Tom Varey News

Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet explores grief and loss through the lens of Elizabethan society, reimagining the family life of the most celebrated playwright in England. Lolita Chakrabarti’s play enjoyed a fairly successful run in Stratford-upon-Avon and immediately promised a West End transfer. Under Erica Whyman, the production is a good-looking exercise in speculative history.

Royal Shakespeare Company has released new production images for the West End transfer of Hamnet. Check out the photos here!

After a sold-out run in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Company is bringing Hamnet to the West End. Recently, we sat down with Madeleine Mantock, who plays Agnes Hathaway in Hamnet. We discussed the role Agnes plays within the show, how Mantock connects with the themes of the story, and even what makes this show so magical.

A 6 week extension has been announced for the West End transfer of Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi) and directed by Erica Whyman.  Learn more about the show, as well as the full cast, here!

The cast has just been announced for the West End transfer of Hamnet, directed by Erica Whyman and adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti. Check out who will join the company here!

What’s in a name? That which we call William, Hamlet or Anne still smells as sweet when we see their historical origins in this adaptation by Lolita Chakrabarti of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel.

Last night (Wednesday 12 April), the Royal Shakespeare Company and Neal Street Productions, in association with Hera Pictures, welcomed special guests to the world stage premiere of Hamnet, which opened its sold-out run in the newly restored Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. See photos from inside opening night!

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Neal Street Productions, in association with Hera Pictures, have announced casting for the world-premiere of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by RSC Acting Artistic Director Erica Whyman. 

A Taste of Honey at Trafalgar Studios must end on Saturday 29 February 2020.

Last night' was the opening night of A Taste of Honey at Trafalgar Studios, followed by a party at Jack Solomons. Celebrities including Dame Vivienne Westwood, Alison Steadman, Neil Morrisey, Dame Kelly Holmes, Bruno Tonioli and John Partridge joined actor Jodie Prenger (who plays Helen) and the cast to celebrate the opening of Shelagh Delaney's era-defining play, which returns to the West End after 60 years.

Bijan Sheibani's (Barber Shop Chronicles, The Arrival) production of A Taste of Honey returns to the West End for the first time in 60 years this week, opening on Thursday at Trafalgar Studios. The remarkable taboo-breaking 1950s play written by Shelagh Delaney when she was just 19 will play a limited 12-week run in a co-production with Trafalgar Theatre Productions, with a press night on Monday 9 December.

The National Theatre has announced its upcoming lineup for December 2019 - June 2020.

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From a starry revival to musical comedies and an incendiary Pulitzer winner, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews, interviews and features!

Shelagh Delaney was known for putting working class women centre-stage. It is remarkable to think that she was only 19 when she penned A Taste Of Honey, a bleak depiction of working class life in post-war Britain where people did not live, but simply tried to exist. It is even more significant that she was a young, uneducated, Northern woman succeeding in a theatrical world that was run for and by an educated elite of men. The National Theatre's excellent 2014 version now returns for a national tour before transferring to the Trafalgar Studios next year.

The National Theatre today announced that Bijan Sheibani's (Barber Shop Chronicles, Dance Nation) production of A Taste of Honey, the remarkable taboo-breaking 1950s play written by Shelagh Delaney when she was just 19, will transfer to the West End immediately following a nine-week UK tour. A Taste of Honey will play a limited 12-week run at Trafalgar Studios from 5 December in a co-production with Trafalgar Theatre Productions, with an opening night on Monday 9 December. Tickets will go on sale to the general public from 11 October.

Jodie Prenger stars in the National Theatre's production of A Taste Of Honey at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury.

Jodie Prenger stars in the National Theatre's production of A Taste Of Honey at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, next month.

Get a sneak peek inside rehearsal for the National Theatre's UK tour of A Taste of Honey.

The final production in the Coronet's spring season, DEATHWATCH, runs now through May 7. This new Print Room production of Jean Genet's powerful and provocative first play, in a translation by David Rudkin, marks its first major revival in almost 30 years. DEATHWATCH stars Danny Lee Wynter, Joseph Quinn, Tom Varey and Emma Naomi, and is directed byGeraldine Alexander, who received critical acclaim for the direction of her own play, Amygdala, at The Print Room's former space in 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!

The final production in the Coronet's spring season, DEATHWATCH, runs from April 11 to May 7. This new Print Room production of Jean Genet's powerful and provocative first play, in a translation by David Rudkin, marks its first major revival in almost 30 years. DEATHWATCH stars Danny Lee Wynter, Joseph Quinn, Tom Varey and Emma Naomi, and is directed by Geraldine Alexander, who received critical acclaim for the direction of her own play, Amygdala, at The Print Room's former space in 2013. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!