SELF ESTEEM announces limited West End season A COMPLICATED WOMAN LIVE 16-19 April at Duke of York’s Theatre

SELF ESTEEM

ANNOUNCES THE LIMITED WEST END SEASON

A COMPLICATED WOMAN LIVE

16-19 APRIL AT DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE

NEW ALBUM A COMPLICATED WOMAN DUE 25 APRIL VIA POLYDOR RECORDS

Self Esteem – photo credit: Scarlett Carlos Clarke

Self Esteem AKA Rebecca Lucy Taylor today announces A Complicated Woman Live – a unique and theatrical presentation of her forthcoming new album at the intimate Duke Of York’s Theatre in London for a strictly limited and unmissable season this April.

Created by Rebecca Lucy Taylor and Tony award-winning Designer Tom Scutt, who also directs here, A Complicated Woman Live is an ambitious quasi-theatrical experience that harnesses the power and energy of a gig but presents it through a theatrical format. Fans pre-ordering the album before 10am on 3 February will be eligible for a limited pre-sale of tickets; tickets for all shows go on general sale at 10am on 5 February.

A Complicated Woman Live 

A Complicated Woman Live performance dates

Wednesday 16th April – 7.30pm

Thursday 17th April – 7.30pm

Friday 18th April – 7.30pm

Saturday 19th April – 3pm

Saturday 19th April – 7.30pm

A Complicated Woman Live credits

Created by Rebecca Lucy Taylor & Tom Scutt

Direction & Design: Tom Scutt ​​​

Choreography: Stuart Rogers

Musical Direction: Mike Park

Lighting Design: Matt Daw​​​​

Sound Design: Max & Ben Ringham

Associate Direction and Movement: Jenny Ogilvie

Associate Costume: Lucy Martin
 

Self Esteem will release her eagerly anticipated new album A Complicated Woman on 25 April in digital, CD, cassette and vinyl formats – including limited editions – via Polydor Records. The album is the follow up to the hugely acclaimed BRIT and Mercury Prize-nominated 2021 album Prioritise Pleasure – an album of the year everywhere from the Guardian to the Sunday Times.

Pre-order / pre-save A Complicated Woman

Described by the Guardian as “her best yet”, A Complicated Woman contains all Taylor’s musical thumbprints – complex thought processes unfolding in real time, an effortless knack of exposing the feelings women are required to labour under – but set on a larger, brighter landscape that is nothing short of exhilarating. Running through the album is a jubilant choir constructed of dozens and dozens of mostly female voices – “a community of people. I want you to hear and feel the connection” – including close friends, her band and collaborators, that includes – but is not limited to – singer-songwriters Nadine Shah, Moonchild Sanelly and Sue Tompkins from Life Without Buildings; a personal hero, the drag queen Meatball and a bona fide Lancaster legend, the actress Julie Hesmondhalgh.

A Complicated Woman is about taking control of your life, summed up in the astonishing first single ‘Focus Is Power’. Inspired by words Taylor wrote on a sticker, working from her mum and dad’s shed in the pandemic – “You see, it wasn’t up to me but now it could be / But now I see it clear with every passing of each year / I deserve to be here…” – the lyrics become an incantation when shared between the choir, something the accompanying music video (shot by long time collaborator Piers Dennis) echoes in its community hall performance.

Listen / watch ‘Focus Is Power’



A Complicated Woman tracklisting

Image

1.⁠ ⁠I Do And I Don’t Care

2.⁠ ⁠Focus Is Power

3.⁠ ⁠Mother

4.⁠ ⁠The Curse

5.⁠ ⁠Logic, Bitch! ft Sue Tompkins

6.⁠ ⁠Cheers To Me

7.⁠ ⁠If Not Now, It’s Soon

8.⁠ ⁠In Plain Sight ft Moonchild Sanelly

9.⁠ ⁠Lies ft Nadine Shah

10.⁠ ⁠69

11.⁠ ⁠What Now

12.⁠ ⁠The Deep Blue Okay



About Self Esteem

One of the UK’s most exciting breakout stars of the past decade, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, AKA Self Esteem emerged from cult favourite status to mainstream hero following the huge success of her empowering, truth-telling 2021 single ‘I Do This All The Time’. The song resonated intensely as a perfect example of Taylor’s affectionately termed ‘trojan horse’ or ‘salad and chips’ approach, fearlessly packing important, emotive messages into witty, resonant pop music.

Self Esteem’s wildly acclaimed second album Prioritise Pleasure quickly followed, tackling the hypocrisies and joys found in her experiences of modern day womanhood across dating, friendship, comparison culture, self love, women’s safety and sexual assault and much more. Prioritise Pleasure received Mercury Prize, BRIT Award, Sky Arts and NME Award nominations, was crowned The Guardian and Sunday Times Culture’s Album of the Year, and ‘I Do This All The Time’ was also named The Guardian’s #1 song of 2021.

Quite the opposite of an overnight success, Taylor spent a decade as one half of indie duo Slow Club before adopting the pop star persona she’d always dreamed of. She released her first Self Esteem album Compliments Please in 2019, featuring fan favourite singles ‘The Best’, ‘Girl Crush’ and more.

Gathering a passionate and vast legion of fans ever since, Taylor has appeared on The Graham Norton Show, Celebrity Gogglebox, Friday Night Live, performed three times on Jools Holland including the NYE Hootenanny, graced the covers of magazines from Grazia to NME to Sunday Times Style, and is one of a handful of artists to have been playlisted across BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music simultaneously.

Having reached new heights of acclaim, Taylor has continued to grow, diversify, and create in 2024. Branching out into the world of acting, Taylor starred in a regular role in the Sky series Smothered, before completing a run playing Sally Bowles in the multiple Olivier Award-winning production of ‘Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club’ in London’s West End. Starring alongside Jake Shears (lead singer of Scissor Sisters) as Emcee, the pair’s time on stage was extended due to popular demand, and showcased the sheer range of talent in Taylor’s repertoire. A one-off collaborative single with Moonchild Sanelly, ‘Big Man’, was released in the summer of 2024.

Connect with Self Esteem

Website /Instagram /Facebook / X / TikTok

Original Theatre production of Sebastian Faulks’s Wartime epic Birdsong heading to Alexandra Palace Theatre

Sebastian Faulks’s epic story of love and loss

Birdsong

starring Max Bowden, James Esler and Charlie Russell
will play Alexandra Palace Theatre from

27 February – 8 March 2025

Marking the 30th anniversary of Sebastian Faulks’s international best-selling novel, the new touring production of Birdsong will play a limited run this Spring at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre from Thursday 27 February to Saturday 8 March 2025.  

This epic First World War story of love and loss, starring Max Bowden (EastEnders) as Jack Firebrace, alongside James Esler (Litvinenko) as Stephen Wraysford and Charlie Russell (The Goes Wrong Show, And Then There Were None (BBC)) as Isabelle Azaire, has been touring the UK to packed houses and resounding critical acclaim since September 2024.  The tour coincides with Original Theatre’s current 20th anniversary celebrations.

The Alexandra Palace Theatre run, which marks the culmination of Birdsong’s tour, has particular significance; the 150-year-old London venue was requisitioned by the Government during WW1, becoming both a Belgian refugee camp and an internment camp for around 3,000 Germans, Austrians and Hungarians. There is also evidence that the auditorium was used as a wartime hospital. Cast members Max Bowden, Charlie Russell and James Esler visited the building to find out more about its history – watch a video of their visit here: youtu.be/screGLf1Mhs

Birdsong tells the story of one man’s journey through an all-consuming love affair and into the horror of the First World War. In pre-war France, a young Englishman, Stephen Wraysford, embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their world upside down. As the war breaks out over the idyll of his former life, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war, Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle as his world explodes around him.

Alongside Max Bowden, James Esler and Charlie Russell, the production stars Joseph Benjamin Baker as Evans/Levi, Raif Clarke as Tipper, James Findlay as Brennan, Dave Fishley as Turner, Gracie Follows as Lisette, Sulin Hasso as Marguerite, Tama Phethean as Shaw/LeBrun, Natalie Radmall-Quirke as Jeanne, Roger Ringrose as Bérard/Barclay and Sargon Yelda as René Azaire/Gray. 

Birdsong was adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff, and is directed by Original Theatre’s Artistic Director, Alastair Whatley. Design is by Richard Kent, Lighting by Jason Taylor, Music Composition by Sophie Cotton, Sound by Dominic Bilkey, Fight & Intimacy Direction by Yarit Dor and Enric Ortuño and with Casting by Ellie Collyer-Bristow (CDG).

Birdsong is produced by Original Theatre & JAS Theatricals in association with Joshua Beaumont

& Huw Allen, Tiny Giant Entertainment, Birdsong Productions & Wiltshire Creative.

The producers of Birdsong are working in partnership with the Royal British Legion.

For more information about Birdsong at Alexandra Palace Theatre, visit: www.alexandrapalace.com/whats-on/birdsong 

For further details of Alexandra Palace’s First World War history, visit: www.alexandrapalace.com/blog/the-theatre-and-the-war 

The Addams Family to embark on a mini tour from July 2025

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

THE MUSICAL COMEDY

TO RUN IN

BIRMINGHAM, LEICESTER,SALFORD & CANTERBURY

FROM 7 JULY 2025

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, John Stalker Productions and Bill Kenwright Ltd with co-producers ADAMA Entertainment and Guy James are delighted to announce that following two hugely successful UK and Ireland tours and sold out concerts at The London Palladium last year, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, The Musical Comedy will run at Birmingham Hippodrome from 10 – 12 July 2025, Curve, Leicester from 15 July – 10 August, Lowry, Salford from 12 – 16 August 2025 and Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury from 19 – 23 August.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY has a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (writers of the multi award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys), with music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominated Andrew Lippa, based on the characters created by Charles Addams.

Casting is to be announced.

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, is all grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows. She’s fallen in love with a sweet young man from a respectable family. With his cherished Morticia in the dark will Gomez manage to keep his daughter’s secret until the two families meet for a fateful dinner with hilarious consequences?

Join them, plus Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley, Grandma and more for a heart-warming story of love, family and friendship… with a twist!

THE ADDAMS FAMILY, The Musical Comedy will be directed by Matthew White, with choreography by Alistair David, production design by Diego Pitarch, orchestrations by Richard Beadle, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Richard Brooker and casting by Jane Deitch

THE ADDAMS FAMILY is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, John Stalker Productions and Bill Kenwright Ltd, with co-producers ADAMA Entertainment and Guy James and is presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

Website: theaddamsfamily.co.uk

X: @AddamsFamilyUK

Instagram: @theaddamsfamilyuk

Facebook: @TheAddamsFamilyUK

TikTok : @TheAddamsFamilyUK

2025 LISTINGS INFORMATION

10 – 12 July                            Birmingham Hippodrome                              0844 338 5000

                                                www.birminghamhippodrome.com                  On sale 29 January

15 July – 10 August                Leicester Curve                                             0116 242 3595

                                                www.curveonline.co.uk                                  On sale 5 February                   

12 – 16 August                       Salford Lowry                                                 0161 876 2000                                                               

                                                 www.thelowry.com                                         On sale 29 January

19 – 23 August                        Canterbury Marlowe Theatre                        01227 787787                                                                       

www.marlowetheatre.com                              On sale soon

Full Dates Announced and Tickets Now On Sale For STEREOPHONIC

FULL DATES ANNOUNCED AND

TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR
STEREOPHONIC

THE ACCLAIMED, RECORD-BREAKING

HIT PLAY BY DAVID ADJMI

DIRECTED BY DANIEL AUKIN

WITH ORIGINAL SONGS BY

ARCADE FIRE’S WILL BUTLER

WILL RUN AT THE DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE

FROM 24 MAY TO 20 SEPTEMBER 2025

FOLLOWING A SMASH HIT EXTENDED RUN ON BROADWAY

“The play, Adjmi’s best so far, is as rich and lustrous as they come.

You could even call it platinum”

New York Times

Following the production announcement earlier this month, Stereophonicis confirmed to run at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 24 May to 20 September 2025, with a gala night on 12 June 2025. Tickets go on sale from midday today, Tuesday 28 January, so click here to book your tickets; www.stereophonicplay.com

Last year, Stereophonic became the most Tony Award-nominated play ever and the most Tony Award-winning show of 2024. It completed its Broadway run on 12 January 2025, after extending twice and recouping its investment.

Original cast members reprising their highly lauded performances from Broadway include Andrew R. Butler as Charlie, Eli Gelb as Grover and Chris Stack as Simon. Further casting to be announced in due course.

Please click HERE for a video of the song Masquerade with the original Broadway cast and
please click HERE for the West End Stereophonic Trailer.

Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976. Here, an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of superstardom. The ensuing pressures could spark their breakup — or their breakthrough.

In Stereophonic, Adjmi invites the audience to immerse themselves—with fly-on-the-wall intimacy—in the powder keg process of a band on the brink of blowing up.

Stereophonic became the most Tony-nominated play ever after receiving a record-breaking 13 nominations. The full list of nominations is:

Best Play – David Adjmi
Best Director – Daniel Aukin
Best Score – Will Butler
Best Orchestrations – Will Butler and Justin Craig

Best Featured Actor in a Play – Will Brill
Best Featured Actor in a Play – Eli Gelb
Best Featured Actor in a Play – Tom Pecinka
Best Featured Actress in Play – Juliana Canfield

Best Featured Actress in a Play – Sarah Pidgeon

Best Scenic Design of a Play – David Zinn

Best Costume Design of a Play – Enver Chakartash

Best Lighting Design of Play – Jiyoun Chang
Best Sound Design of a Play – Ryan Rumery

The play won five of these awards Best Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Will Brill, Best Direction of a Play for Daniel Aukin, Best Scenic Design of a Play for David Zinn and Best Sound Design of a Play for Ryan Rumery.

Stereophonic originally had its World Premiere at Playwrights Horizon’s before transferring to Broadway on 3 April 2024. The hit play will also embark on a US tour from October 2025.

The Stereophonic creative team includes David Zinn (scenic designer), Enver Chakartash (costume designer), Jiyoun Chang (lighting designer), Will Butler (orchestrations), Justin Craig (orchestrations and music director), Ryan Rumery (sound designer) and Robert Pickens & Katie Gell (hair & wig design). UK Casting is by Julia Horan CDGwithUS Casting by Alaine Alldaffer CSA, Lisa Donadio CSA and Taylor Williams CSA.

Stereophonic is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Seaview, Linden Productions and Ashley Melone & Nick Mills, and Playwrights Horizons: Adam Greenfield, Leslie Marcus and Carol Fishman.

Andrew R. Butler, Eli Gelb and Chris Stack are appearing with the support of Equity UK incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and Equity UK.

LISTINGS

STEREOPHONIC

WRITTEN BY DAVID ADJMI

WITH ORIGINAL SONGS BY WILL BUTLER

DIRECTED BY DANIEL AUKIN

DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE FROM MAY 2025

Performance schedule: Monday to Saturday performances at 7pm. Thursday and Saturday matinee performances at 1pm.

Gala Night: Thursday 12 June

Ticket Prices: from £20

Address: Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4BG

Website: https://stereophonicplay.com/

Social Media:
Facebook/Instagram/X: @StereophonicLDN  

Theatres Trust announces Theatres at Risk Register 2025 | 28th January

Theatres Trust announces Theatres at Risk
Register 2025
Five council-owned theatres added to the list as pressures on
local authority budgets hit home

Theatres Trust, the charity that campaigns to protect the UK’s theatres, has published its annual Theatres at Risk Register, which highlights theatres across the UK under threat of closure, redevelopment or severe decay, but which all have the potential to be revived for their local communities with the right support. This year’s list comprises 43 buildings, which all have strong architectural merit, cultural heritage or value to the local community as a performance venue.

Theatres Trust has added five more theatres to the list, all local authority owned, mid to small scale venues located outside of major cities. Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre and Theatre and Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock are both at risk due to pressures on local authority budgets, leading to councils seeking savings by closing their theatres, cuts in subsidy and/or a lack of ability to pay for crucial maintenance and repair work.

The other three new additions, The Brunton in Musselburgh, The Harlequin in Redhill and Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre are all theatres that have been closed for more than a year due to the presence of the crumbling concrete Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). The Bruton and Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre have been recommended for demolition due to the high costs of repairs, and a decision on the future of The Harlequin is imminent

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh

Theatres Trust Director Joshua McTaggart comments, We understand that local authorities are faced with making tough decisions, but the savings made in the short term will leave communities without vital facilities. Buildings were RAAC is present are particularly tricky, but it is important that communities are not left without theatre provision. Theatres Trust wants to work with local authorities and theatre operators to explore all possible options and find solutions to put theatres like this on a firmer footing.

Now in its 19th year, the Theatres at Risk Register calls the public’s attention to these important buildings, their challenges, and the significant cultural opportunities they can bring to local communities. Since the list began in 2006, more than 80 theatres have been restored, revived or had a suitable replacement built. Theatre Royal Hyde has been removed from the 2025 Theatres at Risk Register, as although it has not returned to theatrical use, it is being maintained and used by its current owners so the threat of harm to the building has been greatly reduced.

There has been steady progress with other theatres on the list in particular at Morecambe Winter Gardens where the capital project has advanced enough for its ‘risk rating’ to be lowered. There have also been positive signs at other theatres that Theatres Trust is giving increased support to through its Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities programme of grants, training and expert advice, including Burnley Empire and Leith Theatre.

Assessment criteria for each theatre is available via www.theatrestrust.org.uk/howwehelp/theatres-at-risk/theatres-at-risk-assessmentcriteria and full case studies on each can be seen on the Theatres Trust website.

The theatres featuring on the 2025 list are:

Abbeydale Picture House

Amulet Theatre, Shepton Mallet

Borough Hall, Greenwich

Brighton Hippodrome

Brunton Theatre – NEW

Burnley Empire

Clair Hall, Haywards Heath

Co-op Hall, Ramsbottom

Conwy Civic Hall (Cube)

Derby Hippodrome

Doncaster Grand

Epstein TheatreGarrick Theatre, Southport

Garston Empire

Globe Theatre, Plymouth

Groundlings Theatre, Portsea

Harlequin Theatre – NEW

Hulme Hippodrome

Imperial Theatre, Walsall

Intimate Theatre

Joe Longthorne Pavilion, Blackpool

King’s Theatre Dundee

King’s Theatre, Kirkcaldy

Leith Theatre

Mechanics Institute, Swindon

Motherwell Concert Hall &Theatre – NEW

Netherton Arts Centre

Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre & Theatre – NEW

Plymouth Palace

Prince of Wales, Cannock Chase – NEW

Regent Theatre, Great Yarmouth

Roundhouse Theatre, Dover

Spilsby Sessions House

Streatham Hill Theatre

Tameside Theatre, Ashton-under-Lyne

Thameside Theatre, Grays

Theatr Ardudwy, Harlech

Theatre Royal Margate

Theatre Royal, Manchester

Tottenham Palace Theatre

Victoria Theatre, Salford

Winter Gardens Morecambe

Winter Gardens, Blackpool Pavilion

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD | Acclaimed Broadway and West End production to tour the UK and Ireland

THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, SMASH HIT BROADWAY AND WEST END PRODUCTION OF HARPER LEE’S

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 

ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY THE OSCAR-WINNING AARON SORKIN
DIRECTED BY TONY AWARD-WINNING BARTLETT SHER

WILL TOUR THE UK & IRELAND FROM SEPTEMBER 2025

mockingbirdplay.com

★★★★★
‘ALL RISE for this powerfully uplifting theatrical event’
Evening Standard

Aaron Sorkin’s riveting stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird,  the seminal American novel about racial injustice and childhood innocence that became a Broadway and West End sensation with star-studded sell-out seasons on both sides of the Atlantic, will now embark on its first ever UK & Ireland tour.

Opening at Leeds Playhouse where the production will play 8 September – 4 October 2025, this thrilling courtroom drama will then tour to Nottingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bath, Cardiff, Salford, Sheffield, Dublin, Belfast, Plymouth, Canterbury, Southampton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Norwich, Liverpool, and Milton Keynes, with further dates to be announced. For a full tour schedule, see mockingbirdplay.com

Successful lawyer, Atticus Finch, encourages kindness and empathy in his children, but is pushed to the limits of these qualities himself when he resolves to uncover the truth in a town that seems determined to hide it.

Set in 1934 Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by novelist Harper Lee’s own childhood and has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and was long at the top of the banned book lists.

★★★★★
Mockingbird soars anew in Sorkin’s blistering adaptation. SPELLBINDING’
Daily Mail

Oscar winning writer Aaron Sorkin‘s stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird is paired with Bartlett Sher’s visionary direction.

Aaron Sorkin has had many years of great success on stage and screen. He is perhaps best known as the creator and screenwriter of hit TV series The West Wing, and as the screenwriter for The Social Network, for which he received an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Writer’s Guild Award. He is also the writer-creator of The Newsroom and Academy Award-winning film A Few Good Men.

Bartlett Sher spent over ten years as Director of New York’s Lincoln Centre Theater and has also headed acclaimed productions such as My Fair LadyThe King and I and South Pacific.

★★★★★
POWERFUL. IMPORTANT. DEEPLY MOVING. I wept as I rose at the end’
Sunday Express

Casting is still to be announced for the UK & Ireland tour of To Kill a Mockingbird, whichis presented by Jonathan Church Theatre Productions. Originally Produced on Broadway.

IF THEN second date added due to popular demand and John Owen-Jones to join the starry cast

Second date announced for UK premiere of

IF/THEN by Tony Award-winning writers plus

John Owen-Jones will complete star cast

Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, Strand, London WC2R 0ET

Monday 17th February 2025, 7:30pm

Adam Blanshay Productions and Daniel Hinchliffe have announced, due to popular demand, a second night for this exciting, staged concert, which will now take place on Monday 17th February. They have also revealed that musical theatre legend John Owen-Jones will join the cast for IF/THEN, the hit musical by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creators Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal).

With tickets now on general sale, the second show will have a strong focus on accessibility with BSL interpretation. This is a huge and important commitment for a stage concert and shows the producer’s desire for the production to be as inclusive as possible.

John Owen-Jones is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Alongside his extensive credits, he is also a successful recording artist and has performed in musicals such as The Great British Bake Off Musical and La Cage aux Folles. He joins the cast in the role of Stephen.

The concert version stars Adam Garcia as Josh, Kerry Ellis as Elizabeth, and David Hunter as Lucas.

Two-time Olivier Award nominee, Adam Garcia’s distinguished career spans stage and screen; he is known for his standout performances in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Coyote Ugly and The Serpent Queen. His extensive theatre credits also include 42nd Street, Wicked and Saturday Night Fever, while his film career features notable roles in Kangaroo Jack and Riding in Cars with Boys.

Kerry Ellis is renowned for her performances in Wicked, Anything Goes, We Will Rock You and Les Misérables, as well as her highly successful recording career. This will be the first time Garcia and Ellis have shared the stage since their performances in the original West End run of Wicked.

The final leading man will be played by critically acclaimed David Hunter, following his celebrated performances in multi-award-winning West End productions such as Waitress, Kinky Boots, and The Time Traveller’s Wife.

Joining the leads is a remarkable cast, including Olivier-award nominated Preeya Kalidas (Bombay Dreams, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, West End) as Kate, and Jenny Fitzpatrick (Oliver, Leeds Playhouse; Christmas Carol, Old Vic Theatre) as Anne. Carl Man (Wicked, UK and Ireland Tour; Death Note, West End) will play David and Joni Ayton-Kent (Priscilla The Party, Here at Outernet; Dead Hot, Amazon) will be Elena.

The ensemble line-up features Christian Maynard (Miss Saigon, Sheffield Theatres; & Juliet, West End) and Kayleigh Thadani (Crazy for You, Chichester Festival Theatre/West End; Cats, UK Tour). As well as Lauren Hall (Mamma Mia!, West End; Sister Act, West End) and Sario Solomon (Grease, UK and Ireland Tour; Pacific Overtures, Menier Chocolate Factory). Completing the cast are M-Jae Cleopatra Isaac (Hairspray, UK Tour; The Book of Mormon, West End/UK and European Tour) and Danny Becker (Chicago, UK Tour; Disney’s Frozen the Musical, West End).

This is the first time UK audiences will have the chance to experience the celebrated musical – presented in a staged concert format. The production will be directed by acclaimed award-winning West End director Bill Buckhurst (101 Dalmatians The Musical; Sister Act; The Time Traveller’s Wife). The musical staging is by Olivier Award nominee Alistair David (Kiss Me, Kate, Show Boat), with music direction by acclaimed Michael England (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables).

IF/THEN follows Elizabeth, a 38-year-old city planner returning to New York after twelve years, ready to rebuild her life in the wake of a recent divorce. Standing at a pivotal crossroads, Elizabeth faces a choice that will send her down two parallel paths, each leading to a radically different future. On her first day back, she reconnects with Lucas, an old friend, and meets Kate, her vibrant new neighbour. Lucas invites her to join him in the world of activism, while Kate offers a lighter diversion—coffee, music, and the temptation of a charismatic guitarist nearby. As the story unfolds, audiences follow Elizabeth’s journey along these parallel lives, exploring how every decision, no matter how small, shapes the course of destiny.

There will be limited meet and greet tickets with Kerry Ellis and Tom Kitt on sale in line with the dates below. This will be an exclusive opportunity for fans to meet her in person following the performance.

IF/THEN comes to London after opening on Broadway in 2014 and is produced by Adam Blanshay Productions and Daniel Hinchliffe in association with The Savoy Theatre. Audiences can still watch the phenomenal and exclusive music video Always Starting Over from IF/THEN, performed by Kerry Ellis, here, with special thanks to The Theatre Channel.

Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International.

BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET’S SPRING SEASON AT BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME OPENS WITH CINDERELLA

BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET’S SPRING SEASON AT

BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME OPENS WITH

SIR DAVID BINTLEY’S ACCLAIMED CINDERELLA

14 PERFORMANCES ACROSS 11 DAYS INCLUDING HALF TERM

Audiences across the West Midlands and beyond are in for a ballet treat as Sir David Bintley’s acclaimed production of the classic fairytale Cinderella returns to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage from Wednesday 19 February to Saturday 1 March 2025.

Cinderella is a wonderful mix of dance, comedy, spectacular scenery and a cast of characters that include mice, lizards and a dancing frog making it the ideal ballet experience for all the family this Half Term.

Cinderella received its world premiere at the Hippodrome in 2010 as a gift to Birmingham from BRB’s former Director Sir David Bintley, marking the 20th anniversary of BRB’s move to the city.  The production received critical acclaim, later winning the 2011 Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Classical Choreography

Credit: Johan Persson

Cinderella, one of the largest classical ballet productions in the company’s repertoire, features sumptuous sets and costumes designed by acclaimed artist John Macfarlane, famous for his designs for BRB’s The Nutcracker, and is danced to Prokofiev’s sweeping musical score played live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

Alongside BRB’s world-class dancers, the Company is delightedto welcomeformer BRB Soloist and now Royal Ballet Principal Dancer William Bracewell as a guest performer.  William will be dancing the role of The Prince, partnering BRB Principal Dancer Momoko Hirata (Cinderella) on Thursday 20 and Saturday 22 February at 7.30pm.

Following the success of BRB’s Relaxed Performance of The Nutcracker last December, a Relaxed Performance of Cinderella will be performed on 25 February at 12.45pm.

The Relaxed Performance is designed for individuals who may experience challenges in traditional theatre settings and are supportive of people with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning disabilities, or sensory and communication differences. Audiences can expect a 15-minute introduction to the characters and the story followed by a performance of Acts II and III.  Additional changes have been made to the staging and front of house to create an atmosphere where everyone feels safe and comfortable and is able to enjoy the show.

For further information and to book tickets go to www.birminghamhippdrome.com

Cinderella at Birmingham Hippodrome is part of a wider UK tour visiting Southampton, Salford, Sunderland, Bristol and Plymouth. This has been partly supported by the generous donations from the public to last year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge.  Over £70,000 was raised which will help meet the rising costs of touring ensuring BRB can deliver their commitment to taking world-class ballet around the UK. 

Following the UK tour, BRB will be taking the name of Birmingham to Japan where Cinderella will be performed at Toyko’s Bunka Kaikan (27- 29 June).

For further information go to www.brb.org.uk

Full Cast Announced for A Streetcar Named Desire, Opening At The Crucible This March

CRUCIBLE THEATRE

A Sheffield Theatres production

SHEFFIELD THEATRES ANNOUNCE FULL CAST AND
CREATIVE TEAM FOR

CRUCIBLE THEATRE

A Sheffield Theatres production

SHEFFIELD THEATRES ANNOUNCE FULL CAST AND
CREATIVE TEAM FOR

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Director Josh Seymour

Designer Frankie Bradshaw

Lighting Designer Howard Harrison

Sound Designer and Music Arrangements Alexandra Braithwaite

Musical Director Lauren Dyer

Movement and Intimacy Director Chi-San Howard

Casting Director Christopher Worrall

Associate Designer Ceci Calf

Assistant Director Natalie Simone

Dialect Coach Aundrea Fudge

Vocal Coach Tess Dignan

Fight Director Bethan Clark

Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Saturday 1 – Saturday 29 March 2025


Sheffield Theatres today announce the full cast for Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, which runs from Saturday 1 – Saturday 29 March 2025.  This new production of the award-winning play will be directed by Josh Seymour (Spend, Spend, Spend).

Joining the previously announced Joanna Vanderham who is playing Blanche are Bridgette Amofah playing Eunice; Lia Burge playing Neighbour/Flower Seller/Nurse; Nuhazet Diaz Cano playing Pablo; Jake Dunn playing Stanley; Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong playing Mitch; Jack Ofrecio playing Allan/Young Man/Doctor;Amara Okereke playing Stella and Dominic Rye playing Steve. All members of the castmake their Sheffield Theatres production debuts with A Streetcar Named Desire.

“How strange that I should be called a destitute woman! When I have all of these treasures locked in my heart.”

In the sultry back streets of 1940s New Orleans, fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois seeks solace with her estranged sister Stella.

Blanche’s delicate sensibilities create instant suspicion in Stella’s unrestrained husband Stanley, as they collide in a struggle for Stella’s heart. As their simmering feud escalates, past truths begin to surface and both sisters must choose between fantasy and reality.

Passions ignite and illusions are shattered in Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

Tickets for A Streetcar Named Desire are on sale now. Tickets can be booked through the Box Office in person, over the phone on 0114 249 6000 or at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.

Lead cast announced for White Rose musical’s UK premiere

West End lead actors Collette Guitart and Tobias Turley
announced to head the cast for
the UK premiere of the Off-Broadway hit musical

WHITE ROSE THE MUSICAL

Marylebone Theatre
Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT

Fresh from West End starring roles in Why Am I Still Single? and Mamma, Mia!, Collette Guitart and Tobias Turley are today announced to head the cast for the UK premiere of the Off-Broadway hit, White Rose: The Musical.

Collette Guitart (Sophie) was the alternate lead in Why Am I So Single? at the Garrick Theatre and previously she played Maria in Just for One Day (Old Vic). Other credits include SIX, &Juliet and Bat Out of Hell (West End), and Rock Follies (Chichester Festival Theatre).

Tobias Turley (Hans) won the lead role of Sky in the West End production of Mamma Mia! on ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream. Named one of HELLO Magazine’s Rising Stars 2024, his other credits include Kurt Kelly in Heathers the Musical (Other Palace), and Diesel in West Side Story (Ljubljana Festival).

Having received its Off Broadway premiere earlier this year, White Rose: The Musical has book & lyrics by Brian Belding, music by Natalie Brice, with direction by Will Nunziata. It will get its UK premiere as the first musical staged at  London’s Marylebone Theatre, Thursday 27 February – Sunday 13 April, 2025.

White Rose: The Musical is based upon the inspiring true story of a small group of university students in Munich, Germany, who secretly met to write, print and distribute leaflets exposing Hitler’s lies and Nazi deception. Their courage in the face of tyranny would ultimately lead to them paying the supreme sacrifice.

Sophie Scholl arrives in Munich to join her brother, Hans, and study at university. Inspired by a rebellious professor, Sophie and Hans form a small group of students to resist Nazi rule and doctrine. In passionate and articulate leaflets – printed in secret – the White Rose resistance group provides instructions for passive resistance and, ultimately, sabotage. Sophie is passionate, impulsive and bold… dangerous traits in Hitler’s Germany. The words and actions of a nation’s youth defy an oppressive government and would inspire others to do the same.

Creator, Book Writer and Lyricist Brian Belding said: “The true story of the White Rose has inspired me for years. These students were the privileged few who benefited from unjust laws and discrimination and yet they were the ones who ultimately stood up for those who no longer had a voice. They chose to use their privilege for good, risking everything while doing so I created White Rose:The Musical so this amazing story might inspire those struggling to find their own way to take action where they see injustice.”

More cast and full creative team to be announced.

Casting Director Harry Blumenau CDG

Produced by Samsational Entertainment and JLWN Productions LLC.

Executive Producer / General Management Thomas Hopkins Productions.

Brian Belding – Creator, Book Writer and Lyricist                                                                      ..
San Francisco and NYC-based playwright and lyricist Brian Belding combined his love of musical theatre and resistance movements to create White Rose: The Musical. After successful industry presentations in May and October 2022, the musical is currently being developed in New York with a Broadway creative and production team. A proud member of the Dramatists Guild, Belding taught high school history in the San Francisco Bay Area for 20 years before becoming a full­-time writer for the theatre.

Natalie Brice – Composer
Natalie is a musician with the tenacity for bringing original work to life. She recently music directed the new musical Happily Even After with performances in California and a run at Don’t Tell Mama NYC. In 2020, Natalie Music directed Hell On Earth, a new musical performed at 54 Below featuring Laurie Metcalf and Anthony Rosenthal. She was the music director and pianist on Asher Child, an original musical in California. She wrote, composed, and co-directed the musical film Go With Me in 2019. For White Rose: The Musical, she is committed to musically encapsulating the camaraderie, youth, adrenaline, celebration, and heart of the resistance group.

Will Nunziata – Director
Will is a NYC-based award-winning director, writer, and producer of film, television, theatre, and concerts. Film: The Old Guitarist (Writer, Director) starring Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior in The Sopranos). Awards: London Movie Awards (Best Short Film, Best Director), New York Movie Awards (Best First Time Director of a Short), Paris Film Awards (Best First Time Director of a Short), among others. Film: Lillith (Winner of Best Original Screenplay, 2023 Hollywood Blood Horror Festival and Winner of Best Horror Screenplay, 2024 New York Screenplay Competition). Other films in development: Débora (Writer, Director) – based on the life of Colombian painter Débora Arango; We Had Love (Writer, Director) – a father-son drama; Rhapsody – an original musical drama; We All Fall Down (Writer, Director) – a psychological thriller. Television in development: Forty-licious (Creator, Writer). Theatre: Figaro: An Original Musical (Director, Co-Book Writer, Co-Creator – The London Palladium 2025), White Rose: The Musical (Director – Off-Broadway 2024, Marylebone Theatre UK 2025), Faygele: A New Play (Director – King’s Head Theatre UK 2025). Theatre/Opera in development: Van Gogh: An Original Musical (Co-Creator, Director), An Entirely Ordinary Town: A New Musical (Director), By The End Of Tonight: A New Play (Director), Little Black Book: A New Musical (Co-Creator), The Waves: A New Opera (Librettist), Miss Peggy Lee (Director, Writer, Co-Creator) starring Tony Award winner Cady Huffman; Award: Broadway World Best Director. Concerts: Will has written and directed shows for Tony Award winner Lillias White, Soul Train Award winner Nicole Henry, and Grammy Award nominee Clint Holmes, to name a few. Through his production company 23 Productions, Will is a lead producer on the West End (Figaro: An Original Musical), off-West End (White Rose: The Musical) and is on the producing teams of three world premiere albums (Little Black Book: A New Musical on Broadway Records, White Rose: The Musical on Yellow Sound Label, and Figaro: An Original Musical on Center Stage Records). For twenty years Will performed professionally, singing across the country and around the world with his twin brother, singer-songwriter Anthony Nunziata, culminating in co-headlining Carnegie Hall with the NY Pops Symphony Orchestra. Will is a proud graduate of Boston College.
For more, please visit www.WillNunziata.com and @willnunzofficial on Instagram.

LISTINGS INFO

White Rose The Musical
Book & Lyrics by Brian Belding
Music by Natalie Brice

Director Will Nunziata

Thursday 27 February – Sunday 13 April

Marylebone Theatre
Rudolf Steiner House
35 Park Road
London NW1 6XT

Box office: 02077237984

[email protected]

Performances:
Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30pm
Thursday & Saturday at 2:30pm
Sunday at 1pm and 5pm

Tickets from £25
£2.25 Booking Fee on all tickets

Previews: all seats 50% discount

Running time:
2 hour 15 mins

Age recommendation 10+

Content warning: This performance contains the use of prop weaponry and explores mature themes relating to armed conflict, including violence and its impacts.

Social media

Website: https://whiterosethemusical.com/
Twitter: @whiteroseplay
Facebook: whiterosethemusical
Instagram: whiterosethemusical