Stephen Tompkinson News

A historic theatre - which has hosted a range of stars from Laurel and Hardy to Michael McIntyre and Romesh Ranganathan - is set to surpass its former glory thanks to a significant injection of cash.

Production images have been released for the 40th Anniversary UK tour of Willy Russell's EDUCATING RITA, starring Stephen Tompkinson and Jessica Johnson as Frank and Rita. The play opened at the Oxford Playhouse on 4 February, and will continue to tour until 23 May.

The Kings Theatre in Portsmouth has announced its exciting programme of shows with a vibrant line-up of comedy, plays and the best in musicals - starting 2020 in style.

David Pugh and Theatre by the Lake have announced that their highly acclaimed production of Willy Russell's EDUCATING RITA will run at Theatre Royal, Glasgow in 2020 as part of 40th anniversary UK tour.

David Pugh and Theatre by the Lake have announced that their highly acclaimed production of Willy Russell's EDUCATING RITA, which toured the UK earlier this year, will have a 40th anniversary production in 2020, once again touring the UK and starring Stephen Tompkinson as Frank and Jessica Johnson as Rita.  The production is directed by Max Roberts.

Taking the term 'pub theatre' literally, Cinderella is an outrageous site-specific show that takes all the best of traditional British panto and tops it off with a pint. Penned by Luke Barnes (All We Ever Wanted Was Everything), this knees up of a night out brings all the characters you know, love and hate, to pull your mates, spill your pints and pour their hearts out on the karaoke. Crammed with live music, bingo, and a touch of midnight magic, Cinderella will have audiences dancing in the aisles and laughing their bloody baubles off. Think The Royle Family crossed with Elf... all set in a local boozer where the audience buy their drinks from the on-stage bar.

The musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 thriller featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on a 1973 play of the same name by Christopher Bond. Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979 and won the Tony Award for Best MusicalThe Broadway production starred Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury, both of whom won Tony Awards for originating the roles of Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett.

Darlington Hippodrome has lifted the lid on a selection of new shows for its Summer 2019 season.

In 1998, French playwright Yasmina Reza was slightly bemused to win an Olivier Award for Best Comedy with her play ART. Her intention was to write a biting satire, tinged with tragedy, but British audiences have consistently failed to see the play as a tragedy, appreciating the play as a hilarious and sharp parody where, although art is the subject of the play, the heart of it is friendship.

David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Theatre by the Lake have announced that a major new stage production of Willy Russell's EDUCATING RITA will tour the UK in 2019. Starring Stephen Tompkinson as Frank, and introducing Jessica Johnson as Rita, the play will be directed by Max Roberts.

After breaking box office records in 2018, David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers will produce the 2019 UK tour of the Old Vic production of Yasmina Reza's Olivier, Tony and Moliere award-winning comedy ART, translated by Christopher Hampton. The production will star Nigel Havers, Denis Lawson and Stephen Tompkinson as Serge, Marc and Ivan respectively. The tour will open at Chichester Festival Theatre on 24 January 2019.

Miss Marple, The Queen and Margaret Thatcher will all take centre stage in Salisbury Playhouse's Spring 2019 season.

Just in time for the holiday season, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is inviting guests to try something new this year with a holiday ticket package. For those looking to bond over a spine-tingling live theater performance, THE WOMAN IN BLACK will include a drink from the bar with the purchase of a ticket using the code HOLIDAY through January 6, 2019. An experience surely not to miss, the production has been called "Spectacular" by the Chicago Sun-Times, and "Brilliant" by Chicago Theater Review, receiving rave reviews from critics across the board. 

There's plenty to celebrate as the Grand Theatre turns 125 next year! The streets of Wolverhampton will be paved with gold as the magic of DICK WHITTINGTON comes to the Grand Theatre!

If you are struggling to get into the festive spirit this year, a visit to London's Old Vic theatre is highly recommended. After the roaring success of Jack Thorne's charming adaptation of Charles Dickens' yuletide classic last year, the decision to stage A Christmas Carol again is as warm and welcoming as a hug from St Nicholas himself.

There are plenty of seasonal treats served up in the capital this year, from pantos and plays to opera and dance. Here are some of the tastiest morsels for the 2018-19 festive period.

Taking the term 'pub theatre' literally, Cinderella is an outrageous site-specific show that takes all the best of traditional British panto and tops it off with a pint. Penned by Luke Barnes (All We Ever Wanted Was Everything), this knees up of a night out brings all the characters you know, love and hate, to pull your mates, spill your pints and pour their hearts out on the Karaoke. Crammed with live music, bingo, massaoke, and a touch of midnight magic, Cinderella will have you dancing in the aisles and laughing your bloody baubles off. Think Tarantino meets Shameless, meets ELF...all in a real, local boozer.

Matthew Warchus' fourth season as Artistic Director of The Old Vic completes with an Arthur Miller double-bill, a World Premiere by Lucy Prebble and a special One Voice performance. These productions form Part 2 of the season, and follow the previously announced Part 1 consisting of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company's production of SYLVIA; Annie-B Parson's 17c; Emma Rice's Wise Children; and A Christmas Carol - for which today we also announce further casting.

Over eight million people have lived to tell the tale of one of the most successful - and terrifying - theatre events ever staged, and it's coming to shock audiences in Chicago this fall. The Woman in Black - London's long-running West End play -  will open at Chicago's Royal George Theatre in November with all the stage thrills that have led audiences in London to shriek in fear for 30 years.

The Old Vic is presenting two world premieres, a UK premiere and the return of a much loved, joyful Christmas hit production for Part 1 of Matthew Warchus' fourth season.