Hope Mill Theatre and Chris Harper Productions with Lowry are delighted to announce that beloved singer and actor Jason Donovan* will star in Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL as Coach Bolton. He joins the previously announced Tobias Turley, Leonor Correia, Caitlin Tipping and Luke Bayer as Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay and Ryan respectively.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the iconic movie, Lowry, Salford, will open the first UK non-replica production on 22 August 2026, and will now run until Saturday 19 September 2026.
Tickets on sale now.
The Lyric Theatre at Lowry will transform into an immersive basketball court, with on-stage seating and an extended stage, bringing audiences into the world of East High. Featuring classic songs such as: Breaking Free, We’re All In This Together, Get’cha Head in the Game, Stick to the Status Quo and many more.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL has a book by David Simpatico with music adapted, arranged and produced by Bryan Louiselle and will be co-directed by Hope Mill founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton.
Further casting to be announced.
Jason Donovan came into our lives in the late 80s as Scott Robinson in the hit Australian series, Neighbours. Throughout the 80s and early 90s he had several chart hits, and his album Ten Good Reasons was the best-selling UK album of 1989. His hits included ‘Especially For You’ (with Kylie Minogue) and ‘Any Dream Will Do’. Jason’s record-breaking run in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the early 90s preceded his performance as Frank N Furter in the 25th Anniversary Production of The Rocky Horror Show, then Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, The King’s Speech, Million Dollar Quartet and Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds. In 2019 and 2021, Jason spent the summer months at the London Palladium as Pharoah in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat followed by a nationwide UK tour. Over the summers of 2022 and 2023 he completed two consecutive runs as the Teen Angel in Grease in the West End. In the spring of 2022, Jason performed “Any Dream Will Do” outside the gates of Buckingham Palace as part of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Earlier that year, along with Kylie Minogue, he rejoined the cast of Neighbours one final time as Scott Robinson. In 2024, Jason donned his fishnets and heels to reprise his role as Frank N Furter for UK Tour of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the UK. As of February 2025, Jason also simultaneously embarked on his solo music tour the DOIN’ FINE tour across the UK and Ireland. Following its remarkable success, he returned to stages nationwide in 2026 with DOIN’ FINE ENCORE.
On joining the production Jason said “High school musical was such a massive part of my kids early childhood. As a parent and as a musical fan the film was family entertainment at its best. Magical! Loved it. Popular culture has a cycle and I’m delighted to be joining this new reimagined High School Musical theatrical experience 20 years on from when I first discovered the film. Looking forward to seeing all in Salford.”
Based on the hit Disney Channel Original movie, that inspired a generation, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL had its world premiere production at Stagedoor Manor Summer Theatre Camp in 2006. It then went to The Theatre of Stars in Atlanta, Georgia for its first professional staging before Disney Theatrical Group staged a national tour in 2007. The musical has enjoyed significant success in regional theatres around the world and had its London premiere at the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre in January 2008.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL will be co-directed by Joseph Houston & William Whelton with choreography by Aaron Renfree, set design by Andrew Exeter, sound design by Matt Peploe, video design by George Reeve,lighting design by Rory Beaton, costume design by Sophia Pardon, musical supervision by Katy Richardson, musical direction by Audra Cramer, casting by Pearson Casting and production management by Ammonite Studios. General management by Chris Harper Productions.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is produced by Hope Mill Theatre, Chris Harper Productions with Lowry.
Please note there will be an additional performance on Tuesday 25 August at 7pm. There will be no 7pm performance on Sunday 23 August and no 2pm performance on Friday 28 August.
Written & Directed by Simon Stone After Aeschylus & others
London Theatre Company today announce a new production of The Oresteia, written and directed by Simon Stone (after Aeschylus & others), will open at the Bridge Theatre in July 2026. Casting is to be announced.
The Oresteiawill begin previews on Thursday 2 July 2026 with an opening night scheduled for Tuesday 14 July. The production, which is in collaboration with Wouter van Ransbeek, will play for 11 weeks until Saturday 19 September 2026.
Simon Stone, acclaimed Australian theatre, opera and film director known for his radical reimagining of classic works, including Yerma and Phaedra, continues to make the Bridge Theatre his London home after staging The Lady from the Sea starring Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln last year. Simon Stone said:
“The Oresteia is one of the theatre’s great foundational texts and it hasn’t lost any of its potency to this day. A family haunted by its part in an unjust war, the painful burden of inherited trauma and inter-generational conflict, the descent into an increasingly merciless vortex of violence: as long as humankind wages wars and as long as families tear themselves apart this story will remain painfully, cathartically relevant. It is with great excitement that we embark on bringing this tale into our times at the Bridge Theatre.”
A contemporary family wakes up in a Greek myth and can’t seem to find a way out of their hellish destiny.
Writer and director Simon Stone is joined by the same creative team that brought the “fantastically original, gripping and magnificent” (The Guardian) The Lady from the Sea to life; set designer Lizzie Clachan,costume designer Mel Page, music by Stefan Gregory, lighting designer Nick Schlieper, and casting director Jessica RonaneCDG.
The Oresteiais produced by London Theatre Company and Wouter van Ransbeek.
The Oresteiais on pre-sale for Bridge Theatre priority members now andgoes on pre-sale to advance members and access patrons Tuesday 31 March at 10am. Public booking opens on Wednesday 1 April at 10am via bridgetheatre.co.uk.
AVA PICKETT WINS THE CRITICS’ CIRCLE THEATRE AWARD
AND THE STANDARD THEATRE AWARD FOR
MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT FOR HER FIRST PLAY; 1536
AND FULL CASTING IS ANNOUNCED
FOR THE WEST END TRANSFER OF THE PRODUCTION
RUNNING FROM 02 MAY AT THE AMBASSADORS THEATRE
WRITTEN BY AVA PICKETT
AND DIRECTED BY LYNDSEY TURNER
AND PRESENTED BY THE ALMEIDA THEATRE,
SONIA FRIEDMAN PRODUCTIONS,
ANNAPURNA THEATRE AND LUCKYCHAP
★★★★
“…bold, idiosyncratic and disturbingly funny work” The Standard
★★★★
“Central to the play’s success is its phenomenal trio of leads.”
Independent
★★★★★
“Funny, saucy, and totally gripping”
The Daily Mail
SMART. SCRAPPY. SAVAGE.
This week Ava Pickett has won both the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award and The Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Young Playwright for her debut play 1536. In the same week the full cast are announced for the West End transfer of the production.
Joining Liv Hill as Jane (Three Girls – BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Siena Kelly as Anna (Black Mirror, Adult Material – BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress), and Tanya Reynolds as Mariella(Sex Education, A Mirror – Olivier Award nomination Best Actress In A Supporting Role), who are all reprising their previous roles, are Oliver Johnstone as Richard(Retrograde; All My Sons) and George Kemp as William (High Noon; Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?).
Harry Bradley(The Play That Goes Wrong; The Mousetrap) will understudy the roles of Richard and William, Saroja-Lily Ratnavel(81 (Life); Chasing Hares) will understudy the roles of Jane and Mariella and Sydney Spencer(Hamilton; The Wizard of Oz) will understudy the role of Anna.
1536, the “electrifying” (The Standard) historical drama with a modern edge will run from 02 May to 01 August 2026 at the Ambassadors Theatre, with press night on 12 May.
As well we her recent wins for Most Promising Playwright, Ava’s play has also been nominated for Best New Play at the 2026 Olivier Awards with Lyndsey Turner also nominated for Best Director.
Previous wins for 1536 include the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a special commendation for the 2023 George Devine Award and the Stage Debut Awad for Best Writer 2025. Last month it was announced that the BBC will be working with Ava to develop the play into an eight-part TV drama.
This must-see new play is “effortlessly funny,bold and ballsy” (The Guardian). Directed by multi-award winner, Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica), this “razor-sharp, darkly comic and blisteringly relevant” (The Independent) play explores the dynamics of female friendship in a world stacked against women.
Kings don’t kill their wives, right?
Tudor England.
A field in Essex.
Three women hurry to their childhood meeting place, thirsty for gossip from London.
Word spreads of a clash between King Henry VIII and his Queen, Anne Boleyn. And closer to home, another rumour begins to catch fire.
As these women begin to see echoes of the royal drama in their own rural lives, a tide of violence threatens their very existence, and they realise the royal scandal could cost them everything.
The creative team for 1536 includes; Director: Lyndsey Turner; Set and Costume Designer: Max Jones; Lighting Designer: Jack Knowles; Sound Designer: Tingying Dong; Composer and Arranger: Will Stuart; Intimacy Director and Choreographer: Anna Morrissey; Casting Director: Amy Ball CDG; Fight Director: Sam Lyon-Behan and Dialect Coach; Edda Sharpe.
1536 is produced in the West End by the Almeida Theatre, Sonia Friedman Productions, Annapurna Theatre and LuckyChap.
TuckShop, the producer of the CATEGORY IS: MACBETH, an all-drag hard-hitting, fierce, and gritty take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth are delighted to announce the full cast performingat the Emerald Theatre from 24 April until 28 May 2026.The show is directed by TuckShop’s Creative Director Chris Clegg.
Completing the cast are Angelboy (Much Ado About Nothing, Arches Lane Theatre; Up All Night, York Theatre; ZMORA, Black Elk Productions) as Malcolm and Shar Cooterie (Drag Idol UK 2024 Winner; Nice to Meat You, Colchester Fringe Festival) as Ross.
Screenshot
They join the previously announced Ginger Johnson (Drag Race UK Season 5 and 2025 Celebrity MasterChef winner) as Macbeth, Kyran Thrax (Drag Race UK Season 6 winner) as Lady Macbeth, Yshee Black (JOY, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Late Night Lycett), Cyro (Moonin 80: Everybody is Welcome, Southbank Centre) and Daniel Jacobs (Vinegar Strokes) (The Importance of Being Earnest, Rose Theatre; Death Drop, West End & UK Tour) as The Three Witches, Anna Phylactic (Dragula Season 5, Tubi; Coronation Street, ITV; Peter Pan, West End) as Banquo, Richard Energy (Antifa Cabaret: Slut it Down, Wellstot) as King Duncan and Victoria Scone (Alice in Wonderland; UK Tour, Death Drop: Back In The Habit, Sleeping Beauty, West End) as Macduff.
In the shadows of Soho’s backrooms and battered gay bars, ambition stalks the dancefloor.
CATEGORY IS: MACBETH reimagines one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedies in a city where being gay is an act of rebellion and drag is a form of survival. Starring a cast of ferocious drag performers, this is an all-new Macbeth born under strobe lights and police sirens, where prophecy comes whispered over eyeliner mirrors and power is seized in heels sharp enough to kill.
In a world where masculinity is policed, queerness is criminalised… the price of visibility is everything. Riots rage outside. Inside, the music of 80’s Britain – Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Pet Shop Boys – pulses through the night. Paranoia spirals, loyalty fractures, and desire curdles into violence. Wigs slip. Crowns are stolen, and blood is impossible to wash out under club lighting.
Dark, defiant, and drenched in 80s synth, CATEGORY IS: MACBETH is a fabulous tragedy about power, persecution, and what it means to survive.
When the law says you don’t exist, how far would you go to rule the night?
On the second anniversary of her death on World Theatre Day 2024, eight leading industry figures have come together to launch the Imogen Kinchin Fellowship, a funded leadership programme built to accelerate and support brilliant doers to become decision‑makers and help launch the next generation of cultural leaders.
The programme is built in the spirit of Imogen — who died of bowel cancer on World Theatre Day 27 March 2024, aged 44 — who broke ceilings, then helped others break their own.
Nominations for the first cohort of eight would-be leaders opens today.
The eight mentors are some of Imogen’s closest industry friends and represent many of the organisations where she worked during her career. The mentors are: Emma Brünjes – Producer, ebp and Producer, Edinburgh Comedy Awards; Jo Danvers – CEO, Mischief Worldwide; Georgia Gatti – Independent Producer & Producer for Neal Street Productions; Glenn Graham – Resident Director, New Adventures; James Grieve – Freelance Director; ex Artistic Director, Paines Plough; Nia Janis – Partner & Founder of Playful Productions; Nicholai La Barrie – Associate Director, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre; James Mackenzie-Blackman – Chief Executive & Artistic Director, Theatre Royal Plymouth.
The Fellowship programme is launched in partnership with: Half Moon Young People’s Theatre; Lyric Hammersmith Theatre; Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures; National Theatre; Playful Productions and Theatre Royal Plymouth. All of the organisations where Imogen worked during her career.
Commencing in September 2026, each year the fellowship will support between six to eight emerging cultural leaders, with no upper age limit. The intention of the pilot cohort is to reflect the breadth of Imogen’s career, aiming for representation from the varying geographic, sector areas and artforms in which Imogen worked: the South West; Young People’s Theatre; Fringe; West End/commercial producing; subsidised theatre; dance; a practicing artist in theatre or dance.
Each successful mentee will receive a £3,000 fund to support their engagement in the programme, a one-to-one mentor and access to the wider mentor group through expenses paid events and networking dinners.
Georgia Gatti, Theatre Producer at Neal Street Productions said:
“Imogen had a fierce loyalty and an instinct to champion the people around her. She was always on the end of the phone when I needed her, offer considered advice and helping you see you could do more than you think you could. Our career paths are rarely linear, and having peers and mentors to talk to, listen to, and learn from is invaluable. That’s what this Fellowship is for.”
Nicholai La Barrie, Associate Director, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre said:
“Imogen was a force of nature; if she believed in you, she would be your greatest champion. That is what mentorship is at its best: making space, offering challenge, and backing someone to keep going. Our industry can still feel like a closed club – the sustained, long-term mentoring this Fellowship provides will open doors to different kinds of people, talent, and creativity.”
George Perrin MBE, Leadership Coach and Imogen’s husband said:
“Imogen was both the light that dazzled and the light that illuminated. She saw things in you that you could not yet see in yourself, and she brought people together, in life and in work. It is wholly fitting that her professional legacy will be to support and spotlight a new generation of courageous, generous and ambitious cultural leaders.”
SOLT & UK Theatre Welcome Arts Minister Ian Murray’s strong commitment to tear down barriers to EU touring
Responding to a panel of speakers, including Sadlers Wells’ Executive Producer Suzanne Walker, Culture Minister Ian Murray said that the UK government was fully committed to removing the barriers to EU touring that are making theatre touring across the EU challenging for UK theatre companies.
At the inaugural event of the Cultural Exchange Coalition (CEC), in Brussels on Wednesday (March 24), Minister Murray said:
“There’s very much a will to try and find a way through this – and to do it as quickly as we possibly can.”
“Cultural exchange is hugely important not only for us to tell our own stories but also tell each other’s stories, to learn from each other. If we lose that, we’ll be much diminished particularly with the geopolitical situation at the moment.
“There are forces out there that want to retell the story and culture gives us the way in which we maintain our history and tell the story about today and the future. So, there’s a full commitment from the UK government to try and resolve these issues.”
SOLT & UK Theatre Co-CEO, Hannah Essex said:
“There is clearly a business case for improving opportunities for British companies and artists in the EU. But there is also a social and cultural imperative. It’s hearts and minds”.
“In these divisive and challenging times culture can be a bridge – an opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes. And in a time where some of our other international relationships have got more turbulent and unpredictable, breaking down the barriers to this cultural exchange in Europe is more important than ever”.
Anita Debaere, CEC Co-Chair and Director of Pearle*-Live Performance Europe, said: “Meeting colleagues from across the EU and the UK was a powerful reminder of the value of cultural exchange. We look forward to continuing a dialogue on cultural relations between the EU and the UK.”
MEP Bogdan Zdrojewski said: “Culture has always been one of the strongest bridges between societies. This event will reflect on the importance of connections. I am very happy that the UK will be part of Erasmus Plus for 1 January next year, I hope we can achieve the same with the Creative Europe programme.”
Lord Brennan of Canton said: “It has been refreshing to hear that both the UK and the European Union want to make touring easier for creatives. The Cultural Exchange Coalition is leading the way in finding solutions and the talks we have been having in Brussels are a source of hope for the future.”
Baroness Bull said: “There is now clear evidence that the failure to include provision for touring artists and crews in the post-Brexit arrangements means artists and audiences across the entirety of Europe are missing out: not just on the cultural, social and economic benefits of intercontinental touring, but also the artistic and technical innovations that arise from cultural exchange.
Pick Me Up is an independent, well regarded York theatre company. Their current production of Next To Normal is currently playing at the cosy Theatre@41 in York. Under the direction of Andrew Isherwod, Next To Normal is an American rock musical, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt.
Though Next To Normal is a musical, this production stands apart from standard American rock musicals, it comes with extra trigger warnings. It addresses topics such as adult themes, mental health issues and disorders, bereavement, and the effects these experiences have on family life.
Initially, the family appears to be a typical, well-functioning unit, with the added dynamics of raising teenagers. The day begins with Diana (Monica Frost) preparing sandwiches for her family to take to school and work. However, the morning quickly becomes chaotic when the bread falls onto the floor, and Diana is seen manically buttering each slice while on her hands and knees. It soon becomes evident that she is experiencing challenges related to bipolar disorder, and her condition is deteriorating. Her husband Dan (Dale Vaughan), feels helpless and doesn’t quite understand his wife’s turmoil, but he is unwavering in his support. Natalie (Niamh Rose), their daughter, experiences feelings of neglect and misunderstanding. Despite being a grade A student with a strong interest in music and a new boyfriend, Henry (Fergus Green), who provides moments of respite amongst the turmoil. She becomes increasingly frustrated, especially after a no show by both parents to her recital. Natalie begins to exhibit rebellious behaviour as her mother’s condition deteriorates. There is a son (Matthew Warry), who has a close connection with his mum and only really interacts with her. It is not until much later in the play that you learn his name is Gabe.
The cast is outstanding. Every actor gives a performance that adds real depth and emotion to each character they play. Frost’s portrayal of Diana is particularly gripping, realistically portraying her bipolar journey. Vaughan is full of energy, full of hope, then desperation and hopelessness. You can’t help but feel his pain. Rose is fabulous as Natalie, full of depth and her vocals are rich, raw and heavy with emotion. Warry gives an outstanding performance as Gabe, he is a raw talent. His interactions with his mother Diana are authentic and his presence on the stage is compelling to watch. Ryan Richardson plays both psychiatrists, embracing his inner Rock God for Dr Fine.
The multi-level set presents a straightforward, moody atmosphere, representing the family home. Throughout the performance, the live band, under the direction of James Robert Ball, remains visible at the rear of the stage, seamlessly incorporated into the production. Their interpretation of the rock-influenced score significantly adds depth to the story telling. Experiencing live music in the theatre always enhances the overall performance.
This show is not afraid to explore the complexities of mental health disorders, and it doesn’t soften the reality of Diana’s experience and the impact on all around her.. The constant adjustments of medication, the feeling of forever popping of pills, just to stay stable, then the portrayal of controversial electroconvulsive therapy, which is unsettling to watch. It is brutal to witness a person losing essence of themselves, where everything feels invasive and desperate, making these moments intensely powerful.
I must confess that I had not previously heard of this show and all I read about it before I attended was the trigger warnings. When I do go to see a new show I like to go in blind, so as not to be unduly influenced. I anticipated the content mentioned in the warnings, but I didn’t expect how personally affected I would feel. The show touched on an experience that my close family has gone through, and I don’t want to reveal too much of the shows storyline. He had the same thing, the same outcome, was the same age then and now. As the similarities became clear, I felt my stomach drop, that was heart wrenching.
This production of Next To Normal delivers raw, emotional, and powerful performances that draw out strong emotions, and at times is an uneasy watch. Nevertheless, it is compelling to watch, I was mesmerised from start to finish. It is a must-see for anyone who appreciates powerful storytelling and outstanding theatre.
At a ceremony at the National Theatre today, the Critics’ Circle announced the winners of the 2026 Theatre Awards, sponsored by Finito. These are the only prizes to be entirely voted for by the professional theatre critics who are members of the Circle.
Both Ivo van Hove’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons and Jordan Fein’s production of Sondheim’s Into the Woods received two awards each. Van Hove won the award for Best Director, with the production also receiving Best Revival of a Play or Musical. Into the Woods won the inaugural award for Best Ensemble or Cast, with Tom Scutt taking Best Designer.
Paddington The Musical with music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher and book by Jessica Swale, currently running at the Savoy Theatre, won Best New Musical; with James Graham’s Punch awarded Best New Play; and Ava Pickett Most Promising Playwright for 1536 which will shortly transfer to the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End.
Credit: Johan Persson
Completing the acting categories, Rosamund Pike won for her acclaimed performance in Suzie Miller’s Inter Alia – which is currently in previews at the Wyndham’s Theatre having transferred from the National Theatre; with Brendan Gleeson receiving the Best Actor award for his West End debut performance in The Weir, which has recently been adapted by playwright Conor Macpherson into a film with Gleeson reprising his much celebrated performance. The Most Promising Newcomer Award went to Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis for Tom Stoppard’sIndian Ink at Hampstead Theatre.
2026 Chair of the Critics’ Circle Drama Section, Mark Lawson said today, “In the first year that our members voted from long lists and shortlists – an attempt to extend the range of work considered – around 250 candidates were considered across the process, of which 179 received at least one vote. These came down to the 11 winners honoured today. Some categories were won by a landslide, but others were tight five-or six-way contests eventually decided after a recount, suggesting strong quality among the quantity. Overall – and with the winner of the Empty Space…Peter Brook Award, decided by a separate panel – they show an exhilarating range of work across a vast variety of venues and genres – all achieved in challenging economic times. It is particularly pleasing that the array of talents in the Most Promising Playwright and Best Newcomer categories indicate that the current high quality of theatre here is guaranteed to continue.”
This is the fourth year of the acclaimed Empty Space…Peter Brook Award being part of the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. Founded by Blanche Marvin MBE, who died earlier this year just short of her 101st birthday, the award recognises a theatre that embodies the spirit of Peter Brook, both in its use of space and in relationship to its locality. Blanche’s daughter, Niki Marvin, an Oscar-nominated director/producer, has taken over the running of the award. From this year, the award has been renamed The Empty Space…Peter Brook Award (In Memory of Blanche Marvin), Sponsored by Nica
Burns. Decided by a separate panel of critics chosen by the Marvin family, the 2026 Award was given to Red Rose Chain, Ipswich.
The Awards are made possible through the generous support and encouragement of Finito.
“After a long-standing support of The Jack Tinker Award for Best Newcomer, we are delighted to become the main sponsor of the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards” said Ronel Lehmann, Chief Executive, Finito.
Other individual awards are sponsored by 5RB,NLP and Nica Burns. The awards are also generously supported by Nick Hern Books and by an anonymous philanthropic donation. We also gratefully acknowledgethe participation of the Trewin Family who created the Best Shakespearean Performance Award.
Producers Darren Bell and Cuffe & Taylor for Live Nation are delighted to announce the addition of two final performances of the WhatsOnStage Award-winning concert production of Love Never Diesat the London Palladium. The concert will now run at 7.30pm on 16 October and 2.30pm and 7.30pm on 17 & 18 October.
Tickets for all performances go on general sale on Friday 27 March.
As announced at his sold-out concert, Jamie Muscato (Dexter in One Day, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh; Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, London Coliseum) will play Phantom and Celinde Schoenmaker (Sarah Brown in Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre; Fantine in Les Misérables, Sondheim Theatre) returns to the role of Christine with further casting to be announced. The concert will be directed by Shaun Kerrison.
The concert forms part of the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Phantom of the Opera.
Love Never Dies – Phantom of the Opera’s spectacular sequel – returns to the story 10 years after the Phantom’s disappearance from the Paris Opera House. Escaped to a new life in New York, he has finally found a place for his music to soar. All that is missing is Christine Daaé – the young soprano whose sensational talent enchanted the Phantom and saw him fall deeply and dangerously in love.
In a final bid to win her back, the Phantom lures Christine, her husband, and their young son Gustave to America to perform one final time. As old wounds are reopened and forgotten memories unlocked, the Phantom sets out to prove that, indeed, Love Never Dies.
This concert production comes as Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera celebrates its 40th yearin London’s West End, marking four extraordinary decades at His Majesty’s Theatre. Phantom of the Opera is widely considered one of the world’s most beautiful and spectacular musicals. Since 1986, the global phenomenon has played to over 160 million people in 217 cities, 58 territories and 23 languages.
REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR
THE BRAND-NEW PRODUCTION OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S
CATS
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre,with Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, today announce the full cast for the brand-new production of CATS, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie. The production runs from Saturday 25 July – Saturday 12 September 2026
The cast are Fin Adams (Alonzo), Carla Bertran (Electra / Co-Dance Captain), Elliot Broadfoot(Bustopher Jones), Grace Burrows (Offstage Swing), Matthew Caputo (Skimbleshanks), Josie Chambers-Sims (Syllabub (Jemima)), Briana Craig (Rumpleteazer), Katie Dunsden (Bombalurina), Joshua-Samuel Freeman (Tumblebrutus (Bill Bailey)), Regan Garcia (Pouncival (Carbuckety)), Aaron Jenkins (Offstage Swing), Hannah Joseph (Victoria), Taziva-Faye Katsande (Tantomile), Melanie La Barrie (Old Deuteronomy), Diante Lodge (Macavity / Admetus), Owen McHugh (George ), Danny Nattrass (Mungojerrie), Millie O’Connell (Demeter), Andrew Parfitt (Coricopat), Charlotte Riby (Jennyanydots (Gumbie Cat)), Nathan Rigg ( Offstage Swing), Lucie-Mae Sumner (Jellylorum (Griddlebone)), Jaydon Vijn (Rum Tum Tugger), Jack Wilcox (Munkustrap), Gary Wilmot (Gus), Rachael Wooding (Grizabella), Jet Yau (Mr. Mistoffelees / Quaxo), Taela Yeomans-Brown (Offstage Swing / Co-Dance Captain) and Patricia Zhou (Cassandra).
Drew McOnie said: ‘I’m so excited to welcome this astonishing group of performers to Regent’s Park. CATS has always celebrated the unique talents of its performers, and I can’t wait for our audiences to experience this company’s brilliance in this brand-new production. Each of these cast members will play their own special part in creating animalistic harmony under the Jellicle Moon. It’s going to be quite an adventure and we look forward to welcoming you to join us.’
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
with Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals presents
CATS
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
Creatives include Lucy Adams (Associate Lighting Designer); Josh Baker (Resident Director & Choreographer); Tim Blazdell (Associate Set Designer); Will Burton (Casting Director); Guy Common (Makeup Designer & Supervisor); Ollie Durrant (Associate Sound Designer); Sami Fendall (Set, Costume and Wigs Designer); Adam Fisher (Sound Designer); Jessica Hung Han Yun (Lighting Designer); Ingrid Mackinnon (Intimacy Director); Kev McCurdy (Fight Director); Fiona McDougal (Voice Coach); Drew McOnie (Director & Choreographer); Ebony Molina (Associate Choreographer); Georgia Nosal (Associate Wigs and Hair Designer and Supervisor); Geraint Owen (Musical Director); Alex Parker (Musical Supervisor).
Saturday 25 July – Saturday 12 September 2026
‘Another day is dawning.’
From Euston station to Victoria Grove, the strays and rebels of London gather under the Jellicle moon in the hope they’ll be the chosen one. And each of them asks, because each of them dares, who will it be?
With a legendary score featuring Old Deuteronomy, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, The Jellicle Ball and the chart-topping hit Memory, this brand-new production of CATS, directed and choreographed by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Artistic Director Drew McOnie (Brigadoon, Jesus Christ Superstar), is sure to be one of the theatrical events of 2026.
By arrangement with LW Entertainment.
Andrew Lloyd Webber | Music
Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed the scores of some of the world’s most famous musicals. His shows have run continuously in London’s West End for 50 years and ran for 43 uninterrupted years on Broadway.
When the original Sunset Boulevard joined School of Rock, CATS, and The Phantom of the Opera he equalled Rodgers & Hammerstein’s record of four shows running simultaneously on Broadway. He is one of the select group of artists with EGOT status, having received Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.
Lloyd Webber owns six London theatres including the iconic London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Reopened in July 2021, the latter was completely restored and renovated at a cost of over £60 million. This was one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by a private theatre owner in recent times. His mantra is that every penny of profit made from his theatres is ploughed back into the buildings for their conservation and development.
Lloyd Webber is passionate about the importance of musical education and diversity in the arts. Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation provides 30 performing arts scholarships every year for talented students with financial need, and supports a range of projects such as the Music In Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST).
In academic year September 2025 – 2026, 14,885 children are being given free musical tuition and instruments as part of MiSST’s Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme. The Foundation also commissions research into diversity in theatre.
Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed music for globally significant moments. Most recently, he was asked to compose “Make a Joyful Noise”, the anthem for the Coronation of King Charles III.
Andrew Lloyd Webber was knighted in 1992, created an honorary life peer in 1997, and made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter by King Charles III in 2024. He is the only person in the arts ever granted this personal honour by a monarch.
Drew McOnie | Director & Choreographer
For Regent’s Park as Director/Choreographer:Brigadoon, On The Town (Director & Choreographer); Jesus Christ Superstar, Carousel (Choreographer).
For McOnie Company: The Artist (Theatre Royal Plymouth – UK Theatre Award Winner for Best Direction); Nutcracker (Southbank Centre – National Dance Award Winner for Best Independent Company); Jekyll and Hyde (Old Vic Theatre – Broadway World Award Winner for Outstanding Achievement in Dance); DRUNK (Bridewell Theatre); Making Midnight (Jermyn Street Theatre/Latitude Festival).
As Director/Choreographer:King Kong (Broadway Theatre – Broadway); Strictly Ballroom (Piccadilly Theatre – West End – What’s On Stage Award Nominee, Best Theatre Choreography); The Wild Party (The Other Palace); Torch Song Trilogy (Turbine Theatre).
As Choreographer:In the Heights (Southwark Playhouse/Kings Cross Theatre – Olivier Award and Offie Award Winner for Best Theatre Choreography); Hairspray (Broadway World Award Winner for Best Theatre Choreography); Oklahoma (UK National Tour); Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith/UK National Tour); The Lorax (Old Vic Theatre); Sound of Music, Chicago (Curve Leicester).
Film includes:Greatest Days – The Official Take That Movie (Choreographer).
Ballet includes:Merlin (Northern Ballet – National Tour); XYZ (Classical Creative Project); Little Red (NYB, Hackney Empire); Old Man of Lochnagar (NYB, Sadler’s Wells).
Drew McOnie became the Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in January 2024. He is also the Artistic Director of The McOnie Company and a proud Associate Artist of The Old Vic Theatre.
Theatre includes: Bat Out Of Hell (UK Tour); Jesus Christ Superstar (UK Tour); The Cher Show (UK Tour).
Elliot Broadfoot| Bustopher Jones
Training: Leeds Conservatoire.
Theatre includes:Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! (Original West End Cast, Ambassadors Theatre); Romeo & Juliet (Liverpool Everyman); The Parent Agency (Storyhouse Chester); I Should Be So Lucky (National Tour); Annie Get Your Gun (Lavender Fields); Of Mice and Men (Leeds Playhouse).
Concerts includes: Once on This Island (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Acorn Antiques: The Musical! (Shaftesbury Theatre, West End/Manchester Opera House).
Elliot is Co-Director of Theatre North, an initiative supporting accessible and sustainable theatre careers for young people across the North of England.
Grace Burrows | Offstage Swing
Training:Laine Theatre Arts
Theatreincludes: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Kilworth House Theatre); Jack and the Beanstalk (Mayflower Theatre); Life in the Golden Laine (Epsom Playhouse); Pinocchio (Grand Opera House Belfast); Witches of Eastwick (Laine Theatre Arts).
TV includes: Silence is Golden (U&Dave)
Matthew Caputo | Skimbleshanks
Training: Bird College
For Regent’s Park: On The Town (2017).
Theatre includes:The Book Thief: Concert Production (Prince of Wales Theatre), Alfred Hitchcock Presents – The Musical (Theatre Royal, Bath); The Artist (Theatre Royal, Plymouth); The Book Thief (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry/Curve Theatre, Leicester); Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre); City of Angels (Garrick Theatre); White Christmas (Dominion Theatre); Matilda (UK Tour); 21 Chump Street (Courtyard Theatre); Scrooge, Gypsy, 42nd Street (Curve Theatre, Leicester); The Life (Southwark Playhouse); Mary Poppins (UK Tour); Top Hat (UK Tour); CATS (UK Tour); White Christmas (The Lowry, Manchester); West Side Story (The Sage, Gateshead).
Workshops include:One Day The Musical, Feet Keep Me Flyin’, Midnight, Miss Saigon,The Artist, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, King Kong.
Other credits include:You Shall Go To The Ball (Bridgerton/Netflix); D-Day 80: The Allies Prepare (BBC), My Favorite Things – Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration, Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice’s Him&Me (Drury Lane); The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals (BBC); All Star Musicals (ITV).
Josie Chambers-Sims | Syllabub (Jemima)
Training: Bird College (BA Hons Dance and Musical Theatre), Emil Dale Academy.
Credits whilst training: 42nd Street, Divinity.
CATS marks Josie’s professional debut
Briana Craig | Rumpleteazer
Training: The Dance School of Scotland, Laine Theatre Arts.
Theatre includes:Snow White (New Victoria Theatre, Woking); A Chorus Line (Japan Tour); The Artist (Theatre Royal, Plymouth); Snow White (Theatre Royal, Plymouth); 42nd Street (National Tour/Sadler’s Wells/Toronto); Singin’ in the Rain (Sadler’s Wells/Japan/National Tour/Toronto); Jack and the Beanstalk (London Palladium); Dick Whittington (New Wimbledon Theatre).
Workshops include: Ballet Shoes (National Theatre); The Artist (Playful Productions/The McOnie Company).
Other credits include: Festival of Remembrance (BBC/Royal Albert Hall).
Katie Dunsden | Bombalurina
Training: Performers College.
Theatre includes: Diamonds & Dust (Emerald Theatre); Grease (Dominion Theatre); Moulin Rouge! (Piccadilly Theatre); On Your Feet! (London Coliseum); Pretty Woman! (Theatre11, Zurich); Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty (London Palladium); Anton Du Beke & Giovanni Pernice’s – Him & Me, Let Me Entertain You, Tango Passions, Anton Du Beke & Giovanni Pernice’s – Together (Strictly Theatre Co); Mamma Mia! (UK/International Tour).
TV includes: Britain’s Got Talent, Good Morning Britain, The Royal Variety Show, The Oliver Awards, The Late Late Show.
Katie is also a co-producer and choreographer of Sinematic Show.
Training: The Urdang Academy Trinity College London (Undergraduate), Rambert School RCM (Postgraduate).
Theatre includes:Sleeping Beauty, Little Wolf (Royal Tunbridge Wells); Where Eagles Fly (Workshop); World of Musicals in
Concert (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand Tour).
TV includes: Mama Mia! I Have A Dream – Live Final Episode, Britain’s Got Talent – Here & Now Musical with STEPS (ITV)
Britain’s Got Talent – Audition & Semi Final with Dane Bates Collective
Other credits include: Ferrari Grand Prix Fan-zone, World Winterfest (Abu Dhabi); Popup Global & Evolution
Events; Kids Again Music Video (Sam Smith); Capitol Records; Pop Magazine No.45; Beetlejuice 2 (Warner Bros).
Regan Garcia | Pouncival (Carbuckety)
Training: Laine Theatre Arts, Sylvia Young Theatre School.
Theatre includes: Robin Hood (New Wimbledon Theatre); Jack and the Beanstalk (Mayflower Theatre); Sandi Toksvig – One Night Only (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ The Musical (Ambassadors Theatre); A Very, Very, Very Dark Matter (Bridge Theatre); Matilda The Musical (Cambridge Theatre); Mary Poppins (UK Tour); West End Live.
TV includes:Endeavour (ITV); The Crown (Netflix); Blue Peter (BBC); Silence is Golden (U&Dave); LEGO Friends (Final Pixel).
Film includes:Snow White (Marc Platt Productions); Big Boys Don’t Cry (6 From 8 Productions)
Other credits include: Google (Social Media Commercial).
Aaron Jenkins | Offstage Swing
Training: Laine Theatre Arts.
Theatre includes: Cats (European & International Tours); Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre, London); Chicago (UK & Ireland Tour); Cats (Kilworth House Theatre); Mary Poppins (Hamburg, Germany); Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre, London).
Film & TV includes: Cats (Universal Pictures/Working Title Films); Big Night of Musicals by the National Lottery (BBC); Miranda: My Such Fun Celebration (BBC).
Workshops include: Matilda the Musical (Netflix).
Hannah Joseph | Victoria
Training: Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.
For Regent’s Park: Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill (2025).
Companies include: Company Wayne McGregor, Dickson Mbi Company.
Choreographers worked with include: Botis Seva, Russell Maliphant, Alesandra Seutin, Alexander Whitley, Matthew Bourne, Julia Cheng, Holly Blakey.
Performances includes:TELLUS (Dickson Mbi Company); UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey, AutoBiography, Deepstaria (Company Wayne McGregor); Matthew Bourne’s Romeo+Juliet (New Adventures, Sadler’s Wells); Moschino SS24 Milan Fashion Week; London Fashion Week 2024; Hermès Brides de Gala; Robyn Talk to Me music video.
As Choreographer and Performer: BBC Young Dancer 2022 (The Roundhouse); AX2 for Legacy (Royal Ballet, Linbury Theatre).
As Choreographer:Kaleidoscope of Time (Royal Ballet); Gridlock (Royal Ballet School); Nothing But This (Ballet D’Jèrri); still, here (English National Ballet); SUN (Nowness); Ax.One for Festival of New Choreography (Royal Ballet)
Hannah was a finalist on BBC Young Dancer 2022.
Taziva-Faye Katsande | Tantomile
Training: Sylvia Young Theatre School, Bird College
Theatre includes: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Crossroads (Darlington Hippodrome); Jack and the Beanstalk (The Capitol, Horsham); Bugsy Malone (UK Tour); Annie (UK Tour); Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre); Luisa Miller (Opera).
Dance includes: Homage to Happiness (Wilton’s Musical Hall); Royal Variety Performance, Adventures of Peter Pan (Anthony Vanlaast).
Advertisements include: Virgin Atlantic – Seize the Holiday LIVE ITV Commercial, Apple Education Tech photoshoot, Pearson ELT, RBA’s ELT songs.
Film and TV includes:Beetlejuice; The Big Audition – Episode 6 (ITV); The Proms (BBC).
Other credits include:Matilda the Musical reading
Melanie La Barrie | Old Deuteronomy
Theatre includes:Mary Page Marlowe, The Lorax (Old Vic); Hadestown (Lyric Theatre); Once On This Island (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); The Book Thief (Prince of Wales Theatre); Roam (Shaftesbury Theatre); We Aren’t Kids Anymore (Savoy Theatre); &Juliet (West End/Broadway); Wicked (Apollo Victoria); Dick Whittington (National Theatre); The Everyman Season (Everyman Playhouse); Matilda The Musical (RSC/Cambridge Theatre); Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre); Les Misérables (London’s Sondheim Theatre); Play Mas (Orange Tree Theatre); The Bakkhai (Almeida Theatre)
TV includes: EastEnders, Casualty, Riot Women.
Film includes:London Road.
Diante Lodge | Macavity / Admetus
Training: Laine Theatre Arts
Theatre includes:Les Liaisons Dangereuses (National Theatre); Evita, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty (London Palladium); Original London Cast of MJ The Musical (Prince Edward Theatre); Matilda (Cambridge Theatre); Carousel (Kilworth House Theatre); Best Of West End (Royal Albert Hall); Coppelia (Cockpit Theatre).
Film and TV include:Snow White (Disney); Drag Race UK (BBC); Royal Variety Performance (ITV).
Music videos include: You 4 Me (Tiwa Savage); Hip Neck Spine (Daphne Guinness); Twisted & Black British (V V Brown).
Workshops include:Midnight, Burlesque, Play On!, Sinbad, KIN.
As Movement Director/Choreographer:Remembrance Monday (Seven Dials Playhouse); Falling In Love With Mr Dellamort (Edinburgh Fringe); Charity (BFI Short Film).
Owen McHugh | George
Training: Laine Theatre Arts, The Dance School of Scotland.
For Regent’s Park: Brigadoon (2025).
Theatre includes:Why Am I So Single? (Garrick Theatre); Clueless the Musical (Churchill Theatre, Bromley); Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (English National Opera, London Coliseum); White Christmas (UK Tour); But I’m a Cheerleader (The Turbine Theatre); Beauty and the Beast (Civic Theatre); Memories of the Musicals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Kilworth House); The Snowman (UK Tour/Peacock Theatre, London); Me And My Girl (Frinton Summer Theatre); Doctor Dolittle The Musical (UK Tour); Peter Pan (Hull New Theatre); Cinderella (Wyvern Theatre).
Workshops include:Why Am I So Single?.
TV includes: BBC Children in Need (BBC).
Music videos include:Girl Crush (Self Esteem).
Danny Nattrass | Mungojerrie
Training: The Arts Educational School.
For Regent’s Park:Brigadoon (2025).
Theatre includes:Elf (Aldwych Theatre); Grease (European Tour); Close Up – The Twiggy Musical (Menier Chocolate Factory); We Will Rock You (London Coliseum); Pump Up The Volume (Turbine Theatre); The Osmonds: A New Musical (National Tour); Pantoland at the Palladium,Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium); Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre).
TV includes: The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals (BBC); All Star Musicals (ITV).
Millie O’Connell | Demeter
Training: Laine Theatre Arts. Theatre includes:Come Fall In Love (Opera House Manchester); Cake (The Other Palace); The Cher Show (UK Tour); Rent (Hope Mill Theatre); Hair (Turbine Theatre); Be More ChiIl (Shaftesbury Theatre/The Other Palace); Soho Cinders (Charing Cross Theatre); SIX: The Musical (UK Tour/Arts Theatre, London); Thoroughly Modern Millie (UK Tour); 42nd Street (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); 42nd Street (Theatre Du Chatelet).
Workshops include: Why Am I So Single?, On The Team, Sunshine. Film and TV include:SIX The Musical Live (Universal Pictures); Doctor Who (BBC); Wonka (Warner Bros); The Entire Universe (BBC); Endeavour (ITV); The People’s Strictly (BBC).
Andrew Parfitt | Coricopat
Training: London Studio Centre, Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, MEPA Academy, Kreative Dance Academy.
Theatre includes:Disney’s The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre, West End)
Dance includes: Wicked, Wicked: For Good (Universal); Britain’s Got Talent (Dane Bates Collective); London Fashion Week (Richard Quinn/Dane Bates Collective); Ballet Under The Stars (Covent Garden Dance/The Project Dance Company).
Charlotte Riby | Jennyanydots (Gumbie Cat)
Training: Laine Theatre Arts.
For Regent’s Park:Jesus Christ Superstar (2016-17); Carousel (2021).
Theatre includes: Midnight (Sadler’s Wells East); Me & My Girl (UK Tour); Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre); Priscilla Queen of the Desert (The Place); Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre); Waitress (Adelphi Theatre); Annie Get Your Gun (Palladium); Midnight (London and New York Workshop/Showcase).
Film includes:Wonka (Warner Bros); Snow White (Disney); The Blitz (Apple TV).
Adverts and voiceovers include: The Sun, Hotels4U, Vauxhall, Better, Morrisons, Thomas Cook, TUI.
Nathan Rigg | Offstage Swing
Theatre includes:A Chorus Line (Curve/Japan Tour); Guys and Dolls (Bridge Theatre); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (London Palladium/UK Tour); What’s New Pussycat (Birmingham Rep Theatre); Mother Goose (Mercury Theatre); Sleeping Beauty (Norwich Theatre Royal).
Film includes:London Road (BBC).
Workshops include: Bliss The Musical (ATG Productions).
Lucie-Mae Sumner | Jellylorum (Griddlebone)
Training: Royal Academy of Music, National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.
Theatre includes: Mary Poppins (UK Tour); Singin’ In The Rain (Kilworth House); I Should Be So Lucky (UK Tour); Titanic (UK & International Tour); Mary Poppins (West End, Prince Edward Theatre); Chicago, Quality Street, Travesties (Pitlochry Festival Theatre); Barnum (Menier Chocolate Factory); Guys and Dolls (UK Tour/Savoy Theatre); A Damsel in Distress (Chichester Festival Theatre); Avenue Q (UK Tour); Barnum (Chichester Festival Theatre); Sister Act (UK Tour).
Concerts include:Love Never Dies (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Trump The Opera (Cadogan Hall); Kerry Ellis’ Anthems, Danny Elfman’s Music From the Films of Tim Burton, BBC Prom Sondheim at 80 (Royal Albert Hall); West End Prom (Lytham Festival).
Workshops include:The Odyssey (National Theatre); Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Michael Harrison/Disney); Mort (Royal Academy of Music); Goodbye Barcelona.
TV includes:Humans – Series 3 (Kudos/Channel 4)
Jaydon Vijn | Rum Tum Tugger
Training: Wilkes Academy of Performing Arts
For Regent’s Park: The Sound Of Music (2013).
Theatre includes: Starlight Express (Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre); Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre); MAMMA MIA! (International Tour/UK Tour); Starlight Express Das Musical (Bochum, Germany); Pippin (Charing Cross Theatre); Jack & The Beanstalk (London Palladium); Aladdin, Cinderella (Regent Theatre, Stoke); Oliver! (UK Tour); The Sound of Music (Doha, Qatar); Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre), Oliver! (Theatre Royal Drury Lane).
TV includes: I Like The Way U Move – Series 1 (BBC); Royal Variety Performance 2024 (ITV); I Can Do it, You Can Too (CBeebies); Children In Need Performance 2025 (BBC).
Film includes: Wonka (Warner Bros); Snow White (Disney); Larissa (Short Film).
Other credits include: The Roller Boys, Noise Boys Trailer, Starlight Express 2024 Cast Recording.
Jaydon was nominated for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards for the role of Hydra which he originated in Starlight Express.
Jack Wilcox | Munkustrap
Training: Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.
Theatre includes:Little Dancer (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Singin’ in the Rain (Kilworth House Theatre); Crazy For You (Gillian Lynne Theatre, London); Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour); Anything Goes (The Barbican/UK Tour); White Christmas, An American in Paris 0 Original London Cast (Dominion Theatre); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium); Kiss Me Kate (London Coliseum/Leeds Grand Theatre); Cinderella (Cambridge Arts Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Mercury/Derby Theatre); Cinderella (QDOS Manchester Opera House); Travels With my Aunt,Singin’ in the Rain (Chichester Festival Theatre); Titanic (Princess of Wales, Toronto); The Sound of Music, 42nd Street (Leicester Curve); West Side Story (UK Tour); Singin’ in the Rain (Palace Theatre); Kiss Me Kate (Theatre Du Chatelet); A Chorus Line (Tel Aviv Opera House); Shoes (Peacock Theatre); Wicked (Victoria Apollo); High School Musical 2 (UK Tour); Cinderella (Bournemouth Pavillion); Apollo Victoria 80th Gala (Apollo Victoria); Kerry Ellis Sings the Great British Songbook (Shaw Theatre); Night of 1000 Voices, Handel’s Messiah (Royal Albert Hall).
Workshops include: Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (ATG); Send for Mr Plim (Soho Theatre); Night of the Prom (Hackney Empire Theatre).
TV includes: All Star Musicals, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Surprise Surprise (ITV); Anything Goes (BBC); An American in Paris (Sky Arts).
Soundtrack includes:Singin’ in the Rain (London Cast Recording 2012).
Gary Wilmot | Gus
For Regent’s Park:A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Pirates of Penzance (2001), HMS Pinafore (2005).
Theatre includes: A Man For All Seasons (National Tour/West End), Something Rotten (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane); The Artist (Plymouth Theatre Royal); The Wizard of Oz (Palladium/National Tour); OldFriends (The Gielgud); Peter Pan, Jack & The Beanstalk, Pantoland at the Palladium, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Dick Whittington, Wind in the Willows, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Palladium);
Wicked (Apollo Theatre); Anything Goes (Barbican); Prince of Egypt (Dominion); Mr Gumand the Dancing Bear (National Theatre); Little Miss Sunshine (Arcola); Flowers for Mrs Harris (Chichester Festival Theatre); Big – the Musical (Theatre Royal Plymouth/Bord Gais, Dublin); End of the Rainbow (National Tour); Oklahoma (National Tour);Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre/National Tour); The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre); Radio Times (The Watermill/National Tour); A Bowl Of Cherries (Charing Cross Theatre); The Invisible Man (Menier Chocolate Factory); Arthur Saville’s Crime (National Tour); Chicago (National Tour); The Wizard of Oz (Royal Festival Hall); Half A Sixpence (National Tour); Santa Claus The Musical, The Wizard of Oz (Mayflower); Oliver (National Tour); The Pirates of Penzance (National Tour); Confusions (National Tour); Travels With My Aunt (National Tour); The Goodbye Girl (The Albery); Copacabana (National Tour/Prince of Wales Theatre); One for the Road (Bristol Old Vic); Carmen Jones (Old Vic); Me and My Girl (Adelphi Theatre).
TV and Film includes:Death in Paradise, Would I Lie To You, Midsomer Murders, House of Games, The Grinch, Showstoppers, Cue Gary, The 6’ O’Clock Show, The Saturday Gang, Copycats, So You Wanna Be Top, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon, The Bob Monkhouse Show, Don Black – Diamonds Are Forever, One Drop (Short Film).
Rachael Wooding | Grizabella
Training: Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts.
Theatre includes:Military Wives (York Theatre Royal); Standing at the Sky’s Edge (Gillian Lynne Theatre/National Theatre/Sheffield Crucible); Well Behaved Women (Cadogan Hall); Pretty Woman (Savoy Theatre); Fat Friends the Musical (UK Tour); Wonderland (UK Tour); Another Night Before Christmas (Bridge House Theatre); We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre); Street of Dreams (Manchester Evening News Arena); Jersey Boys (Prince Edward Theatre); Bright Lights, Big City (Hoxton Hall); Evita (UK Tour); Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre); Loveshack (UK Tour); Saturday Night Fever (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Footloose (UK Tour); Return to the Forbidden Planet (Lincoln Theatre Royal); A Chorus Line (Sheffield Crucible); Fame (Aldwych Theatre); Starlight Express (Bochum, Germany); Cats (Operettenhaus, Hamburg); Spirit of the Dance (US Tour); My Father’s Son (Sheffield Theatre).
TV includes:Girlfriends (ITV); Britain’s Got Talent (ITV); Al Murray’s Happy Hour (ITV); Doctors (BBC); Coronation Street (ITV); The Royal Variety Performance (ITV).
Radio includes: Friday Night is Music Night (BBC Radio 3).
Other performance includes: Christmas in New York (Broadway); Momentous Musicals (Wimbledon Theatre); Music of ABBA, Music of Queen, Musicals Rock (Liverpool Philharmonic Hall); Queen Symphonic (UK/International Tour).
Jet Yau | Mr. Mistoffelees / Quaxo
Training: Base Performing Arts College, I Got Soul Performing Arts.
Theatre includes:Gerry and Sewell (Aldwych Theatre).
Film includes: Matilda the Musical (2022).
Other credits include: Love me again (again) Music Video (John Newman); Saint Etienne Music Video (Alasdair McLellan); L’Oréal Color Trophy Award Show; JD Sports Christmas Advertisement; JD Sports Retail Conference; Homme Magazine.
Training: Bird College Conservatoire for Dance and Musical Theatre.
Theatre includes:Robin Hood (Birmingham Hippodrome); Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet (UK Tour/Sadler’s Wells/New York City Centre); Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Mary Poppins (The Prince Edward Theatre); Lion King (Lyceum Theatre); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Richmond Theatre).
TV includes: Royal Variety Performance (ITV)
Other credits include: Resilience (Short Film directed and choreographed by Stuart Winters); Starlight Express London (R&D).
Patricia Zhou | Cassandra
Training: Kirov Academy of Ballet, Washington D.C.
Dance includes:Romeo and Juliet (Benjamin Millipied, Walt Disney Concert Hall); Herrumbre, Multiplicity: Forms of Silence and Emptiness, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, White Darkness (Nacho Duato); Jewels, Ballet Imperial (George Balanchine); Yag, Secus (Ohad Naharin); Closer (Benjamin Millepied); GLASS/HANDEL (Justin Peck, Printworks); Petite Mort (Jiri Kylian); The Nutcracker (Yuri Burlaka/Vasily Medvedev); Giselle, Swan Lake (Patrice Bart); Onegin (John Cranko); Namouna (Alexei Ratmansky); Nights—nach 1001 nights (Anjelin Preljocaj); Altro Canto (Jean-Christophe Maillot); Romeo und Juliet (John Cranko); La Bayadere (Vladimir Malakhov); The Sleeping Beauty (Monica Mason, Royal Opera House); The Nutcracker (Sir Peter Wright, Royal Opera House).
BOX OFFICE INFORMATION
Box Office 0333 400 3562* | openairtheatre.com
Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4NU
* Lines open Monday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm. A £2.50 per transaction booking fee applies. 0333 numbers are charged at the same rate as calls to 01 and 02 numbers as regulated by Ofcom. Please check with your provider for further details.
Visit openairtheatre.com for latest ticket prices, concessions and discounts.
#OAT2026
2026 SEASON AT A GLANCE
A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production
SHERLOCK HOLMES
Saturday 2 May – Saturday 6 June 2026
Access Performances:
BSL Interpreted: Thurs 4 June, 7.45pm
Captioned: Fri 5 June, 7.45pm
Audio Described: Sat 6 June, 2pm
Age Recommendation: 12+
Tickets from: £15
OPEN AIR THEATRE SUNDAY EVENT: FAMILY DAY Sunday 24 May 2026
Established in 1932, the multi-award-winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (at a capacity of 1,304). Passionate about producing popular, enriching and unexpected theatre that provides a lens into the here and now, the scale and ambition of our productions together with our magical outdoor setting, makes us unique in the capital’s cultural landscape. In 2025 we welcomed just under 177,000 people to our 20-week summer season.
Drew McOnie assumed the role of Artistic Director in January 2024, and James Pidgeon was appointed Executive Director in 2021.
Over the last fifteen years, our productions have won ten Olivier Awards, ten WhatsOnStage Awards, and four Evening Standard Awards. We were named London Theatre of the Year in 2017 by The Stage, and received the Highly Commended Award for London Theatre of the Year in 2021. Our productions have toured the UK, and have transferred to both the West End and the United States. Our 2016 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar has just finished tours of the UK, North America and Australia. Our Olivier Award-winning revival of Fiddler on the Roof transferred to the Barbican Centre in May 2025 ahead of a major tour of the UK & Ireland which ended earlier this year.
As a registered charity that receives no regular public subsidy, we rely entirely on earned income and charitable contributions. Nevertheless, we have over 46,000 tickets at £25 or under available across the whole of 2026’s summer season, and we regularly work with a range of local charities. Each year, on average, we subsidise tickets for 6,000 school pupils.
Food and drink plays a significant role in the Open Air Theatre experience, with our in-house bars and restaurants including Covered Dining (certified as a Sustainably Run Restaurant), The Grill and The Pizza Oven. We also have our own picnic lawn and the West End’s longest bar!
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has become one of the most independently sustainable and financially successful producing theatres in the country, and we’re proud to embark on the next stage of our vision with ever-increasing artistic ambition and entrepreneurial spirit.
West End musicals include: Titaníque (Criterion); Hello, Dolly! (The London Palladium); The Little Big Things (@sohoplace); Crazy For You (Gillian Lynne); The Wizard of Oz (The LondonPalladium and Gillian Lynne); Oklahoma! (Wyndham’s); The Drifters Girl (Garrick); twoseasons of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (The London Palladium); MelBrooks’ Young Frankenstein (Garrick); Annie (Piccadilly); Gypsy (Savoy); The Bodyguard (Adelphi and Dominion).
Over 1 million people have seen Michael’s London Palladium pantomimes.
In 2022, with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael formed Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals to produce both new musicals and revivals of Andrew’s existing work. Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals productions include: Starlight Express (Troubadour); Sunset Blvd.(Savoy and St James, Broadway) and Evita (The London Palladium) starring Rachel Zegler.
With Cameron Mackintosh, he produced the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Barnum and this year, the major revival of the legendary musical Miss Saigon.
Michael produced Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks on tour in the UK.
He is the Chief Executive of Crossroads Pantomimes, responsible for many of the major number one pantomimes across the UK.
Michael was awarded a companionship to the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts by Sir Paul McCartney and the Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in recognition of his services to theatre in the region.
