HACKNEY EMPIRE ANNOUNCE FULL CAST FOR THIS YEAR’S PANTOMIME

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

CLIVE ROWE RETURNS TO DIRECT AND STAR AS DAME TROT, ALONGSIDE KAT B AS SIMPLE SIMON TROT

SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER – THURSDAY 31 DECEMBER

TICKETS ON SALE HERE.

CEO Chris Sudworth and the whole team at Hackney Empire today announce the full cast continuing the legacy of Hackney Empire’s legendary pantomimes. Jack and the Beanstalk, is led by Olivier Award-winner and “panto royalty” (The Times) Clive Rowe, who returns to direct and star as ‘Dame Trot’.

Running from Saturday 21 November – Thursday 31 December 2026, with a press performance on Thursday 3 December, this year’s pantomime will form part of an especially significant festive season for Hackney Empire as the theatre celebrates its 125th anniversary. There will also be many more surprises, celebrations and unforgettable moments throughout the shows run that will be announced in due course.

Join happy-go-lucky Jack on an epic adventure after he sells his family’s beloved cow for a handful of magic beans, setting off a chain of events that leads high into the clouds. As Jack climbs up the beanstalk, he discovers an enchanted land, a powerful giant and a host of surprises, but can he outsmart the giant and save the day?

Bringing together everything audiences know and love about a Hackney Empire pantomime — huge laughs, toe-tapping songs, dazzling dance numbers, extravagant costumes and plenty of chances for everyone to join in the fun — Jack and the Beanstalk sees Clive Rowe (recently seen in the West End in Hadestown) return to one of his theatrical homes as both director and Dame Trot. Over a span of over 25 years, Olivier Award-winning Rowe has played a host of Dames in Hackney Empire pantomimes, bringing his warmth, energy, and comic fun to generations of audiences. Clive was nominated as Best Director at the UK Pantomime Awards for last year’s production, Cinderella.

Returning for his 21st Hackney Empire pantomime is local legend and Hackney Empire stalwart Kat B (The Wiz, Hackney Empire; A Christmas Carol, Hackney Empire; The Lick, MTV Base) as Simple Simon Trot. 

They are joined by Louise Cielecki (Canvas, The Old Rep; Pygmalion, Italy Tour) as Fairy Firethorn; Christopher Staines (The Score, Theatre Royal Haymarket; Ghost Ships, Icon Theatre) as Stephen Fleshcreep; Marina Lawrence-Mahrra (Frankie Goes To Bollywood, UK Tour; Come Fall in Love, Manchester Opera House) as Jack Trot; Summer Priest (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, UK & World Tour; Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, West End) as Jill; and Andre Antonio (Romeo and Juliet, Hackney Empire / Belgrade Theatre / Bristol Old Vic; Sherlock Holmes, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) as Harp and Timothy Trot.

Completing the company are ensemble members Ellie Greenway (Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, UK And Ireland Tour); Alanna Panditaratne (Anything Goes, Kilworth House); Charlize Indigo, making their professional debut; Charlie Scales (Chess, NYMT / Leicester Curve); Toby Seddon (Fiddler on the Roof, UK Tour; Evita, Leicester Curve); Lara Wollington (Grease, European Tour; Gypsy, Savoy Theatre); and Sam Jamison (Aladdin, Swansea Grand; Candide, Welsh National Opera)

Alongside Clive Rowe as Director, and Writer Will Brenton, the creative team for Jack and The Beanstalk are: Steven Edis (Original Music & Songs), Cleo Pettitt (Set & Costume Design), Wendy Gadian (Musical Director, Arranger, Orchestrator & Supervisor), Mike Ward (Choreographer), Tim Mitchell (Lighting Designer), Richard Bell (Sound Designer), Jake Lawrence (associate Lighting Designer), Sades Robinson-Craft (Costume Supervisor),  Clare Packham (Assistant Director), Rosamunde Hutt (Casting Associate), Emily Obasohan (Producer), and Tom Kingdon for Production Solutions Group (Production Manager).

Clive Rowe said, “Hackney Empire panto is always the highlight of my year, and I can’t wait to be back — both as director and causing mischief and mayhem as Dame Trot. There’s something completely unique about the relationship between this theatre, its audiences and its pantomime, and we want to give everyone a show packed with everything they come to Hackney for: brilliant music, huge laughs, fabulous costumes and festive magic. Once again, we have a fantastic company full of jaw dropping talent, who are excited to make this year’s Jack and the Beanstalk another unforgettable Hackney pantomime for the whole family.”

Chris Sudworth, Hackney Empire CEO said: “Pantomime is at the heart of Hackney Empire, so it feels especially fitting that Jack and the Beanstalk will take us through the theatre’s 125th birthday this December. Clive, Kat and this brilliant company represent so much of what audiences love about Hackney panto, and this year we intend to make the celebrations bigger still. We have a few very special surprises in store as the anniversary approaches — including some familiar faces joining us along the way — and there is much more to announce over the coming week – watch this space!”  

Website: www.hackneyempire.co.uk / Facebook @HackneyEmpire / Bluesky- @HackneyEmpire / Instagram – @HackneyEmpire 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

FIRST CAST ANNOUNCED FOR REIMAGINED ONE-PART PRODUCTION

HISTORIC, RECORD-BREAKING ORIGINAL TWO-PART PRODUCTION ENTERS FINAL WEEK AFTER GROUND-BREAKING TEN-YEAR RUN

Today, 15 September 2026, the producers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions -are delighted to introduce the first cast who will take to the stage in the reimagined one-part production, which begins performances on 9 October at the Palace Theatre.

The announcement comes as the sold-out original two-part production enters its final week at the Palace Theatre, concluding a historic, record-breaking and ground-breaking ten-year run. The multi award-winning production will play its final performance on 20 September 2026, as previously announced, before the reimagined one-part version begins performances in October.

The new cast comprises Ethan Rouse as Albus Potter, Zoë Rainey as Ginny Potter, with Hasia Akwaboah playing Rose Granger-Weasley. Adam Jackson-Smith will play Draco Malfoy and Bill Stanley also joins the cast to play his son Scorpius Malfoy. They will perform alongside continuing cast members David Ricardo-Pearce as Harry Potter, Thomas Aldridge as Ron Weasley and Naana Agyei Ampadu as Hermione Granger.

They are joined by Dewayne Jameson Adams, David Annen, Jacqueline Beaumont, Jensen Bedford, Angeline Bell, Tatum Confrey, Robert Curtis, Nick Dennington, Shakhai Estwick, Miah Hasselbaink, Tim Hibberd, Becky Hoyle, Max Hutchinson, Danny Ivy, Emma Louise Jones, Laura June Ness, Louise Ludgate, Shreya Lallu, Nathan Muwowo, Jocelyn Prah, Claire Redcliffe, Ewan Rutherford, Joshua Talbot, Nathaniel Tan, Callum Tempest, Alex Tomkins, Jake Tuesley and Aidan Garrett Wilkins.

19 years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they’re back on a most extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prepare for spectacular spells, a mind-blowing race through time, and an epic battle to stop mysterious forces, all while the future hangs in the balance.

Over the last decade Harry Potter and the Cursed Childhas become a global success having been by seen more than 14 million people worldwide, including over 2.5million at its London home. The production received a record-breaking 9 Laurence Olivier Awards – the highest number awarded for a play, as well as multiple other UK theatre awards, and has now received a record 60 major honours globally, including 6 Tony Awards. There are 5 productions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child currently running – London, New York, Tokyo, the Netherlands and a North American tour, with previous productions staged in Hamburg, Melbourne, San Francisco and Toronto.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison,music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe, and casting by Julia Horan CDG and Lotte Hines CDG. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.

Currently booking to 27 June 2027, tickets for the reimagined one-part production, which is told in one complete performance, are priced from £25. The performance schedule for the one-part production is Tuesday to Saturday at 7pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 1pm, and Sunday at 2:30pm.

The access performances currently on sale are as follows – British Sign Language Performances on Sunday 17 January 2027 at 2:30pm and Sunday 9 May 2027 at 2:30pm, and Captioned Performances on Sunday 31 January 2027 at 2.30pm and Sunday 16 May 2027 at 2.30pm.

RAISE THE ROOF!
AT THE VICTORIA PALACE THEATRE ON 1 NOVEMBER

A FUNDRAISER FOR DENVILLE HALL
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF DENVILLE HALL AND ELSTREE STUDIOS

TICKETS ON SALE TODAY

On 1 November, Elstree Studios and Denville Hall, two institutions both celebrating their centenary this year, each holding extraordinary places in British entertainment history, will unite for Raise the Roof!- a spectacular celebration for Denville Hall’s Centenary Appeal at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre.

Hosted by Bradley Walsh, the evening will bring together performers, stars, and friends from across film, television, theatre, and music for a celebration of the people and stories that have entertained generations. A night filled with laughter, music and memories. After a century of creating and caring, Elstree Studios and Denville Hall join forces to celebrate their remarkable shared history — and help secure the future of those who make entertainment happen.

Further stars taking part in Raise the Roof! to be announced.

Denville Hall opened on 19 July 1926 as a “haven of rest” for retired actors and actresses, but is now open to anyone in the entertainment professions. It provides the full range of care, including specialised dementia care, and offers dignity and respect in a vibrant and enriching community which celebrates those who have dedicated their careers to a lifetime in the performing arts, both on and off screen or stage. They champion creativity at every stage of life, where residents remain inspired, valued, and connected.

This year Elstree Studios is also celebrating its centenary as one of the UK’s best-known homes of film and television production. Elstree has provided a home for generations of actors, directors, writers, producers, technicians and craftspeople, helping create films and television programmes that have become part of Britain’s cultural heritage.

Raise the Roof! will contribute vital funds to Denville Hall’s £26 million Centenary Appeal, a capital development project to build two new buildings of assisted living accommodation in Denville’s extensive grounds. The plan will transform the current site’s landscape and access, and introduce new state-of-the-art facilities for all residents, comprising a new café, restaurant, cinema, rehabilitation/yoga studio, and gym. The extensive gardens will be relandscaped to provide wheelchair access throughout. The aim is to raise £13 million for these buildings, and then to raise a further £13 million to create a new endowment fund: Alfred’s Fund, named after the founder, Alfred Denville, which will help sustain Denville Hall’s running costs for the next 100 years.

The Presidents of the Centenary Appeal are Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Ian McKellen and Daniel Radcliffe.

Joanne Benjamin, Chair of Trustees at Denville Hall, said: “Our centenary is a chance to celebrate the remarkable people who have shaped British entertainment while ensuring that Denville can continue to be there for those who need us for the next 100 years.”

Rebecca Hawkes, CEO of Elstree Studios said: “There is a wonderful sense of joy in bringing these two centenaries together. Elstree has spent a century creating entertainment that brings people together, while Denville has spent a century caring for the people who make that entertainment possible. Celebrating side by side — and raising money for Denville — is a fitting way to mark such an important milestone.”

Leading the celebrations will be Bradley Walsh, whose career across television, theatre, and entertainment has made him one of Britain’s most recognisable performers. On bringing Raise the Roof! to life, Bradley said,  “What makes this really special is that we’re celebrating together. Elstree has given us so many unforgettable moments, and Denville has been there for the people who created them. I’m delighted to be hosting what should be a brilliant night for a brilliant cause.”

The Victoria Palace Theatre provides a particularly appropriate setting. Described by Historic England as ‘London’s last great variety house’ – it was designed by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham for impresario Alfred Butt. The theatre opened in 1911 with a variety bill, at a time when music hall and variety were at the heart of popular entertainment. Its stage has welcomed generations of comedians, singers, dancers and performers, and was famously home to the Crazy Gang for 15 years from 1947. Delfont Mackintosh purchased the theatre in 2014 and in 2016 did a multi-million pound refurbishment turning the venue into one of the most spectacular in London. After more than a century, this theatre is a fitting place to celebrate the enduring relationship between live performance, screen entertainment and the people who make it possible.

Tickets for Raise The Roof! are priced from £35 and available now from the Box Office at:

Victoria Palace Theatre

Victoria Street, London, SW1E 5EA

Box Office: delfontmackintosh.co.uk / 0344 482 5151

Access booking on 0344 482 5137 (lines open Monday to Saturday 10am – 7.30pm)

JAKE QUICKENDEN TO LEAD RITA, SUE & BOB TOO! NATIONWIDE TOUR IN 2027

TV favourite returns as Bob in the cult comedy classic

Regal Entertainments presents the unmissable production at 11 venues across Britain

The acclaimed stage version of cult classic comedy Rita, Sue & Bob Too! is set to embark on a new nationwide tour in 2027.

And today it can be announced that stage and screen star Jake Quickenden will return to the role of Bob which he previously played on tour in spring last year.

The Regal Entertainments production will visit 11 leading British venuesbetween Friday 16 April and Sunday 4 July 2027.

The 2027 tour opens at St Helens Theatre Royal on Friday 16 April.

It will then travel to Harrogate, Northampton, Lincoln, Billingham, Birmingham, Bradford, Southport, Malvern and Stockport before ending at the Liverpool Olympia where it will play from 30 June to 4 July.

Tickets for all venues are on sale now.

Singer, actor, presenter and TV personality Jake Quickenden rose to fame as a contestant on The X Factor. Following his departure from the show, he was immediately signed up to appear on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here (where he finished as runner-up).

Since then, he has become a regular fixture on our screens, appearing in shows such as Celebrity Masterchef, The Real Full Monty: On Ice, The Chart Show, Keep It in the Family, Celebrity Bumps, Ninja Warriors UK, Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins, Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted and Dancing on Ice – lifting the trophy in 2018 with professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer. He can currently be seen starring as Richie Reeves in the BAFTA-nominated Jamie Johnson FC (BBC) and previously made his screen acting debut as Woody in Hollyoaks.

Jake regularly appears on shows such as Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women as a panellist and guest reporter and previously co-hosted the hugely popular podcast UNTAPPED.

In addition to Rita, Sue & Bob Too! his other stage credits include national tours of Hair the Musical, Friendiscal, Footloose and The Full Monty.

Speaking today he said: “I had such a great time when we toured with Rita, Sue & Bob Too! last year – audiences up and down the country were so enthusiastic, and there’s a really warm family atmosphere among the Regal Entertainments team.

“So, when I was asked if I would like to return for a second UK tour, I jumped at the chance. Andrea Dunbar’s writing is brilliant, and the story of Rita, Sue and Bob is very funny but with a darker underside which dramatically really appeals to me. I can’t wait to get back on the road now as Bob.”

Further casting is yet to be announced.

Andrea Dunbar’s hilarious and gritty tale of love, lust and tested friendships is based on the 1987 British film and features a brilliantly funny script along with all the best 80s music, taking audiences on a riotous trip down memory lane through this cult classic. 

Rita and Sue are two working class girls from a run-down council estate who are about to finish their final year at school. In their spare time, they earn money babysitting for married couple Bob and Michelle. 

Behind Michelle’s back, Bob embarks on an affair with both Rita and Sue, who take it in turns with him in his car in the countryside. Michelle eventually finds out and leaves lothario Bob. When Bob later develops a preference for Rita, the two girls fall out but when Sue ends up in an abusive relationship, the trio are reunited.

Rita, Sue & Bob Too! is brought to the stage by Regal Entertainments Ltd and directed by Chantelle Joseph.

When Regal Entertainments Ltd previously toured the smash hit comedy in spring 2025 it received praise from critics and standing ovations from audiences, selling out at venues across the country. Theatregoers described the show as “a fabulous story” and “very funny from start to finish”.

Director Chantelle Joseph said: “We’ve had a fabulous reaction to news that Rita, Sue and Bob Too! is going back out on the road for a second UK tour. And I’m really delighted that Jake Quickenden has agreed to return in the role of Bob.

“He was a huge hit with audiences up and down the country and really understands the role, so I know this latest outing for Andrea Dunbar’s classic comedy is going to be absolutely brilliant. Roll on 2027!”

2027 SHOW LISTINGS FOR RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO! 

St Helens Theatre Royal

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 and Tuesday 20 – Saturday 24 April 2027

sthelenstheatreroyal.com | 01744 756000

Harrogate Theatre

Tuesday 27 April – Saturday 1 May 2027

harrogatetheatre.co.uk | 01423 502116

The Old Savoy, Northampton

Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 May 2027

theoldsavoy.co.uk | 01604 491005

New Theatre Royal, Lincoln

Wednesday 12 – Saturday 15 May 2027

newtheatreroyallincoln.co.uk | 01522 519999

Forum Theatre, Billingham

Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 May 2027

forumtheatrebillingham.co.uk | 01642 552663

Crescent Theatre, Birmingham

Monday 24 – Saturday 29 May 2027

crescent-theatre.co.uk | 0121 643 5858

St George’s Hall, Bradford

Wednesday 2 – Saturday 5 June 2027

bradford-theatres.co.uk | 01274 432000

The Atkinson, Southport

Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 June 2027

theatkinson.co.uk | 01704 533333

Malvern Theatre

Tuesday 15 – Saturday 19 June 2027

malvern-theatres.co.uk | 01684 892277

Stockport Plaza

Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 June 2027

stockportplaza.co.uk | 0161 477 7779

Liverpool Olympia

Wednesday 30 – Sunday 4 July 2027

liverpoololympia.co.uk | 0151 263 6633

AMBER DAVIES

TO STAR IN WEST END TRANSFER OF

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL

OPENING AT

LONDON COLISEUM

22 MARCH 2027 – 22 MAY 2027

ROYO and Curve are delighted to announce that following its sold-out UK & Ireland tour, LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL will transfer to the London Coliseum from 22 March 2027 to 22 May 2027 for a strictly limited season. Tickets are on sale now.

Following rave reviews on tour, Amber Davies* will reprise her starring role of Elle Woods in the West End.

Amber Davies most recently was a runner up in the 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing with her partner Nikita Kuzmin. She returns to the London Coliseum as Elle Woods, having previously originated the role of Jordan Baker in the London production of The Great Gatsby there in 2025 (for which she won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical). She also gave acclaimed performances as Vivian Ward in the UK Tour of Pretty Woman, Lorraine Baines in the West End production of Back to the Future The Musical and Campbell in Bring It On at London’s South Bank Centre. Amber made her professional theatre debut as Judy in the Original West End cast of 9 to 5 the Musical at the Savoy Theatre, which she then continued to play on the UK tour. Whilst she prepared for the role, she filmed a documentary for ITVBe Amber and Dolly: 9 to 5, which involved her flying to Nashville to meet and interview Dolly Parton and then followed her journey from auditions to opening night. Her television credits include Love Island 2017, ITV (which she won), Dancing on Ice, ITV (semi-finalist) and Almost Never, CBBC/iPlayer.

The multi-award winning LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL features original music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach, based on the novel LEGALLY BLONDE by Amanda Brown and the iconic 2001 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge.

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL  is directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum and UK & international tours; The Wizard of Oz, London Palladium & UK tour; A Chorus Line, Sadler’s Wells, Japan & UK tour)and choreographed by Leah Hill (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum & U.K. tour; Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Curve & UK Tour; The Wiz, Hope Mill Theatre)with musical supervision & additional arrangements by Matt Spencer-Smith (Here & Now, UK and Ireland tour; Dear Evan Hansen, UK tour), set design by Colin Richmond (The Little Big Things, Soho Place; The Wizard of Oz, London Palladium & UK tour), costume design by Tom Rogers (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum;  Here & Now, UK and Ireland tour; A Knight’s Tale The Musical, Manchester Opera House), wigs, hair & make-up design by Sam Cox (Moulin Rouge, West End, Broadway and International Tour; 13 Going On 30 The Musical, Manchester Opera House),lighting design by Ben Cracknell (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum; Clueless, Trafalgar Theatre, The Wizard of Oz, London Palladium & UK tour), sound design by Adam Fisher (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum; Evita, London Palladium; Here & Now, UK & Ireland tour), casting by Harry Blumenau CDG CSA (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum & UK tour; Beetlejuice The Musical, Prince Edward Theatre; Ride the Cyclone, Southwark Playhouse Elephant) and additional casting by Jim Carnahan (The Lehman Trilogy, National Theatre/Gillian Lynne; The Seagull, Barbican; Groundhog Day, The Old Vic).

What, like it’s hard?

Follow Elle as she swaps the Californian coast for the halls of Harvard Law, only to discover she’s seriously underestimated. Packed with hit songs, iconic choreography and plenty of pink, this hilarious musical proves that ‘being true to yourself never goes out of style’.

LEGALLY BLONDE is produced by ROYO and CURVE.

Website: www.legallyblondelondon.com

Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, Facebook: @legallyblondeshow

X: @legallyshow

*At certain performances the role of Elle Woods will be played by the alternate, to be announced in due course. Please check the website for dates.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

22 March – 22 May 2027

London Coliseum

St Martin’s Lane

London

WC2N 4ES

Preview performances: Monday 22 – Monday 29 March 2027

Performances: Monday – Saturday 7:30pm, Thursday and Saturday 2:30pm

Please note there will be no matinee performance on Thursday 25 March 2027

Access performances:

Audio Described performance – Tuesday 20 April 2027, 7:30pm

Captioned performance – Wednesday 5 May 2027, 7:30pm

Signed performance – Tuesday 11 May 2027, 7:30pm

Tickets from: £20

Box Office: 020 7845 9300

TO CELEBRATE FIVE SPECTACULAR, SPECTACULAR! YEARS IN THE WEST END

 MOULIN ROUGE!

THE MUSICAL

HOSTS A VERY SPECIAL FAN PERFORMANCE ON

WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2026

ALL TICKETS £25

PICCADILLY THEATRE, LONDON

Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life

Moulin Rouge! The Musical celebrates five spectacular years in the West End this autumn, and twenty-five years since the release of Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film, with a very special performance for the show’s ‘fan fan fans’ at the Piccadilly Theatre, London.

On Wednesday 11 November 2026 at 7pm, all tickets will be just £25, including booking fee. Tickets will go on sale exclusively to Moulin Rouge! The Musical email subscribers from 12 noon on Friday 18 September. Those not already subscribed can sign up at moulinrougemusical.co.uk/sign-up-5th-anniversary before midnight on Thursday 17 September to receive their special booking link.

From Monday 12 October 2026, the cast will include Karis Anderson as Satine and Alistair Brammer as Christian, James Doherty as Harold Zidler, Daniel Fraser as The Duke. Richard Lloyd King as Toulouse-Lautrec, Ivan De Freitas as Santiago, Lindsey Tierney as Nini,  Nick Len as Baby Doll, Billie-Kay as Arabia, Athena Collins as La Chocolat and Angela Marie Hurst as Alternate Satine.

The cast is completed by Gabriela Acosta, Andy Barke, Callum Bell, Alexandros Beshonges, Emily Bolland, Taylor Bradshaw, Robson Broad, Lucy Campbell, Bethany Chan, Lucia Coleman, Katie Deacon, James Davies-Williams, Kelly Downing, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Myles Hart, Annabelle Laing, Holly Liburd, PaddyJoe Martin, Jacob McLay Reid, Jago Mottart, Marios Nicolaides, Ben Rutter, Hassun Sharif, Jamie Shields, Risha Tavernier, Kalila Khan, Hakeem Tinubu and Tija Tkalcevic.

Set in Paris, 1899, a world of indulgent beauty and unparalleled extravagance, of bohemians and aristocrats, of boulevardiers and reprobates, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the story of a lovesick American writer, Christian, and Satine, the dazzling star of the Moulin Rouge nightclub. 

When their lives collide at the Moulin Rouge, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be thwarted by the nightclub’s host and impresario, Harold Zidler, and The Duke of Monroth, the wealthy and entitled patron of the club who thinks he can buy anything he wants, including Satine. Together with his Bohemian friends – the brilliant and starving artist Toulouse-Lautrec, and the greatest tango dancer in all of Paris, Santiago – Christian stages a musical spectacular in an attempt to save the Moulin Rouge and win the heart of Satine.

Baz Luhrmann’s iconic film comes to life onstage, remixed for today in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Moulin Rouge! The Musical invites you to enter a world of passionate romance and eye-popping splendour… a place where Bohemians and aristocrats revel together in electrifying enchantment… a place where all your wildest dreams come true! 

CHARLOTTE D’AMBOISE JOINS JESSE TYLER FERGUSON

IN JAY PRESSON ALLEN’S TRU

AT THE MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY

With The Producers about to complete its West End run, the Menier Chocolate Factory, in association with Seaview, OHenry Productions, and Mickey Liddell & Pete Shilaimon,today announces that Charlotte d’Amboise will join multi-award-winning Jesse Tyler Ferguson in Jay Presson Allen’s play Tru. Directed by the award-winning Rob Ashford, Tru opens on 27 September, with previews from 19 September, and runs until 14 November, following the production’scritically acclaimed New York run earlier this year.

Drawn entirely from Capote’s own words, Tru was originally staged in 1989. Ashford, Ferguson and d’Amboise collaborated on this new production in March at House of the Redeemer’s Library in New York City.

The Menier Chocolate Factory presents

in association with Seaview, OHenry Productions, Mickey Liddell & Pete Shilaimon and A Dog Named Beckett Productions

TRU
By Jay Presson Allen

19 September – 14 November 2026

Cast: Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Charlotte d’Amboise 

Director: Rob Ashford; Set Designer: Paul Farnsworth; Costume Designer: Jaimal Odedra;

Lighting Designer: Jamie Platt; Sound Designer: Adam Cork; Associate Director/Swan Walking Cover: Kate Tydman

It’s December 1975 and Truman Capote is alone in his New York apartment, reeling from a crisis that cost him friendship of the elite social circle he adored. Drawn entirely from Capote’s own words, this funny and heartbreaking play is an unflinching portrait of an artist at his breaking point, confronting the consequences of his most scandalous work.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a Tony-Award winning actor, author, producer and host known not only for his creative work but, for his ongoing advocacy in the LGBTQIA+ community. On stage, Ferguson is currently playing King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at The London Palladium; and recently made his West End debut starring in Stephen Sondheim’s final work, Here We Are, at the National Theatre. This past summer he helped reopen NYC’s famed Delacorte Theatre in Central Park with a star-studded production of Twelfth Night. For his turn as accountant Mason Marzac in the revival of Richard Greenberg’s Tony-winning play Take Me Out, he earned a Tony Award in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play. The acclaimed performance also earned him the Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama League Distinguished Performance Award nomination.

Ferguson currently serves as producer and host of the podcast Dinner’s on Me, now in its third season from Sony Music Entertainment. He was featured in Universal’s Cocaine Bear directed by Elizabeth Banks, and his scripted podcast Gay Pride & Prejudice was released exclusively on Spotify. Ferguson also produced the documentary Broadway Rising which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022. In addition, Ferguson served as an executive producer on David France’s BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary, Welcome to Chechnya, based on the anti-gay purges in Chechnya of the late 2010s. Ferguson also released his first cookbook in 2021, Food Between Friends.

Ferguson starred as the widely beloved character Mitchell Pritchett on the award-winning ABC comedy Modern Family, which ran for an impressive 11 seasons. The show earned five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Ferguson has also received five Emmy Award nominations and four People’s Choice Award nominations on behalf of the show.

Ferguson made his Broadway debut at the age of 21 as Chip in George C. Wolfe’s revival of On the Town. He later went on to originate the role of Leaf Coneybear in the Tony Award—winning Broadway musical The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has also worked extensively with The New York Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park in various notable productions.

A longstanding advocate for marriage equality and LGBTQIA+ rights, Ferguson co-founded Pronoun, previously known as Tie the Knot, in 2012 with his husband Justin Mikita. The organization has proudly raised over $1.5 million and has supported important and impactful LGBTQIA+ organisations across the nation.

Charlotte d’Amboise has been working on Broadway stages for decades. Since making her Broadway debut in Cats, she has been nominated for two Tony Awards for her performances as Cassie in the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway(multiple roles). She has also won numerous Fred Astaire Awards for her roles as Fastrada in Pippin, Charity in Sweet Charity, and Lola in Damn Yankees.  She was recently seen on Broadway as Roxie Hart in Chicago, which has earned her the LA Ovation Award, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award.  She has also appeared in the Broadway casts of Company, Contact, Carrie(also at the RSC in Stratford)and Song and Dance. Her screen credits includeThe In Crowd, American Blue Note, Just Off the Coast, The Preacher’s Wife, Every Little Step, Frances Ha, Law & Order and One Life to Live.

Jay Presson Allen (1922-2006) was a playwright, novelist and screenwriter. Her first novel, Spring Riot, was published in 1948. Her plays include The First Wife which was turned into the 1963 film Wives and Lovers; and for television, Family and Hothouse. Her adaptations include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – produced in the West End, on Broadway and on screen with Maggie Smith winning the Oscar for her role; Forty Carats – for which Julie Harris won a Tony Award and was later filmed; Travels With My Aunt directed by George Cukor and starring Maggie Smith; the film version of Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse for which she received an Academy Award nomination; Marnie directed by Alfred Hitchock.  She also wrote the screenplay for Funny Lady.  She adapted her 1969 novel Just Tell Me What You Want for film director Sidney Lumet.  They also collaborated on her adaptation of Robert Daley’s novel Prince of the City, for which she was nominated for an Oscar, and the screen adaptation of Ira Levin’s play Deathtrap.

Director Rob Ashford is an award-winning director and choreographer. London credits include The Winter’s Tale, Romeo & Juliet, The Entertainer, Harlequinade, Macbeth, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and the Olivier Award-winning productions of Anna Christie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Parade. Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Frozen; How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Promises, Promises; Evita; Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award for Best Choreography); Shrek;  Cry-Baby (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Choreography); Curtains and The Wedding Singer. He directed and choreographed NBC’s Sound of Music Live! and Peter Pan Live!. He directed and choreographed Carousel, Carmen, and The Barber of Seville for Chicago Lyric Opera and Houston Grand Opera and choreographed Candide at La Scala, ENO, and the Châtelet in Paris. He choreographed and staged the 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2015 Academy Awards, winning an Emmy for his work on Baz Luhrmann’s 2009 production number featuring Hugh Jackman and Beyoncé. He has staged the Tony Awards for eight years and has also staged tributes at The Kennedy Center Honors for Barbra Streisand, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerry Herman, Barbara Cook, Tom Hanks, Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. Films include choreography for Disney’s Cinderella, Beyond the Sea, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Ted 2, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY

TRU

19 September – 14 November

MENIER ELSEWHERE

THE PRODUCERS

Garrick Theatre

Until 19 September

Box Office: 020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)

Website: www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)

www.menierchocolatefactory.com

Instagram: @menierchocolatefactory

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

ROBERT ICKE’S ADAPTATION OF

FLORIAN HENCKEL VON DONNERSMARCK’S

MULTI-AWARD-WINNING

THE LIVES OF OTHERS

Sonia Friedman Productions today announces the full company for the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Academy Award-winning film The Lives of Others, adapted and directed by Robert Icke. Joining Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson are Jamie Ankrah, Jake Benson, Matt Ray Brown, Lucy Doyle, Calum Finlay, Josh Gordon, Paul Higgins, Leda Hodgson, Nick Holder, Sibylla Meienberg, Irfan Shamji, Richard Sutton, Andrew Woodall. The production opens at the Adelphi Theatre on 29 October, with previews from 14 October, and running until 9 January 2027.

Tickets are now on sale from £35 via LW Theatres website.

The production sees Icke and Friedman renew their creative partnership following their work on productions including Oedipus, Manhunt, Hamlet, The Doctor, Oresteia and 1984; and Knightley and Friedman, following their work together on The Children’s Hour.

Listening changes everything.

1984. East Germany. A writer and an actor are placed under state surveillance. From the attic above their apartment, their Stasi man listens for evidence of subversion. But to observe a life is to risk changing your own.

Starring Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley, Emmy Award winner Stephen Dillane and Olivier Award nominee Luke Thompson, The Lives of Others plays at the Adelphi Theatre for a strictly limited run.

Adapted and directed by Olivier Award-winner Robert Icke and based on the Oscar-winning 2007 film by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck , this electrifying adaptation explores artistic censorship, state surveillance and the relationship between art and politics.

Designed by Hildegard Bechtler, with lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Giles Thomas, video design by Tal Yarden, and original music by the multi-award-winning composer Max Richter. Casting is by Julia Horan CDG.

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s The Lives of Others German language film was released in 2006. It won numerous awards including the Oscar for Best International Film, the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, the Caesar for Best Foreign Film, the Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film, the New York and LA Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Foreign Film, the British Independent Film Award for Best International Independent Film, and the European and German Film Awards for Best Film.

www.thelivesofothersplay.com

Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok: @livesofothersplay

Sonia Friedman Productions presents

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s

THE LIVES OF OTHERS

Adapted and directed by Robert Icke

Cast: Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane, Luke Thompson, Jamie Ankrah, Jake Benson, Matt Ray Brown, Lucy Doyle, Calum Finlay, Josh Gordon, Paul Higgins, Leda Hodgson, Nick Holder, Sibylla Meienberg, Irfan Shamji, Richard Sutton, Andrew Woodall

Set and Costume Designer: Hildegard Bechtler; Lighting Designer: Jon Clark;

Sound Designer: Giles Thomas; Video Designer: Tal Yarden; Original Music by Max Richter;

Casting: Julia Horan CDG

14 October 2026 – 9 January 2027

The Lives of Others will be produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Winkler & Smalberg.

Keira Knightley plays Christa-Maria Sieland. Her theatre work includes The Children’s Hour and The Misanthrope – Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Comedy Theatre). Her television work includes Black Doves (Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Best Actress), Dr Zhivago, Oliver, Coming Home, Treasure Seekers, Mindscape, A Village Affair and Royal Celebration; and for film, The Woman in Cabin 10, Boston Strangler, Silent Night, Charlotte, Misbehaviour, Official Secrets, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Berlin I Love You, The Aftermath, Collette, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Collateral Beauty, Everest, The Imitation Game (Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Laggies, Jack Ryan, Begin Again, Anna Karenina, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, A Dangerous Method, London Boulevard, Last Night, Never Let Me Go, The Duchess, The Edge of Love, Silk, Atonement (BAFTA nomination for Best Actress), Pirates of the Caribbean 2,  Pirates of the Caribbean, Domino, Pride and Prejudice (Academy Award nomination for Best Actress), The Jacket, King Arthur, Love Actually, Pure, Bend It Like Beckham (London Film Critics’ Circle Award for Best Newcomer), Princess of Thieves, The Hole, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and Innocent Lies.

Stephen Dillane plays Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler. His theatre work includesHow It Is (Parts One & Two), How It Is (Part Two) (Coronet Theatre, Gare St Lazare Ireland), When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other, An Oak Tree, The Coast of Utopia, Angels in America (Parts 1 & 2), A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Dancing at Lughnasa (National Theatre), Faith Healer, Endgame, (Donmar Warehouse), The Real Thing –  Evening Standard Award and Tony Award (Donmar Warehouse, West End, Broadway),  The Master Builder (Almeida Theatre), Macbeth (CalArts, Almeida Theatre, Sydney & Adelaide Festival), The Tempest, As You Like It (The Bridge Project 2009/2010), Four Quartets (Aldeburgh, Lincoln Center), One Evening (Aldeburgh, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Lincoln Center), A Thought in Three Parts, Drunk Enough To Say I Love You?, Our Late Night, Hush (Royal Court Theatre), The Coast of Utopia, Angels in America (Parts 1 & 2), Life After George (Guildford, West End), Uncle Vanya (Royal Shakespeare Company), Hurlyburly (The Old Vic Theatre), and  Hamlet (Gielgud Theatre). His television work includes Kaos, Sherwood, Alex Rider, Red Election, Vigil, The Tunnel (International Emmy Best Actor), The Crown, Game of Thrones (as series regular Stannis Baratheon), and The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall (BAFTA Best Actor); and for film, The Outrun, Boxing Day, The Man in the Hat, Outlaw King, Darkest Hour, The Professor and the Madman, Mary Shelley, Zero Dark Thirty, Papadopoulos & Sons, Twenty8k, Paul Greengrass’s The Rage, and Hawksmoor, Welcome to Sarajevo and Luther 3. For radio he won Best Actor for Sea Longing. He is now preparing to appear in Venice in Gare St Lazare’s staging of Samuel Beckett’s novel, How It Is. Previous collaborations with artists include films, Antigone and Event for a Stage with Tacita Dean and Robert Walser’s Snow White with Stanley Schtinter.

Luke Thompson plays Georg Dreyman. His theatre work includesAn Oak Tree (Young Vic), Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC), A Little Life (Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Harold Pinter Theatre and Savoy Theatre), King Lear (Duke of York’s Theatre), Hamlet (Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre), Oresteia (Almeida Theatre and Trafalgar Studios), and Julius Caesar, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Evening Standard Award nomination for Best Newcomer and Ian Charleson Award shortlist – Shakespeare’s Globe). His television work includes Bridgerton (as series regular Benedict Bridgerton – SAG Award nomination for Best Ensemble), The Read: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Transatlantic; and for film, Elsinore, Misbehaviour, Making Noise Quietly, Dunkirk. His audio work includes The Brothers Karamazov (Audible UK), Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, and Henry IV Part 1 and 2 (BBC).  

Jamie Ankrah’s theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet (Harold Pinter Theatre), Christmas Day (Almeida Theatre), Flock (Soho Theatre), Small Island (National Theatre), This Too Shall Pass (Canada Water Theatre), and 24 Hours (Kiln Theatre). For television, his work includes Angela Black, and Strike: Lethal White.

Jake Benson’s theatre credits include Trainspotting (Edinburgh Fringe), Of Mice & Men (Birmingham REP/Leeds Playhouse), The 39 Steps (Old Joint Stock Theatre), The Dog With Two Dads (Little Earthquake), Macbeth (National Production Company), Horrible Histories – Wicked Warwick (Birmingham Stage Company), The Lonely Walk Home (Northern Elastic Theatre Company), and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (A Wicked Little Town). For television his work includes Years and Years; and for film, First Sight.

Matt Ray Brown’s theatre work includes Teeth ‘N’ Smiles (Duke Of York’s Theatre), Casablanca – A Live Radio Play (Lighthouse Theatre), As You Like It (Theatre Royal Bath), Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), One of the Boys (Playground Theatre), Julius Caesar (RSC and UK tour), Romeo and Juliet (Kenneth More Theatre), The Mozart Question, Henry V (Barn Theatre), Copenhagen (Theatre Royal Bath UK tour), The Inheritance (Noel Coward Theatre), Journey’s End (Immersion Theatre UK Tour),1984 (Headlong – Playhouse Theatre/American Repertory Theatre), Parkway Dreams (Eastern Angles), Ghosts (Trafalgar Studios), An Enemy of the People, Sports Play (UK Tours), Casablanca (Future Cinema), The Winter’s Tale (Shake-a-leg), Henry V (Tour de Force Ltd.), and Romeo and Juliet (Cambridge Touring Theatre). For television, his work includes Asking for It/Witch Hunt, and Murder Maps; and for film, Unlicensed, Harvey Greenfield is Running Late, Express, Jolly Good Christmas, Europa, Based on a True Story, Things of the Aimless Wanderer, Brothers of War, and Shelter.

Lucy Doyle’s theatre work includes Jack & Sarah (The Mill at Sonning), The Mousetrap (St. Martin’s Theatre), The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre), Roast Me (Union Theatre), A Cold Supper Behind Harrods (Oxford Playhouse), The Croft (UK tour), and  Vanessa Redgrave’s Vienna 1934 – Munich 1938 (Theatre Royal Bath). For television, her work includes FBI International, Smothered, Bruce, and More Time; and for film, Worms, Ghosted, Daddy’s Head, Gently,  Alone, Three Weeks, The Dinner After, Dive, Burn the Witch, and Ground.

Calum Finlay’s theatre credits include A Man For All Seasons (Harold Pinter Theatre, UK tour), The Cat and the Canary (Chichester Festival Theatre), A Voyage Round My Father (UK tour), Hamlet, Oresteia (The Park Avenue Armory, New York),  Bloody Difficult Women (Riverside Studios), Switzerland (Ambassadors Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath), Mary Stuart, Hamlet (Almeida Theatre, Harold Pinter Theatre), The Ghost Train, Too Clever by Half (Told by An Idiot, Royal Exchange Theatre), Dunsinane (RSC/NT Scotland, international tour), Tartuffe (Birmingham REP), The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Mouse and His Child, Macbeth, Jubilee (RSC), and The Prince of Denmark (National Theatre). For television, his work includes Bates of the Amazon, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Josh Gordon’s theatre work includes Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe), and Go Feral Like The Big Dogs (Union Theatre).

Paul Higgins’ theatre work includes The Unbelievers (Royal Court Theatre), The Seagull (Barbican), Romeo and Juliet, The Doctor, Macbeth, Conversations After a Burial (Almeida Theatre), Local Hero (Chichester Festival Theatre), This is Memorial Device (Traverse/Tron/Riverside), The Meaning of Zong (Bristol Old Vic), Aristocrats, Temple, Luise Miller, The Cosmonaut’s Last Message…(Donmar Warehouse), The Seagull (Lyric Hammersmith), Twilight Song (Park Theatre), Blackbird, King Lear (Citizens Theatre), Children of the Sun, The White Guard, Paul, An Enemy of the People (National Theatre and Ahmanson, LA), The Hare Trilogy (National Theatre), Damascus (Traverse Theatre/ Tricycle Theatre), Black Watch (National Theatre of Scotland), The Tempest (Tron), Measure for Measure (RSC), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe), Buried Alive (Hampstead Theatre), Romeo and Juliet, A View from the Bridge (Royal Exchange Theatre), and The Slab Boys Trilogy (Young Vic). For television, his work includes Brian and Margaret, The Simpsons, Slow Horses, The Ipcress Files, Cold Call, Line of Duty, Raised by Wolves, Utopia, The Last Enemy, The Thick of It, Low Winter Sun, Murder, and Staying Alive; and for film, Monsanto, Kill, Greed, Apostle, The Party’s Just Beginning, Couple in a Hole, Victoria and Abdul, In The Loop, Red Road, Complicity, and Bedrooms and Hallways.

Leda Hodgson’s theatre includes Season (Northcott Exeter), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Man of Mode (Cheek by Jowl/tour), Season (Unicorn Theatre), Season (Harrogate Theatre), Shakers, Cut and Dried (Hull Truck/UK tour), A Small Family Business, The Norman Conquests (Birmingham Rep), The Terrible Voice of Satan, Backpay (Royal Court Theatre), Bed Among The Lentils (Bridewell Theatre), A Doll’s House (Young Vic, Duke of York’s Theatre, BAM), Grimm Tales (The Bargehouse), Ivy, The Burning Tower (SPID Theatre Co), Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Thetare), Medea (@Soho Place), Oedipus (Wyndham’s Theatre), and A Small Hotel (Bath Theatre Royal). For television, her work includes Hamish Macbeth, Baddiel’s Syndrome, and Waking of a Nation; and for film, This Bloody Line, The Crying Screen, and 76.

Nick Holder’s theatre work includes London Road, Faith Hope and Charity, Love, An Oak Tree, The Threepenny Opera, Everyman, South Pacific, Sweeney Todd, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Miser, The Wind in the Willows (National Theatre), The Winter’s Tale, The Taming of the Shrew, Antony and Cleopatra, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Beggar’s Opera (RSC), Faith Healer (Lyric Hammersmith), Pinocchio (Globe Theatre), Assassins (Chichester Festival Theatre), Into The Woods (Donmar Warehouse), Love (Park Ave Armory New York), Fatherland (Royal Exchange Theatre), and Richard III (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). For television, his work includes Black Mirror, Brassic, Sneakerhead, The Tower, Peaky Blinders, Coalition, Psychoville, Parade’s End, Planespotting, Some Girls, Galavan,; By Any Means, The Job Lot, Respectable, Neverwhere, and The Fast Show; and for film, Give Up the Ghost, Sweet Sue, London Road, The Voice of Sin, Love, The World’s End, Anna Karenina, Broken, The Four Feathers, The Final Curtain, and Evita.

Sibylla Meienberg’s theatre work includes Kyoto (@sohoplace), Dad Material (Baron’s Court Theatre), Around The World in 80 Days (The Dukes, Lancaster), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (National Theatre, UK and Ireland tour), Medea, The Outcast (London Fringe and Eastern European Tour), and Red and White Frida Kahlo (Hen and Chickens Theatre). For television, her work includes Grace, Mayflies, and The Search/Die Suche; and for film, When The Screaming Starts.

Irfan Shamji’s theatre credits include Robota (Schwarzman Centre), Marriage Material (Lyric Hammersmith), The Cord, The Arrival (Bush Theatre), Sons of the Prophet (Hampstead Theatre), Chasing Hares (Young Vic), Hamlet, Metamorphoses (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Hedda Tesman (Chichester Festival Theatre), Dance Nation (Almeida Theatre), One for Sorrow (Royal Court Theatre), and Mayfly (Orange Tree Theatre). His television work includes Red Flag, Industry, Shardlake, The Walk-In, The Ipcress File, The Dark Crystal, Urban Myths; Informer; and for film, The Arrival, Red Joan, and Murder on the Orient Express.

Richard Sutton’s theatre work includes The Winter’s Tale (RSC); Statements After an Arrest Under The Immorality Act (Orange Tree Theatre), Ghost Stories (West End Ambassadors Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith), Transmissions (Birmingham Rep), The Cow Play (Brighton Theatre Festival), and Tall Phoenix (Coventry Belgrade Theatre). For television, his work includes Legends, Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes, Kaos, Mary & George, Liaison, The Terror, Line of Duty, The Crown, Humans, Boomers, Silent Witness, Jekyll & Hyde, Sherlock, The Missing, Our Girl, Mr Selfridge, The Tunnel, One Night, Miranda, and Hustle; and Sonic The Hedgehog 3, and Kidnapped.

Andrew Woodall’s theatre work includes The Promise, The Other Boleyn Girl, First Light (Chichester Festival Theatre), Bloody Difficult Women (Riverside Studios), Admissions (Trafalgar Studios), Julius Caesar, Something in the Air (Jermyn Street Theatre), Antony and Cleopatra, Wendy and Peter Pan (RSC), The Wars of the Roses (Rose Theatre Kingston), Great Britain (National Theatre and Theatre Royal Haymarket), Benefactors (Sheffield Theatres), The Browning Version, South Downs (Chichester Festival Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre), The Knowledge, Little Platoons (Bush Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Gate Theatre Dublin), Much Ado About Nothing, The Voysey Inheritance, The Life of Galileo, Luther, The Shape of the Table, Racing Demon, Women Beware Women (National Theatre), Gaslight, King Lear, The Provok’d Wife, Cloud Nine, Waste (The Old Vic), As You Like It (Wyndham’s Theatre), As You Desire Me (Playhouse Theatre), The Sugar Syndrome, Disappeared, Search & Destroy, Weldon Rising (Royal Court Theatre),  Burning Issues (Hampstead Theatre), Certain Young Men, Butterfly Kiss (Almeida Theatre), A Letter of Resignation (Savoy Thetare), Our Late Night (Ambassadors Theatre), and Don Carlos (Glasgow Citizens). For television, his work includes Tomb Raider, The Couple Next Door, Endeavour, The Reckoning, Lockwood & Co, Des, Grantchester, Lucan, New Worlds, An Adventure in Space and Time, Miranda, Silk, New Tricks, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Above Suspicion, Personal Affairs, Men Are Wonderful, Place of Execution, Lawless; Hear the Silence, Charles II, Starhunter, Ultimate Force, Dalziel & Pascoe, Murder Rooms, Hearts & Bones, Harbour Lights, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Nature Boy, Degrees of Error, Seaforth, Headhunters, Prime Suspect, Between the Lines, Underbelly, Wish me luck, and Hannay; and for film, Wide Sargasso Sea, Scorn, Where is Anne Frank, Solo: A Star Wars Story, 303 Squadron, The Riot Club, Belle, Johnny English Reborn, Hypnotic, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Regeneration.

Robert Icke is an award-winning writer and director, working in theatre and on screen. His recent work includes Romeo & Juliet (Harold Pinter Theatre), Manhunt (Royal Court Theatre) and Player Kings, which ran in the West End, starring Ian McKellen as Sir John Falstaff. As the inaugural Ibsen Artist in Residence at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, his productions included Judas, Children of Nora, Oedipus and his play The Doctor, which has also played in the West End, in New York, and in numerous new productions around the world. His adaptation of Enemy of the People starred Ann Dowd and opened, socially-distanced, at Park Avenue Armory. In six years at the Almeida Theatre, he made eight productions: five transferred to the West End, and four to New York. These included his adaptations of The Wild Duck, Mary Stuart (also West End), Uncle Vanya, Oresteia (also West End; Schauspiel Stuttgart; Park Avenue Armory), and 1984 (co-created with Duncan Macmillan, also Broadway; West End; national and international tours). As a director, his Almeida productions included Hamlet starring Andrew Scott (also West End; and broadcast on BBC2); The Fever and Mr Burns. He has won multiple Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards, the Kurt Hübner Award, and the 2025 Classical Association Prize. He is the youngest ever winner of the Olivier for Best Director.

LISTINGS                                                                                                                          

THE LIVES OF OTHERS

Adelphi Theatre

411-412 Strand, London, WC2R 0NH

The Adelphi is co-owned by LW Theatres and The Nederlander Organization.

Box Office: www.lwtheatres.co.uk

www.thelivesofothersplay.com

Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok: @livesofothersplay

14 October 2026 – 9 January 2027

Tickets from £35

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm

Wednesday matinees from 4 November at 2.30pm

Saturday matinees from 24 October at 2.30pm

NB No matinees on 28 October or 6 January

NB No performances 24, 25 and 26 December or 1 January

Additional 2.30pm matinees on 22 and 27 October, 21, 28 and 31 December, and 5 January

ACCESS PERFORMANCES

Captioned                       7 November at 2.30pm

Signed                              14 November at 2.30pm

Audio Described           5 December at 2.30pm

WITH STOPS IN NEW DESTINATIONS INCLUDING LIVERPOOL, DUBLIN, BELFAST, LEICESTER AND MORE

“It’s not just the best musical I’ve ever seen; it’s the most rewarding theatrical experience I’ve ever had”Taffy Brodesser-Akner, The New York Times

“A little show with a very big future”
David Benedict, Variety

“One of British theatre’s great success stories… both spiffingly funny, in a Monty Python-esque fashion, and really quite moving”
Hugh Montgomery, Metro

“the perfect mix of ingenious, silly and moving… the Olivier Award-winning musical about the wartime operation is as terrific as ever” ★★★★★
Marianka Swain, The Telegraph

“A miraculous musical that tells the entire story in a kind of accelerated farce that is part Mel Brooks, part SIX, part Hamilton with a side order of One Man, Two Guvnors” ★★★★★
Neil Norman, The Daily Mirror

“The Brits have made the year’s funniest musical…Against the odds, the “Operation Mincemeat” gang has found its way to the big time”
Peter Marks, The Washington Post

181 ★★★★★ reviews and counting

Following 290,000 tickets sold and over 20 weeks of sold-out shows so far, the Tony® and double Olivier Award®-winning hit musical Operation Mincemeat announces an extension to the UK leg of its world tour due to phenomenal demand.

The tour began with two sold-out weeks at the 1700-seater Lowry in Salford, playing to its largest audiences yet at the theatre that first encouraged Tony and Olivier Award®-nominated writers SpitLip to create their extraordinary debut musical, and will culminate on the 28^th November after 304 performances across its first leg.

Along the way, the tour has welcomed Joseph Kavanaugh, who has now seen the production over 100 times after winning one of five Golden Tickets issued to celebrate Operation Mincemeat selling its one millionth ticket earlier this year, giving him free, unlimited access to the musical anytime, anywhere in the world, for life.

The second leg kicks off in Dartford on the 23^rd February 2027, touring for 36 weeks and taking in new destinations including Belfast and Dublin, as well as Liverpool, Blackpool and Leicester and more, alongside a return to the Lowry for two weeks.

The news comes as the world tour continues its global journey, with the North American leg launching on the 20^th September at the Providence Performing Arts Center, Rhode Island, before travelling on to Australia, China, Mexico and New Zealand, spanning four continents. Alongside the world tour, Operation Mincemeat continues its West End run at the Fortune Theatre, with its recently announced 19^th extension taking the production through to 29^th May 2027 and into its fifth year, while the Broadway production at the Golden Theatre, following its 10^th extension announced today through to 14^th March 2027, enters its third year.

Tickets for the UK leg extension go on pre-sale at 10am on Wednesday 23^rd September with general sale starting at 10am on Friday 25^th September.
For full details and tickets, visit operationmincemeat.com/tour

The year is 1943 and we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse. Operation Mincemeat is the fast-paced, hilarious and unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that won the Allies World War II. The question is, how did a well dressed corpse wrong-foot Hitler?

Operation Mincemeat began as a tiny (and tiny-budgeted) production at the London Fringe New Diorama Theatre in 2019. The show quickly gained a devoted following, spurring sold-out runs at venues including Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios. It finally premiered in the West End on 9^th May 2023 at the Fortune Theatre, where it won the Olivier and WhatsOnstage Awards® for ‘Best New Musical’, alongside garnering 181 five-star reviews and counting, and has become the ‘Best reviewed show in West End history’. Operation Mincemeat is written by Triple Tony Award® nominees SpitLip (David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts) and directed by Deputy Artistic Director at the National Theatre Olivier Award nominated Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre – 2023 Best New Musical Olivier Award winner).

Since premiering at the 77-seater New Diorama Theatre in London in 2019, Operation Mincemeat has been nominated for 68 awards and won 24, including four for Best Musical from the Olivier Awards®, WhatsOnStage Awards, BroadwayWorld Theater Fans’ Choice Awards, and off-West End Awards. The Broadway production was nominated for four Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, and won Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Operation Mincemeat is produced in the West End, on tour, and on Broadway by Avalon (in association with SpitLip). The show was commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, co-commissioned by The Lowry, and also supported by the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.

OPERATION MINCEMEAT WORLD TOUR – UK LEG EXTENSION, TOUR DATES

Dartford, The Orchard Theatre: 23rd – 27^th February

Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Theatre: 2^nd – 6^th March

Bath, Theatre Royal: 9^th – 20^th March

Cheltenham, Everyman Theatre: 23^rd March – 27^th March

Sunderland, Sunderland Empire Theatre: 6^th – 10^th April

Darlington, Darlington Hippodrome: 20^th – 24^th April

Brighton, Theatre Royal: 27^th April – 1^st May

Salford, Lowry: 11^th – 22^nd May

Truro, Hall for Cornwall: 1^st – 5^th June

Portsmouth, Kings Theatre: 8^th – 12^th June

Blackpool, The Grand Theatre: 15^th – 19^th June

Inverness, Eden Court: 22^nd – 26^th June

Edinburgh, King’s Theatre: 29^th June – 3^rd July

Glasgow, Theatre Royal: 6^th – 10^th July

Oxford, New Theatre: 13^th – 17^th July

Aylesbury, Waterside Theatre: 20^th – 24^th July

Nottingham, Theatre Royal: 27^th – 31^st July

Leeds, Grand Theatre: 3^rd – 7^th August

Belfast, Grand Opera House: 10^th – 14^th August

Dublin: 17^th – 21^st August

Birmingham, The Alexandra: 24^th – 28^th August

Cardiff, New Theatre Cardiff: 14^th – 18^th September

Woking, Woking Theatre: 21^st – 25^th September

York, Grand Opera House: 28^th September – 2^nd October

Liverpool, Liverpool Empire: 5^th – 9^th October

Coventry, Belgrade Theatre: 12^th – 16^th October

Leicester, Curve Theatre: 19^th – 23^rd October

Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre: 26^th – 30^th October

Cambridge, The Arts Theatre Cambridge: 2^nd – 6^th November

Bradford, Alhambra Theatre: 9^th – 13^th November

Southampton, Mayflower Theatre: 16^th – 20^th November

Senbla presents in association with Steven Howard for The TCB Group and David Shepherd

HERE COME THE BOYS!

Strictly Come Dancing Stars Aljaž Škorjanec, Carlos Gu, Gorka Marquez and Julian Caillon Announce Brand-New 2027 UK Tour of Here Come The Boys

Four of the most electrifying stars of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing are joining forces for a brand-new UK tour of the smash-hit dance spectacular Here Come The Boys that will play to theatres nationwide throughout June 2027.

Aljaž Škorjanec, Carlos Gu, Gorka Marquez and Julian Caillon will take centre stage in an all-new production that will combine the charisma, camaraderie and sizzling chemistry of four phenomenal performers with world-class choreography, stunning production and an irresistible soundtrack.

Make no mistake; Here Come The Boys is a full-throttle celebration of dance, music and entertainment. From ballroom brilliance and Latin fire to show-stopping contemporary numbers and high-octane group performances, the self-proclaimed rock stars of dance will push themselves – and each other – to the limit in an exhilarating evening designed to set pulses racing

Audiences across the UK can expect smouldering moves, ripped physiques and plenty of cheeky humour as the boys unleash their competitive side to battle it out on the dance floor and show everyone exactly why they’ve become some of the nation’s hottest and best-loved dancers.

Here Come The Boys’ 24-date UK tour for 2027 will begin in Eastbourne on 1^st June and quickstep its way across the nation before ending in Brighton on 29^th June. The tour also includes a date at London’s Adelphi Theatre on the 20^th June.

A venue pre-sale will begin at 10.00am on Wednesday 16^th September, before tickets go on general sale at 10.00am on Friday 18^th September, available from www.herecometheboys.com.  

Promising a night of pure escapism, Here Come The Boys is destined to be the fresh, fierce and fearless, summer dance blockbuster of 2027, delivered by four performers at the very top of their game.

Aljaž Škorjanec said, “I genuinely think Here Come The Boys is going to be one of the must-see shows of 2027. We’re putting everything into making this our biggest, most exciting show yet, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience what we’ve got planned.”

Gorka Marquez said, “It’s brilliant to be sharing the stage with three of my Strictly favourites. We all bring something different to the show, and that mix of personalities, styles and a little friendly competition is going to make it incredibly exciting — for us and for the audience!”

Carlos Gu said, “We want people to come along, forget everything else for a couple of hours and have an amazing night with us. There’ll be fantastic dancing, great music, plenty of fun and some real surprises along the way. It promises to be a show the audience will remember long after the final dance.”

Julian Caillon, said “We’re going all-out with this production. The music, the set, the costumes and, of course, the dance routines are going to be incredible. Everything is being designed to create a spectacular live experience, and we can’t wait to bring Here Come The Boys to the stage in summer 2027.”

One stage, four extraordinary dancers: who has the moves? Who has the swagger? And who will ultimately steal the show? There’s only one way to find out!

The full list of 2027 tour dates for Here Comes The Boys in 2027 is as follows:

01 June – Eastbourne, Congress

02 June – Guildford, G Live

03 June – Birmingham, Symphony Hall

04 June – Manchester, The Bridgewater Hall

05 June – Sheffield, City Hall

06 June – Carlisle, Sands Centre

08 June – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall

09 June – Bradford, Bradford Live

10 June – Gateshead, Glasshouse

11 June – Liverpool, Philharmonic

12 June – Bath, Forum

13 June – Northampton, Derngate Theatre

15 June – Truro, Hall for Cornwall

17 June – Bournemouth, Pavilion

18 June – Ipswich, Regent Theatre

19 June – Southend, Cliffs Pavilion

20 June – London, The Adelphi Theatre

22 June – Cardiff, New Theatre

23 June – Buxton, Opera House

24 June – Leicester, De Montfort Hall

25 June – York, Barbican

26 June – Hull, Connexin Live

28 June – Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Theatre 

29 June – Brighton, Dome

www.herecometheboys.com  

facebook.com/HereComeTheBoys

instagram.com/herestheboys

tiktok.com/@herecometheboysshow