UK / West End Interviews - Page 29

BWW speaks to comedian Des Clarke about returning to the King's Theatre panto for the fifth year running....

David Birrell's extensive stage work ranges from An Enemy of the People at Octagon Theatre, Bolton, to Spamalot in the West End, as well as several years with the RSC. He's currently playing Badger in the highly anticipated new musical version of The Wind in the Willows, which features a book by Dow...

Actress Ophelia Lovibond has done a range of screen roles, from beleaguered Izzy in W1A to Elementary, Guardians of the Galaxy and new Sky 1 series Hooten & The Lady. Now, she's making her West End debut, playing 17th-century actress Elizabeth Barry in The Libertine opposite Dominic Cooper as the in...

Actor Adam Gillen's credits include A Taste of Honey at the Royal Exchange Theatre, The School for Scandal at the Barbican and the RSC's Wendy and Peter, as well as TV hits Fresh Meat and Benidorm. He's currently starring as Mozart, opposite Lucian Msamati as rival composer Salieri, in the National ...

Harriet Thorpe's diverse career ranges from hit musicals Les Miserables, Wicked, Mamma Mia! and Crazy For You to Absolutely Fabulous and extensive work with the National. She's currently starring in The Dresser, alongside Ken Stott and Reece Shearsmith, which begins previews at Duke of York's Theatr...

Ventriloquist Nina Conti got her break when Ken Campbell specially devised Let Me Out!!! for her in 2001, and she's since won numerous awards, headlined shows, appeared in Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration. She's now on a major UK tour with improvised show In Your Face, which sees audience ...

It's hard for people to grasp the possibilities of something like virtual reality or 360 film, as most don't have a frame of reference yet, so the best thing is to show them,' explains Toby Coffey, the National Theatre's Head of Digital Development. 'That's a big part of our job at the moment: invit...

As an actor, Nigel Harman's numerous credits include EastEnders, Guys and Dolls, Downton Abbey and Shrek The Musical, the latter of which he also directed. He's now helming the revival of a Steven Berkoff double bill: Lunch, about an abortive one-night stand, and The Bow of Ulysses, revisiting the c...

Wicked held a special gala performance last night at the Apollo Victoria Theatre to mark 10 years in the West End - a milestone guaranteed to make many in the industry green with envy. Current stars Rachel Tucker, Suzie Mathers, Anita Dobson, Oliver Savile and Mark Curry performed for an audience pa...

BWW speaks to the writer creator and performer Ian Stroughair of Iconic: A Brief History Of Drag ahead of its world premiere at the St James Theatre on November 4th....

Damian Buhagiar's credits include the UK tour of Jersey Boys and Bugsy Malone at Lyric Hammersmith. He's now returned to the West End production of In the Heights in the role of Sonny, which he originated at Southwark Playhouse in 2014, in time for the show's first birthday at King's Cross this Frid...

Actor Ian Hallard has done a range of work, from musicals and Shakespeare to phone-hacking play Great Britain at the National Theatre and TV staples like Doctor Who and Poirot. He also co-wrote a Poirot episode with his husband Mark Gatiss, and the pair are now starring together in a revival of Matt...

Sean Holmes has been Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith since 2009. Memorable productions during his bold and varied tenure include Three Kingdoms, Saved, Bugsy Malone, Ghost Stories, the Secret Theatre programme, and the Olivier Award-winning Blasted. Next up is a revival of Mark Ravenhill'...

Acclaimed American actress Hope Davis has starred in numerous independent films and TV dramas, from About Schmidt and American Splendour to In Treatment, The Special Relationship and Wayward Pines. She received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the original Broadway production of God of...

Professional ballroom and Latin dancer Robin Windsor became a household name through stage and screen hits like Burn the Floor, Puttin' On The Ritz and Strictly Come Dancing. He's now touring the UK with his new show Keep Dancing....

Actress Hayley Tamaddon's numerous screen and stage credits include Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Spamalot and The Rocky Horror Show. She's currently starring as jazz-hot murderess Roxie Hart in the UK touring production of Kander and Ebb's Chicago, alongside John Partridge, Sophie Carmen-Jones and ...

The latest instalment in our series showcasing Britain's best lighting designers focuses on the four-time Olivier and two-time Tony Award winner Paule Constable. She's worked on numerous landmark theatrical productions, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse and Waves...

Performance artist Brian Lobel has spent 12 years creating innovative work out of difficult personal experiences and tough topics. He's now joined forces with Bryony Kimmings and Complicite to create the highly anticipated new musical A Pacifist's Guide to the War on Cancer, which premieres at Manch...

Sion Lloyd joins the 30th anniversary cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera in the role of Monsieur Firmin, beginning tonight. His past credits include Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre), Miss Atomic Bomb (St James Theatre), The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre), Avenue Q (Noel Coward ...

Actor and musician Ryan Molloy won praise for his roles in Jerry Springer: The Opera, Taboo, Godspell and On the Town, but he's best known for playing Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys for a record-breaking six years in the West End and on Broadway. He's now working in the rather more intimate Cockpit Th...

Swedish director Maria Aberg came to the UK to study at Mountview aged 20. She's since become a bold force in British theatre, with work ranging from Hotel at the National Theatre and Wildefire at the Hampstead to numerous productions for the RSC. Her most recent, Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, features ...

West End megastar Kerry Ellis got her break understudying Martine McCutcheon in My Fair Lady, and has since played leading roles in numerous hit shows, including We Will Rock You, Wicked, Les Miserables, Oliver! and Cats. She's also collaborated with Brian May on several albums and tours. Her next b...

In addition to her recording career, Soul queen Beverley Knight has become a musical theatre star, beginning with her acclaimed performance as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard in 2013, followed by lead roles in Memphis The Musical and Cats. She's now returned to The Bodyguard for a new West End run of...

Matthew Lewis is beloved by millions as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, but since his wizarding days he's taken on a range of projects, including Ripper Street and Happy Valley on TV, Me Before You on the big screen, and Our Boys in the West End. He's currently in rehearsal for Owen Mc...

Our new series, LET THERE BE LIGHT, focuses on some of Britain's finest theatrical lightning designers. First up is James Farncombe, whose projects range from plays at venues like the Royal Court, Young Vic and Donmar to a variety of opera and ballet productions. He received an Olivier Award nominat...

The celebrated St Petersburg Ballet Theatre returns to the London Coliseum to present the world premiere of Her Name Was Carmen starring Irina Kolesnikova 23 – 28 August 2016. I caught up with Irina weeks before the production begins to talk about this brand new ballet, which has been created for he...

Actor Andrew Gower's credits include Monroe, The White Queen, Being Human and Outlander. He's currently starring as Winston Smith in the third West End run of 1984, Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan's lauded adaptation of George Orwell's novel....

Lewis Griffiths' numerous credits include tours of Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde and Ghost - The Musical and Priscilla Queen of the Desert in the West End. He's now taking on the iconic role of Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing, which begins a UK tour from this month....

Actor Obioma Ugoala has appeared in numerous RSC productions, including Richard II, Henry IV Part 1 & II and Henry V, as well Holy Warriors at the Globe and The Physicists at the Donmar. His screen credits include Doctors on the BBC and Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beas...

Last year, Jon Brittain's Rotterdam had a successful and well-received premiere at Theatre503 - this month, it moves into the West End for a Trafalgar Studios run. Centring on Alice, who wants to come out as gay, and her girlfriend Fiona, who decides she wants to start living as a man, Adrian, it's ...

Scottish actress Phyllis Logan has enjoyed a stellar career on stage and screen, with notable performances in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies and two British TV smash hits: Lady Jane in Lovejoy and, of course, eminently sensible housekeeper Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey. She's returned to the stage to joi...

Caroline Sheen is one of our busiest and most popular musical theatre actresses. She has an unbelievable string of credits to her name including the title role in Mary Poppins, Fantine/Eponine in Les Miserables, Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Jennifer in the Original Cast of The Wi...

Actor and musician Declan Bennett has successfully maintained dual, often intersecting careers as a singer-songwriter and musical theatre performer. He's had chart hits both with band Point Break and as a solo artist, and has tackled several iconic roles, including Roger in a US tour and Broadway ru...

Alt-cabaret star Bridget Everett discusses her upcoming Soho Theatre show...

Prolific composer Richard Hartley has written for stage and screen, including film scores for The Romantic Englishwoman, The Lady Vanishes, Nicolas Roeg's Bad Timing, Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty, and an Emmy-winning score for Channel 4's Alice in Wonderland. He's also worked extensively in theatre,...

West End revival of MISS SAIGON alums Ela Lisondra and Ariel Reonal are featured in the Manila production of the smash rock musical AMERICAN IDIOT by Green Day, which closes tonight at the Globe Iconic Store, Bonifacio Global City....

Following the announcement last week about the return of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, there has been a lot of excitement buzzing about. After a sell-out and critically acclaimed run last year, the demand for a revival had been duly noted. Fortunately, for the theatre-going public, the pro...

Phoebe Eclair-Powell began training as an actress at the Drama Centre London, but soon switched over to playwriting. She's worked with the National Youth Theatre on their Epic Stages programme, and her debut play WINK premiered at Theatre503 last year. Next up is FURY, shortlisted for the Verity Bar...

A few days after cast change, I checked in with 'Mamma Mia's new Sophie Sheridan: the lovely Sanne den Besten., who was kind enough to share a little of her Abba and other musical theatre experiences....

David Langham has just started his run as Thenardier in Les Miserables, currently at the Queens Theatre. We caught up with him......