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LEAD CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE

WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW MUSICAL

HERE & NOW

AT THE ALEXANDRA, BIRMINGHAM

NOW RUNNING FROM 9 NOVEMBER – 30 NOVEMBER

The producers of the brand new musical HERE & NOW, presented by UK pop sensation, Steps, are delighted to announce the lead cast joining the production. Rebecca Lock will play Caz McGovern, Hiba Elchikhe will play Neeta Thakkar, Sharlene Hector will play Vel King and Blake Patrick Anderson will play Robbie Davies.

HERE & NOW will now run in Birmingham from 9 – 30 November 2024 following a recent date extension due to phenomenal demand.

Rebecca Lock has spent the last two Christmases playing Emily Hobbs in the West End family favourite ELF – The Musical at the Dominion Theatre. Some of her other notable theatre roles include Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock (UK tour), Mrs Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (Dominion Theatre), Carmen Bernstein in Curtains (UK tour and West End), Ms Fleming in Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket & The Other Palace), Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins (UK tour) and Rosie in MAMMA MIA! (Novello Theatre).

One of the UK’s top soul, R&B and pop vocalists, lead vocalist of Basement Jaxx Sharlene Hector has also enjoyed a successful career in theatre, recently starring as Grace in Standing At The Sky’s Edge at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Sharlene was previously also seen in A Strange Loop (Barbican Theatre), Dreamgirls (UK tour), Hairspray (London Coliseum) and Derren Brown’s TV recording of Showman at the Apollo Theatre.

Hiba Elchikhe was one of the original leading cast members of the West End and Chester Storyhouse production of The Time Traveller’s Wife – The Musical, with music by Joss Stone and Dave Stewart. She played Pritti Pasha in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie both in the West End and Los Angeles and played Princess Jasmine in the Australian tour of Aladdin. Her other theatre credits include Antony and Cleopatra (National Theatre), Millennials (Other Palace), Lift (Southwark Playhouse) and Brooklyn (Greenwich Theatre).

Blake Patrick Anderson has also performed across the West End, playing Nerd Face in Emojiland (Garrick Theatre), Mark Cohen in RENT (Hope Mill Theatre) and Woof in Hair (Turbine Theatre). Blake was also an original cast member of Be More Chill at The Other Palace, also performing as part of the 30^th anniversary cast of Starlight Express in Bochum, Germany.

Featuring Steps’ most beloved hit songs, HERE & NOW has an original book by Shaun Kitchener and is produced by the band and ROYO with Pete Waterman. It will be directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, with choreography by Olivier Award winning Matt Cole and Matt Spencer-Smith as musical supervisor, orchestrations and arrangements.

Further casting to be announced.

Welcome to seaside superstore Better Best Bargains, where it’s Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone’s dancing in the aisles. But when Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal, the summer of love she and her friends dreamed of suddenly feels like a tragedy. Have they all lost their chance of a ‘happy ever after’? Or does love have other plans in store… 

Steps (Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins’, Lee Latchford-Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee) are the UK’s most successful mixed sex pop group of all time, with 14 top five singles, 4 number one albums, 22 million record sales, 500 million streams & 11 sold-out national arena tours under their belts. The band’s hits include #1 singles Tragedy/Heartbeat and Stomp, the gold certified One For Sorrow & Better Best Forgotten, the silver certified 5,6,7,8, Last Thing On My Mind, Love’s Got A Hold Of My Heart, Chain Reaction, all of which will feature in the musical alongside many more.

Steps’ 2017 comeback tour sold out all 300,000 tickets, making it one of the biggest pop tours of the year. The band have since continued to release new music including two further iTunes #1 singles, the Sia-penned What The Future Holds in 2020 and the Michelle Visage duet Heartbreak In This City in 2022. In 2022 Steps celebrated their 25th anniversary with a headline summer tour and released the #1 album Platinum Collection which means they join ABBA, Rolling Stones and Stereophonics as the only groups in UK history to score #1 albums in four consecutive decades.

Set design is by Tom Rogers, costume design is by Gabriella Slade, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Adam Fisher, wigs, hair and makeup design by Sam Cox, casting by Will Burton for Grindrod Burton Casting, associate direction by Matt Hassall, associate choreography by Jane McMurtrie with associate sound design by Ollie Durrant.

Website: TheStepsMusical.com

Instagram: @TheStepsMusical

X: @TheStepsMusical

TikTok: @TheStepsMusical

Facebook: @TheStepsMusicalUK

LISTINGS INFORMATION

HERE & NOW

9 – 30 November 2024

The Alexandra

Suffolk Queensway,

Birmingham,

West Midlands,

B5 4DS

Performances: Tuesdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2.30pm

N.B there will only be a 7:30pm performance on Saturday 9 November, Sunday 10 November and Thursday 28 November, and an additional 2:30pm performance on Wednesday 27 November.

There will also be an audio described performance on Tuesday 19 November and a signed performance on Thursday 21 November.

Tickets from £13

www.atgtickets.com/venues/birmingham

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR 

BECOMING NANCY

A NEW MUSICAL

ABOUT FIRST LOVE AND FINDING YOUR VOICE

BASED ON TERRY RONALD’S

‘DELICIOUSLY CAMP RITES OF PASSAGE NOVEL’ The Independent

Directed and Choreographed by Tony Award–winning Jerry Mitchell,

Book by Elliot Davis, music by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe withadditional music and lyrics by Terry Ronald, Elliot Davis and George Stiles

https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/becoming-nancy

Wednesday 2 October – Saturday 2 November 2024

Birmingham Rep

Birmingham Rep today (Tuesday 16 July 2024) announced casting for Becoming Nancy,the UK premiere of a new musical directed and choreographed by the Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell.  Performances begin on Wednesday 2 October 2024

Joseph Peacock (The Last Ship; US Tour, Bat out of Hell; West End, Scarborough; BBC) will play David Starr, with Joseph Vella (Fame, Annie Get Your Gun, From Here to Eternity),as Maxie Boswell, Paige Peddie (Book of Mormon,  Oklahoma; West End, The Lion King; UK Tour) as Frances Bailey, Olivier Award-winning Rebecca Trehearn (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, City of Angels, Showboat; West End), as Kath Starr, Genevieve Nicole (Mother Goose and Magic Goes Wrong; West End and Dr Seuss The Grinch Musical Live; NBC and Sky 1) as Aunt Val, Mathew Craig (Susan Stroman’s s Crazy for You, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole; West End, We Will Rock You; UK Tour) as Eddie Starr, Olivier Award-winning Stephen Ashfield (Maria – a new biopic of Maria Callas to be released this year, The Book of Mormon; West End and Broadway as Hamish McClarnon (a role he created at Coca Cola Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia) and Daisy Greenwood (Made in Degenham concert; London Palladium, There is Nothing Like a Dame; Cadogen Hall, Christmas with the Stars; Covent Garden) as Abigail Henson.  Further casting is yet to be announced.

Becoming Nancy is a coming-of-age story about first love, friendship, and finding your voice, based on the novel by Terry Ronald.  The book is by  Elliot Davis, music by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe withadditional music and lyrics by Terry Ronald, Elliot Davis and George Stiles.  The multi-award winning musical theatre writing partnership of Stiles and Drew’s other scores include the international smash-hit Cameron Mackintosh/Disney Tony and Olivier award-winning production of Mary Poppins, the Olivier Award-winning Honk!, Half a Sixpence and The Wind in the Willows

Jerry Mitchell is also the director of The Devil Wears Prada, which opens in the West End in October 2024.He has worked in London since he first served as Associate Choreographer to Sir Cameron Mackintosh on Follies starring Diana Rigg and Julia McKenzie. Since then Jerry has directed and choreographed 3 Olivier Award-winning musicals in the West End.  He directed and choreographed Kinky Boots and Legally Blonde and choreographed Hairspray. 

The Tony Award-winning director and choreographer was returning to New York from the UK in 2013 and came across the book Becoming Nancy at Heathrow Airport.  By the time he reached the US he knew he had to make the story into a musical!

Jerry Mitchell said ‘Becoming Nancy requires a lot of young fresh talent, and I’m so excited to introduce these incredible young performers to British audiences  alongside some spectacular West End stars.  This beautiful story about finding your true self and the spotlight each of us deserves is going to be a joy to share with audiences of all ages.’

In Becoming Nancy, it’s 1979 and David Starr is unquestionably one of the smartest, most talented sixth formers in East Dulwich – he’s got a wild imagination, a vocal range to die for, and a bedroom plastered with posters of his beloved pop idols: Blondie, Sting, and Kate Bush.  But being clever, having talent, and great taste in music may not be enough to get him through secondary school, where, to his great surprise, he’s just been given the lead role of Nancy, in the school play, Oliver!  The unconventional casting sends shockwaves to everyone around him – including his parents, his aunt, and his classmates. Before long, it seems like everybody has an opinion on whether David should go on with the show, inspiring him to turn to his no-nonsense best friend Frances and his unlikely co-star Maxie, the enigmatic captain of the football team. 

MICHAEL MALONEY TO STAR AS HERCULE POIROT

IN THE UK & IRELAND TOUR OF

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS ADAPTED BY KEN LUDWIG

FROM 6 SEPTEMBER 2024 TO 3 MAY 2025

Michael Maloney will star as Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, in Lucy Bailey’s new production of the UK & Ireland Tour of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.  Agatha Christie Ltd and Fiery Angel will bring Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic to the stage, opening on 6 September at the Lowry in Salford and running through to 3 May 2025 at the Cheltenham Everyman.

Michael said of playing Poirot, “I am very excited and honoured to be joining a long line of extraordinary actors who have taken on the role of Hercule Poirot and hope I can be so, too.  To work with such a talented director as Lucy Bailey and with top producers Fiery Angel is a gift and a privilege.  Here’s to Orient Express hurtling through your town or city soon!”

Michael Maloney’s extensive film and television work includes Belfast, Iron Lady, Young Victoria, Notes on a Scandal, Branagh’s Hamlet, Zefferelli’s Hamlet, Truly Madly Deeply, The Crown, Magpie Murder, The Trial of Christine Keeler, The Five, River, The White Queen, Bonekickers,  Empire, The Jury and Love on a Branch Line.  On the stage, his many roles for the RSC include Edgar, Romeo and Prince Hal.  For the National, he has appeared in Light Shining in Buckinghamshire as Cromwell, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground as Lewis Carroll and Once in a While the Odd Thing Happens as Benjamin Britten.  In the West End, he has appeared in Peer Gynt (in the title role), Can You Hear Me at the Back? and Taking Steps.

Winter 1934 and an avalanche stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks.  An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on board, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is one of Agatha Christie’s greatest literary achievements, with a final twist that is amongst her very best.  Gripping, tense and masterfully cryptic, this brand-new production is a deliciously thrilling ride and an ingenious murder mystery, guaranteed to keep you guessing until the end of the line.

Further casting is to be announced.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS will be directed by Lucy Bailey (Witness for the Prosecution, And Then There Were None, The Other Boleyn Girl) and designed by Mike Britton, with lighting design by Oliver Fenwick, video design by Ian Galloway, sound design by Mic Pool, movement direction by Leah Hausman, casting by Abby Galvin and with Victoria Gartner as assistant director. 

Website: www.murderontheorientexpressplay.com

Instagram: @orientexpressplay

Facebook: @orientexpressplay

X: @orientexpressuk

TOUR SCHEDULE

2024

6-14 September                        The Lowry, Salford                                                                                     0161 876 2000

                                                     www.thelowry.com

17-21 September                      Norwich Theatre Royal                                                                             01603 630000

                                                     norwichtheatre.org                                                                                              

24-28 September                      Theatre Royal Plymouth                                                                          01752 267222

                                                     www.theatreroyal.com                                                                          

1-5 October                                CanterburyMarlowe Theatre                                                                01227 787787                                                                                                                             

                                                      www.marlowetheatre.com  

8-12 October                              Glasgow King’s Theatre                                                                                                                                                                           

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre-glasgow

15-19 October                            Curve, Leicester                                                                                         

www.curveonline.co.uk                                                                         

22-26 October                            Edinburgh Festival Theatre                                                                     0131 529 6000

                                                      www.capitaltheatres.com                                                                     

29 October – 2 November        Cambridge Arts Theatre                                                                           01223 503333

                                                       www.cambridgeartstheatre.com                                                       

5-9 November                             Richmond Theatre, London

                                                       www.atgtickets.com/Richmond                                                          

12-16 November                         Malvern Festival Theatre                                                                         01684 892277

                                                        www.malvern-theatres.co.uk                                                              

19-23 November                         TruroHall for Cornwall                                                                              01872 262 466                                                                                                                             

                                                        www.hallforcornwall.co.uk  

2025                                  

14-18 January                              Newcastle Theatre Royal                                                                         0191 232 7010

                                                        www.theatreroyal.co.uk                                                                        

21-25 January                               The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford                                            01483 44 00 00

                                                        www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk                                                                  

28 January – 1 February             Birmingham The Alexandra

                                                        www.atgtickets.com/birmingham                                                      

4-8 February                                 Sheffield Lyceum                                                                                        0114 249 6000

                                                        www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk                                                              

11-15 February                            Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre                                                        

                                                       aberdeenperformingarts.com                                                             

18-22 February                            SouthamptonMayflower Theatre                                                       02380 711 811                                                                                                                                

                                                       www.mayflower.org.uk                   

25 February – 1 March              Milton KeynesTheatre                                                                                                                                           

                                                       www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre           

4-8 March                                    New Theatre, Cardiff                                                                                0343 310 0041

                                                      www.trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff                           

11-16 March                               Theatre Royal Bath                                                                                     01225 448844

                                                      theatreroyal.org.uk                                                                                   on sale 24 May

25-29 March                               York Grand Opera House

                                                      www.atgtickets.com/york                                                                     

1- 5 April                                     NottinghamTheatre Royal                                                                      0115 989 5555

                                                     www.trch.co.uk                                                                                         

8-12 April                                   Gaiety Theatre, Dublin                                                                             00 353 1 646 8600

                                                     www.gaietytheatre.ie                                                                             

22-26 April                                 Theatre Royal Brighton

                                                     www.atgtickets.com/brighton                                                             

29 April – 3 May                        Cheltenham Everyman Theatre                                                            01242 572573

                                                     everymantheatre.org.uk

ABOUT AGATHA CHRISTIE LIMITED

Agatha Christie Limited (ACL) has been managing the literary and media rights to Agatha Christie’s works around the world since 1955. Collaborating with the very best talents in film, television, publishing, stage and on digital platforms, ACL ensures that Christie’s work continues to reach new audiences in innovative ways and to the highest standard.

The company is managed by Christie’s great grandson James Prichard.

Current ACL theatre productions include WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION at London County Hall and a hugely successful UK tour of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE in collaboration with Fiery Angel. Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS has enjoyed wide international success, particularly in the US and throughout Europe.

ABOUT FIERY ANGEL

Headed by Edward Snape and Marilyn Eardley, Fiery Angel is an award-winning international production company based in London’s West End.

Recent productions include: Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder! (West End and UK Tour), King Lear (West End), And Then There Were None (UK and Ireland Tour), Hairspray (West End), Fleabag (West End), Home, I’m Darling (West End and UK Tour), Mary Stuart (West End and UK Tour), Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company: The Winter’s Tale, Red Velvet, Romeo and Juliet, The Entertainer (West End) and The 39 Steps (9 years in the West End, 3 UK Tours, 3 years on Broadway). Fiery Angel has acted as a co-producer alongside The National Theatre on its West End productions of Nine Night, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Lehman Trilogy.

As part of Fiery Angel Entertainment: Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol (Queen Elizabeth Hall), Rob Brydon (UK Tour) and Circus 1903 (Royal Festival Hall, Eventim Apollo).

As part of The Children’s Theatre Partnership: The Boy at the Back of the Class (UK Tour), Unexpected Twist (UK Tour), Animal Farm (UK Tour), Goodnight Mister Tom (West End and 3 UK Tours, Olivier Award winner) and Swallows and Amazons (West End and UK Tour).

As part of Fierylight Productions: Smartest Giant in Town (UK Tour and West End) and  Peppa Pig Live! (West End, UK Tour, US Tour and Australian Tour).

fiery-angel.com 

The Almeida Theatre announces the full repertory company for its Angry and Young season

  Joining the previously announced Morfydd Clark, Iwan Davies, Billy Howle and Ellora Torchia are Michael Abubakar, Eliot Salt, Sophie Stanton, Tony Turner and Deka Walmsley. 

The rep company will perform both Arnold Wesker’s Roots, directed by Diyan Zora,and John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger,directed by Atri Banerjee, as part of the Almeida’s Angry and Young season. Both productions open on Tuesday 1 October, with Roots previewing from Tuesday 10 September and Look Back in Anger previewing from Friday 20 September. Both productions run until Saturday 23 November. More details of the full Angry and Young season will be announced soon. 

ROOTS   
by Arnold Wesker    

Director: Diyan Zora; Set Designer: Naomi Dawson; Costume Designer: Tomás Palmer; Lighting Designer: Lee Curran; Sound Designer: George Dennis; Movement Director: Chris Evans; Fight and Intimacy Director: Yarit Dor; Casting Director: Amy Ball CDG; Associate Director: Tian Brown-Sampson

Tuesday 10 September – Saturday 23 November   

 What’ve you done since you come in? Hev you said anythin’? I mean really said or done anything to show you’re alive?   

Beatie Bryant returns to her rural home in Norfolk, inflamed with political zeal from her time spent living in London. As the family anxiously prepares for the arrival of her firebrand activist boyfriend Ronnie, Beatie struggles to fit back into her old way of life.    

As Beatie’s radical new ideals fail to land with her traditional family, the differences between young and old are laid bare.   

Diyan Zora (Tom Fool; English) directs a new production of Arnold Wesker’s lyrical, impassioned play about a young woman’s journey to self-discovery which, together with John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, changed British theatre forever. The mirror they held up to 1950s society is now angled towards 2024, with the two plays running alongside each other in repertory for 11 weeks, as part of the Almeida’s Angry and Young season.  

Cast includes Michael Abubakar (Jimmy Beales), Morfydd Clark (Beatie Bryant), Iwan Davies (Mr Healey), Billy Howle (Frankie Bryant), Eliot Salt (Jenny Beales), Sophie Stanton (Mrs Bryant), Ellora Torchia (Pearl Bryant), Tony Turner (Stan Mann) and Deka Walmsley (Mr Bryant). 

LOOK BACK IN ANGER   
by John Osborne  

Director: Atri Banerjee; Set Designer: Naomi Dawson; Costume Designer: Tomás Palmer; Lighting Designer: Lee Curran; Sound Designer: Peter Rice; Movement Director: Imogen Knight; Fight and Intimacy Director: Yarit Dor; Casting Director: Amy Ball CDG; Associate Director: Chloe Christian; Associate Movement Director: Rhys Dennis

Friday 20 September – Saturday 23 November    

You see, I learnt at an early age what it was to be angry – angry and helpless. And I can never forget it.   

Jimmy Porter is frustrated by his post-war life running a local stall. Embittered by the disapproval of his wife Alison’s wealthier family and a world that has shut him out, he frequently spirals into fits of rage. 

One night, when Alison’s friend unexpectedly turns up at their home, this uneasy marriage descends further into freefall, with their friends left trying to keep the peace.      

Former Almeida Resident Director Atri Banerjee (The Glass Menagerie; Julius Caesar) directs a new production of John Osborne’s ground-breaking, furious play which, alongside Arnold Wesker’s Roots, changed British theatre forever. The mirror they held up to 1950s society is now angled towards 2024, with the two plays running alongside each other in repertory for 11 weeks, as part of the Almeida’s Angry and Young season.   

Cast includes Morfydd Clark (Helena Charles), Iwan Davies (Cliff Lewis), Billy Howle (Jimmy Porter), Ellora Torchia (Alison Porter) and Deka Walmsley (Colonel Redfern). 

NEW CAST ANNOUNCED

AND BOOKING EXTENSION FOR

BACK TO THE FUTURE THE MUSICAL

AT THE ADELPHI THEATRE

IN LONDON’S WEST END

Lead producer Colin Ingram, together with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the Back To The Future film trilogy, are delighted to announce the new cast joining BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical. The musical will also extend through to Sunday 27 July 2025 at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End. Tickets are on sale now.

The critically acclaimed Olivier, WhatsOnStage and Broadway World Award-winning Best New Musical is going into its 4^th year, having had its opening night in London on Monday 13 September 2021. Performances also began on Broadway on 30 June 2023, with the official opening taking place on 3 August 2023. The North American tour opened in Cleveland, OH, in June 2024 and is currently running in cities across the US and Canada until August 2025. The musical has further plans to roll out internationally, beginning with a production in Japan in 2025.

The new cast includes recent graduate Vasco Emauz, who is making his West End debut as ‘Marty McFly’, Orlando Gibbs (Mr Burns: A post-electric play at the Bunker Theatre), as ‘George McFly’, C.J. Borger (Kristin Chenoweth: An Evening With Friends In Honor Of Todd Haimes at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway) as ‘Goldie Wilson’ and ‘Marvin Berry’, Alex Runicles (Barman in Choir Of Man on the US and Canada Tour) as ‘Biff Tannen’, Talia Palamathanan (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie on the Original UK Tour and at Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles) as ‘Jennifer Parker’, Ellis Kirk (JD in Heathers the Musical at The Other Palace) as alternate ‘Marty McFly’ and Liam McHugh (Grease the Musical at the Dominion Theatre) as ‘Dave McFly’. Joining the ensemble are Kofi Aidoo-Appiah, Billie Bowman and Gracie Caine

They are joined by returning cast members Cory English as ‘Doctor Emmett Brown’, Sarah Goggin as ‘Lorraine Baines’, Lee Ormsby as ‘Strickland’ and alternate ‘Doctor Emmett Brown’ and Patricia Wilkins as ‘Linda McFly’ and ensemble members, Ella Beaumont, Sia Dauda, Alexander Day, Helen Gulston, Matthew Ives, Connor Lewis, Adam Margilewski, Bryan Mottram, Anna Murray, Samuel Nicholas, Louis Quinn, Zachkiel Smith, Grace Swaby-Moore and Alexandra Wright.

The Original Cast Recording, released on Sony Music’s Masterworks Broadway label, is now available and has had over 20 million streams. It features the new music by multi-Grammy Award-winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard alongside classic songs from the movie including The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode. 

Sony Masterworks Broadway recently released a Deluxe Edition of the Original Cast Recording both digitally and as a 2-CD set. Available everywhere now, the Deluxe Edition includes 13 never-before-heard demos, alternate and early versions of many of the show’s major numbers, most performed by Glen Ballard himself.

In July 2023, a brand new behind-the-scenes book documenting the creation of the stage show, Creating Back to the Future the Musical by Michael Klastorin, was released worldwide, published by abrams&chronicle books.

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical. The productions in London and Manchester have so far been seen by over 1.5 million people and the musical has broken box office records at the Adelphi Theatre.

Based on the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment film, BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical has a book by Bob Gale and new music and lyrics by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri and six-time Grammy Award-winning Glen Ballard, with additional songs from the film including The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode.

Marty McFly is a rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown.  But before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical is directed by Tony Award-winning director John Rando (Urinetown, On The Town), alongside the multi Tony and Olivier Award-winning design team of Tim Hatley (set and costume design), Tim Lutkin (lighting), Hugh Vanstone (lighting consultant), Gareth Owen (sound) and Finn Ross (video), with choreography by Chris Bailey, musical supervision and arrangements by Nick Finlow and Illusions by Chris Fisher. Orchestrations are by Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, with dance arrangements by David Chase. Casting is by David Grindrod CDG for Grindrod Burton Casting.

Back to the Future the movie was released in 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr Emmett Brown. The film grossed $360.6 million (£279 million) at the box office worldwide and the total box office for all three films in the Back to the Future franchise was $936.6 million (over $1.8 billion in today’s money).

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical is produced by Colin Ingram, Donovan Mannato, Frankel/Viertel/Baruch/Routh Group, Hunter Arnold, Gavin Kalin Productions, Playing Field, Crush Music, CJ ENM, Teresa Tsai, Ivy Herman/Hallee Adelman, Robert L. Hutt, Universal Theatrical Group, Ricardo Marques, Augury, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, in association with Kimberly Magarro, Stage Entertainment, Glass Half Full Productions/ Neil Gooding Productions.

Website: BackToTheFutureMusical.com  

X: @BTTFmusical

Instagram: @BTTFmusical    

TikTok: @BTTFmusical

LISTINGS INFORMATION

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical

Adelphi Theatre

Strand

Covent Garden

London

WC2R0NS

Currently booking until 27 July 2025

There will be a signed performance on Sunday 15 September 2024 at 3pm and a relaxed performance on Sunday 9 March 2025 at 3pm.

N.B BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical has partnered with Gala Pro – a revolutionary app for accessibility and translation to enhance accessible experiences at live performances so you can enjoy any performance of Back to the Future with audio description and closed captioning.

Tickets: from £19.55

Please book via the website: BackToTheFutureMusical.com – no booking fees  

Booking line: 0203 925 2998

Christmas 2024/25 Performance Schedule

Monday 16 December            2pm & 7.30pm

Tuesday 17 December           No performance

Wednesday 18 December      No performance

Thursday 19 December          2.30pm           

Friday 20 December               7.30pm

Saturday 21 December          2.30pm & 7.30pm

Sunday 22 December             1pm & 6pm

Monday 23 December            2.30pm & 7.30pm

Tuesday 24 December           1pm

Wednesday 25 December      No performance

Thursday 26 December          No performance

Friday 27 December               2.30pm & 7.30pm

Saturday 28 December           2.30pm & 7.30pm

Sunday 29 December             1pm & 6pm

Monday 30 December            2.30pm & 7.30pm

Tuesday 31 December           2.30pm           

Wednesday 1 January            No performance

Thursday 2 January                2.30pm & 7.30pm

Friday 3 January                     7.30pm

Saturday 4 January                2.30pm & 7.30pm

Sunday 5 January                   No performance

GHOST IN CONCERT

STARRING

LUCIE JONES & OLIVER TOMPSETT

TO PLAY THE ADELPHI THEATRE

ON 1 OCTOBER 2024

Olivier Award winning Producer, Colin Ingram, the original West End and Broadway producer of the smash-hit musical GHOST, is delighted to announce a one-off special concert at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End on 1 October 2024 at 8pm, starring Lucie Jones as Molly and Oliver Tompsett as Sam. The concert will mark the musical’s return to London’s West End after a 12-year hiatus and will be directed by original Associate Director Paul Warwick Griffin, with musical supervision by Laurie Perkins.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10am on Friday 19 July, following a priority on sale to LW Theatre members at 10am on Thursday 18 July.

Further casting and creative team are to be announced.  

Producer Colin Ingram said: “I am delighted to be bringing GHOST THE MUSICAL back in a new format for this one-off performance so audiences can enjoy the incredible music that Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard wrote over 10 years ago which has now been produced in over 20 countries from Brazil to Hungary to Russia. I’m so happy to have Oliver Tompsett play Sam Wheat after he helped develop the role in workshops and for Lucie Jones to return as Molly after playing the role in China and SE Asia.”

Tony and Olivier award nominated GHOST THE MUSICAL first premiered at Manchester’s Opera House in March 2011 before transferring to London’s Piccadilly Theatre for its West End debut in July of the same year. The musical later transferred to Broadway in 2012, receiving three Tony award nominations and later embarked on a UK tour in 2013. An official Original London cast recording was released in 2012 which has had over 10 million streams and purchases.

Based on Bruce Joel Rubin’s 1990 Oscar winning hit film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, GHOST IN CONCERT will feature and focus on the music from the Olivier and Tony nominated show, written by six-time Grammy award winning Glen Ballard and multi Grammy award winning Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, including the much loved  With You which has featured on Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent and The X Factor, alongside of the iconic Unchained Melody.

GHOST tells the story oflovers Sam and Molly who find themselves in danger walking back to their apartment one night, leaving Sam tragically murdered and trapped between this world and the next. Unable to leave Molly and worried about the ongoing peril she now faces, Sam attempts to communicate with her through the help of dubious psychic Oda Mae Brown.

GHOST THE MUSICAL has been produced in 20 countries across the world including: Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Australia, Japan, Denmark, South Korea, Singapore and Dubai, alongside of two UK National Tours and a North American Tour. 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

GHOST in Concert

1 October 2024

Adelphi Theatre

Strand

Covent Garden

London
WC2R 0NS

Performance at 8pm

Box Office: 0203 925 2998 

Website: lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/adelphi    
Instagram / Facebook / X: @GhostTheConcert

Leeds Playhouse – until 3 August 2024

Reviewed by Katie Brewerton

5*****

If you go online to book your tickets for Paranormal Activity in Leeds, all you’ll find is ‘World Premiere, Written by Levi Holloway, Directed by Felix Barrett. We can’t say anything else.’ With this in mind, the review will not give away too much about you can expect. However what I will say is if you like a scary story, go see it! 

Based on the Paranormal Activity films which became a phenomenon when they first came out, this play is beginning to have a similar reaction. With an age rating of 15+ and the tag line ‘Places aren’t haunted, people are’ this is a must see for horror fans. It is tense from beginning and end, and you will have a feeling of foreboding, never knowing what’s going to happen next you’ll spend the whole 1hr 40 minutes on the edge of your seat. One thing I will say is look out for the small details, I would love to have a second watch so I can pick up on more of what’s going on in the background where there is added clues and distractions. 

With phenomenal effects and lighting, the whole audience where discussing how they made things happen both at the interval and at the end. With a direct quote from an audience member behind us saying ‘Absolutely not, **** this!’ it’s safe to say you’ll leave the theatre feeling thoroughly freaked out! I will go so far as to say this is one of the best horror shows I’ve seen on stage, with jump scares, illusions a feeling of ‘what just happened?’ and ‘how did they do that?!’. Before I give too much away I will just say if you have the opportunity to see this you must take it and I will be shocked if it doesn’t continue elsewhere after it’s run at Leeds Playhouse.  

The Mix, Theatr Clwyd, Yr Wyddgrug/Mold – until 20 July 2024

Reviewed by Julie Noller

5*****

Rope might be originally written in 1920s by Patrick Hamilton, but Director Francesca Goodridge has given this dark crime thriller with mildly amusing comic undertones the Theatr Clwyd Midas touch. Bringing to life a play that Hitchcock himself brought to the silver screen in the late 1940’s the irony that this connection of world wars (written just after the first and filmed just after the second) is not lost on me. Francesca’s hope for her audience is that we take away a version of Rope that we weren’t expecting. My thoughts are that we take away so many versions, its thought provoking, each character is fully rounded and full of hidden depths; many of which are fascinating. We enter The Mix into a darkly lit set, the stage is almost touching the front row; it’s intimate, because we are part and parcel of the evenings proceedings. We are accomplices yet also witnesses. The only light is a central swinging light bulb which curiously throws its shade to the curtain behind giving the appearance of 2 nooses looming warning of consequences yet to happen. Rope is a murder mystery with a twist, in the darkness we hear hushed voices, we squint into this darkness and although you don’t see the actual crime of murder it is hinted at, often with hysterics the details are drip fed to us.

The heavy object hidden inside the antique chest, obviously isn’t a rug, but we are yet to discover the whos and whys. Jack Hammett and Chirag Benedict Lobo are Wyndham Brandon and Charles Granillo two Oxford students currently living in Mayfair, they are deliciously dark and twisted. In times times gone by they would be misunderstood, neighbours scared of their misogynist vibes, old money covering misdemeanours; keeping the lower ends of society in their places. Hamilton was heavily influenced by the true life crimes of Chicago teenagers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in 1924 and I’m not sure if I see many films influenced by the same case or is Hamilton a genius whose work has heavily influenced. This isn’t an Agatha Christie murder who done it, we know who carried out the random act, this is about personalities deep and dark. It’s a cat and mouse chase of almost childish proportions a nah nah nah can’t catch me, you don’t know what we did.

Only without trying our fellow party guests almost accidentally stumble upon the truth. Emily Burnett is dazzling as Leila Arden painted as a airhead heiress, yet it is her who firsts suggests the chest contains the rotting bones of a dead body. Kenneth Raglan (Rhys Warrington) is the patsy, a fellow Oxford attendee, younger, assumed dull, bullied, just making up the numbers. Keiron Self as Sir Johnstone Kentley the father of the rotting bones, a collector of books, a gentleman who sees no faults in these 2 genteel young men, even as they push buttons begging to be discovered. His sister Mrs Debenham (Emily Pithon) who along with Felipe Pacheco’s Sabot the boys trusted manservant brought many comic touches to the proceedings.

In Tim Pritchett’s World War 1 veteran and lecturer; Rupert Cadell we sense the first sight of logic but his theories are clouded by the large amount of whiskey he consumes, he is the character who not only feels there has been a crime committed but is a father figure whom Wyndham longs to impress and ultimately is his undoing, once a War hero always a hero.

The choreographed party drinking scenes give the impression of the many drinks drunk, the time warp sense of lost moments, the depravity of a problematic entitled young man. And it ends with everything totally undone, the walls ripped down giving the impression that despite the old system holding firm, eventually barriers and walls all fall down along with covering up a murder.

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE
UPCOMING UK & IRELAND TOUR OF
WAR HORSE
BEGINNING PERFORMANCES
ON 5 SEPTEMBER 2024

The National Theatre today announces the cast for the internationally acclaimed production ofWar Horse,based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, which embarks on a major UK and Ireland tour from 5 September 2024, touring through to 2026.

The full cast of 35 includes: Rianna Ash (Joey/Topthorn head), Alexander Ballinger (Friedrich/Allan),  Diany Bandza (Emilie/Baby Joey), Eloise Beaumont-Wood (Baby Joey), Ike Bennett (David Taylor/Thomas Bone), Haydn Burke (Billy Narracott/Heine/Klebb), Sophie Cartman (Matron Callaghan), Jo Castleton (Rose Narracott), Owen Dagnall (Geordie), Alexandra Donnachie (Joey/Topthorn head), Felicity Donnelly (Joey/Topthorn hind), Tom Gilbey (Sergeant Fine), Thomas Goodridge (Joey/Topthorn hind), Karl Haynes (Ted Narracott), Robin Hayward (Joey/Topthorn heart), Michael Larcombe (Joey/Topthorn hind), Matthew Lawrence (Joey/Topthorn head), Madeleine Leslay (Paulette/Sarah Carter), Jack Lord (Klausen), Damian Lynch (Carter/Strauss), Lewis McBean (Joey/Topthorn heart), Chris Milford (Joey/Tophorn heart), Jordan Paris (Baby Joey), Anne-Marie Piazza (Nell Allan/Schnabel), Tea Poldervaart (Joey/Topthorn head), Lucy Thorburn (Jenny Bone/Annie Gilbert), Gareth Radcliffe (Arthur Narracott/Sergeant Thunder), Daniel Rock (Captain Stewart/Ludwig), Tom Sturgess (Albert Narracott), Alistair So (Vet Martin), Simon Stanhope (Manfred), Gun Suen (Joey/Topthorn hind), Sally Swanson (The Singer), Chris Williams (Lieutenant Nicholls/Dr Schewyk) and Rafe Young (Joey/Topthorn heart).

War Horse,adapted by Nick Stafford and originally directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris,has become the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, winning more than 25 major awards and has been seen by over 8.3 million people worldwide. This new tour is co-produced with Michael Harrison, Fiery Angel, and Playing Field.

War Horse tells the remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping, charging, horses to thrilling life on stage and has inspired a generation of theatre-makers since its premiere in 2007.

The tour will be playing at: New Wimbledon Theatre (5 – 14 September 2024), The Lowry, Salford (18 – 28 September 2024) Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (8 – 19 October 2024), The Marlowe, Canterbury (22 October – 2 November 2024), Sunderland Empire (5 – 16 November 2024), Theatre Royal Plymouth (26 November – 7 December 2024), New Theatre Oxford (10 December 2024 – 4 January 2025), New Victoria Theatre, Woking (14 – 25 January 2025),Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin (29 January – 1 February 2025), Grand Opera House, Belfast (4 – 15 February 2025), The Regent Theatre, Stoke (4 – 8 March 2025), Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (11 – 22 March 2025), Theatre Royal Glasgow (25 March – 5 April 2025), Liverpool Empire (8– 19 April), Milton Keynes Theatre (22 April – 3 May 2025), Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (7 – 17 May 2025) and Bristol Hippodrome (3 – 21 June 2025).

Casting for Leeds Grand Theatre (19 August – 6 September 2025), Edinburgh Festival Theatre (2 – 11 October 2025), Wales Millennium Centre (15 – 25 October 2025) and Norwich Theatre Royal (28 October – 8 November 2025) to be announced.

Assisted performances are available throughout the run at each venue.  Further tour dates and venues to be announced. For more information and to book tickets visit WarHorseOnStage.com.   

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France.  He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land.  Albert, who remained on his parents’ Devon farm, cannot forget Joey. Though still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

This tour of War Horse marks 110 years since the start of the First World War and follows the 40^th anniversary of the publication of Michael Morpurgo’s global best-selling novel, which has now sold over 35 million copies world-wide and in 37 different languages.  

Creative development for the tour has been led by Tom Morris with revival director Katie Henry, featuring reimagined designs by Rae Smith and additional music by Adrian Sutton.  Puppet design and fabrication is by Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting design is by Rob Casey, movement and horse choreography is by Toby Sedgwick with puppet direction by Matthew Forbes.  Animation and projection design is by Nicol Scott for 59 Productions, John Tams is songmaker and sound design is by Christopher Shutt.  Casting is by Jill Green CDG.They are joined by associate designer Will Fricker and associate costume designer Johanna Coe; associate lighting designer Tom Turner; associate sound designer Rob Bettle, assistant sound designer Raffaela Pancucci, musical director Dom Coyote, voice coach Carol Fairlamb, dialect coach Rebecca Daltry, resident director Anna Marshall and assistant puppetry director Lewis Howard.

War Horse received its world premiere on 9 October 2007 at the National Theatre, where it played for two seasons before opening at the New London Theatre in March 2009.  Since then, War Horse has been seen in 97 cities in 14 countries, including productions on Broadway, in Toronto and Berlin, with touring productions in the UK and Ireland, North America, the Netherlands and Belgium. 

The National Theatre’s Partner for Financial Wellbeing, Charles Stanley, is supporting War Horse on tour.  War Horse will visit Theatre Nation Partnerships venues, including The Lowry in Salford, Sunderland Empire, Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Follow on Instagram @WarHorseOnStage
Twitter @WarHorseOnStage  
Facebook War Horse On Stage
#WarHorse

WAR HORSE UK TOUR DATES FOR 2024-2025

New Wimbledon Theatre                                5 – 14 September 2024
atgtickets.com/new-wimbledon-theatre

The Lowry, Salford                                         18 – 28 September 2024
thelowry.com

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton                 8 – 19 October 2024
mayflower.org.uk

Marlowe Theatre Canterbury                         22 October – 2 November 2024
marlowetheatre.com

Sunderland Empire                                         5 – 16 November 2024
atgtickets.com/sunderland-empire

Theatre Royal Plymouth                                 26 November – 7 December 2024
theatreroyal.com

New Theatre Oxford                                        10 December 2024 – 4 January 2025
atgtickets.com/new-theatre-oxford

New Victoria Theatre, Woking                        14 – 25 January 2025
atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre

Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin                  29 January – 1 February 2025
bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

Grand Opera House, Belfast                            4 – 15 February 2025
goh.co.uk 

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent                      4 – 8 March 2025
atgtickets.com/venues/regent-theatre

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre                       11 – 22 March 2025
grandtheatre.co.uk

Theatre Royal Glasgow                                    25 March – 5 April 2025
atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow

Liverpool Empire                                               8 – 19 April 2025
atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire

Milton Keynes Theatre                                      22 April – 3 May 2025
atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre

Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham                       7 – 17 May 2025
trch.co.uk

Bristol Hippodrome                                           3 – 21 June 2025
atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome

Leeds Grand Theatre                                        19 August – 6 September 2025
leedsheritagetheatres.com

Edinburgh Festival Theatre                               2 – 11  October 2025
www.capitaltheatres.com

Wales Millennium Centre                                  15  –  25 October 2025
www.wmc.org.uk

Norwich Theatre Royal                                      28 October –  8 November 2025
norwichtheatre.org

MARYLEBONE THEATRE PATRON MARK RYLANCE TO PERFORM VENUS AND ADONIS ALONGSIDE DEREK JACOBI

AS PART OF A GALA FUNDRAISER

17 NOVEMBER 2024

THEATRE CELEBRATES FIRST TWO YEARS WITH DETAILS OF FULL AUTUMN / WINTER SEASON,

PLUS, AN INCREASED SEATING CAPACITY FROM OCTOBER

Marylebone Theatre Artistic Director Alexander Gifford alongside new Executive Director Hannah Henderson are pleased to announce that Mark Rylance – the venue’s Patron – will perform Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis alongside Derek Jacobi on Sunday 17 November at 7.00pm, as part of a fundraiser in aid of the theatre. Tickets are on sale now via the theatre’s website.

The fundraiser is part of an autumn / winter season which includes The Last Word  (5 – 21 September) – a searing multimedia performance based on the last words of women accused of political crimes in Russian courts; What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank   (4 October – 23 November) – a serious comedy written by Nathan Englander, directed by Patrick Marber and starring Joshua Malina; and culminating with A Sherlock Carol  ‘a winning crossover mystery’ (The Guardian), which returns to Baker street for a third Christmas following two sold-out runs. Singer songwriter Nerina Pallot also brings her first one-woman show, I Digress, to the Marylebone Theatre for two performances only (2 & 9 December). Audiences can also enjoy the exhibition Long Shadows, Bright World, on display until 1 December – a collaboration between Sir Ben Okri and Rosemary Clunie, bringing together the worlds of painting and poetry, image and text.

In response to high demand for tickets and a wish to expand the venue’s commercial potential. the theatre will also be increasing its seating capacity in late September from its current 200 seats up to 266 seats.

Mark Rylance said, “In the early 1990’s I was a month away from performing Venus and Adonis when the production had to be cancelled. Thirty years later, I am excited to be revisiting my plans to play Shakespeare’s first known published work as part of a gala fundraiser for the Marylebone Theatre. This excellent new venue, of which I am a patron, stages original, wonderful plays, often in verse. I am delighted that my dear friend Derek Jacobi will be joining on stage to support a venue with a unique calling to explore and refresh the great classical tradition.”

Since opening in autumn 2022 with Dmitry by Peter Oswald, the Marylebone Theatre has presented an eclectic programme of theatre, spoken word, music and events. To date, it has welcome over 50,000 people through its doors, been awarded the Off West End award for Best Production and received numerous four and five-star reviews for shows including, The Dry House, a world premiere by Eugene O’Hare, the poignant and moving dramas Grenfell: System Failure, and the hit-show, The White Factory. 2024 highlights have included The Most Precious of Goods, translated and directed by Nicolas Kent, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, starring Greg Hicks, and The Government Inspector, a brand-new adaptation of Gogol’s masterpiece.

Marylebone Theatre Artistic Director Alexander J Gifford said,“As the Marylebone Theatre approaches its second birthday, I am proud to be announcing a season which combines the urgently political with the eternally poetic. Venus and Adonis is perhaps the most exquisite long poem in the English language. Performed by two of Shakespeare’s greatest modern interpreters, Sir Mark Rylance and Sir Derek Jacobi, it will be the centre-piece of a gala fundraiser, whose goal is to secure the Marylebone’s future as a major, new producing house. Alongside it, we will be presenting two UK premieres, delivered by world-class directors, Maxim Didenko and Patrick Marber. I hope our new season consolidates our reputation as an important, new venue and that more and more people come through our doors to enjoy our unique offering of relevant, potent and artistically excellent work.”