Until I began researching ‘& Juliet’, I hadn’t heard of a ‘Jukebox Musical’, though now realise I’ve seen many of the great ones including – Mamma Mia, The Jersey Boys, Beautiful and Tina.
‘& Juliet’ must take its place amongst one of the best with the score primarily made up of pre-existing, well-known popular songs that are used to tell the story. Iconic songs from the prolific Swedish songwriter Max Martin are used to reimagine Juliet’s life had she chosen not to kill herself at the end of Shakespeare’s well-known tragedy – Romeo & Juliet.
By focusing on her journey of discovery, the musical follows Juliet (Gerardine Sacdalan) as she develops a close friendship with her nurse from childhood, Angelique (Sandra Marvin) and together with her ‘bestie’ May (Jordan Broatch) they travel to Paris in search of a new life. Here evolves an endearing and uplifting tale of female emancipation, gender issues and romance – though maybe not what might be expected!
William Shakespeare (Jay McGuiness) and his wife Anne Hathaway (Lara Denning) appear early on as narrators, and we soon realise they disagree on the original tragic ending of Romeo & Juliet. Anne convinces her husband to let her rewrite the ending to his play. Hilarious chaos follows with both Will and Anne casting themselves into the chaos, fighting it out to rewrite Juliet’s new story.
The use of Shakespeare quotes hilariously emphasised by Jay McGuiness, and use of original dialogue from Romeo and Juliet made me want to see it again to make sure I hadn’t missed any of the humour. There were so many puns and one-liners that had the audience continually laughing. An incredibly funny and uplifting musical that managed to retain the heart-warming story of love and friendship.
Snippets from the songs of Max Martin are used brilliantly in the context of the story, to entertain the audience in witty and sometimes ‘tongue in cheek’ ways. With such brilliant acting, it feels like a betrayal to the rest of the cast to single out certain actors, as they were all amazing!
However, three ‘leading’ ladies stood out. Gerardine Sacdalan acted her heart out in the character of Juliet as she developed into the woman who realised she knew her mind and could project it. Lara Denning ‘played a blinder’ and had the audience in her corner from the outset. Sandra Marvin played the part of Juliet’s nurse and advocate in a supportive, loving yet flamboyant way, adding so much natural humour and a much-loved accent!
You’d be forgiven to think that Romeo wouldn’t have a great part to play in a story where he was already dead from the start! However, events emerge where Romeo plays a bigger part than anticipated and tonight was played brilliantly by understudy Liam Norris.
‘& Juliet’ is one of the best night’s entertainment I’ve seen for a long time! If you want to see it you need to get in quick – it’s sold out every night at Nottingham Theatre Royal unless you ‘go it alone’ for the few remaining single seats!
BAFTA NOMINEE YOLANDA MERCY EMBARKS ON A FULL UK TOUR OF HER AWARD WINNING SHOW FAILURE PROJECT
INCLUDING 3 WEEK RUN AT SOHO THEATRE IN MAY
Following a critically acclaimed and sell out Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, BAFTA nominee Yolanda Mercy is touring her self-penned work Failure Project across the UK including Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate on the 13 May, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh on 15+16 May, Soho Theatre, London from the 27 May to 14 June and the Norwich TheatreStage Two on 20 June with a press night to take place on the 29 May at Soho Theatre, London.
Failure Project is a one woman show written, directed and performed by Yolanda Mercy and co-directed by Joseph Barnes Phillips, telling the raw and comedic story of a writer whose career takes off, just as everything else falls apart – exploring what it means to fail and how to rebuild.
Yolanda Mercy, writer, director and performer said: “I make work that holds up a mirror to the lives we hide — centering joy, grief, and identity in ways that let underrepresented voices take centre stage. My art is a love letter to those who rarely see themselves reflected.”
Failure Project won multiple awards including the BESTIE award and Summerhall’s Meadows Awards at Edinburgh Festival 2025 and was also nominated for an Offie Award in 2025.
Additionally, there is a Q+A that will take place on the performance on the 7 June at Soho Theatre on finding resilience to keep making art with dramaturg Jules Haworth.
Previous notable projects for Yolanda Mercy include writing and directing Quarter Life Crisis, winner of Underbelly’s Untapped Award and selling out at Bridge Theatre, Soho Theatre and being performed on BBC 1XTra.
She has been named by the British Council as an Artist to Watch, was commissioned by Netflix, BBC and Channel 4 to write Queenie and was nominated for a BAFTA for her work creating and writing BBW on Channel 4.
Finally, as a black writer herself, she is passionate about providing new opportunities for other artists; she is a board member of Kinetico Bloco, and was the leader of Black Writers Collective. She is now producing artists to create opportunities for others, her first show Love Me Like a Chai Latte by Sanjay Lago will be premiered at Edinburgh Festival later this year.
Yolanda Mercy presents
Failure Project
Written, performed and Co-Directed by Yolanda Mercy
Co-Directed by Joseph Barnes Phillips
Writer, Performer & Co-Directed by Yolanda Mercy; Co-Directed & Dramaturg Joseph Barnes Phillips; Sound Design by Mikaiyiri; Dramaturg by Jules Haworth
.
Failure Project is a raw, funny, and heartfelt exploration of what it truly means to “fail”—and how we rebuild from it.
Following her critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival, BAFTA nominee Yolanda Mercy returns with her bold new show, Failure Project.
Meet Ade—a writer who seems to have it all. Her career is taking off, she’s finally out of her mum’s house, and even her situationship is (mostly) under control. But just when life seems perfect, things start to unravel.
Failure Project is a raw, funny, and heartfelt exploration of what it truly means to “fail”—and how we rebuild from it. Ade’s journey is filled with humour, vulnerability, and unexpected twists that will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever hit a setback and found their way through.
Don’t miss this relatable and inspiring new work that will leave you laughing, reflecting, and rooting for Ade every step of the way!
Winner of the BESTIE award for “Solo performance” at Edinburgh fringe 2024
Sat 7 June (30 mins): Q&A- Creative Hustle. In these challenging times, how do you find resilience to keep making art? Q&A with writer-performer Yolanda Mercy and dramaturg Jules Haworth.
Yolanda Mercy performs, writes and directs. Her Theatre Credits include Bin Gal Tings (ATYP/British Council – writer/director), Supper Club Current (Arc Stockton – writer/director), The Lies You Tell (Film4/Hightide – writer), Who Prays For The Preacher (Soho Theatre – writer), Quarter Life Crisis (Bridge Theatre, International Tour – writer, performer), On The Edge (UK Tour – writer, performer). Her television credits include Queenie (Channel 4/Disney – writer), BBW (Channel 4 – BAFTA nominated writer and creator).
Jules Haworth dramaturges Failure Project. Jules is a queer and disabled Dramaturg and Access Support Worker, with a focus on supporting and developing emerging writers and artists. Jules is Creative Engagement Associate at Soho Theatre, co-running the Writers’ Lab programme and programmes the Soho Rising festival. Jules has run playwriting workshops and talks with Talawa Theatre, Graeae, Rich Mix, LGBTQ+ Arts, Sour Lemons, Gendered Intelligence, G5A Mumbai, Traverse Theatre, Live Theatre, National Youth Theatre, Somerset House, Wales Millenium Centre and in schools and colleges across London. As a dramaturg, Jules has worked on award-winning plays including Brute (Underbelly), Muscovado (Theatre 503 and tour) Villain (Underbelly, Kings Head Theatre), On the Edge of Me (Soho Theatre and UK Tour), Quarter Life Crisis (Soho Theatre and international Tour), Wonderboy (Bristol Old Vic, UK tour), Dust (Soho Theatre, Trafalgar Studios), Algorithms (Pleasance, Soho Theatre, Park Theatre), Little Miss Burden (Bunker Theatre) and First Love (Soho Theatre). Jules also co-runs the networking group Theatre Queers and is a board member for Milk Presents. Her play Pigeon Steps was longlisted for the Adrian Pagan Award 2014.
Joseph Barnes Phillips co-directs. Joseph’s work as Co-artistic Director for HighRise Theatre and All Seeing Eye has seen him in collaboration with Cardboard Citizens, The Arcola, artsdepot, The Yard, Ovalhouse and more. Joe is also an actor and practitioner who works tirelessly in the community to uplift those around him as well as aiding them in overcoming their personal demons through the use of drama. This passion for helping people has led him into some extremely green pastures, within the last couple of years working as Young Company Director at Orange Tree Theatre, Croydon Council, London Bubble Theatre, Soho Theatre, Centre Point, We are Spotlight and more
About Yolanda Mercy
Yolanda Mercy is an Award Winning British Nigerian Writer and Performer for Screen, Stage and Audio; who works nationally and internationally. She has worked on projects in 8 countries and across 3 continents, which has gained her international recognition for her work.
Named Artist to Watch by the British Council, part of the BFI x BAFTA mentoring scheme under the guidance of Anne Mensah and a winner of the prestigious channel 4 Playwright award, Yolanda is carving out a career across a variety of mediums. Her writing has featured in Huffington Post. She is a published author with Bloomsbury Books for her award winning play Quarter Life Crisis, and with Nick Hern Books for her award winning play Failure Project.
Her productions have been described as “relatable, funny and very honest”. Comedy, music and audience participation are the key ingredients that make up her unforgettable live shows. Previous clients/collaborations have included: Disney, Channel 4, The Bridge Theatre, Soho Theatre, BBC, The Tate, ATYP, Somerset House and The British Council.
Failure Project Soho Theatre, London 21 Dean St, London W1D 3NE Tuesday 17 May – Saturday 14 June, 6:45pm. Tickets: £11-£20 Age 14+ Running time 75 minutes https://sohotheatre.com/events/failure-project/
Failure Project Norwich Theatre Stage Two Chantry Rd, Norwich
ADAMA® Entertainment are delighted to announce that West End stars Rosalie Craig (Company, West End; The Light Princess, National Theatre), Natalie May Paris (SIX, West End; Pretty Woman UK and Ireland tour) & Maiya Quansah-Breed (SIX, West End; Lizzie, Hope Mill Theatre & Southwark Playhouse) will join Hadley Fraser at his first ever solo concert at Cadogan Hall on Sunday 15 June at 6:30pm. The event marks the launch of his upcoming album, Things That Come and Go, produced by Fraser and Donald L Anderson for Palm Haven Studios, with arrangements and co-production by Sam Young.
The concert is presented in association with ADAMA® Entertainment and WestWay Music – the producers of Jamie Muscato and Lucie Jones’ solo concerts. This special evening will feature songs from the new album alongside other musical theatre favourites. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Tuesday 11 February at www.cadoganhall.com.
Hadley Fraser is a leading West End actor with numerous credits in major productions to his name. Some of his more recent theatre credits include Opening Night (Gielgud Theatre), The Lehman Trilogy (Gillian Lynne Theatre) 2:22 A Ghost Story (Noel Coward Theatre), City Of Angels (Garrick Theatre), The Antipodes (National Theatre), The Deep Blue Sea (Chichester Festival Theatre), Young Frankenstein (Garrick Theatre), Saint Joan, City Of Angels, Coriolanus, The Vote (all Donmar Warehouse), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Bristol Old Vic), The Winter’s Tale & Harlequinade (Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company at the Garrick Theatre), The Machine (Manchester International Festival & Park Avenue Armoury, NYC), The Pajama Game (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Les Miserables (Queens & Palace Theatres). He has workshopped extensively for the National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Almeida Theatre, Old Vic and many others. His concert work includes Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Secret Garden (both London Palladium), Chess (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), South Pacific (National Concert Hall, Dublin), Carousel and The Light Princess (Cadogan Hall).
His film & television include The Gold, Gentleman Jack, All Is True, Murder On The Orient Express, The Legend Of Tarzan, Les Miserables, Decline & Fall, The Wrong Mans, Endeavour, Holby City, Doctor Who, Pompidou, Him and Sons Of Liberty.
Hadley wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Committee at the Donmar Warehouse. As a recording artist and musician he has appeared on numerous albums including his own Lights Around The Shore with jazz pianist Will Butterworth, and EP Just Let Go. Cast recordings include Opening Night, Young Frankenstein, The Pirate Queen, Before/After, The Phantom Of The Opera 25th Anniversary and Les Miserables 25th Anniversary. He has provided music for theatre productions including Measure For Measure (Donmar Warehouse) and Hobson’s Choice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), and on radio for Ross Noble: Britain In Bits. He has collaborated with artists and composers including Pete Townsend, Claude-Michel Schonberg, Adam Cork, Grant Olding, Joby Talbot, Joe Stilgoe, Jeremy Holland-Smith, Michael Bruce, Tom Deering, Laura Tisdall, Scott Alan, Ramin Karimloo & Stuart Matthew Price. Hadley co-presents the podcast Poddin’ On The Ritz with Ross Noble. He is a regular guest on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night Is Music Night. Hadley is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and Patron of PPA Guildford and Debut Performing Arts College, Manchester.
IN A NEW PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY VICKY FEATHERSTONE
Anthology Theatre today announces the full cast for the London premiere of Tim Firth’s Award-winning musical This Is My Family. Vicky Featherstone directs Nancy Allsop (Nicky), Victoria Elliott (Sian), Michael Jibson (Steve), Luke Lambert (Matt), Gay Soper (May), and Gemma Whelan (Yvonne). This brand-new production opens at Southwark Playhouse Elephant on 28 May, with previews from 23 May, and runs until 12 July.
Also announced today is the multi-award-winning creative team joining Vicky Featherstone – Music Supervision: Caroline Humphris; Set Design: Chloe Lamford; Lighting Design: Lee Curran; Sound Design: Dominic Bilkey; Costume Design & Associate Set Design: Ethan Cheek; Music Direction: Natalie Pound; Casting Director: Amy BallCDG; and Associate Director: Vaila Anderson.
This Is My Family was originally staged at Sheffield Theatres in 2013, winning the UK Theatre Award for Best Musical.
ANTHOLOGY THEATRE PRESENTS
THIS IS MY FAMILY
Book and Music by Tim Firth
Arrangements and Orchestrations by Caroline Humphris
SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE ELEPHANT
Cast: Nancy Allsop (Nicky), Victoria Elliott (Sian), Michael Jibson (Steve), Luke Lambert (Matt), Gay Soper (May), Gemma Whelan (Yvonne)
Direction: Vicky Featherstone; Music Supervision: Caroline Humphris; Set Design: Chloe Lamford;
Lighting Design: Lee Curran; Sound Design: Dominic Bilkey;
Costume Design & Associate Set Design: Ethan Cheek; Music Direction: Natalie Pound;
Casting Director: Amy BallCDG; Associate Director: Vaila Anderson
23 May – 12 July 2025
Close family. Dream holiday. Total nightmare.
‘Describe your family and win a dream holiday’. That was the competition pinging up on Nicky’s phone. So she describes the family she dreams of having, but not the one she’s got. The one she fears is falling apart. And then… she wins the holiday. Instead of choosing Rome or Orlando or anywhere else on earth, Nicky takes her family camping. Back to the place her parents went once, when they were her age, a thousand years ago. The place where they first met.
This is My Family, the hilarious and uplifting story of the disastrous family holiday that eventually brings the family together, won the UK Theatre Award for Best Musical in 2013 and is brought to London for the first time by Olivier award winners Tim Firth (Our House) and Vicky Featherstone (Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour).
Nancy Allsop plays Nicky. Her theatre credits include The Hills Of California (Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway and Harold Pinter Theatre), The Fever Syndrome (Hampstead Theatre), God Bless the Child (Royal Court Theatre), Annie (Piccadilly Theatre), and The Sound of Music (international tour); and for television, Young Wallander.
Victoria Elliott plays Sian. Her theatre credits include Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Lost Disc (Soho Theatre), Hedda Gabler, Get Carter, Season Ticket Oh! What a Lovely War, Pub Quiz, The Wind in the Willows (Northern Stage), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Two, As You Like It (Royal Exchange Theatre) and I Can’t Sing! (Palladium Theatre), Cooking with Elvis (Hull Truck), and Tyne, 13.1, Jump, Me and Cilla, A Nightingale Sang, and Rhino and the Drum (Live Theatre, Newcastle). Her television credits include Vera, Ted Lasso, Rain Dogs, The Bay, Vic and Bob’s Big Night Out, Boy Meets Girl, The Kennedys,Hebburn, Truckers, and The Ministry of Curious Stuff; and for film, Ammonite.
Michael Jibson plays Steve. His theatre credits include Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Phoenix Theatre), Hamilton – Olivier Award winner for Best Supporting Actor (Victoria Palace Theatre), Roots (Donmar Warehouse), Road Show, Take Flight – WhatsOnStage Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (Menier Chocolate Factory), Brighton Rock (Almeida Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Timon of Athens (Shakespeare’s Globe), Our House – Olivier and WhatsOnStage Award nominations for Best Actor in a Musical (Cambridge Theatre), TheComedy of Errors (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Canterbury Tales (RSC) and A Chorus Line (Sheffield Theatres). His television credits include Bodies, The Reckoning, The Crown, The Essex Serpent, No Return, Four Lives, Cobra, A Discovery of Witches, Honour, Quiz, Saints and Strangers, DCI Banks, Galavant, That Day We Sang, The Thirteenth Tale, Burton and Taylor, and Hatfields & McCoys. Film work includes Last Night in Soho, To Olivia, 1917, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Hunter Killer, The Lighthouse (co-written and produced), The Riot Club, Good People, Les Misérables, Hammer of the Gods, The Bank Job and Flyboys.
Luke Lambert plays Matt. He recently graduated from Arts Ed. This production marks his professional stage debut.
Gay Soper plays May. This marks her 60th year working in showbusiness. Her most recent West End credits include The Mousetrap (St Martin’s Theatre), Funny Girl (Savoy, transferred from Menier Chocolate Factory), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Apollo Theatre / Gielgud Theatre), Sunday in the Park with George (Wyndham’s Theatre). Other West End Credits include Jorrocks (Noël Coward Theatre), The Canterbury Tales (Phoenix Theatre), Godspell (Roundhouse / Wyndham’s Theatre), Billy (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Side By Side (Wyndham’s Theatre / Garrick Theatre), Good (Aldwych Theatre), Mother Courage and Her Children (National Theatre), The Ratepayers Iolanthe (Phoenix Theatre), Which Witch (Piccadilly Theatre), The Mitford Girls (Gielgud Theatre, transferred from Chichester Festival Theatre), Salad Days (Vaudeville Theatre), Les Misérables (Palace Theatre), Lend Me A Tenor (Gielgud Theatre), and Marguerite (Theatre Royal Haymarket). Other theatre credit include A Little Night Music, The Crucible (Storyhouse, Chester), Pirates of Penzance (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Saving Grace (Riverside Studios), Crazy for You (Chichester Festival Theatre), Death Takes A Holiday (Charing Cross Theatre), Maurice’s Jubilee (UK Tour), The Busy Body (Southwark Playhouse), Star Quality (UK tour), Cabaret (English Theatre Frankfurt), Killing Rasputin (Bridewell), The Rink (Orange Tree Theatre), The Sister Wendy Musical (Hackney Empire Studio), Pippin, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ (both at Menier Choc Factory), Nude With Violin (Royal Exchange Theatre), Peter Pan (Birmingham Rep), Cole (Leatherhead and Hong Kong), Betjemania (Southwark Cathedral/Shaw theatre/New York), Blithe Spirit (Stockholm), My Fair Lady (Danish Tour and Kilworth House). For television, her work includes Moonflower Murders, Unforgotten, A Christmas Carol: The Musical, Romany Jones, Father Dear Father, Barbara, Bless This House, Rude Health, The Needle Match, The History of Mr Polly, The Ups and Downs of a Handyman, A Christmas Carol, and The Agatha Christie Hour; and for film, Lace and Rupture.
Gemma Whelan plays Yvonne. Her theatre credits include Underdog: The Other Other Brontë (National Theatre), Upstart Crow (Apollo Theatre), Pinter at the Pinter: A Slight Ache (Harold Pinter Theatre), Radiant Vermin (Soho Theatre, Tobacco Factory), As Chastity Butterworth (tour), Dark Vanilla Jungle (Supporting Wall, Pleasance Theatre Edinburgh, Soho Theatre), One Man Two Guvnors (National Theatre and Theatre Royal Haymarket), Chastity Butterworth and the Spanish Hamster (Pleasance Edinburgh), Stephen and the Sexy Patridge (Trafalgar Studios), and Red Death Lates (Punchdrunk). For television, her work includes The Famous Five, Funny Woman, DI Ray, The Tower, Inside No. 9, Killing Eve, White Farm Murders, Gentleman Jack, The End of the F***ing World, The Crown, Decline and Fall, The Moorside, Game of Thrones, Morgana Robinson’s The Agency, Upstart Crow, Uncle, Hetty Feather, Horrible Histories, Comedy Playhouse: Broken Biscuits, Almost Royal, Not Safe for Work, Murder in Successville, The Art of Foley, Asylum, Mapp and Lucia, Live at the Electric, Siblings, Badults, Nick Helm’s Heavy Entertainment, Dr. Brown 4Funnies, The Harry and Paul Show, Threesome, Cardinal Burns, and The Persuasionists; and for film, The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde, Emma, Surviving Christmas, Prevenge, Gulliver’s Travels, and The Wolfman.
Tim Firth’s other theatre credits include Now Is Good (Chester Storyhouse, UK Theatre Nomination Best New Musical), Neville’s Island (Nottingham Playhouse and West End, Evening Standard & Olivier nomination, MEN Award), The Safari Party (Stephen Joseph, Scarborough and Hampstead), the musical Our House (West End, Olivier Award Best Musical), The Flint Street Nativity (Liverpool Playhouse) and Sign Of The Times (West End). His play Calendar Girls (Chichester Festival Theatre, West End) broke all British records for a professional and amateur play, was nominated for an Olivier and won the WhatsOnStage Best Comedy Award. Calendar Girls The Musical, co-written with Gary Barlow, opened at Leeds Opera house and transferred to the Phoenix Theatre, winning a WhatsOnStage Award and an Olivier Award nomination, and his musical The Band (Manchester Opera House, West End) won the MEN Best Musical Award. Firth recently collaborated with Gary Barlow on the show A Different Stage (West End). Work for television includes the Playhouse drama Timeless, Money For Nothing (Writer’s Guild Award), Once Upon A Time In The North, Cruise Of The Gods, The Flint Street Nativity, Preston Front (Writer’s Guild Award, British Comedy Award, RTS Award, BAFTA nomination), His children’s comedy series The Rottentrolls won a BAFTA, and was recently voted by Radio Times one of the top fifty children’s shows of all time. His film credits include Blackball, Calendar Girls, Kinky Boots, The Wedding Video and Greatest Days.
Vicky Featherstone directs. She was Artistic Director of Paines Plough 1997-2005; the inaugural Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland 2005-2012, and Artistic Director of the Royal Court (2013–2023). For the Royal Court her work includes Jews. In Their Own Words [co-director], The Glow, Maryland, Living Newspaper, Shoe Lady, On Bear Ridge (and National Theatre Wales) [co-director], Cyprus Avenue (and Abbey, Dublin/MAC, Belfast/Public, NYC), The Cane, Gundog, My Mum’s a Twat, Bad Roads, Victory Condition, X, How to Hold Your Breath, God Bless the Child, Maidan: Voices from the Uprising, The Mistress Contract, The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas, Untitled Matriarch Play, and The President Has Come to See You (Open Court Weekly Rep). For National Theatre of Scotland, her work includes Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (and National Theatre/West End/international tour), Enquirer [co-director], An Appointment with the Wicker Man, 27, The Wheel, Somersaults, Wall of Death: A Way of Life [co-director], The Miracle Man, Empty, Long Gone Lonesome; Cockroach (and Traverse), 365 (and Edinburgh International Festival), Mary Stuart (and Citizens/Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), The Wolves in the Walls [co-director] (and Tramway/Lyric, Hammersmith/UK tour/New Victory, NYC). For Paines Plough her work includes The Small Things, Pyrenees, On Blindness, The Drowned World, Tiny Dynamite, Crazy Gary’s Mobile Disco, Splendour, Riddance, The Cosmonaut’s Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union, and Crave. Other theatre includes What if Women Ruled the World? (Manchester International Festival). For television, her work includes Pritilata (from Snatches: Moments from 100 Years of Women’s Lives), Where the Heart Is, and Silent Witness.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre today announce the full cast for the stage adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s much-loved novel Noughts & Crosses, adapted by Dominic Cooke, and directed by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director, Tinuke Craig. The production runs from 28 June – 26 July 2025.
The cast includes Alec Boaden (Jude), Amanda Bright (Jasmine), Corinna Brown (Sephy), Halle Brown (Lola & Juno), Michael Cusick (Mr Stanhope & Peter), Elle Davies (Shania & Leila), Eddie Elliot (Mr Corsa & Collins & Jack), Emma Jane Goodwin (Sarah Pike), Kate Kordel (Meggie), Jessica Layde (Minerva), Wela Mbusi (Mr Pingule & Governor), Habib Nasib Nader (Kamal), Yolanda Ovide (Dionne & Clerk), Helena Pipe (Reporter & Kelanie & Joannie), Richard Riddell (Ryan), Ben Skym (Colin & Morgan), Noah Valentine (Callum) and Chanel Waddock (Lynette).
Tinuke Craig, Director, said: “I’m so excited to be working with this wonderful cast on this deeply loved story. The company is a thrilling mix of new graduates, seasoned theatre performers and accomplished television actors making their stage debut, and each actor is bringing their own unique perspective and playful energy to Malorie Blackman and Dominic Cooke’s characters. I can’t wait to get started!”
A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production
NOUGHTS & CROSSES
Based on the novel by Malorie Blackman
Adapted by Dominic Cooke
Creatives include RC Annie (Fight Directors); Phillippe Cato (Associate Director); Tinuke Craig (Director); Hazel Holder (Voice Coach); Ingrid Mackinnon (Movement & Intimacy Director); Max Pappenheim (Sound Designer); Joshua Pharo (Lighting Designer); Colin Richmond (Set & Costume Designer); Jacob Sparrow (Casting Director); DJ Walde (Composer).
Saturday 28 June – Saturday 26 July 2025
‘All our lives criss-crossing but never really touching.
A world full of strangers living with all that fear.’
Widely considered to be one of the 21st century’s greatest novels, Malorie Blackman’s best-selling Noughts & Crosses, a bittersweet love story with echoes of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, is revived for the London stage in this brand-new production.
By a secluded beach Callum and Sephy meet in secret; life-long friends living on separate sides of a divided world. When Callum, from a Nought family, is accepted to Sephy’s prestigious Cross school, will it bring them closer, or will the hate and fear that surrounds them drive them apart?
Dominic Cooke’s ‘excellent adaptation’ (The Independent) of this epic story set against the political backdrop of a deeply divided society, is directed by Associate Artistic Director Tinuke Craig (A Raisin in the Sun) in her Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre debut.
Malorie Blackman | Novel
Malorie is one of the UK’s most popular authors and has written over 70 books for children and young adults, including the Noughts & Crosses series, Thief! and her science fiction thriller Chasing the Stars. The sixth novel in her Noughts & Crosses sequence, Endgame, was published by Penguin Random House Children’s in 2021. In 2023, Noughts & Crosses was named one of The 100 Greatest Children’s Books of All Time in a BBC Culture Poll.
Malorie wrote for the eleventh series of Doctor Who starring Jodie Whittaker, co-writing the episode Rosa with Chris Chibnall which was honoured at the inaugural Visionary Honours Awards for making ‘a positive social impact’. Her work has also been adapted for TV with the six-part adaptation of Pig-Heart Boy winning a BAFTA and a major production of Noughts + Crosses launched by the BBC in 2020. Noughts & Crosses has been adapted for the stage by Dominic Cooke for the RSC and, most recently, by Sabrina Mahfouz for Pilot Theatre. In 2005, Malorie was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the world of children’s books. In 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature and, between 2013 and 2015, she was the Children’s Laureate.
Malorie’s autobiography Just Sayin’ – My Life in Words was published by Merky Books in October 2022. Full of life lessons, this is a deeply personal and vividly compelling look at an incredible life which defied expectations and inspired a generation. In November 2023, The British Library opened a free exhibition, Malorie Blackman: The Power of Stories, exploring Malorie’s inspirations and the impact she has had on her readers, and on inclusivity and representation in publishing.
Dominic Cooke | Adaptation
Theatre incudes: Hello, Dolly! (The London Palladium), Medea (@sohoplace); Good,The Corn is Green, The Normal Heart, Follies, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Here We Go, Comedy Of Errors (National Theatre); The Low Road, In The Republic of Happiness, Choir Boy, In Basildon, Chicken Soup With Barley, Clybourne Park, Now Or Later, Aunt Dan And Lemon, The Fever, Wig Out!, Rhinoceros, Plasticine (Royal Court Theatre); A Winter’s Tale, Pericles, The Crucible, As You Like It (RSC).
Stage adaptations include:Noughts And Crosses (RSC); Arabian Nights (Young Vic).
TV & Film includes:The Courier; On Chesil Beach; The Hollow Crown – The Wars Of The Roses.
Dominic is Associate of the National Theatre, Artistic Associate of the RSC and was Associate Director then Artistic Director and CEO of the Royal Court Theatre. In 2014 he was made CBE for services to drama.
Tinuke Craig | Director
Training: LAMDA, National Theatre Studio.
As Director includes: A Raisin in the Sun (Headlong Tour); The School for Scandal (Royal Shakespeare Company); The Big Life (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Blue (ENO, London Coliseum); Trouble in Butetown (Donmar Warehouse); Jitney (Leeds Playhouse 2021 and The Old Vic 2022); Last Easter (Orange Tree Theatre); Crave (Chichester Festival Theatre); Hamlet For Young Audiences (Dorfman and National Theatre Tour 2020 and 2022); Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith); Vassa (Almeida Theatre); The Color Purple (Leicester Curve/Birmingham Hippodrome and UK Tour); random/generations (Chichester Festival Theatre); I Call My Brothers (Gate Theatre); dirty butterfly (Young Vic).
In 2014, Tinuke won the Genesis Future Director Award. She was the Gate’s Associate Director 2015-2016. From 2021-2023 She was Baylis Director at the Old Vic. Tinuke works extensively with Young People and with emerging artists.
Alec Boaden | Jude
Training: Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Theatre includes: Punch (Nottingham Playhouse, Young Vic).
TV includes: Masters of the Air (Apple TV).
Amanda Bright |Jasmine
For Regent’s Park:To Kill A Mockingbird.
Theatre includes: Cymbeline (Shakespeare’s Globe); Romeo and Juliet (Almeida Theatre); Never Not Once (The Park Theatre); The Snail House (Hampstead); Macbeth, Richard II, Ralegh: The Treason Trial (Shakespeare’s Globe); Meek (Headlong); To Kill A Mockingbird (The Curve) Let Me Play The Lion Too (Barbican/Told By An Idiot); The Government Inspector (Birmingham Repertory Theatre); Dragon (National Theatre of Scotland); True (Deafinitely Theatre); The 24 Hour Plays (Old Vic); Henry V (Orange Tree Theatre); Obama-ology, AchidiJ’s Final Hours (Finborough Theatre); Called to Account (Roundhouse); Bloody Sunday (Tricycle Theatre).
TV includes: The Buccaneers (Apple TV+); In From The Cold (Netflix), Breeders (Sky); Casualty, Marley’s Ghosts, Topsy & Tim, Doctors, Making it at Holb (BBC); Coronation Street (ITV); Euphoria (HOT); Midsomer Murders (Bentley Productions); Prime Suspect 7 (Granada Television).
Film includes: Ride or Die, The Lennox Report, Dear Afro (Team Sass Productions); Christmas at the (Snow) Globe, All The World (Shakespeare’s Globe); Stripping the Illusion (Object); Silent Voices (Quick & Dirty Productions).
Corinna Brown |Sephy
Training: East 15 Acting School
Theatre includes:Coppelia (New Vic Theatre); Woman with Salad (Focal Point Galler); Sleeping Beauty, Mother Goose (Hackney Empire); The Tempest (RADA Youth Company); Macbeth (TWIST Theatre Company).
TV, Film & Multimedia includes:In Flight (Channel 4); Heartstopper (Season 1-3, Netflix); Emergency Exit; Doctors (BBC); Even More Evermoor (Disney Channel); My Murder (BBC); Dashcam; Daphne; Essex Girls (Tape Collective) ; Coppelia: A Mystery (The New Vic Theatre); Kung Fu Sue (Wingbeat Productions); The Show Must Go Online; The Open Air: Reunion Show.
Voice Over includes: The World After (The Focal Point Gallery); Profile (Fire and Iron Productions); Hands on History – Vikings (BBC).
Credits whilst training: O’Toole’s Macbeth, Dr Faustus, Troilus & Cressida.
Halle Brown |Lola & Juno
Training: Arts Educational.
Theatre includes: The Crucible (The National Theatre & The Gielgud), Home Song (The Unicorn), Dolly Parton’s Smokey Christmas Carol (Southbank Centre).
Workshops include: Pavarotti, Marie Curie, Riviera Girl, Homesong and Swag Age: K Musical.
Michael Cusick |Mr Stanhope & Peter
Training: Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Theatre includes:Edward II (RSC); Bedroom Farce (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch); A View From The Bridge (Theatre Royal Bath, Theatre Royal Haymarket); Noises Off (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Sleepless (Analogue Theatre, Staatstheater Mainz); Against Captain’s Orders (Punchdrunk Enrichment); The Good Neighbour (Battersea Arts Centre).
Television includes:The Sixth Commandment (BBC).
Elle Davies |Shania & Leila
Training: London Academy of Dramatic Art
Theatre includes: Twinbond (Camden People’s Theatre); Sounds Good (Audible).
Credits whilst training:Cyrano De Bergerac (LAMDA); The Angry Brigade (LAMDA).
Eddie Elliot | Mr Corsa & Collins & Jack
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Theatre includes: A Strange Loop (Barbican); Blues For An Alabama Sky (National Theatre); The Lion King (West End); Motown: The Musical (West End); Assassins (Watermill/Nottingham Playhouse); Drive Ride Walk (Greenwich); Dry Cleaned (Intermission); Puss in Boots (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds); The Music Man (Chichester); A Chorus Line, The Buddy Holly Story (Gaiety Theatre); Five Guys Named Moe (Theatre at the Mill); Spamilton (Menier Chocolate Factory); South Pacific (Barbican/UK Tour); We Will Rock You (UK Tour); Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater Concert (The Other Palace).
TV includes:Riches, Doctors, EastEnders, The War Between The Land And The Sea.
Eddie is also a comedy-drama screenwriter and currently has a show in development.
Emma Jane Goodwin |Sarah Pike
Training: East 15 Acting School.
Theatre includes: The Ocean at the End of the Lane (UK & Ireland Tour & Westend), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (UK & Ireland Tour, International Tour & West End), Love Steals Us from Loneliness (Camden People’s Theatre & Chapter Arts).
TV includes:Stella, 4Stories.
Kate Kordel |Meggie
Training: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Theatre includes:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,Perspective (National Theatre); The Boss Of It All (Soho Theatre); Richard II, The Comedy of Errors (Tobacco Factory); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Orange Tree); Romeo and Juliet (Bristol Old Vic); He Wore A Red Hat (New Perspectives); The Voices (Warwick Art Centre).
TV includes: Sister Boniface, Doctors (BBC), What It Feels Like For A Girl (BBC3), Coronation Street (ITV), Trial By Jury (Channel 4).
Jessica Layde | Minerva
Theatre includes:All’s Well That Ends Well (RSC); Measure For Measure (Donmar Warehouse); Start (Theatre Peckham); Consensual (Arcola Theatre).
TV and Film include:Malpractice, Endeavour (ITV); The Undeclared War.
Wela Mbusi | Mr Pingule & Governor
Training: Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Theatre includes: My Brilliant Friend (National Theatre); Mansfield Park (Watermill Theatre); The Magician’s Elephant, Henry VI Parts 1-3, Richard III, Henry V (RSC); The Hound of the Baskervilles (The Lost Estate); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Insane Root); Whose Life is it Anyway (Comedy Theatre); Who Killed Mr Drum (Riverside Studios); Measure for Measure (AFTLS); Running Wild (Fiery Angel UK tour); Cymbeline (South Carolina Shakespeare Company); By the way, meet Vera Stark, A Christmas Carol, Clybourne Park (Trust Us Theatre USA); Effie May (Oval Theatre).
Habib Nasib Nader |Kamal
Training: London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Theatre includes: Life Of Pi (Wyndham’s Theatre, Sheffield Theatres), The Grouch (West Yorkshire Playhouse), MTME (Soho Theatre), Madinina (Old Vic).
TV includes:Heartstopper (Seasons 2 & 3, Netflix & SeeSaw Productions), Cuckoo (BBC), Law And Order UK (Kudos), Come Fly With Me (BBC), Beehive (Tiger Aspect), Little Britain (Seasons 1 – 3, BBC).
Film includes: The Golden Compass (New Line Cinema), Four Warriors (Philm Productions), Dungeons and Dragons 3: The Book Of Vile Darkness (Silver Productions), The Libertine (Odyssey Entertainment).
Habib won Best Supporting Actor at the 2022 Olivier Awards and was nominated for Best Supporting Male Actor at the 2022 Black British Theatre Awards for Life of Pi.
Yolanda Ovide |Dionne & Clerk
Training: London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.
Theatre includes:Alterations (National Theatre); Slave: A Question of Freedom (Riverside Studios & National Tour); Gangs of New York, The Importance of Being Earnest (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre); Jitney (Old Vic); Splintered (Soho Theatre); Groan Ups (UK Tour for Mischief Theatre); Unbelievable (The Criterion Theatre).
Helena Pipe |Reporter & Kelanie & Joannie
Theatre includes: Blues For An Alabama Sky (National Theatre); What Do You See? (The Pappy Show); In This World (Theatre For Young People); The Time Traveller’s Wife (Apollo Theatre); School of Rock (UK and Korea Tour); Nativity! The Musical (UK Tour); Oklahoma! (Grange Park Opera); Bare! A Pop Opera (Neptune Theatre); The Color Purple (TROIKA Bermuda).
TV includes:Queenie (Channel 4).
Richard Riddell |Ryan
Training: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
Theatre includes: Sing Your Heart Out For The Lads (Chichester Festival Theatre); All Who Pass, Uncle Sasha The Butcher (Royal Court); Gabriel, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe); Pastoral (Soho Theatre); After The Party (West End, Criterion Theatre); Filumena (Almeida); The Merchant of Venice, The Homecoming (RSC).
TV includes: Foundation (Apple TV); Endeavour (ITV); Curfew (Sky); Bodyguard (BBC); The Terror (AMC); Scott and Bailey (ITV); Barbarians Rising (History Channel); Doc Martin (ITV); Penny Dreadful (Showtime); Vera (ITV); Misfits (Channel 4); Merlin (BBC); Waking the Dead (BBC).
Film includes: 55 Steps (Warner Bros); Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Warner Bros); Legend (Working Title); Blitz (Lionsgate); Robin Hood (Universal Pictures); The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (Sony).
Ben Skym |Colin & Morgan
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
TV includes:Casualty (BBC); A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (Silverprint Pictures/ITV).
Credits whilst training include:The Antipodes, The Last of Haussmans, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Parade.
Noah Valentine |Callum
Training: Oldham Theatre Workshop.
TV includes: Waterloo Road, Casualty, Inside No 9, Mother’s Day (BBC); The Bay (ITV).
Film includes:Good Boy.
Chanel Waddock |Lynette
Training: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Theatre includes:Bitter Lemons (Park Theatre, Bristol Old Vic & Edinburgh Fringe Festival); Chariots of Fire; Rock, Paper, Scissors (Sheffield Crucible); Othello (Frantic Assembly – nominated for Ian Charleson Award); Hamlet (National Theatre); Bonsai Baby (Theatre503).
TV includes:The Outlaws (Amazon); This Is Going To Hurt, London Kills (BBC); Andor (Disney+).
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 £1.80 per ticket telephone 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.
David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions present
The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Australia Tour until July 2025
Trafalgar Theatre Productions, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and AF Creative Media
in association with the Barbican present
The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Saturday 24 May – Saturday 19 July 2025
Barbican Centre, London
Followed by a UK & Ireland Tour until January 2026
Runaway Entertainment present
101 DALMATIANS
Reimagined from the 2022 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production
Friday 18 July – Saturday 30 August 2025
Eventim Apollo, London
ABOUT REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE
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 2024 we welcomed over 180,000 people to our 27-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 both the UK and North America and is currently touring Australia. Our Olivier Award-winning revival of Fiddler on the Roof will transfer to the Barbican Centre this summer, followed by a UK & Ireland tour.
As a registered charity that receives no regular public subsidy, we rely entirely on earned income and charitable contributions. Nevertheless, we have maintained 36,000 tickets at £15 across the whole of 2025’s summer season, our BREEZE scheme enables those aged 18-25 to buy tickets for £10, and we regularly work with 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.
Orpheus in the Underworld is a satirical comic operetta by Jacques Offenbach. It’s a spoof take on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. In this version, by the Stanley Opera, Orpheus is a pompous violin teacher who is glad his wife is whisked away to the underworld, by Pluto, the god of Hell. He is forced by his mother, Calliope, and the villagers into rescuing Eurydice. Calliope and Orpheus set out for Mount Olympus to lodge a complaint before the Gods. The Gods are bored with Jupiter’s philandering ways and tyrannical leadership, so they decide to visit Hell to have some fun and see what Uncle Pluto has been up to. During the visit, Jupiter discovers Eurydice and, with the assistance of cupid, attempts to seduce her whilst disguised as a fly. Upon discovery, Jupiter, is chastised by Juno, Pluto is unmasked as a cad and Orpheus is set the task he is destined to fail. Eurydice is given the choice of any man she might choose and makes a rather surprising decision.
This rendition of Orpheus in the Underworld is a rip-roaring romp of a production. Brought to us by Stanley Opera which was formed in 1972 and performed in the beautiful Hinckley Concordia theatre which opened in 1973, this fresh libretto by Nick Bacon and Adam Lawrence is chock full of comedy. Doubling up as directors, they pack this piece full of imagination, locally referenced gags, panto like audience inclusion and the wholesome feel-good factor. Keeping it true to the story, they have added a wonderfully welcome twist of female empowerment.
Rick Scrine has created the most delightful set design. Staging 3 acts, simple but effective, colourful and rich in detail. Amping up the visual jokes where appropriate, with a pull-out sun, Icarus’s horse and a magnificent hot air balloon arduously pushed on by an extra, to name a few. Melanie Nute’s costume design is consistent, colourful and rich in detail. Adding oodles of comedy, from fluffy duck slippers and a shiny gold ‘Godfather’ dressing gown for Jupiter, to some awesome wigs, which deserve acting credits, it all adds to the overall hilarity of the piece. Throw in a bike and some rollerblades and it’s a riot.
The performances, as a whole are all spot on with everyone working together as a team bringing the show to life. Vicki Shirtliff as Eurydice has the most beautiful singing voice and confident stage presence. Chris Marlow plays the lothario, Pluto, to perfection, all swagger and smarm with a voice full of charm. Bravo to Sebastian Carrington for standing in as Calliope. The comedic interactions between Carrington and Chris Stocker as Orpheus is a joy to behold. Andrew Robinson as Jupiter and Marianne Duffy as Juno are the consummate comedic couple. Pete Henderson as mercury on rollerblades and Josh Robinson as Mars brought some brilliant physical comedy and some cracking one liners. The three goddesses, Alice Chambers as Cupid, Philippa Althaus as Venus and Debbie Dubberley as Diana are sensational with the most powerful and potent vocal ranges.
Stanley Opera showed exactly how this operetta should be played: full of fun, frivolity and farce. Throw in its famous ‘risqué galop infernal’, more well known as the ‘Can-Can’ and you have a sensational showstopper.
The UK Pantomime Association announces the winners of The Pantomime Awards 2025 with Outstanding Achievement awarded to actress Elaine C Smith
On Sunday 13 April, the winners of The Pantomime Awards 2025,staged in partnership with Trafalgar Entertainment and ATG Entertainment, were announced by the UK Pantomime Association at a ceremony full of song and laughter at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking.
Elaine C Smith picked up the illustrious award for Outstanding Achievement in Pantomime for her exceptional contribution to the Pantomime Industry for many decades as one of Scotland’s best-loved pantomime legends. Elaine was also one of the Awards show’s trio of presenters, sharing the stage for the evening with fellow top performers, Dave Benson Phillips and La Voix.
The Special Recognition Awards, which celebrate productions and individuals representing the values that the Association seeks to promote, were given to:
He’s Behind You! who received the award for Achievement in Inclusive Practice for celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and demonstrating that the genre has endless potential in their progressive queer pantomimes.
Oxford Playhouse who received the award for Achievement in Innovation for their fresh and exciting re-appraisals of familiar fairytale narratives and innovative use of plot and character to create fresh and vibrant pantomimes fit for the 21st Century.
Brick Lane Music Hall who received the Nigel Ellacott Special Recognition Award for Pantomime History, Tradition and Heritage, an accolade which was introduced this year in remembrance of the much-loved pantomime artist and historian who sadly passed away in 2024. This award was given to Brick Lane Music Hall for their commitment to the traditions and conventions of Music Hall and Victorian Pantomime and celebrating pantomime’s rich heritage throughout their venue with numerous poster displays and costumes from significant pantomime performers, including Danny La Rue.
In full, here is the list of The Pantomime Awards 2025 winners:
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY Ebony Clarke: Cinderella, Royal & Derngate, Northampton (Evolution Productions)
BEST LIGHTING (sponsored by Production Light and Sound)
Andy Webb: Sleeping Beauty, Festival Theatre, Malvern (UK Productions)
CARMEN SILVERA AWARD FOR BEST MAGICAL BEING: Danielle Jam: Jack and the Beanstalk, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (Crossroads Pantomimes)
BARBARA WINDSOR AWARD FOR BEST PRINCIPAL LEAD Mia Overfield: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fairfield Halls, Croydon (UK Productions)
BEST SCRIPT: Anthony Spargo: Dick Whittington and his Cat, Greenwich Theatre, London (In-House)
BEST SECONDARY LEAD: Mia Welsh: Dick Whittington, Theatre Royal Windsor (In-House)
BEST VILLAIN (sponsored by Breckman and Company): Zoe West: Rapunzel, Everyman Theatre, Liverpool (In-House)
BEST COMIC: Steve Royle: Cinderella, Blackpool Grand Theatre (UK Productions)
CHRISTOPHER BIGGINS AWARD FOR BEST DAME Antony Stuart-Hicks: The New Adventures of Peter Pan, Mercury Theatre, Colchester (In-House)
BEST DIRECTION Chris Jordan: Snow White, Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne (Eastbourne Theatres in association with Jordan Productions)
BEST ENSEMBLE Nikki Schofield, Alanna Panditaratne, James Everest, Ariel Nyandoro, Jacob Stebbings: Peter Pan, Victoria Theatre, Halifax (Imagine Theatre)
BEST CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC Tayo Akinbode: Mother Goose, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto, Theatr Clwyd, Mold (In-House)
BEST SET DESIGN (sponsored by Blue-i) Becky Minto: Mother Goose, Perth Theatre (In-House)
BEST SISTERS Harry Howle and Steven Roberts: Cinderella, Cambridge Arts Theatre (In-House)
BEST SOUND (sponsored by Orbital Sound) Kate Harvey: Jack and the Beanstalk, Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford (Imagine Theatre)
BEST SUPPORTING ARTIST Marc Pickering: Snow White, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (Evolution Productions)
BEST NEWCOMER TO PANTOMIME Owain Wyn Evans: Cinderella, New Theatre, Cardiff (Crossroads Pantomimes)
BEST NEWCOMER TO INDUSTRY Emma Robertson: Snow White, Loughborough Town Hall (Little Wolf Entertainment)
BEST PANTOMIME (UNDER 500 SEATS) (sponsored by Showtime, a Howden Company) Dick Whittington and his Cat, Greenwich Theatre (In-House)
BEST PANTOMIME (500 – 900 SEATS) Snow White, Loughborough Town Hall (Little Wolf Entertainment)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PANTOMIME Elaine C Smith
ACHIEVEMENT IN INCLUSIVE PRACTICE He’s Behind You!
ACHIEVEMENT IN INNOVATION Oxford Playhouse
NIGEL ELLACOTT SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD FOR PANTOMIME HISTORY, TRADITION AND HERITAGE Brick Lane Music Hall
The Awards ceremony featured special guest performances from entertainment legend Anita Harris, family favourite Basil Brush with award-winning comedian and cabaret performer Kevin Cruise (aka Martin Cabble-Reid) and ITV Britain’s Got Talent rising star ventriloquist Jamie Leahey.
The evening’s In Memoriam honoured and celebrated many of the special and talented friends that the pantomime industry has sadly lost this year from both on and off stage.
Simon Sladen, Chair of the UK Pantomime Association, said: “Huge congratulations to all of the nominees and winners at The Pantomime Awards 2025! What a wonderful evening to celebrate excellence across the pantomime industry and salute the talent, skill, passion, craftsmanship and expertise that goes into each and every season.”
This year’s Awards marked a significant new sponsorship partnership with Trafalgar Entertainment and ATG Entertainment (ATGE).
Chris McGuigan, Group Commercial Director for Trafalgar Entertainment, said: “Congratulations to all the winners and nominees at this year’s Panto Awards. Trafalgar is proud to co-sponsor this gloriously glittery evening as part of our ongoing commitment to pantomime as a genre. The ‘joyful chaos’ of panto season is a vital component of the regional theatre sector – and so it’s wonderful to celebrate it alongside many of the talented artists, acts, entertainers, writers, creatives, tech teams and producers who make it all happen. We’re already looking forward to hosting the event in 2026!”
Claire Dixon, Business Director for ATG Entertainment, said: “ATG Entertainment is honoured to co-sponsor the Pantomime Awards 2025 and extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Pantomime is a cherished tradition that brings joy to audiences of all ages, and we are proud to support and celebrate the extraordinary creativity, talent and dedication that make this artform so beloved.”
Founded in 2021, the UK Pantomime Association (UKPA) is a charity that explores, shares and celebrates pantomime by investigating the genre’s rich past, engaging with contemporary practice and inspiring the future. During the 2024-25 pantomime season, the fourth year in which the Awards have taken place, The Pantomime Awards’ 52 judges collectively visited 216 venues to see over 496 performances, far and wide across the United Kingdom.
Mark Cortale, Dale Franzen, Jonathan Murray and Harvey Reese today announce the world première of Maiden Voyage in association with Shared Experience. This new musical, with book and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Carmel Dean, tells the story of Tracy Edwards and the first all women racing crew of Maiden who made history competing in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1989/90.
Directed by Tara Overfield Wilkinson, the productionopens at Southwark Playhouse Elephant on 26 July, with previews from 19 July- 25 July, and runs until 23 August.
Carmel Dean and Mindi Dickstein said today, “We wanted to write about women facing challenges head-on – Tracy’s inspirational story ticked all the boxes for us. And we heard music at every turn. Courage sings. Pushing yourself to the limits of your abilities and beyond sings. The ocean, sings. Tracy and her crew are the definition of doing the hard things even when no one thinks you can.”
Director Tara Overfield Wilkinson said, “As a director who has worked in the musical theatre industry for over thirty-five years, it means a lot to me to tell the story of these strong amazing women who defied the critics and naysayers to achieve such phenomenal success in the challenges they faced.”
Producers Mark Cortale and Dale Franzen added, “As producers, we are drawn to stories of unexpected heroes like Tracy Edwards who are compelled to risk everything for a dream that almost everyone thinks is impossible. We hope this story will inspire others to fearlessly take the helm and follow their dreams.”
Mark Cortale, Dale Franzen, Jonathan Murray & Harvey Reese
in association with Shared Experience present
MAIDEN VOYAGE
Book and Lyrics byMindi Dickstein
Music by Carmel Dean
Orchestrations by Michael Starobin
Directed by Tara Overfield Wilkinson
Casting Director: Harry Blumenau
19 July – 23 August
It’s 1990, and Tracy Edwards makes history by leading the first all-female sailing crew around the globe in the Whitbread Round the World Race.
But how did a 20-something high-school dropout and galley cook end up being the skipper and navigator on such a ground-breaking race?
Was it a chance meeting with King Hussein of Jordan, who encouraged her to dare to try? Was it something that she needed to prove to herself or to her mother?
Or is there something else that makes a person do the unexpected and extraordinary?
Charting a thrilling and unforgettable journey across oceans and horizons, Tracy and her crew’s epic true story comes to life in a sweeping, extraordinary new musical.
Maiden Voyage makes its world premiere in a strictly limited run at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, with book and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, music by Carmel Dean, orchestrations are by Michael Starobin (Next To Normal, Suffs) and directed by Tara Overfield Wilkinson. The work was originally commissioned by New Works Provincetown. The show is produced by Mark Cortale (Floyd Collins at Lincoln Center, Days of Wine and Roses), Dale Franzen (Hadestown, Gypsy) and Jonathan Murray & Harvey Reese (Table 17 and Here We Are) in association with Shared Experience.
Mindi Dickstein’s theatre credits include Little Women: The Musical (August Wilson Theatre, US tour, Seymour Centre, Hope Mill Theatre, Park Theatre – licensed by MTI, Original Broadway Cast album released by Ghostlight/Sh-k-boom Records), Saint Ex and the Little Prince (Katowice City of Gardens Concert Hall, Poland), Witnesses (California Center for the Arts, 2022 San Diego Critics award for Best Production), Benny & Joon, based on the MGM film (The Old Globe, California, 2017 San Diego Critics nominee for Best Musical).
Carmel Dean is an award-winning composer/lyricist and Broadway music supervisor, musical director and arranger. As composer, her theatre credits include Renascence (Abrons Arts Centre), Well Behaved Women (New York’s Town Hall, Joe’s Pub), and On Cedar Street (Berkshire Theater Group, The Unicorn Theater). As musical director and/or arranger her credits include The Notebook, Funny Girl,If/Then, Hands on a Hardbody, American Idiot, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (all Broadway),and Clueless (West End).Off-Broadway credits include Really Rosie, Everyday Rapture, Vanities and Elegies. Other international credits include Fun Home (Chicago); and 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening & Closing Ceremonies.
Tara Overfield Wilkinson directs. Her theatre credits include Allegiance (Charing Cross Theatre), Falsettos (The Other Palace – winner of WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Show), The Producers (international tour, China), Little Shop of Horrors (UK tour), CATS (international tour), and Miss Saigon, Tommy and Sister Act (Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man). As associate or resident director, her credits include Motown, Memphis, Hair, Sunday in the Park with George; Tick, Tick… Boom!; High School Musical (West End), Motown, 9 to 5, Sister Act, High School Musical, The Full Monty, and Oh! What a Night (UK tours).
MAIDEN VOYAGE
LISTINGS
Southwark Playhouse, Elephant
1 Dante Place, London, SE11 4RX
Box Office: 020 7407 0234
How to Get to Elephant Venue: The nearest stations are Elephant & Castle and Kennington
Southwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough’ and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant’ which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.
SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE! MAKES HERS-TORY ON OPENING WEEKEND
FURTHER SHOWS ADDED DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND!
Following the one-day event cinema release of SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE! (April 6) across a record breaking 700 sites, Universal Pictures (UK) has reported the highest single day gross for an event cinema musical release ever. Further shows have been added due to popular demand through to 17th April. Information on further screenings can be found here.
Filmed over multiple shows at the Vaudeville Theatre, the pop-inspired musical brings the Original West End Cast of SIX the Musical Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Aragon), Millie O’Connell (Boleyn), Natalie Paris (Seymour), Alexia McIntosh (Cleves), Aimie Atkinson (Howard), and Maiya Quansah-Breed (Parr) right into the 21st century with, empowering performances, accompanied by the on-stage band, the Ladies in Waiting.
Watched by audiences of over 3.5 million, SIX the Musical, has become a global theatre phenomenon since it’s 2017 debut at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and this Cinematical success furthers the legacy that the Queendom is building.
Further analysis of the result with additional industry performance context:
SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE! has broken the record for the highest opening day figure for a musical ever.
SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE! has opened on the widest screen count in the UK for an event cinema release across 700 sites, beating TAYLOR SWIFT’s THE ERAS TOUR
SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE! has delivered the 3rd highest single day gross for an event cinema title ever behind TAYLOR SWIFT’s opening Friday
Universal Pictures Content Group acquired UK theatrical rights for box office smash-hit and double TONY award-winning musical earlier this year. SIX the Musical Live! was recorded at the Vaudeville Theatre, London with the original West End cast reprising their roles.
Kezia Williams, MD – Universal Pictures UK & Eire said “We’re incredibly proud to have brought this empowering, joyous experience to cinemas across the UK & Ireland and to see audiences turn out in such force to crown it the new queen of event cinema. This record-breaking result shows what’s possible when bold, brilliant theatre meets the big screen”
Helen Parker, EVP – Universal Pictures Content Group said “It’s wonderful to see audiences and fans of the phenomenon that is SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE! come out in force and create history for the show in cinemas”.
Kenny Wax, Producer for SIX The Musical said: SIX’s journey from student production at the Edinburgh Fringe to London’s West End and now to cinemas is one that we are unbelievably proud of. We are thrilled that so many people across the UK and Ireland have come to experience it on their local big screen. We have no doubt that the cinema broadcast has brought SIX to audiences who may not otherwise have access to the West End or Touring production, and we hope we may have sparked a lifelong enjoyment of theatre for those who have had their first experience of musical theatre through seeing it this week.’
SIX is written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, with direction by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. Choreography is by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, with set design by Emma Bailey, costume design by Gabriella Slade, lighting design by Tim Deiling, sound design by Paul Gatehouse, musical orchestration by Tom Curran, and musical supervision by Joe Beighton, and casting by Pearson Casting.
SIX is produced by Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes and George Stiles.
Six the Musical Live! was directed for film by Liz Clare, and produced by Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, George Stiles. It was Executively Produced bv Kevin McCollum and Produced for film by Dione Orrom.
Winner of over 35 international awards, including two 2022 Tony Awards, four WhatsOnStage awards, and nominated for five Oliviers, SIX can also be seen live on stage worldwide: as well as London’s West End, SIX continues to tour the UK (with new 2025 dates just announced), and throughout Europe and internationally. An Australian tour launched in August 2024, whilst dates in Manila, Singapore, Japan and South Korea have recently been completed, with forthcoming dates in China.
SIX is currently playing at Broadway’s Lena Horne Theatre, the tour continues to play cities throughout the US. In 2024, the show both achieved 1.5million followers globally – across YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook in the UK, US, Australia, Korea and beyond – and hit another milestone achievement, with SIX the Musical (UK Studio Cast Recording) and the Grammy Award®-nominated SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT (the first Original Broadway Cast Recording ever recorded live on opening night) songs having been streamed in excess of one billion times.
Tickets to all international productions of SIX are available via sixthemusical.com
A flipchart, stark lighting, a few conference chairs and a sad buffet can only mean one thing: a training day.
In Olivier nominated playwright Mohamed-Zain Dada’s latest play, three speeding offenders must either complete a speed awareness and aggressive driving course run by maverick instructor Abz, played with aching sincerity – “Driving is not a human right, it’s a privilege” – by Nikesh Patel, or, lose their driving licences.
Faiza is CEO of Asia Specific, one of the biggest fashion brands in the UK, and is awaiting news of a big deal. Shazia Nicholls is superb as the self-important and ambitious entrepreneur who let her temper get the better of her in a road rage incident. Arian Nik’s comic timing as hapless but charming boy racer Samir is flawless and his delivery of some of the play’s funniest lines had the audience in stitches. The third attendee is nurse Harleen, her seething impatience and indignation wonderfully rendered by Sabrina Sandhu. She should be caring for the sick not appeasing this jobsworth Abz.
Milli Bhatia’s slick direction extracts every ounce of comedy from the absurdity of the situation as we, and the participants, gradually realise that this may not be any ordinary DVLA course and that their tutor is becoming unhinged.
Things take on a darker and altogether angrier edge as the play moves on to explore issues of racism, racial profiling and the perpetuation of racial stereotypes. An unsettling lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun allows us to intermittently experience a dissociative space where time is suspended and Abz enters into a world he calls the Johari Window. In class it’s a tool to work on self-awareness and unconscious-bias but for Abz’s fizzing interior world, it becomes a window to buried emotion.
Speed is not only a clever satire of the glib way many drivers treat road safety and an honest exploration of how British-Asians see themselves but also a treatise on that all too familiar human emotion: anger.
