NEWSROUND: Stars Of West End And Broadway Join Together

Musical theatre fans up and down the country will be rejoicing as some of the West End's biggest names join together for a one-off concert, celebrating the career of William David Brohn. The Broadway To West End benefit takes place on October 4 at Theatre Royal Drury Lane where songs from the vast array of musicals that Brohn has arranged, such as Oklahoma!, Wicked, Carousel and Witches of Eastwick will be performed.

The line-up currently includes Anthony Andrews, Rosemary Ashe, Graham Bickley, Ima Castro, Kim Criswell, Jacqui Dankworth, Daniel Evans, Gareth Gates, Alison Jiear, Alexia Khadime, Alistair McGowan, Robyn North, Charlotte Page, Nicholas Parsons, Jodie Prenger, Joanna Riding and Rebecca Thornhill with special appearances by Stephen Flaherty, Christopher Jahnke, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Stiles and Drewe and Gareth Valentine. With more performers to be announced it will no doubt prove to be to an amazing night.

In the West End contract extensions are being made. Calendar Girls continues its successful run, with the current cast now continue with the show until October 31. With new casting, soon to be announced and set to take over from November 3it looks like the show will remain at the Noël Coward Theatre for some time to come. For those wanting to catch June, Jill, Jerry and co through to September 19 the best seats are available to purchase for just £29.50, with a percentage of the booking fee being donated to Leukaemia Research.

Over at the Cambridge Theatre Destiny's Child star Michelle Williams will continue as Roxie Hart until September 12, alongside Tiffany Graves who rejoins the cast on Monday. Ian Kelsey will step into Billy Flynn's shoes from August 24 until October 25.

The Finborough Theatre has announced a revival of Emlyn Williams' The Druid's Rest, running from September 6to the 23. The play which is based upon Williams' own childhood experiences, is set in the small Welsh village of Ton-y-maes where the locals' preparations for Eisteddfod are interrupted by the arrival of an Englishman who is not who he appears to be. Directed by David Cottus, the cast include David Broughton-Davies, Alyn Gwyndaf, Rachel Isaac, Rhodri Lewis, Anna Lindup, Joshua McCord, Michael Norledge, and Bennet Thorpe.

Casting for the National Theatre's production of Mother Courage and her Children has been announced, with Fiona Shaw taking the title role.  A well regarded work of theatre, written by Bertolt Brecht and translated by Tony Kushner, Mother Courage will run at the Olivier Theatre from September 9 to December 8.

Other new productions include a tour of the celebrated Marilyn: Forever Blonde, The Marilyn Monroe Story in Her Own Words and Music, following its West End debut at the Leicester Square Theatre from October 20 to November 18. The one-woman production stars actress and singer Sunny Thompson as Marilyn. 

Two revivials have also been announced for September. Nick Ward's play The Present by theatre company Good Night Out will take place at The c*ckTavern Theatre from August 18, while Ibsen's classic play A Doll's House will run from the same date at the Greenwich Playhouse, presented by CandyKing Theatre.

Finally it has been reported that Douglas Carter Beane's award-winning comedy The Little Dog Laughed is looking to find itself a West End home.

Still want more? Sharon McKendrick has all the gossip from Scott Alan about his forthcoming London concert, Craig Hepworth tells us about Vertigo's first rehearsal of their new show Rage, and there's loads more Edinburgh coverage.