Cast announced for Circa by Tom Ratcliffe Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 St John Street, London EC1V 4NJ Tuesday 5th – Saturday 30th March 2019
Thomas Flynn (Twelfth Night, The Rose Playhouse, RSC Dell; Tuckshop, Paines Plough Roundabout and The Lowry; PLAY,Hackney Showroom) and Daniel Abelson (Once In a Lifetime, Young Vic; The Mighty Walzer, Royal Exchange; The Seagull, Chichester Festival Theatre) will lead the cast in Tom Ratcliffe’s debut play, Circa, exploring the blurred identity of the gay relationship in the modern age. Investigating one man’s romantic life over a period of thirty years, Circa follows his different relationships and encounters.
Flynn and Abelson are joined by Antony Gabriel (This House, National Theatre; Posh, Royal Court; Amadeus, Old Vic), Joseph Rowe (Counting Stars, The Albany; Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, National Theatre; The Low Road, Royal Court) and Jenna Fincken (People, Places and Things, Oxford Playhouse; Gifted, The Pleasance; Circa, Vaults Festival and Theater de Meervaart in Amsterdam).
The twenty-first century. Being gay is supposedly more integrated than ever. Marriage is legal, parenthood is possible and #LoveWins is trending on twitter. The time has arrived to settle down with the man you love for a life of lasting companionship. But in a world where sex is readily available, and with a history of sexual freedom; what does it mean to be in a gay relationship in the modern age? And why are so many gay men still lonely?
Director Andrew Twyman comments, Circa is a rare find; a story that beautifully articulates a sweeping multigenerational search for love. I’m overjoyed to be working with five actors whose talent and sensitivity will make these truthful, complex characters sing and their stories soar.
Opera and dance companies return to Chester for 2019
Beautiful ballet, stirring opera and contemporary dance are part of an unmissable cultural programme at Storyhouse this spring.
Theatregoers can look forward to the Storyhouse debut for the acclaimed Moscow City Ballet,alongside a return for English Touring Opera and the talented all-male dance company BalletBoyz.
The classics start this month with a double bill from Moscow City Ballet, presenting two of the world’s best loved ballets in classic Russian style and accompanied by a full orchestra.
Set to Tchaikovsky’s magical score, The Nutcracker will be performed on Thursday 21 February and Friday 22 February 2019, at 7.30pm each evening. The ballet tells the timeless story of Clara, who is whisked away on a fairytale adventure to the Land of Flowers by her Nutcracker Prince.
Moscow City Ballet present Victor Smirnov-Golovanov’s original interpretation, and features stunning costumes and sumptuous sets. This unmissable treat for all the family is the perfect introduction to Russian classical ballet.
The Nutcracker will be followed by the Moscow City Ballet performance of The Sleeping Beauty onSaturday 23 February 2019, with performances at 3pm and 7.30pm.
The Sleeping Beauty is the captivating tale of Princess Aurora, her gallant Prince, the Lilac Fairy, and evil fairy Carabosse who casts a spell on the princess. The curse can only be broken by true love’s kiss. The ballet features an enchanting and romantic score by Tchaikovsky, and dazzling choreography performed by some of Russia’s most talented dancers.
March sees the Olivier Award-winning English Touring Opera make a welcome return to Storyhouse following a successful visit last spring, this time with a season of Kings and Queens in the battle for love, loyalty and power.
The company will perform Macbeth at 7.30pm on Friday 15 March 2019, and Idomeneo at 7.30pmon Saturday 16 March 2019, withboth featuring a large chorus and live orchestra.
The witches have a prophecy – Macbeth will be King, but the crown comes at a terrible price of betrayal, murder, and revenge. The blood-soaked path to power is followed by two characters who are among the very finest created by Shakespeare.
Grant Doyle appears as Macbeth, with Madeleine Pierard as Lady Macbeth. The opera isdirected by James Dacre, conducted by Gerry Cornelius, and will be sung in English with English surtitles. Suitable for audiences aged 12 upwards. There is a pre-show talk at 6.30pm before the performance.
Idomeneo explores royalty, high ideals and deep emotions, and remains one the greatest of Mozart’s ‘opera seria’ (serious operas).
Returning from the Trojan War and caught in the midst of a storm, King Idomeneo promises the raging seas that he will sacrifice the first person he meets in return for his safe passage. But cruelly, the first person he encounters is his only son, Idamante. The rivalry between the princesses Ilia and Elettra for the heart of Idamante, coupled with a king’s ill-fated promise provide a rich, emotional drama and unforgettable music.
Idomeneo is directed by English Touring Opera’s General Director James Conway, conducted Jonathan Peter Kenny, and sung in Italian with English surtitles. Suitable for audiences aged 12 upwards. There is a pre-show talk at 6.30pm before the performance.
Applauded across the globe for their stunning live performances, films and television appearances,BalletBoyz return to Storyhouse on Thursday 4 April 2019 with two new works dance enthusiasts,Them & Us are both set to original scores by world-class composers. The performance starts at 7.30pm.
Them is the choreographic debut of the company dancers, under the direction of Artistic Directors Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, and is set to a score by emerging composer Charlotte Harding.
Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon presents Us, with inspiration from his beautiful and critically acclaimed duet which featured in the company’s last show, Fourteen Days.With an extended score by cult singer/songwriter Keaton Henson, this new work explores the possibilities of before, during and after.
Storyhouse Artistic Director Alex Clifton said:“At Storyhouse we’re committed to creating a diverse offer for our audiences. And this season we’re delighted to present a strong programme of opera and dance, both from companies new to us and also returning friends.
“Tchaikovsky’s enchanting classics are a great introduction to ballet, while BalletBoyz were a big hit with dance enthusiasts when they visited last spring so we can’t wait to see what they have in store this time. English Touring Opera are presenting a pair of works which are brilliantly powerful and dramatic.”
Tickets for all spring season shows at Storyhouse are now on sale.
Storyhouse has a dynamic pricing policy on the majority of shows, ensuring the earlier you book your tickets, guarantees the best seats at the lowest price.
EXTENDS BOOKING PERIOD AHEAD OF ITS FIRST WEST END PREVIEW TONIGHT!
Music and lyrics by six-time Grammy Award-nominee Sara Bareilles Book by Jessie Nelson Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly Directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus
Now booking to 19 October due to popular demand ahead of the show’s London premiere
Smash star Katharine McPhee will play lead role of Jenna opposite 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer, Laura Baldwin, Peter Hannah, David Hunter and Marisha Wallace
Waitress will have its official opening night at London’s Adelphi Theatre on 7 March
Ahead of the first preview performance of Waitress in the West End tonight, it is announced that more tickets have been released and the show has extended its booking period to 19 October at theAdelphi Theatre. The Tony-nominated musical by Sara Bareilles will have its official opening night on 7 March. The production has also just announced that a limited number of day seats will be available to purchase in person from the theatre box office for £25 (from 10am, Mon-Weds performances only, subject to availability and at the box office’s discretion).
Currently playing its third year on Broadway, Waitress brings with it an all-female lead creative team – a West End musical first. Waitress stars Katharine McPhee (Smash) as Jenna, Emmy-nomineeJack McBrayer (30 Rock) as Ogie, Marisha Wallace as Becky, Laura Baldwin as Dawn, Peter Hannah as Earl, David Hunter as Dr. Pomatter and Shaun Prendergast as Old Joe.
The full company includes Kelly Agbowu, Laura Baldwin, Piers Bate, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Michael Hamway, Peter Hannah, David Hunter, Stephen Leask, Jack McBrayer, Chris McGuigan, Katharine McPhee, Olivia Moore, Nathaniel Morrison, Sarah O’Connor, Leanne Pinder, Shaun Prendergast, Charlotte Riby, Marisha Wallace and Mark Willshire.
Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying run-in with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.
Waitress also recently announced the first of its “Cast Album Karaoke” nights in London, meaning that theatre lovers who have always dreamt of singing on the West End stage will soon be able to make their dream a reality. The first ever karaoke nights will be held post-show on Tuesday 19 Februaryand Monday 18 March 2019. For the chance to sing one minute of any song from the show – live on stage and accompanied by the show’s musical director Katharine Woolley – interested audience members just need to sign up in the theatre before the performance.
Waitress opened on 24 April 2016 at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theater. Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress was the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, featuring original music and lyrics by 6-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (“Love Song”, “Brave”), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland) and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The production is currently touring the US and has also announced it will have its Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.
On its Broadway opening, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical; two Drama League Award Nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical; six Drama Desk Nominations, including Outstanding Musical; and four Tony Award Nominations, including Best Musical.
Be prepared for a profoundly moving experience that takes you on an experiential journey through Madiba’s life. This 100th anniversary world premiere exhibition was opened by Chief Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s grandson. He was unphased by the particularly noisy position he stood in the exhibition, powering through with a commanding voice that carried the softness and strength of his grandfather. He recollected visiting Madiba in prison, the shame he felt seeing a relative in such a place and then the informal education he underwent as a result to understand his grandfather’s story. I spoke to him briefly afterwards, commending him on dealing with the challenge of a noisy space. Chief Nkosi replied that he is used to speaking at rallies so this was easy for him.
Zelda La Grange, Manager of Nelson Mandela’s private office until his death, gave a heartfelt address, stating the importance of keeping history alive in the minds of the young. Generations will come and go and memories will fade, unless we properly honour them. Not just righting the stories, but the people who lived through that history, who made history, to record their words and experiences first hand, commit them to permanent record, for generations to come.
This is very much reflected in the exhibition. No words are wasted, all are worth reading, listening to and every exhibit is due your proper respect and attention. It is a submersive experience, surrounding you with a variety of interactive stations, images, artefacts, visual and audio soundtracks. I will say this did get distracting at points, where volumes from one area were louder than another – these could be better balanced going forward. I do want to go back to revisit the exhibit dedicated to the UK support of the ANC and the fight against Apartheid – it was not quite complete today. These are small trifles compared to the over all impact of the exhibition. The final section ‘A moment with Mandela’ I found overwhelmingly powerful, as if Madiba was talking directly to me.
I recommend you go, take your children and your grandchildren. It is an important lesson in history that shows how Nelson Mandela continues to influence peace movements and the development of new democracies across the globe.
Award-winning Miriam-Teak Lee previously announced to star as Juliet
NEW EXCLUSIVE: Hear Oliver singing Larger Than Life at www.andjulietthemusical.co.uk
& Juliet – the joyous new West End musical that imagines Juliet’s famous ending as just her beginning – today announces its cast.
Soaring with the music of Max Martin, the acclaimed song-writer of some of the biggest pop anthems of the last 30 years, & Juliet has previously announced that the award-winning Miriam-Teak Lee will star in the lead role of Juliet.
& Juliet brings together a host of acclaimed West End stars who have headlined some of the most celebrated shows of recent years: Cassidy Janson (Leading Ladies, Chess, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical); Oliver Tompsett (Kinky Boots, Wicked); Arun Blair-Mangat (Leave to Remain, Angels in America); Melanie La Barrie(Wicked, Matilda); Jordan Luke Gage (who starred in the lead role of Strat in Bat Out of Hell), and Tim Mahendran (Spring Awakening).
The production will play a limited season at Manchester Opera House, from Tuesday 10 September to Saturday 12 October, before beginning performances in London at The Shaftesbury Theatre on Saturday 2 November.
Tickets go on general sale on Monday, 11 February at 9am.
The ensemble includes Jocasta Almgill, Josh Baker, Alishia-Marie Blake, Ivan De Freitas, Rhian Duncan, Danielle Fiamanya, Kieran Lai, Nathan Lorainey-Dineen, Jaye Marshall, Grace Mouat, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Kerri Norville, Christopher Parkinson, Dillon Scott-Lewis, Kirstie Skivington and Alex Tranter.
Romeo & Juliet final scene. Juliet picks up the dagger and….gets a life.
A timely and timeless tale of one independent young woman, & Juliet is a riotous comic blast of fun and glorious pop music that proves when it comes to love, there’s always life after Romeo…
& Juliet soars with some of the biggest pop anthems from acclaimed songwriter Max Martin and recorded by artists including Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, all brilliantly arranged by Tony® and Grammy Award-winning orchestrator Bill Sherman.
Brought to life by an award-winning creative team in an explosive fusion of styles, & Juliet will be directed by Luke Sheppard (In the Heights) with a book by David West Read (Schitt’s Creek), electrifying choreography from Jennifer Weber, stunning set design from Soutra Gilmour and costume design by Paloma Young.
Max Martin and Tim Headington present & Juliet, which is produced by Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele, Jenny Petersson and Martin Dodd.
Producer Stacey Mindich today is pleased to announce the on sale dates for the West End production of the Tony award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen. For those who have registered for priority booking, tickets will go on sale at 12noon (GMT) on Thursday 28 February 2019. Public booking will follow at 10am (GMT) on Monday 8 April 2019.
Dear Evan Hansen will begin previews at the Noël Coward Theatre on Tuesday 29 October 2019 with opening night on Tuesday 19 November 2019 at 7pm. Casting will be announced at a later date.
The winner of six Tony awards including Best Musical, as well as the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album, Dear Evan Hansen is directed byfour-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif and features a book by Tony award-winner Steven Levenson and a score by the Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composers of The Greatest Showman, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.
A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new musical about life and the way we live it.
Reuniting the original Broadway creative team for this West End production, Dear Evan Hansenfeatures scenic design by David Korins, projection design by Peter Nigrini, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and hair design by David Brian Brown. Music supervision, orchestrations and additional arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire. Ben Cohn is the Associate Music Supervisor. Vocal arrangements and additional arrangements are by Justin Paul. Danny Mefford is the choreographer. Casting by Jill Green Casting. Sash Bischoff, Adam Quinn and Danny Sharron are the Associate Directors.Judith Schoenfeld is the Production Supervisor. US General Management 101 Productions, Ltd.Adam Speers is Executive Producer.
Dear Evan Hansenhas won the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production and for the off-Broadway production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards. The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen produced by Atlantic Records, was released in February 2017, making an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 and entering the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961 – and went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. A new deluxe version of the cast recording, including six bonus tracks and a pop cover from Katy Perry of Waving Through a Window is now available digitally.
Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre to great critical acclaim on 4 December 2016 where it has broken all box office records and recently celebrated its two-year anniversary. A record-breaking US national tour launched in October 2018 and in March this year a production will open at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre.
LISTINGS
Theatre Noël Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4AU
Laurie Sansom appointed new Artistic Director and CEO of Northern Broadsides
Northern Broadsides is happy to announce that Laurie Sansom will succeed Conrad Nelson as Artistic Director and CEO in June this year.
Laurie Sansom, said about his appointment:
“I’m thrilled to be joining Northern Broadsides at a moment when the companies who champion regional and diverse voices couldn’t be more crucial. I spent many of my years as a young director working at The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and other theatres across the region, where the work of Northern Broadsides is so valued by audiences and artists alike. The company’s bold and accessible take on classic and new plays has long been at the heart of the region’s cultural life, and I’m looking forward to working closely with local communities and partner theatres to develop its role making popular, radical work that reflects the rich diversity of today’s world.”
Rachel Harris, Chair of Board of Trustees of Northern Broadsides added:
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Laurie Sansom as Artistic Director/CEO. Laurie brings boundless energy, vision and creativity to his work. He shares our vision to build on our position of strength as a producer and leading touring company in the UK. We look forward to an exciting future together. “
Laurie was the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland 2013-16, for whom he directed The James Plays trilogy by Rona Munro in an unprecedented collaboration with the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain. They were then seen across the UK and in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Whilst in Scotland he also directed his own adaptation of Muriel Spark’s The Driver’s Seat, and The 306:Dawn, a new site-specific piece of music theatre for the 14-18 NOW’s cultural programme to mark the centenary of the First World War.
Previously he was Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate, Northampton where he directed the European premier of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm and Eugene O’Neill’s Beyond the Horizon, which both transferred to the National Theatre, London, and won him the 2010 TMA Award for Best Director. He also directed new versions of The Bacchae, Blood Wedding and Hedda Gabler as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Frankenstein (with Frantic Assembly), The Duchess of Malfi, Follies and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
At the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, he was the Associate Director to Alan Ayckbourn, where he directed over twenty new plays including Villette (with Frantic Assembly) and a season comprising of three new micro-musicals.
He has directed for theatres around the UK. His production of Dangerous Corner for the West Yorkshire Playhouse transferred to the Garrick Theatre, West End and he has also made work for the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Birmingham Rep, Salisbury Playhouse, The Lyric Hammersmith, the National Theatre, The Bridge, Hampstead Theatre, The Menier Chocolate Factoryand the Watford Palace Theatre where he was the Arts Council Trainee Director.
Laurie Sansom’s first production for Northern Broadsides will be in Spring 2020 and will be announced later in the year.
Northern Broadsides Artistic Director and joint CEO Conrad Nelson will leave the company on the 31st March. His final production with the Halifax based theatre company will be their forthcoming touring co -production with the New Vic Theatre of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The production will run in Newcastle-Under-Lyme from the 8 February – 2 March and then tour till the 25 May. For full tour dates www.northern-broadsides.co.uk
Expect musical mischief and bad behaviour aplenty when the stars of the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q arrive at Storyhouse in Chester later this month.
The countdown is on until the stage’s naughtiest puppets set up home in Chester for one anarchic week.
Avenue Q comes to Storyhouse from Monday 25 February to Saturday 2 March 2019, including matinee performances on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are on sale now.
Hilarious, cheeky and uproariously entertaining, with a cast of 11 hugely talented performers and puppets, Avenue Q is a musical like no other.
Following five years in the West End, sell-out runs worldwide and smash hit tours in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the show, written by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez – co-creator of Book of Mormon and writer of the songs for Disney’s Frozen, is an irresistibly charming tale of the loveable characters on a downtown New York street trying to make sense of life’s burning issues.
Meet Princeton, a bright-eyed graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account; Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiancée Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his closet gay Republican room-mate Rod; an Internet ‘sexpert’ called Trekkie Monster; Lucythe Sl*t (the name says it all!); and a very cute kindergarten teacher named Kate Monster.
Avenue Q first opened Off Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 2003, before transferring to Broadway later that year where it won three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 2006, it transferred to the West End where it ran for five years before touring the UK. It has appeared in more than 10 countries all over the world.
Avenue Q is produced by Selladoor Worldwide (producers of Footloose, Little Shop of Horrors, Flashdance – The Musical and Fame – The Musical), Showtime Theatre Productions, and in association with Richard Darbourne Limited. Avenue Q is directed and choreographed by Cressida Carré, designed by Richard Evans, lighting designed by Charlie Morgan Jones, and sound designed by Chris Bogg. Puppets are designed by Paul Jomain of Q Puppets with puppet coaching by Nigel Plaskitt.
Please note the show is suitable for aged 14 upwards, and contains adult content and strong language.
Tickets for Avenue Q range in price from £20.50 to £35. Each ticket is subject to a £1.50 booking fee.
Storyhouse has a dynamic pricing policy on the majority of shows, ensuring the earlier you book your tickets, guarantees the best seats at the lowest price.
Find us on Facebook/Instagram and Twitter:
@AQUKTOUR #WhatTheFuzz #AvenueQUK
LISTING INFORMATION
AVENUE Q
Monday 25 February 2019 – Saturday 2 March 2019
STORYHOUSE
Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
Monday 25 February 2019 at 7.30pm
Tuesday 26 February 2019 at 7.30pm
Wednesday 27 February 2019 at 2.30pm
Wednesday 27 February 2019 at 7.30pm
Thursday 28 February 2019 at 7.30pm
Friday 1 March 2019 at 7.30pm
Saturday 2 March 2019 at 2.30pm
Saturday 2 March 2019 at 7.30pm
Running time 2 hours 10 minutes including an interval
Tickets from £20.50 to £35 – each ticket is subject to a £1.50 booking fee
Dynamic Pricing: Book early to guarantee cheapest and best seats
EMMA RICE ANNOUNCED AS NORA CHANCE IN RICHMOND THEATRE RUN OF WISE CHILDREN
Wise Children today announce that Artistic Director, Emma Rice will be stepping into the role of Nora Chance in the critically acclaimed West End production of WISE CHILDREN direct from The Old Vic. Rice will be taking over the role from Etta Murfitt, for all performances at Richmond Theatre from Tue 26 – Sat 30 Mar. Press are invited to attend for review on Tuesday 26th March at 7.30pm.
In Brixton, Nora and Dora Chance – twin chorus girls born and bred south of the river – are celebrating their 75th birthday. Over the river in Chelsea, their father and greatest actor of his generation Melchior Hazard turns 100 on the same day. As does his twin brother Peregrine. If, in fact, he’s still alive. And if, in truth, Melchior is their real father after all…
A big, bawdy tangle of theatrical joy and heartbreak, WISE CHILDREN is a celebration of show business, family, forgiveness and hope. Expect show girls and Shakespeare, sex and scandal, music, mischief and mistaken identity – and butterflies by the thousand. Emma Rice brings her unique, exuberantly impish vision to Angela Carter’s great last novel, Wise Children, launching her new theatre company of the same name.
Emma Rice comments, “We’ve been on such a glorious adventure with our company Wise Children, and I can’t think of a better way to finish our debut tour than stepping into the limelight alongside our wonderful cast to perform in Richmond and Coventry. It’s an honour to share the stage with them and I’m very much looking forward to it!”
MEET THE YOUNG ACTRESSES WHO WILL PLAY LULU IN THE WEST END PREMIERE OF
Music and lyrics by six-time Grammy Award-nominee Sara Bareilles Book by Jessie Nelson Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly Directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus
Fifi Christophers and Arabella Duffyare the youngest members to join the cast of Waitress and will share the role of Lulu
Smash star Katharine McPhee will play lead role of Jenna opposite 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer, Laura Baldwin, Peter Hannah, David Hunter and Marisha Wallace
Waitress will begin previews tomorrow evening, 8 February, ahead of its official opening night at London’s Adelphi Theatre on 7 March
It is announced today that the London production of Waitress has cast its youngest company members. At just four and six years old, Fifi Christophers and Arabella Duffy will make their West End debuts sharing the role of Lulu. The Tony-nominated musical by Sara Bareilles will have its official opening night on 7 March at the Adelphi Theatre.
Currently playing its third year on Broadway, Waitress brings with it an all-female lead creative team – a West End musical first. Waitress stars Katharine McPhee (Smash) as Jenna, Emmy-nomineeJack McBrayer (30 Rock) as Ogie, Marisha Wallace as Becky, Laura Baldwin as Dawn, Peter Hannah as Earl, David Hunter as Dr. Pomatter and Shaun Prendergast as Old Joe.
The full company includes Kelly Agbowu, Laura Baldwin, Piers Bate, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Michael Hamway, Peter Hannah, David Hunter, Stephen Leask, Jack McBrayer, Chris McGuigan, Katharine McPhee, Olivia Moore, Nathaniel Morrison, Sarah O’Connor, Leanne Pinder, Shaun Prendergast, Charlotte Riby, Marisha Wallace and Mark Willshire.
Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying run-in with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.
Waitress also recently announced the first of its “Cast Album Karaoke” nights in London, meaning that theatre lovers who have always dreamt of singing on the West End stage will soon be able to make their dream a reality. The first ever karaoke nights will be held post-show on Tuesday 19 Februaryand Monday 18 March 2019. For the chance to sing one minute of any song from the show – live on stage and accompanied by the show’s musical director Katharine Woolley – interested audience members just need to sign up in the theatre before the performance.
Waitress opened on 24 April 2016 at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theater. Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress was the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, featuring original music and lyrics by 6-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (“Love Song”, “Brave”), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland) and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The production is currently touring the US and has also announced it will have its Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.
On its Broadway opening, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical; two Drama League Award Nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical; six Drama Desk Nominations, including Outstanding Musical; and four Tony Award Nominations, including Best Musical.
