London Tide - - West End Articles Page 17

Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the queen of rock 'n' roll. The unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort, made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock. 50 years after the Summer of Love, McCarter audiences will rediscover the sights, sounds, and soul of an unforgettable era with A Night with Janis Joplin, October 10 29 in McCarter's Matthews Theatre.

Picking out the best of UK theatre over the past 12 months is a curious task - akin to judging avocado pears against conference pears, we're comparing like with like only in the broadest sense. So, with that necessary caveat, here are some of my nominations for the BroadwayWorld UK Awards 2017.

The Old Globe presents the first show of its 2017-2018 Season, the world premiere musical Benny & Joon, with book by Kirsten Guenther, music by Nolan Gasser, and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Based on the beloved 1993 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture written by Barry Berman and Leslie McNeil, Benny & Joon is directed by Jack Cummings III, Artistic Director of New York's Transport Group.

Luke Norris' award winning production of Growth will embark upon a second UK tour this Autumn. The production originally debuted at Paines Plough's ROUNDABOUT @ SUMMERHALL at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2016 and won a prestigious Fringe First award before touring the UK.

The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for the first show of its 2017-2018 Season, the world premiere musical Benny & Joon, with book by Kirsten Guenther, music by Nolan Gasser, and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein.

Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company presents the Atlanta premiere of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winning dramedy, Between Riverside and Crazy written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Eric J. Little.

Theatre Exile is proud to remount, Tommy & Me, by Ray Didinger. Hailed by Mark Cofta during its premiere as "…unabashedly sentimental and sincere…" Tommy & Me is autobiographical and recounts a seminal time in Ray Didinger's life as he helps his life-long hero, Tommy McDonald reach his goal of getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere production of Hir, a subversive comedy by celebrated playwright, actor, singer-songwriter and performance artist Taylor Mac. Directed by Steppenwolf Artistic Producer Hallie Gordon, the cast features ensemble members Francis Guinan (Arnold) and Amy Morton (Paige) with Em Grosland (Max) and Michael Holding (Isaac).

The Mercury Playwriting Prize, in this inaugural year, received over 160 entries from emerging local writers. 2017's winner is actor Oliver Bennett whose play, Europe After The Rain, is a darkly surreal and highly theatrical exploration of the world we live in now. It offers up a dark mirror to the concerns of contemporary Britain: immigration, enfranchisement, globalisation, loss and love.

Internationally renowned producer Situations (Theaster Gates' Sanctum for Bristol and the 100-year Future Library in Oslo) has developed a new type of arts event for the coastal bay area of Torbay in South Devon.

A 'ME AND MY GIRL' Not To Be Missed It is infrequent for the theatre god of comedy to shine bright enough to induce glee, but that is what occurred on opening night of the Shaw Festival's utterly charming production of ME AND MY GIRL. An alchemy of sorts has melded a super talented cast with the thoughtfully insightful director. The Shaw Festival has not always had a strong track record of completely successful musicals, but under new Artistic Director Tim Carroll's leadership, it seems as if the tide has turned. Of course, the selection of a musical with British heritage ( a rarity of sorts), fits in perfectly with the Shaw Festival's mandate.

Salisbury Playhouse has announced its Autumn/Winter 2017-18 season. Scroll down for details!

Casting is announced today for the UK premiere of Hir, written by Taylor Mac (24-Decade History of Popular Music) and directed by Nadia Fall (Disgraced). Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who, Broadchurch, Once) will play Isaac, Griffyn Gilligan (Teddy Ferrara) plays younger sibling Max, Ashley McGuire (Shopping and F***ing, The Suicide) will play their mom Paige and Andy Williams (The 39 Steps, War Horse) plays her husband Arnold.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere production of Hir, a subversive comedy by celebrated playwright, actor, singer-songwriter and performance artist Taylor Mac. Directed by Steppenwolf Artistic Producer Hallie Gordon, the cast features ensemble members Francis Guinan (Arnold) and Amy Morton (Paige) with Em Grosland (Max) and Michael Holding (Isaac).

It was announced today that artistic director of Graeae (the UK's leading disabled led theatre company), Jenny Sealey MBE and acclaimed theatre director and associate director of the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony, Paulette Randall MBE will join former James Bond Pierce Brosnan OBE and The Kumars at No 42 star Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE as patrons of the legendary South London arts centre Ovalhouse. Together they will front the campaign to raise funds for the venue's new home in Brixton, which is expected to open in 2019.

Five finalists have been shortlisted for the first WiT Award, a prize created to discover and nurture new writers working in the theatre industry. The winner will be announced at a reception on 25 May.

Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company presents the Atlanta premiere of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winning dramedy, Between Riverside and Crazy written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Eric J. Little.

Today, Theatr Clwyd announced the full cast for a major new revival of Oscar Wilde's classic masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest which opens on 9 May, with previews from 4 May, and runs until 27 May.

Minnie & Liraz is a riotous new play starring legendary actors Nancye Hayes (Jerry's Girls) and Sue Jones (Other Desert Cities) as fiercely competitive bridge-playing grandmothers.

This week, Publishers Marketplace announced that Maggie Stiefvater's best-selling quartet The Raven Cycle has been picked up for television by Universal Cable Productions. The pilot episode is set to be directed by Catherine Hardwicke, best known for bringing Stephenie Meyer's best-selling Twilight series to film. Hardwicke will also executive produce the series. The show will also be executive produced by Michael London via his Groundswell Productions Banner. The series will be led by showrunner Andrew Miller, who worked on adapting L.J. Smith's book series The Secret Circle to TV.

Rising French duo Her's Her Tape #2 is available now—listen  here. The band, composed of Victor Solf and Simon Carpentier, premieres the video for their latest single, “SWIM,” today via NYLON.

Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer announced today the summer leg of his US concert experience 'Hans Zimmer Live on Tour 2017.

Bay Street Theater has announced the full creative team and members of the cast of THE MAN IN THE CEILING, with book by Jules Feiffer, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, and directed by Jeffrey Seller, producer of Hamilton.

Lucy Carless of Channel 4's critically acclaimed drama series Humans makes her theatre debut as Ruby in Sea Fret opening at the Old Red Lion on the 28th March. Best known for her portrayal of teenaged Mattie in both series of the hit television programme, Lucy trained at the Nottingham Television Workshop.

Guitar virtuoso and rock legend, Steve Hackett (formerly of Genesis), releases his latest album The Night Siren on March 24, 2017 through InsideOut Music (Sony).