Stephen Mear News

After accepting the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival for the second year in a row for Into the Woods, Artistic Director Timothy Sheader gets rehearsals underway for the first play of the 2011 season, Lord of the Flies

Lucy Bailey directs John Gay's original text of The Beggar's Opera from 23 June as part of the 2011 season at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

The Seattle premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Friday, May 13 at 8 pm at The Paramount Theatre for a limited three-week engagement through Sunday, May 29.

Producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Seattle engagement of MARY POPPINS.

West End stars, including Denise Van Outen and Kerry Ellis, have joined forces to promote the message that 'It Gets Better' to youngsters who may be struggling with their sexuality. Check out what they have to say below!

Last night at the 27th annual Helen Hayes Awards celebrating excellence in Washington, D.C. theater, Caroline Sheen won Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production for the title role in the 2010 Kennedy Center premiere of the MARY POPPINS North American Tour.

The Columbus premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Thursday, April 21 at 7:30pm at the Ohio Theatre for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, May 8.

CAPA, Broadway Across America, and producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Columbus engagement of MARY POPPINS. Columbus' most eagerly anticipated stage production will begin performances at the Ohio Theatre on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, May 8, 2011. Opening night is Thursday, April 21, at 7:30pm.

Everybody's been talking about the animatronic pig which cost a reported £100,000 and we've now got the first photos from Cameron Mackintosh's new musical comedy BETTY BLUE EYES, based on the Handmade Film 'A PRIVATE FUNCTION' by Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray. BETTY BLUE EYES is the first original musical Cameron Mackintosh has produced in ten years. It started previews at the Novello Theatre in the West End on 19 March and opens on 13 April.

Producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Seattle engagement of MARY POPPINS.

After accepting the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival for the second year in a row for Into the Woods, Artistic Director Timothy Sheader gets rehearsals underway for the first play of the 2011 season, Lord of the Flies

Everybody's been talking about the animatronic pig which cost a reported £100,000 and we've now got the first photos from Cameron Mackintosh's new musical comedy BETTY BLUE EYES, based on the Handmade Film 'A PRIVATE FUNCTION' by Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray. BETTY BLUE EYES is the first original musical Cameron Mackintosh has produced in ten years. It started previews at the Novello Theatre in the West End on 19 March with a press night on 13 April.

The Philadelphia premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Friday, March 25 at 8:00 pm at the Academy of Music for a limited engagement of four weeks through Sunday, April 17.

Producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Philadelphia engagement of MARY POPPINS. Philadelphia's most eagerly anticipated stage production will begin performances at the Academy of Music on Wednesday, March 23 for a limited engagement of four weeks through Sunday, April 17 as part of the Broadway Season, presented by the Kimmel Center and the Shubert Organization. The opening night (press opening) is Friday, March 25 at 8:00 pm.

The Green Room Awards took place at The Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne last night, and global favorite MARY POPPINS led the night with a total of nine awards out of its twelve nominations. Yana Alana and the Paranas in Concert, a cabaret production, was a close second for total awards with six out of eight cabaret awards.

CAPA, Broadway Across America, and producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Columbus engagement of MARY POPPINS. Columbus' most eagerly anticipated stage production will begin performances at the Ohio Theatre on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, May 8, 2011. Opening night is Thursday, April 21, at 7:30pm.

The Boston premiere of MARY POPPINS officially opens tonight, Friday, February 18 at the Boston Opera House for a limited engagement of five weeks through March 20.

Check here to see if your favourites have picked up the prizes!

The Laurence Olivier Awards - the most prestigious awards in London's Theatreland - will be held this year in a revamped ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Sunday 13 March. Follow full coverage of the event on www.olivierawards.com.

On the eve of celebrating its two-year anniversary, the North American tour of MARY POPPINS is pleased to announce that the production's total box office gross has exceeded $100 million. Since launching in Chicago in March 2009, the MARY POPPINS North American tour has garnered continuous critical praise, recouped its investment and played to 1.5 million delighted theatergoers in 23 cities to date, making it the most successful new tour in recent years.