Sonia Friedman News

Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan's critically acclaimed adaptation of George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece will embark on a second UK tour from Autumn 2014 in a co-production with Headlong , Nottingham Playhouse and the Almeida Theatre.

According to the Daily Mail, Benedict Cumberbatch as solidified his place as Hamlet in the West End. The Shakespearean drama will run at the Barbican Theatre, beginning in August 2015 and will be produced by Sonia Friedman and directed by Lyndsey Turner.

The Old Vic today announced its programme for Summer/Autumn 2014. The CQS Space, The Old Vic in the round, will be home to the whole season of productions, continuing after Other Desert Cities which opens this month. The plays will be performed in the round, a transformation of The Old Vic's auditorium first seen for the award-winning 2008 production of The Norman Conquests. The season of productions is supported for the fourth consecutive year by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced Tony Award winner Rosemary Harris will play the role of 'Eleanor Swan' in the Off-Broadway premiere of Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink, directed by Carey Perloff. The production will begin performances on September 4 and open Sunday, September 28, 2014 at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold & Miriam Steinberg Centre for Theatre (111 West 46th Street).

Disney and Sonia Friedman Productions are delighted to announce casting for the roles of star-crossed lovers Will Shakespeare and Viola De Lesseps in the forthcoming stage production of Shakespeare in Love. Tom Bateman will play Will Shakespeare and Lucy Briggs-Owen will play Viola De Lesseps.

Hugh Jackman just withdrew from the 2015-16 Broadway run of HOUDINI due to scheduling issues, but it seems he has found another project more in line with his busy career. The New York Post reveals the actor will be starring in Jez Butterworth's play THE RIVER in early 2015 on Broadway.

The all-male Shakespeare's Globe repertory productions of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and RICHARD III have recouped their $3.1 million capitalization costs this week, officially entering the hit column. The productions, which opened on Broadway on November 10, 2013 to ecstatic and universal critical praise, have been playing to capacity crowds at Broadway's Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street), where they have broken the house record several times.

London and New York (1/2/14) ATG's Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire OBE have topped the The Stage 100 for a fifth consecutive year, equaling the record-breaking run previously set by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. It firmly establishes Squire as the most prominent woman in British theatre of the modern era. The exclusive list, compiled annually by the industry's leading newspaper, ranks the powerhouses of British theatre.

Ian Rickson's critically acclaimed revival of Jez Butterworth's award-winning Mojo will complete its run on 8 February 2014 as previously announced. Earlier this month, Mojo, which has been playing to packed houses at the Harold Pinter Theatre since its opening in October, announced an extension to its West End run due to public demand.

West End's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, which was broadcast in cinemas across the United States earlier this fall, is now available for download over on Digital Theatre.

A play based on J.K. Rowling's worldwide phenomenon HARRY POTTER will soon be apparating into the West End, produced by the author herself.

Christmas (almost) endeth the year. Time to reflect? Well, of course! It's what one does. And what better venue to do it in than in a pub on Richmond Green with my nearest and dearest, where we shared our varying theatrical highlights and lowlights of the year.

The all-male Shakespeare's Globe repertory productions of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and RICHARD III, which have broken the box office record at the Belasco Theatre and earned across the board ecstatic critical praise, will be extended by popular demand for an additional two weeks. The productions, which are directed by Tim Carroll and designed by Jenny Tiramani, with music by Claire van Kampen, will play through February 16, 2014 at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street).

Ian Rickson's critically acclaimed West End revival of Jez Butterworth's award-winning Mojo today announces a further two weeks of performances due to public demand. Mojo, which is playing to packed houses at the Harold Pinter Theatre, will now complete its run on 8 February 2014 with its original cast - Brendan Coyle (Mickey), Rupert Grint (Sweets), Tom Rhys Harries (Silver Johnny), Daniel Mays (Potts), Colin Morgan (Skinny) and Ben Whishaw (Baby).

According to the UK Daily Mail, the full cast of the hit Mojo has extended for two extra weeks, through February 8, 2014.

Sir Howard Panter, the co-founder, Joint CEO and Creative Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) attended the investiture ceremony hosted by The Queen at Windsor Castle last Friday (22 November) where he received a Knighthood for Services to Theatre.

Sir Howard Panter, the co-founder, Joint CEO and Creative Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) attended the investiture ceremony hosted by The Queen at Windsor Castle last Friday (22 November) where he received a Knighthood for Services to Theatre.

The Almeida Theatre's five-star production of Ibsen's Ghosts, adapted and directed by Richard Eyre, will transfer to Trafalgar Studios, playing from Tuesday 17 December. Lesley Manville, Jack Lowden, Brian McCardie and Charlene McKenna will reprise their roles and are joined by Adam Kotz as Pastor Manders.

First week of rehearsals for Dickens Abridged. We're at St. Luke's church in Holloway. The cast of superbly talented actor/musician/singers (Damian Humbley, Jon Robyns, Kit Orton, Matthew Hendrickson and Gerard Carey) have done a fantastic job of learning lines, blocking, choreography and music.

The stage premiere of Shakespeare in Love will open at London's Noel Coward Theatre in the summer of 2014. This new play will be adapted for the stage by Lee Hall from the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. Declan Donnellan will direct and the production will be designed by Nick Ormerod. Shakespeare in Love will be produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions.