Zadie Smith News

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From new musicals to Shakespeare, Pinter and Magic Mike, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld reviews, interviews and features!

Shakespeare's Globe has announced the full ensemble for Richard II, opening 22 February 2019. Who are we as a nation post-Empire and pre-Brexit, and how do we speak truth to power? Who made this country and how do we move forward together? As we wrestle with questions of identity and ownership, we turn to our greatest playwright to reflect on 'This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England' as staged by the first-ever company of women of colour in a Shakespeare play on a major UK stage. Co-directed by Adjoa Andoh and Lynette Linton, Adjoa will also play the titular role.

With Holy Sh!t - the inaugural production in the newly refurbished theatre - in rehearsals, Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham presents  the world premiere of Stephen Sharkey's adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth.

Muldoon's Picnic - the critically acclaimed omnium-gatherum of music, storytelling, poetry, and more - has become a staple of New York's cultural diet. Led by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, this words-and-music jamboree features an evolving lineup of world-class special guests from across the spectrum of arts and letters. Returning for its eighth season at Irish Arts Center (553 West 51st Street, New York) on September 10, October 8, and November 12, the series will feature playwright Sarah Ruhl, jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, poet Kimiko Hahn, singer-songwriter Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne),Vogue Creative Digital Director Sally Singer and more.

With Holy Sh!t - the inaugural production in the newly refurbished theatre - in rehearsals, Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham today announces the full cast for the world premiere of Stephen Sharkey's adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth - Ayesha Antoine (Irie Jones), Michele Austin (Mad Mary), Philip Bird (Des/Marc Perret/Marcus Chalfen), Ayesha Dharker (Alsana Iqbal), Naomi Frederick (Ruth/Poppy/Joyce Chalfen), Tony Jayawardena (Samad Iqbal), Richard Lumsden (Archie Jones), Karl Queensborough (Anthony /Denise/Josh Chalfen), Sid Sagar (Magid Iqbal), Amanda Wilkin (Rosie Jones), Assad Zaman (Millat Iqbal), and actor-musicians Matthew Churcher, Nenda Neurer (also Clara Jones) and Zoe West. The production opens on 5 November, with previews from 26 October, and runs until 22 December.

Marking its 40th anniversary as one of New York's most vital cultural institutions,Symphony Space is proud to announce a new season of bold programming, presented in a uniquely warm and welcoming environment. From September through June, Symphony Space offers an exciting lineup of events that connect art, ideas, and the city's rich mosaic of communities.

With Mapping Brent running at venues across the local community, Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham today announces the opening season at the company's newly refurbished theatre, which sees the Tricycle Theatre relaunch as Kiln Theatre. The new season includes five world premieres, one UK premiere and a major musical revival, with over 10,000 tickets at £12.50 or under.

SLATE Live has teamed up with Employee of the Month with Catie Lazarus to celebrate the ninth year anniversary of the talk show, which The New York Times calls as a "beloved downtown institution." On Thursday, March 15th, downtown darling Catie Lazarus will interview and honor comedian Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, Broad City), Tony Award-winning Broadway and (now film) music conductor and director Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Incredibles II); actor Emily Mortimer (The Party, Marry Poppins, Newsroom), musical guest The Resistance Revival Chorus, fresh from The Grammy's with Kesha and the Women's March.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet, former New Yorker Poetry Editor and pop music lyricist Paul Muldoon returns for his eighth season of the critically acclaimed feast of music, storytelling, poetry, and more.

At Monday's Library Lions Gala, The New York Public Library (NYPL) celebrated the artists and wordsmiths comprising its 2017 class of Library Lions.

The Donmar Warehouse today announced full casting for Elinor Cook's new version of Ibsen's masterpiece The Lady from the Sea. As previously announced Nikki Amuka-Bird will play Ellida, and she is joined by Ellie Bamber, Jake Fairbrother, Jim Findley, Jonny Holden, Finbar Lynch, Tom McKay and Helena Wilson.

The Donmar Warehouse announces today two new plays for the 2017 autumn period.  Internationally-acclaimed theatre artist, Yael Farber, makes her Donmar debut directing David Harrower's haunting Knives in Hens with full casting that includes Christian Cook, Judith Roddy and Matt Ryan.  This will be the play's first major London revival since its premiere in 1995, when it instantly established Harrower as one of the UK's leading playwrights. 

Tomorrow  Is Another Day, featuring new work by Mark Bradford, is presented by the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University and The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, at La Biennale di Venezia 57th International Art Exhibition.

Beloved storytelling nonprofit The Moth today announced details for their annual fundraising gala, The Moth Ball.

The Lark has announced playwrights Brittany K. Allen and Christina Quintana have been selected as the recipients of the 2017 Van Lier New Voices Fellowship.

ATLANTA, Jan. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The American Library Association selects 'The Underground Railroad,' by Colson Whitehead, published by Doubleday, Penguin Random House LLC, as the winner of the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and 'Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,' by Matthew Desmond, published by Crown, Penguin Random House LLC, as the winner of the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The selections were announced this evening during the RUSA Book and Media Awards Ceremony and Reception that are part of the ALA Midwinter Meeting and Exhibits taking place at the Georgia World Congress Center, in Atlanta, Georgia from Jan. 20 24.

The Chicago Humanities Festival has announced that Chicago-area native and short story master George Saunders, Misty Copeland, the first African American woman to be the principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, and Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, parents of Trayvon Martin, will headline CHF's Winter line-up with programs in February and March.

(NASDAQ:AMZN)-Amazon.com today announced its selections for the Best Books of 2016, naming Colson Whitehead's novel The Underground Railroad the Best Book of the Year. The annual list features the Top 100 books of the year plus Top 20 lists across various categories. All lists are hand-selected by Amazon's team of editors who read hundreds of thousands of pages throughout the year-choosing the best books of every month and then, finally, the best books of the year. To see the full list of the Best Books of 2016 and buy the print or Kindle editions, visit: http://amazon.com/bestbooks2016

CHICAGO, Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The American Library Association (ALA) today announced six books shortlisted for the esteemed Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, awarded for the previous year's best fiction and nonfiction books written for adult readers and published in the United States. The two medal winners will be announced at the Reference and User Services Association's Book and Media Awards event at ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, January 22, 2017.

Casting announced today: Gbolahan Obisesan as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and  RonkeAdekolejo as Camae.