the role currently played by Alex Jennings.

The Daily Mail writes that URINETOWN's Jonathan Slinger is set to star as 'Willy Wonka' in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, beginning May 2, 2015 for a run through April 2016. He follows Alex Jennings in the role.

The children from the cast of Broadway's Tony Award winning hit MATILDA THE MUSICAL will perform the National Anthem at the start of the 139th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this Monday night February 16 at Madison Square Garden, broadcast live at 8 PM on CNBC TV.

Based on the 2000 British independent film directed by Stephen Daldry, this musical tells the story of Billy Elliot, a young English kid who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. His personal struggle and fulfillment is balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike in County Durham, in North Eastern England.

TIME Magazine's #1 Show of the Year, MATILDA THE MUSICAL, will premiere in Pittsburgh on May 31 - June 12, 2016 at the Benedum Center, located at 237 7th Street, downtown Pittsburgh. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company andthe Dodgers, the first national tour of MATILDA THE MUSICAL will be presented as part of the Pittsburgh CLO 2016 Summer Season and PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh 2015-16 Series.

With nearly 2000 subscribers in attendance, The 5th Avenue Theatre Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong revealed the season line-up for this celebrated theater's 8-show 2015/16 season.

On Sunday February 1 at 1:30 PM, Broadway's MATILDA THE MUSICAL, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Dodgers, will give an autism-friendly performance at the Shubert Theatre (235 West 44th Street) in collaboration with TDF's Autism Theatre Initiative (ATI).

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today announced that it is extending its run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 4th June 2016. The new booking period will go on sale on 9th February 2015.

Recently, choreographer Dana Solimando took on the monumental task of choreographing Billy Elliot The Musical for La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. The production opened to sold out crowds over the weekend and will run through February 8th. Here Dana talks about making the steps her own and how you've got to be flexible in the theatre because you never know what's going to happen. Here's her behind the scenes look at bringing Billy Elliot to life.

Gillian Elisa has been confirmed to play Grandma in the internationally award-winning West End hit Billy Elliot the Musical, having previously alternated in the role. Gillian takes over from Ann Emery who originated the character in 2005 and who recently retired from the role at the age of 84, having worked with all 39 London Billy Elliots.

Broadway's award-winning Matilda The Musical, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Dodgers, has invited children from New York City public schools to participate in "Write Here, Write Now," a program sponsored by the RSCand the NYC Department of Education that provides over 300 students from arts-underserved communities with the opportunity to explore writing in a unique way, as their storytelling is brought to life on a Broadway stage. On December 12, the program will culminate with the cast performing a private presentation of the original scenes written by the students on stage at Broadway's Shubert Theatre.

Matilda The Musical has paid back its $16 million investment on Broadway, making the show a rare hit simultaneously on Broadway and in London's West End.

The companies of Broadway's MATILDA and PIPPIN celebrated the holidays with performances at CBS' annual THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE.

Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot: THE MUSICAL is out on Blu-ray in the UK today following the live worldwide presentation of the final West End performances being broadcast in movie theaters around the world.

Today, 19 November 2014, eleven year-old Brodie Donougher from Blackpool, gives his first performance in the title role of the internationally award winning Billy Elliot the Musical. Brodie joins a cast lead by Ruthie Henshall who plays Mrs Wilkinson, Billy's dance teacher and Deka Walmsley who plays Billy's dad, and becomes the thirty-ninth boy to perform the iconic role at the Victoria Palace Theatre and the seventy-sixth boy to perform the role worldwide, including Jamie Bell who played Billy Elliot in the award-winning film. Also joining the cast today will be 10 year old Connie Fisher from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, who will play Mrs Wilkinson's daughter Debbie. In addition 19 girls from London and surrounding counties aged 9 - 14 join the cast as Ballet Girls. Billy Elliot the Musical is currently booking at the Victoria Palace Theatre to 19 December 2015.