Tim Lutkin News

The 2019 UK Theatre Awards winners were revealed today (Sunday 27 October) in a lunchtime ceremony at London's Guildhall.

Tony Award winner, Roger Bart, will star as 'Dr Emmett Brown' in the world premiere of BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical, which will open at the Manchester Opera House on 20 February 2020 for a strictly limited 12-week season, finishing on 17 May, prior to transferring to the West End. This comes on the day Christopher Lloyd, the original 'Dr Emmett Brown' in the Back to the Future film trilogy comes to Manchester to pass on the keys to the DeLorean Time Machine to Roger.

Based on the smash-hit movie starring Tom Hanks, BIG The Musical makes its West End premiere at the Dominion Theatre for a strictly limited eight-week season from 10 September to 2 November 2019, with a Gala Night in aid of Make-A-Wish on Tuesday 17 September.

BIG the Musical first premiered on Broadway in 1996 and closed after just six months. It had its UK & Ireland premiere in Plymouth in 2016, shortly followed by a stint in Dublin - both starring Jay McGuiness as Josh, who reprises the role for this West End production.

Following a phenomenally successful extended run at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, rehearsals begin this week for the West End transfer of Michael Frayn's side-splitting backstage comedy, Noises Off, as the company join the playwright in celebrating his 86th birthday on 8th September.

While the beginning of a heatwave raged outside the Menier Chocolate Factory, attendees of the UK premiere production of The Bridges of Madison County, directed by Trevor Nunn, were transported to a hot summer of a different kind in Iowa in the 1960s.

Producer Colin Ingram (Ghost - The Musical) and the creators of the film Back To The Future, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, have announced the casting of 'George McFly', 'Lorraine Baines' and 'Goldie Wilson' in the world premiere of BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical, which will open at the Manchester Opera House on 20 February 2020 for a strictly limited 12-week season, finishing on 17 May, prior to transferring to the West End. Hugh Coles will play 'George', Rosanna Hyland 'Lorraine' and Cedric Neal 'Goldie'. They will be joining the previously announced Olly Dobson as 'Marty McFly'.

This stunning new adaptation of Yann Martel's much loved novel is a must-see.

Joining the previously announced Jay McGuiness, Wendi Peters, Kimberley Walsh and Matthew Kelly as Josh Baskin, Mrs Baskin, Susan Lawrence and George MacMillan respectively in BIG The Musical, will be Lori Haley Fox as Mrs KopeckiMiss Watson and Edward Handoll as Paul Seymour, with Harrison Dadswell, Jamie O'Connor and Jake Simon sharing the role of Young Josh and Jobe Hart, Austen Phelan and Theo Wilkinson sharing the role of Billy.

After wowing audiences at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Trevor Nunn's production of Fiddler on the Roof is going from strength to strength in its stint at the West End's Playhouse Theatre; not only has it extended its run until November, but it has now welcomed two new stars to Anatevka. Maria Friedman and Anita Dobson replace Judy Kuhn and Louise Gold as Yente and Golda, respectively, joining a cast led by Andy Nyman as Tevye.

Wendi Peters, Kimberley Walsh and Matthew Kelly will star as Mrs Baskin, Susan Lawrence and George MacMillan respectively. They join the previously announced Jay McGuiness as Josh Baskin. Based on the smash-hit movie starring Tom Hanks, BIG The Musical makes its West End premiere at the Dominion Theatre for a strictly limited nine-week season from 6 September to 2 November 2019, with a Gala Night in aid of Make-A-Wish on Tuesday 17 September.

Storyhouse in Chester has announced the cast for The Little Shop of Horrors taking place at the multi-award-winning venue from 10 May - 2 June.

Based on the smash-hit movie starring Tom Hanks, BIG The Musical makes its West End premiere at the Dominion Theatre for a strictly limited nine-week season from 6 September to 2 November 2019, with a Gala Night in aid of Make-A-Wish on Tuesday 17 September.

As his production of Richard Hawley and Chris Bush's Standing at the Sky's Edge opens in the Crucible, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, Robert Hastie, announces programming for 2019.

The Menier Chocolate Factory presents its major revival of one of the world's most-beloved musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof, in a new staging by Trevor Nunn. The cast icludes Harriet Bunton (Hodel), Dermot Canavan (Lazar Wolf), Stewart Clarke (Perchik), Matt Corner (Fyedka), Joshua Gannon (Motel), Judy Kuhn (Golde), Louise Gold (Yente), Kirsty MacLaren (Chava), Andy Nyman (Tevye) and Molly Osborne (Tzeitel), are Miles Barrow, Sofia Bennett, Lottie Casserley, Lia Cohen, Shoshana Ezequiel, Fenton Gray, James Hameed, Matthew Hawksley, Matilda Hopkins, Adam Margilewski, Robert Maskell, Benny Maslov, Gaynor Miles, Ellie Mullane, Craig Pinder and Valentina Theodoulou to complete the company.

Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo play the famous fated couple in the National Theatre's production of Antony and Cleopatra. Let's see what the critics had to say.

Caesar and his assassins are dead. General Mark Antony now rules alongside his fellow defenders of Rome. But at the fringes of a war-torn empire the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony have fallen fiercely in love. Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo play the famous fated couple. Simon Godwin (Twelfth Night) directs.

Caesar and his assassins are dead. General Mark Antony now rules alongside his fellow defenders of Rome. But at the fringes of a war-torn empire the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony have fallen fiercely in love.

The Menier Chocolate Factory today announces that the run of Gerard Alessandrini's Spamilton: An American Parody extends due to public demand - the production now runs until 15 September.

Caesar and his assassins are dead. General Mark Antony now rules alongside his fellow defenders of Rome. But at the fringes of a war-torn empire the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony have fallen fiercely in love.