FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

STUART SLADE’S THE KING’S RANSOM

With the critically acclaimed A Month in the Country running at the theatre and Ilford Boy in rehearsals, the Donmar’s Artistic Director Tim Sheader and Executive Director Henny Finch today announce the full cast for the world premiere of Stuart Slade’s The King’s Ransom.

Matthew Dunster directs Charlie Cox (Vince), Tom Fletcher (Charlie), Matthew Flynn (Mr Bluefield), Blake Harrison (Rusty), Leo Patrick (Jessie Lee), Jenny Rainsford (Rhonda / Jenny), Christopher Short (Elvis), Cherrelle Skeete (Mike), and Ronnie Yorke (Red), with the role of Martha played by Ruby Barker, Eira Kay and Trixie Willis.

The production opens on 16 December 2026, with previews from 5 December, and runs until 6 February 2027.

The World premiere of

THE KING’S RANSOM

By Stuart Slade

5 December 2026 – 6 February 2027

Director: Matthew Dunster; Set Designer: Anna Fleischle; Costume Designer: Jean Chan; Lighting Designer: Sally Ferguson; Sound Designer: Holly Khan; Illusion Designer: Chris Cox;

Fight and Intimacy Directors: Ruth Cooper-Brown and Rachel Bown-Williams of Rc-Annie;

Casting Director: Lotte Hines CDG

Stealin’ dead folk’s the American Dream?

Well, it’s always been an incredibly elastic concept – so yes.

The plan is simple:
Kidnap Elvis Presley’s corpse.
Stash him in a chest freezer.
Collect the million-dollar ransom.

Memphis, 1977. When an enigmatic criminal mastermind offers small-time crook Vince Black the opportunity of a lifetime, Vince assembles a crack team of misfits and dropouts to attempt the heist of the century: swiping the earthly remains of The King of Rock and Roll.

Inspired by one of the strangest crime stories in American history, The King’s Ransom, a new play by Stuart Slade, is a Southern-fried dark comedy about grief, redemption and spectacularly bad decisions. Matthew Dunster directs this outrageous, heartfelt heist caper about the little guys taking one last shot at the American Dream.

Charlie Cox returns to the Donmar to play Vince. He previously appeared in The Prince of Homburg. His other theatre credits include The Lover; The Collection (Comedy Theatre), ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Southwark Playhouse), Incognito (Manhattan Theatre Club), Betrayal (West End/Broadway). For television his work includes Daredevil, The Defenders, Kin, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Moby Dick, and Treason; and for film, Dot the I, The Merchant of Venice, Casanova, Stardust, There Be Dragons, Glorious 39, Stone of Destiny, The Theory of Everything, King of Thieves, Merv, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Synthetic, and This Is How It Goes.

Tom Fletcher plays Charlie. His theatre credits include Of Mice & Men (UK tour), Oliver Twist (Tobacco Factory Theatres), Drac & Jill, Little Women in Black (Wardrobe Theatre), and Jellyfish (Intrepid Ensemble). For television his work includes Trying and Extraordinary; and for film, A Woman Walks Into a Bank.

Matthew Flynn plays Mr Bluefield. His theatre credits include Punch, Private Peaceful (Nottingham Playhouse), The Winter’s Tale (RSC), The Interview (Park Theatre), The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Crucible (Storyhouse), Agnes Colander (Ustinov Theatre / Jermyn Street Theatre), Child of Science (Bush Theatre), Wild Honey, 55 Days (Hampstead Theatre), City Stories (59E59 Theatre, New York), I am a Walrus (Young Vic), War Horse (National Theatre / West End), Children of the Sun (National Theatre), Mare Rider (Arcola Theatre), Henry V, Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare’s Globe), A Streetcar Named Desire (Liverpool Playhouse), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Northampton Theatre Royal), Macbeth, The Mayor of Zalameyer (Liverpool Everyman), As You Like It, How Many Miles to Basra?  (West Yorkshire Playhouse), 1984 (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Gentleman’s Tea Drinking Society (Ransom Productions), Hangover Square (Finborough Theatre), Our Friends in the North (Northern Stage), The Winter’s Tale, Rose Rage (Propeller), Romeo and Juliet (Derby Playhouse), A View From the Bridge (UK tour), and The Prince of Homburg (Lyric / RSC). His television work includes Coronation Street, Say Nothing, COBRA: Rebellion, Great Expectations, Emmerdale, Finding Alice, Casualty, Innocent, Lawful Killing, Lucan, The Passion, After Thomas, The Quartermass Experiment, Foyle’s War, and The King Must Die; and for film, A Stitch in Time, Femi, and Black Sheep.

Blake Harrison plays Rusty. His theatre credits include A Place for We, (Talawa Theatre Company and Park Theatre); Waitress (Adelphi Theatre); The End of the Pier (Park Theatre); and Step 9 (of 12) (Trafalgar Studios). His television work includes The Inbetweeners, I Hate Suzie, World on Fire, Still Up, A Very English Scandal, The Great, Kate & Koji, Maigret, and Bookish; and for film,The Inbetweeners Movie; The Inbetweeners 2; Fing! and INK.

Leo Patrick plays Jessie Lee. His theatre credits include Blaze FM (Bristol Old Vic). His television work includes Grace.

Jenny Rainsford plays Rhonda / Jenny. Her theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Blithe Spirit (Salisbury Playhouse / Blackpool), Ivy Tiller: Vicar’s Daughter, Squirrel Killer, The Tempest, Love for Love, Queen Anne (RSC), Daddy (Almeida Theatre), Windsors: Endgame (Prince of Wales Theatre), The Double Dealer (Orange Tree Theatre), The Rivals (Arcola Theatre), Microcosm (Soho Theatre), The Little Black Book (Park Theatre), No Quarter (Royal Court Theatre), The Seagull (Headlong), Straight (Sheffield Theatres / Bush Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Rose Theatre Kingston). As director and co-writer, Nanny (Bristol Old Vic / Theatre Royal Plymouth). Her television credits include You Are Here, The Game, Silent Witness, Showtrial, Call the Midwife, Finding Joy, Fleabag, Law & Order, The Smoke, and Da Vinci’s Demons; and for film, Runaway, The Arrival, Such a Lovely Day, Persuasion, Coffee Wars, The Favourite, About Time, and Prometheus.

Christopher Short plays Elvis. His theatre credits includes Hadestown (Le Carré, Amsterdam and Lyric Theatre), Jersey Boys, The Ballad of Johnny and June (UK and Ireland tour), The Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre), Anything Goes (UK Tour / Barbican Theatre), and Forever Plaid (Upstairs at the Gatehouse).

Cherrelle Skeete plays Mike. Her theatre credits include The Authenticator, Alterations, Three Days in the Country, Amen Corner (National Theatre), Beneatha’s Place, Fun Home (Young Vic), The Fellowship, The Phlebotomist (Hampstead Theatre), The 47^th, Twenty Four Hour Plays (The Old Vic), The High Table (Bush Theatre), King Hedley II (Stratford East), A Small Place (Gate Theatre), The Seagull, Jack and the Beanstalk (Lyric Hammersmith), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre), The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre), for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf (The Yard) and And I and Silence (Finborough Theatre). Her television work includes Pierre, Slow Horses, Black Cake, The Midwich Cuckoos, Hanna, Silent Witness, The Human Zoo, The Five, Ordinary Lives, and Call the Midwife; and for film, Magpie.

Ronnie Yorke plays Red. His theatre credits include Will or Eight Lost Years of Young Shakespeare’s Life (Rose Playhouse), The Tempest, Macbeth (The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, UK and European tour), Not Quite Jerusalem (Finborough Theatre), The Commitments (UK and Ireland tour), and The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre). For television, his work includes Banged Up Abroad, EastEnders, and The Jury.

Stuart Slade’s plays include Glee & Me – Winner of the Judges’ Award – The Bruntwood Prize (Royal Exchange Theatre), Reality (Royal Court Theatre and RWCMD), BU21 (Trafalgar Studios, and across over twenty countries worldwide), and Cans (Theatre503); and for film, Pulse and Capable People.

Matthew Dunster returns to the Donmar to direct – he previously directed Dealer’s Choice for the company. He is a theatre and film director and writer. Previously an actor, he has directed or written over sixty theatre shows, often with major national companies (including RSC, NT, Royal Court, Young Vic, Royal Exchange, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Bridge), as well as directing on the West End, Broadway and internationally. He has been the Associate Director of The Young Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe. His other theatre Credits include: 2:22 A Ghost Story, which ran in the West End for 694 performances, Shirley Valentine, The Pillowman (The Duke of York’s Theatre), The Homecoming (Young Vic), and The Hunger Games on Stage (Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre). Dunster has been nominated for four Olivier Awards, and his Broadway production of Hangmen was nominated for five Tonys.

DONMAR WAREHOUSE

LISTINGS

41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LX

Box Office: www.donmarwarehouse.com / 020 3282 3808

Instagram and Facebook: @donmarwarehouse

Bluesky: @donmarwarehouse.bsky.social

PERFORMANCE TIMES
Evenings Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Thursday & Saturday matinees 2.30pm

TICKET PRICES

A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY / ILFORD BOY
£70 (£65) / £55 (£50) / £30 (£25)

Preview discounts apply to the first four performances only

Standing £15 tickets will be released at a later date

THE KING’S RANSOM / NO MAN’S LAND

£76 (£71), £59 (£54), £30 (£25)

Preview discounts apply to the first four performances only

Standing £15 tickets will be released at a later date

SEASON AT A GLANCE

A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY

Until 3 October

ILFORD BOY

10 October – 28 November

Captioned: Monday 16 November at 7:30pm

Audio described: Saturday 21 November at 2:30pm

THE KING’S RANSOM

5 December 2026 – 6 February 2027

Captioned: Monday 25 January 7:30pm

Audio described: Saturday 30 January 2:30pm

NO MAN’S LAND

13 February – 10 April 2027

Captioned: Monday 22 March 7:30pm

Audio described: Saturday 3 April 2:30pm

35 AND UNDER TICKETS AT £20
Supported by Barclays and The John Browne Charitable Trust

Aged 16-35? Sign up to our exclusive email list to book tickets for £20, located throughout the theatre including the front row. Book early to secure these prices. www.donmarwarehouse.com/your-visit/tickets/35-and-under-20-tickets/

Maximum two tickets per person – both need to be aged 35 or under at time of the performance. Subject to availability. ID will need to be shown at Box Office to collect tickets.

DONMAR DAILY RELEASE

New tickets on sale every day at the Donmar. Allocations of tickets will be made available every day for performances 7 days later. Tickets will be available across the auditorium at every price band, including £15 standing tickets.

ACCESS

The Donmar Warehouse is fully wheelchair accessible. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome in the auditorium. There is a Loop system and a Radio Frequency system fitted in the main auditorium and there are also hearing loops at all the front of house counters.

ASSISTED PERFORMANCES
If you require a companion to attend the Donmar, their ticket will be free. To book or for other access enquiries call 020 3282 3808 or email access@donmarwarehouse.com.

DONMAR WAREHOUSE

Welcome to the Donmar, where anyone with a passion or curiosity for seriously good theatre belongs. In our powerfully intimate space, we make vivid theatre that transports. Our audience doesn’t sit in the dark; they lean into the light. You’ll want to be in the room and in the moment.

Led by Artistic Director Tim Sheader and Executive Director Henny Finch, the Donmar is an independent non-profit theatre in London’s Covent Garden.

We’re intent on making sure theatre thrives for the next generation by inviting in new younger audiences, inspiring original voices and building the workforce of the future.

We’re grateful for the loyalty and generosity of our many donors and supporters who share our commitment to making this happen.

York Theatre Royal – Thursday 1st October 2026

Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

4****

On Thursday evening I had the pleasure of attending York Theatre Royal for Acosta Danza’s new double bill, Cuban Baroque. It fuses Baroque opulence with the energy and vibrancy of Cuban dance.

The show opens with the premiere of Andonis Foniadakis’ Pearls. Set to a live performance of Esteban Sallas’s “Salve Regina”, the score shifts from Baroque lyricism to Cuban drive.

The stage is dimly lit, lighting by Nicholas Fischtel, with thin lines lighting up the floor, which moves during the performance. For this first piece up ten dancers adorn the stage at any one time. Their costumes, designed by Anastasios Tassos Sofronou, share a rich burgundy base, varied by removing layers or adding a skirt, shorts or trousers, often overlaid with organza.

Pearls is a vibrant and energetic piece of contemporary dance, with a smidge of classical thrown in. It has heart, through the dancers use of movement and the intense score by Julien Tarride. Their steps were joyous and frantic, but also precise and controlled, as they were swept away in the charismatic and uplifting Cuban beat. The fluidity in movement and remarkable extensions, are a sight to behold. This piece is truly stunning and mesmerising to watch, especially when the ensemble are so in synch, moving in perfect unison.

In contrast, the second piece Chacona is more classical in its interpretation, slower in pace, built around the music of Bach. Choregraphed by Goyo Montero, who also is involved in costume and lighting designs, along with costume, Verena Hemmerlein and lighting, Nicholas Fischtel.

Chacona sees twelves dancers, dressed in black, accompanied on stage by three talented musicians, Pepe Gavilondo, Maria Lusson and Adrain Aguiar. You notice every detail of the movement, from duets to ensemble passages. A standout moment comes when the dancers surge across the stage like a tidal wave, their bodies forming spider-like shapes. Once again, the ensemble’s cohesion is flawless.

Cuban Baroque is a vibrant and energetic dance performance. The dancers showed great strength, poise and stamina. Acosta Danza’s company have delivered an evening of captivating dance and music. It was great to see the theatre packed out and though out the show you could have heard a pin drop, everyone was just so absorbed.

ANNOUNCES TWO GALA PERFORMANCES

FOR BBC CHILDREN IN NEED

PRESENTED WITH BBC RADIO 2

AND

HOSTED BY VERNON KAY

ON SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2026

ABBA Voyage is delighted to announce two gala performances, presented with BBC Radio 2 in aid of BBC Children in Need, at 1.00pm and 6.00pm on Sunday 8 November 2026 at the ABBA Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

After a hugely successful event for last year’s BBC Children in Need, which raised over £200,000, BBC Radio 2 returns to ABBA Voyage with these gala performances, hosted by Vernon Kay, who presents the UK’s most listened to radio show with a weekly audience of 6.8 million.

Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson, Producers of ABBA Voyage, said today: “Sharing the joy of ABBA’s music while raising money for such a brilliant cause means the world to us, and a huge thank you to Vernon Kay for his incredible support.”

Vernon Kay said today: “I’m thrilled to be hosting the BBC Children in Need gala performances of ABBA Voyage. It’s an incredible show for an amazing cause, and I can’t wait to welcome audiences for a very special day.”

Claire Hoyle, CEO of BBC Children in Need, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to ABBA Voyage for their continued support of BBC Children in Need. Their generous £300,000 donation will make a real difference to children and young people across the UK, helping to make sure every child has someone by their side when they need it most. We’re delighted to be working together again with BBC Radio 2 to make this year’s Gala performances even bigger and more special.”

For further information and to book tickets for the gala performances, visit bbc.co.uk/radio2events

ABBA Voyage is a unique full-scale concert experience, blurring the lines between physical and digital to bring one of the biggest pop acts of all time back to the stage. The production reunites Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad as digital versions of themselves as they appeared at their peak, performing all of their iconic hits on stage alongside a live ten-piece band inside the purpose-built ABBA Arena.

Running at approximately 100 minutes with no interval, ABBA Voyage blends state-of-the-art visual technology with a live band for a show unlike anything else in the world. The award-winning production has been seen by over 4 million people since opening in May 2022 at ABBA Arena, a bespoke 3,000-capacity venue in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London.

ABBA Voyage plays seven concerts a week including weekend matinees. Additional performances continue to be added regularly to meet demand and £35 tickets for 16–25 year olds are added every month.

In May 2025, ABBA Voyage marked its third London anniversary by expanding its setlist for the first time, adding additional songs including ‘Super Trouper’, ‘The Name of the Game’, ‘Money, Money, Money’ and ‘Take a Chance on Me’.

ABBA Voyage is a concert experience created by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The concert is directed by Baillie Walsh and produced by Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson for Goldonder AB, a company founded by Conni Jonsson, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

Jodie Comer to receive Outstanding Achievement in British Theatre Award at the UK Theatre Awards 2026 sponsored by Encore

Jodie Comer has been named as the inaugural recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in British Theatre Award, which will be presented at the UK Theatre Awards 2026 sponsored by Encore on Monday 12 October. The ceremony will take place at 8 Northumberland Avenue, hosted by La Voix, showcasing the incredible range and quality of theatre seen across the UK over the past year.

Jodie Comer is one of Britain’s most acclaimed actors, whose extraordinary work across stage and screen has earned her an Emmy, two BAFTAs, a Tony, and an Olivier Award. Following her Olivier and Tony Award-winning performance in Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie in London and on Broadway, Comer returned to the role this year for a major UK and Ireland tour, bringing this powerful one-woman play to audiences far beyond the capital.

Prima Facie became a landmark theatrical event, with Comer’s gripping performance earning widespread critical acclaim and reaching more than 1.2 million people worldwide through its stage and National Theatre Live broadcasts. The national tour offered audiences across the country the opportunity to experience the production live, helping to bring exceptional theatre to communities beyond London, and demonstrating the importance of touring in making world-class work more accessible.

This award recognises Comer’s commitment to taking this celebrated production to venues around the UK; her extraordinary performance, combined with the reach and impact of the tour, has introduced new audiences to the power of live theatre, and demonstrated the cultural importance of ensuring acclaimed work can be experienced across the nation.

Jodie Comer said:

“I’m incredibly honoured to receive the inaugural Outstanding Achievement in British Theatre Award. Prima Facie has been such a huge part of my life, and taking the production on tour has been one of the most special experiences of my career. There’s something so unique about sharing live theatre with audiences in different communities and seeing the impact the story can have in each venue.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported the production and made it possible for us to take it across the UK and Ireland. Especially James Bierman at Empire Productions for having the passion and ingenuity to make the idea a reality.

“To have our journey recognised in this way is a real privilege, and I’m hugely thankful.”

The UK Theatre Awards 2026 are sponsored by Encore, the premier provider of lighting equipment for theatre productions across the UK, including London’s West End, Off-West End, Europe, and Asia, as well as numerous UK and international tours.

Additional thanks to Award Sponsors Theatre Tokens and Tysers Live in association with Ecclesiastical; Official Partners John Good, Marquee TV, The Noël Coward Foundation, SINE, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and Trafalgar Entertainment; and Official After Party Partner Preevue.

The full list of nominees for the UK Theatre Awards 2026 sponsored by Encore can be found at uktheatre.org.

@UK_Theatre               #UKTAwards

PIA receives world premiere in London and announces Barnsley performance for 2027

PIA, a new dance and music production choreographed and directed by Katya Bourvis in collaboration with creative producer Tala Lee-Turton and performed to music by award-winning composer Hannah Peel, receives its world premiere at Milton Court Concert Hall, Barbican, on Friday 23 October.

The production, commissioned by the Barbican and Barnsley Civic, will be performed at Barnsley Civic on Thursday 14 October 2027.

PIA features a 17-piece brass band performing Peel’s critically-acclaimed Mary Casio: Journey To Cassiopeia, a seven-movement odysseyoriginally recorded in Barnsley Civic. The story follows Pia, a woman from Barnsley, over three generations of her life as her mind journeys amongst the collieries of her hometown and vivid dreams of space travel.

PIA marks the first production by interdisciplinary production company Red Robin Productions, the company directed by dance artist and creative producer Tala Lee-Turton who is an Associate Artist of Barnsley Civic. 

Katya Bourvis is an award-winning choreographer. In 2021, she was selected as an artist-in-residence at Sadler’s Wells. Most recently, her work was presented as part of The Royal Ballet’s International Draft Works 2026. She says: “For me, PIA is a profound moment of recognition, a celebration of the imagination and of a woman’s life lived.”

Tala said: “I’m proud to be contributing to Barnsley’s cultural legacy through PIA. and am delighted that it will be performed there as well as in London. Barnsley Civic have always supported and encouraged my work, seeing me grow from individual creative practitioner to Director of my own company- it’s wonderful that PIA will be performed here as well as in London. As an intersectional artist from Barnsley, it means a great deal to be telling a story that transcends typical social realist portrayals of my hometown- instead, fashioning a dreamscape which oscillates between the magnitude of the cosmic and the sensitivity of the everyday.”

Hannah Peel is an Ivor Novello winning composer and multi-instrumentalist with an ever-expanding catalogue of solo and collaborative projects. Hannah’s work spans studio albums, concerts and scores for theatre, film and television. She said: “I wanted these huge slabs of planetary sounds to echo the excitement and wonder of our human need to explore and develop. Outer space is where only a select few can reach; yet it is somewhere we dream of going.”

PIA is commissioned by the Barbican and Barnsley Civic. The work is supported by Arts Council England, the Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

GIOVANNA ROMAGNOLI AND GIANLUCA CUCCHIARA PRESENT

FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY AT 

THE OTHER PALACE

 ON 30 NOVEMBER 2026 

DIRECTED BY ELEESHA DRENNAN

WITH MUSIC BY GIANLUCA CUCCHIARA, 

LYRICS BY ANDREW JAMES WHELAN AND 

BOOK BY CLIVE FRAYNE

AYLA: A New Musical is an original musical from award-winning composer and producer Gianluca Cucchiara and Academy Award and BAFTA-winning producer Giovanna Romagnoli. Following a development period over several years; through workshops, readings, concerts and recordings, this highly anticipated musical will have a one-night, semi-staged concert accompanied by a four-piece band at The Other Palace on 30 November 2026. 

Set in a future where a dying natural world has divided communities through fear and the struggle for survival, the story follows a young woman faced with the choice to accept the world she has inherited or find the courage to change it.

Current casting includes, Nathania Ong (Les Misérables) as Ayla, Djavan van de Fliert (Frozen) as Mohr, Arlissa(Singer-songwriter of “Hard to Love Somebody”) asSindah,Astrid Harris (Titaníque) as Tonah, Glenn Adamson (Bat Out of Hell)as Roohand Jonathan Andrew Hume (The Lion King) asCrohm. Further cast to be announced in due course. 

When the world lost its fire, she found her own.

Following the release of its concept album, which is reaching a growing international audience, AYLA: A New Musical is a story of courage, leadership and the choice to imagine a future beyond fear and division.

The creative team includes: musicby Gianluca Cucchiara, lyricsby Andrew James Whelan, bookby Clive Frayne, adaptation for The Other Palaceby Gianluca Cucchiara and Giovanna Romagnoli, original conceptby Tony Cucchiara, dramaturgyby Michael Conley and directionby Eleesha Drennan.

JOHN BRADLEY, JOE DEMPSIE, KATIE LEUNG AND JAMIE-LEE O’DONNELL

TO STAR IN WORLD PREMIERE OF

EXPECTING 

WITH TICKETS ON SALE TODAY FOR THE NEXT TWO MAINSTAGE SEASON PRODUCTIONS: 

SACRILEGIOUS AND EXPECTING

DIRECTED BY ANDY SANDBERG 

ABS Productions today announces the full cast for Scott Elmegreen & Drew Fornarola’s Expecting. Andy Sandberg directs John Bradley (3 Body Problem, Game of Thrones), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones, Skins), Katie Leung (Bridgerton, Harry Potter),and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Screw, Derry Girls) in the world premiere of this new play exploring why couples are waiting longer to have children, or not having them at all.

With the Mainstage Season’s first play Affluenza now in previews and recently extended through 28 November, the next two productions in the five-play season at Riverside Studios – Sacrilegious by Academy Award winner Tom Schulman and Expecting – go on sale today, Thursday 1 October at 11am via MainstageSeason.com.

Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director of the Hermitage Artist Retreat in the U.S., serves as Season Artistic Director for the Mainstage and directs each of the five productions. Further productions, casting and creatives to be announced. 

The Mainstage Season at Riverside Studios is presented by ABS Productions, Whitney Edwards, Flora Major, Judith Manocherian, Sondra Biller, Drew & Dane & Whitney, and Berman-Cohen Productions. DEM Productions serves as General Manager. Nicholas Hockaday serves as Season Casting Director.

World Premiere

Sacrilegious

A New Comedy by Tom Schulman

Directed by Andy Sandberg

5 December 2026 – 23 January 2027

Who says money can’t buy morality?

On the holiest day of the year, an idealistic young rabbi does the one thing nobody saw coming – he dares to challenge the billionaire president of his congregation, questions a multi-million-dollar donation, and ignites a battle for the hearts and minds of the entire community. 

What follows is a razor-sharp contest between principle and power. As reputations unravel and loyalties are tested, the community congregation must decide whether morality can survive when there’s $30 million on the table. 

Sacrilegiousis a smart, funny, and provocative new comedy that raises questions about what money can or can’t buy. Power, promiscuity, charity, and true love… it’s going to be one hell of a High Holy Days!

This world premiere, directed by Andy Sandberg, is written by Tom Schulman, the Academy Award-winning author of Dead Poets Society, What About Bob?, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Sacrilegious is the first original play from this Oscar-winning writer, who previously adapted his Dead Poets Society screenplay for the stage. Casting to be announced.

TOM SCHULMAN

Playwright Tom Schulman wrote Dead Poets Society, for which he received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He subsequently adapted the film as a play, and the stage version premiered at Classic Stage Company in New York. He has written the screenplays to What About Bob?, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Medicine Man, and Holy Man. He wrote and directed Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag, and he was an executive producer on Indecent Proposal and Me, Myself & Irene. He was the writer/producer of Welcome to Mooseport. With J.J. Abrams and Rafael Yglesias, he co-wrote and co-produced The Anatomy of Hope, a pilot for HBO. He wrote and directed Double Down South, a gambling thriller available on Amazon Prime. Most recently, he co-wrote and co-produced the upcoming podcast series One Lane Road with Callie Khouri, Trae Crowder, and T Bone Burnett. Schulman graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Philosophy. He studied theatre and film with Jack Garfein at the Actors and Directors Lab, Los Angeles, and with director Joan Darling; he also directed the Actors’ Studio’s first West Coast production, Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker. Schulman has served on the board of directors and as Vice President of the Writers Guild of America; he is on the board of the Writers Guild Foundation, where he is a past President.

ANDY SANDBERG

Andy Sandberg(Playwright / Director / Mainstage Season Artistic Director)is a New York-based director, writer, and Tony Award-winning producer. He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat, a leading national arts incubator in the United States. Sandberg’s theatrical work has been represented in New York, London, and throughout the U.S. He directed the UK premieres of Alan Brody’s Operation Epsilon and Jeannette Bayardelle’s Shida, earning multiple Off-West End Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Musical. Additional world premieres as director in New York include Straight (NY Times Critics’ Pick); Application Pending (also co-author; BroadwayWorld Award: Best Off-Broadway Play, Drama Desk nom: Outstanding Solo Show, Winner: Book Pipeline Prize); Shida (Ars Nova and A.R.T., four AUDELCO noms., including Best Director, Best Musical), Craving for Travel (also co-author); and the Off-Broadway musicals The Last Smoker in America and Neurosis, among others. In New York, London, and at the Hermitage, he has directed dozens of workshops and readings of new plays and musicals, including works by Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, Olivier Award, and Academy Award winners and nominees. He has also written the feature-length screenplays for the films Five More Minutes and Haul Out the Holly, two of Hallmark’s most highly rated Christmas movies. In 2009, at the age of 25, Sandberg became the youngest producer to win a Tony Award. Broadway and West End producing credits include the hit revival of Hair (2009 Tony Award, also West End); the Broadway revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, starring James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury (2012 Tony nom.); and Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses, starring Toni Collette, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts, and Marisa Tomei. In his role as Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage, Sandberg has established the organisation as one of the preeminent new works incubators in the United States, celebrating and elevating the voices of diverse and accomplished artists spanning theatre, music, visual art, dance, film, literature, and more. He recently directed a workshop of Chris Bush’s Hermitage-commissioned play Orlando (FL) at London’s National Theatre. Sandberg is a graduate of Yale University, where he managed and performed with the Whiffenpoofs, the Dramat, and the Yale Alley Cats. He is a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC), Actors Equity Association (AEA), and the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

World Premiere

Expecting

By Scott Elmegreen & Drew Fornarola

Directed by Andy Sandberg 

30 January – 27 March 2027

“Baby, we need to talk…”

Zoey and Ethan are deciding whether or not to have a baby. The rest of their lives are figured out, but there’s nothing sexier than family planning, right? Meanwhile, Zoey’s younger sister Trish already has her hands full with two kids – or three if you count her new boyfriend Matt. 

Amidst falling birthrates and the ever-present chaos of adulthood, two couples who were once convinced they can ‘have it all’ find themselves asking what they truly want… and if there’s ever an opportunity to reframe. Career ambitions, brunch plans, and the fate of humanity hang in the balance – not to mention the daunting considerations of legacy, parenting, and ‘expectations.’ Is it ever reallythe right time?

Directed by Andy Sandberg, Expecting is a new play by Scott Elmegreen & Drew Fornarola that explores why couples are waiting longer to have kids… or debating whether to have them at all.

JOHN BRADLEY | Matt

Television credits include: Deadpoint (Channel 4); 3 Body Problem (Netflix); North Shore (Network 10); Urban Myths (Sky Arts); Robot Chicken (Adult Swim); Game of Thrones (HBO); The Last Dragonslayer (Sky); Merlin (BBC); Shameless (Channel 4); and Borgia (Canal+). Film credits include: Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint; Vows; Ibelin; The Railway Children Return (StudioCanal); Marry Me (Universal Pictures); Moonfall (Lionsgate); Patient Zero (Screen Gems); American Satan (Miramax); Traders; Man Up; and Anna Karenina (Focus Features/Working Title).

JOE DEMPSIE | Ethan

Joe will next be seen in a pivotal role in the new series of Sherwood (BBC, Dir. Clio Barnard). Television credits include: Get Millie Black (Channel 4); Toxic Town (Netflix); The Capture (BBC); Skins (E4); This Is England (Channel 4); Murder (BBC, Dir. Birger Larsen); Game of Thrones (HBO); Deep State (FX); Pieces of Her (Netflix); and Showtrial (BBC). Film credits include: Addition(Dir. Marcelle Lunam, Tiff Premiere); The Gamechangers; Dark River (Dir. Clio Barnard); and Been So Long (Netflix).

KATIE LEUNG | Zoey

Theatre credits include: Comeuppance (Almeida Theatre); White Pearl (Royal Court Theatre); Snow in Midsummer (Royal Shakespeare Company); The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures (Hampstead Theatre); You for Me for You (Royal Court Theatre); The World of Extreme Happiness (National Theatre); and Wild Swans (Art Boston/Young Vic Theatre). Television credits include: Careless (Channel 4); Bridgerton (Netflix); Nightsleeper (BBC); Wheel of Time, The Peripheral (Amazon); Annika (Alibi); Roadkill (BBC); The Nest (Studio Lambert); Chimerica (Playground Television); Strangers (ITV); Moominvalley (Gutsy Animation UK Ltd); One Child (BBC); Run (C4); Father Brown (BBC); and Poirot (ITV). Film credits include: The Foreigner (STX Entertainment); and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros. Pictures).

JAMIE-LEE O’DONNELL | Trish

Jamie-Lee is best known for her breakout performance as Michelle Mallon in the award-winning Derry Girls, and as Rose Gill in Series 1 & 2 of Screw. She is currently filming the lead role in a new BBC comedy series, Hopley Hall. She will next be seen in Girl Group, written by and starring Rebel Wilson, and Skintown, (Screen NI, Keeper Pictures & Cyprus Avenue Films), which recently won the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Film Making Excellence at the 2026 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Television credits include: Derry Girls, Screw (Channel 4); Leonard and Hungry Paul, Faithless (BBC)and The Feud (Channel 5). Film credits include: Unwelcome (Warner Bros/Tempo Productions) and Redeeming Love (Mission Pictures International). Jamie-Lee authored, associate produced and starred in the Channel 4 documentary Jamie-Lee O’Donnell: The Real Derry, for which she won the RTS NI Award for Best On-Screen Talent.

SCOTT ELMEGREEN

Playwright Scott Elmegreen is a writer and composer based in Brooklyn and Chicago. He teaches playwriting, musical theatre writing, and songwriting at the University of Chicago. His work has premiered on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and around the world, and has been adapted to film for theatrical release, HBO, and streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Scott’s plays and musicals include Straight, Tiananmen, Thucydides, Ghost of John McCain, Hip Hop Cinderella, Ivy+Bean, and The Magic School Bus.

DREW FORNAROLA

Playwright Drew Fornarola has written for DreamWorks’ Shrek and VeggieTale franchises and is the founding artistic director of Starring Buffalo. He has written eight Off-Broadway shows, including Straight (NY Times Critics’ Pick) and Tilly the Trickster (with SNL’s Molly Shannon), and several films, including VeggieTales: Noah’s Ark, starring Wayne Brady (Netflix). He is the recipient of a 2026 NYSCA Support for Artists Grant, a Biller Social Impact Grant, the 2024 Artie Award for Best New Play, and 10 MAC Award Nominations for songwriting.  

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LISTINGS

Box Office: MainstageSeason.com

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All seats £25 at the first preview of each production.

World Premiere

AFFLUENZA

Now extend until 28 November 2026 

Performance schedule:

Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm

Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm

Captioned performance:  Saturday 14 November at 2.30pm

Cast: Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things), Janette Manrara (Strictly Come Dancing), Rupert Young (Bridgerton; Dear Evan Hansen), Juliet Cowan (Broken Glass, Young Vic), Wallis Currie-Wood (CBS TV’s Madam Secretary, Elektra on West End) and Donald Sage Mackay (Indian Ink, Hampstead Theatre; Girl from the North Country, West End).

World Premiere

SACRILEGIOUS

5 December 2026 – 23 January 2027

Performance schedule:

Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm

Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm

Captioned performance: Saturday 9 January at 2.30pm

Cast to be announced.

World Premiere

EXPECTING

30 January – 27 March 2027

Performance schedule:

Monday – Saturday,7.30pm

Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm

Captioned performance: Saturday 6 March at 2.30pm

Cast: John Bradley (3 Body Problem, Game of Thrones), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones, Skins), Katie Leung (Bridgerton, Harry Potter), and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Screw, Derry Girls).

Performance schedules may vary, please visit website for full details. 

Theatre Royal Windsor – until 3 October 2026

Reviewed by Andrew and Kate Lawrence

5*****

“And who doesn’t like a bit of history wrapped up in mystery?”

Even before we entered the theatre tonight, we knew that there was a lot of history behind ‘The Anastasia File’ play. It was originally performed at the same theatre in the 1950s, and more recently in May 2025. That particular production has been brought back to Windsor for four more nights this week with the same excellent cast, written by Royce Ryton and directed by Roy Marsden.

Fitting indeed, that the subject of the play concerns another part of history surrounded by mystery and subterfuge. The story of a woman, rescued from a Berlin canal and sent to an asylum, who might perhaps turn out to be Princess Anastasia, the last remaining survivor of the Russian Romanov family, massacred by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

On the other hand, she might turn out to be a fraud, as the story explains, there were so many claiming to be the woman who, as legend has it, escaped the massacre in Ekaterinburg. But this woman never actually claims to be her, in fact it is only everyone else concluding that she must be the princess, given her faultless performance and characterisation of someone who could only be a Russian Tsar’s daughter.

Jenny Seagrove gives such a convincing performance, playing the part of Anastasia that she gives the audience the impression she must be the princess but is it all just an act?

Indeed the entire cast gave such a masterclass performance, switching between scenes so slickly and efficiently, it was like reading a gripping book that you could just not put down. Simon Shepherd plays the parts of both Inspectors, father and son. Rosie Thompson has many roles including multiple nurses, and many Russian and American aunts. Ashley D. Gayle plays the part of multiple doctors and lawyers and the understudies Andrew P Stephen and Kate Stafford provide many other background roles throughout the performance. You would be forgiven for thinking this cast has been doing this for years, perhaps they have.

The play reenacts the story perfectly, it re-tells the historical facts accurately but also delivers it in a way conveying exactly how this woman must have been received at the time. And who doesn’t like a bit of history wrapped up in mystery?

I’m not going to tell you how it ends, you’ll have to go see it and find out for yourself, just go see it before it finishes on Saturday 3rd October 2026.

A TRIO OF GLAMOUR CATS ANNOUNCED FOR UK AND IRELAND TOUR OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S MULTI-AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL

LOUISE DEARMAN, ALICE FEARN AND RACHAEL WOODING

JOIN THE JELLICLE TRIBE TO PLAY THE ICONIC ROLE ‘GRIZABELLA’

MICHAEL HARRISON FOR LLOYD WEBBER HARRISON MUSICALS PRESENTS THE REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE PRODUCTION ACROSS A MAJOR UK AND IRELAND TOUR 

https://uktour.catsthemusical.com

Following its record-breaking summer season in London, the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s global sensation, CATSwill embark on a major UK and Ireland tour presented by Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals.

Three acclaimed West End performers, Louise Dearman (Wicked, Evita), Alice Fearn (Come From Away, Wicked) and Rachael Wooding (CATS, We Will Rock You and Starlight Express) will share the iconic role of ‘Grizabella’. Directed and choreographed by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Artistic Director Drew McOnie, the tour opens at Plymouth Theatre Royal on Tuesday 6 October, 2026.

Louise Dearman is the only actor in the world to have played both Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre). Other theatre credits include: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK tour); Evita (UK tour); Guys and Dolls (UK tour and Piccadilly Theatre); Grease (Victoria Palace Theatre and UK tour); Kiss Me Kate (Victoria Palace); Jekyll and Hyde (UK Tour); Side Show (London Palladium and Southwark Playhouse); The Waterbabies (Leicester Curve); Wonderful Town (Opera Holland Park); Mimma (Cadogan Hall and Teatro Verdi Trieste); Tell Me On A Sunday (International). Concert credits include: Gravity (World Tour); BBC Proms; The BBC Concert Orchestra, The London Concert Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The John Wilson Orchestra, The Halle Orchestra, The Camerata, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Alice Fearn’s theatre credits include: Kimberly Akimbo (Hampstead Theatre); Wicked (West End); Come From Away (Phoenix Theatre, London); Dear Evan Hansen (UK Tour); Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre, London); Shrek The Musical (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Into The Woods (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre, London) and The Woman in White (Palace Theatre, London). Television includes: EastEnders and Tonight’s The Night. Film includes: WICKED: Part One; Les Misérables; WICKED: For Good; Sweeney Todd; Alice in Wonderland; Clash of the Titans; Mamma Mia! and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Rachael Wooding’s theatre credits include: Grizabella in CATS at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Military Wives (York Theatre Royal); Standing at the Sky’s Edge (Gillian Lynne Theatre/National Theatre/Sheffield Crucible); Pretty Woman (Savoy Theatre); Fat Friends the Musical (UK Tour); We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre); Street of Dreams (Manchester Evening News Arena); Jersey Boys (Prince Edward Theatre); Evita (UK Tour); Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre); Saturday Night Fever (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Footloose (UK Tour); Fame (Aldwych Theatre); Starlight Express (Bochum, Germany); CATS (Operettenhaus, Hamburg). TV includes: Girlfriends (ITV); Britain’s Got Talent (ITV); Al Murray’s Happy Hour (ITV); Doctors (BBC); Coronation Street (ITV); The Royal Variety Performance (ITV).

Louise Dearman says of joining the UK and Ireland tour ofCATS: “Memory is one of the most famous songs in musical theatre history, so to perform it every night is incredible. Plus, the long list of women who have played ‘Grizabella’ is pretty iconic in itself!”

Alice Fearn continues: “Grizabella’ is one of those roles I had on my ‘dream’ list. The chance to be a part of this huge CATS legacy and get the opportunity to sing one of the most iconic scores ever written is something I will cherish forever.”

Rachael Wooding concludes: “It feels like a full circle moment for me. CATS was my first musical out of drama school and getting to be part of the Jellicle tribe again, this time as ‘Grizabella’, both at Regent’s Park and now on tour, feels really special.”

‘Memory’ is one of musical theatre’s defining songs. It won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song, Musically and Lyrically in 1982, and the original West End ‘Grizabella’, Elaine Paige had a top 10 UK chart hit with the song. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s haunting musical masterpiece has been recorded by many other notable performers, including Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow.

Louise Dearman’s ‘Grizabella’ dates include: Theatre Royal, Plymouth; Birmingham, Hippodrome; Bristol,Hippodrome; Norwich, Theatre Royal and Edinburgh, Edinburgh Playhouse.

Alice Fearn will play ‘Grizabella’ in: Llandudno,Venue Cymru; Glasgow, Theatre Royal; Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall; Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre; Sunderland, Empire Theatre; Aberdeen, His Majesty’s Theatre; Belfast, Grand Opera House; Dublin, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre; Oxford, New Theatre; Southampton, Mayflower Theatre; Bradford, Alhambra Theatre; Liverpool, Empire Theatre; Woking, Woking Theatre; Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre; Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Theatre and Newcastle, Theatre Royal.

Rachael Wooding appears as‘Grizabella’ in Hull, New Theatre and Manchester, Palace Theatre. Please see venue dates below.

They join the previously announced UK and Ireland tour company, starring: Fin Adams (Alonzo), Kalisha Amaris (Old Deuteronomy), Carla Bertran (Electra and Co-Dance Captain), Elliot Broadfoot (Bustopher Jones / Gus), Grace Burrows (Swing), Matthew Caputo (Skimbleshanks), Josie Chambers-Sims (Syllabub), Briana Craig (Rumpleteazer), Katie Dunsden (Bombalurina), Joshua-Samuel Freeman (Tumblebrutus), Regan Garcia (Pouncival), Aaron Jenkins (Swing), Hannah Joseph (Victoria), Taziva-Faye Katsande (Tantomile), Diante Lodge (Macavity), Shona Mairi Masson (Swing), Owen McHugh (George), Danny Nattrass (Mungojerrie), Millie O’Connell (Demeter), Andrew Parfit (Coricopat), Dean Rickards (Swing), Nathan Rigg (Swing), Lucie-Mae Sumner (Jellylorum /Griddlebone), Laura Tyrer (Jennyanydots / Gumbie Cat), Jaydon Vijn (Rum Tum Tugger), Jack Wilcox (Munkustrap), Jet Yau (Mr. Mistoffelees), Taela Yeomans-Brown (Swing and Co-Dance Captain), and Patricia Zhou (Cassandra).

‘A new day has begun.’

From Euston station to Victoria Grove, the strays and rebels of London gather under the Jellicle moon in the hope they’ll be the chosen one. And each of them asks, because each of them dares, who will it be?

Based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and with a legendary score by Andrew Lloyd Webber which inspired generations featuring Old Deuteronomy, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Jellicle Ball and the chart-topping hit Memory, this brand-new production of CATS, directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie (Brigadoon, Jesus Christ Superstar), is a magical musical like no other.

CATS is one of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history. The show originally premiered at the New London Theatre in 1981, where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances. The ground-breaking production was the winner of the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. In 1983, the Broadway production became the recipient of seven Tony awards, including Best Musical. It ran for 18 years.

Since its world premiere, CATS has been presented in over 54 countries, has been translated into 23 languages and has been seen by more than 77 million people worldwide. The Broadway cast recording won a Grammy Award for Best Cast Album. In 2026, CATS will also embark on 2 major international tours.

Joining Drew McOnie on the creative team are Sami Fendall, Set, Costume and Wigs Designer; Jessica Hung Han Yun, Lighting Designer; Adam Fisher, Sound Designer; Guy Common, Makeup Designer; Ingrid Mackinnon, Intimacy Director; Kev McCurdy, Fight Director; Will Burton, Casting Director and Alex Parker, Musical Supervisor.

 

CATS 2026 – 2027 UK TOUR DATES

Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals presents a Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of CATS.

Theatre Royal, Plymouth

6 – 17 October 2026

www.theatreroyal.com

Louise Dearman performs as Grizabella

Hull, New Theatre

20 – 24 October 2026

www.hulltheatres.co.uk

Rachael Wooding performs as Grizabella

Birmingham, Hippodrome

27 Oct -7 November 2026

www.birminghamhippodrome.com

Louise Dearman performs as Grizabella

Manchester, Palace Theatre

10 – 21 November 2026

www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester

Rachael Wooding performs as Grizabella

Bristol, Hippodrome  

24 – 28 November 2026

www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome

Louise Dearman performs as Grizabella

Llandudno, Venue Cymru

1 – 5 December 2026

www.venuecymru.co.uk

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Glasgow, Theatre Royal  

8 – 27 December 2026

www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall

6 – 16 January 2027

www.trch.co.uk

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre                              

19 – 23 January 2027

www.marlowetheatre.com

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Sunderland, Empire Theatre   

26 – 30 January 2027

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Aberdeen, His Majesty’s Theatre  

9 – 13 February 2027

www.aberdeenperformingarts.com

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Norwich, Theatre Royal 

16 – 27 February 2027

www.norwichtheatre.org

Louise Dearman performs as Grizabella

Belfast, Grand Opera House    

2 – 13 March 2027

www.goh.co.uk

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Dublin, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

16 – 20 March 2027

www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Oxford, New Theatre

23 – 27 March 2027

www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Southampton, Mayflower Theatre  

30 March – 10 April 2027

www.mayflower.org.uk

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Edinburgh, Playhouse Theatre   

20 – 24 April 2027

www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse

Louise Dearman performs as Grizabella

Bradford, Alhambra Theatre    

27 April – 1 May 2027

https://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/alhambra-theatre

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Liverpool, Empire Theatre   

5 – 15 May 2027

www.liverpooltheatres.com/whats-on/liverpool-empire-theatre_liverpool

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Woking, Woking Theatre

18 – 22 May 2027

www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre  

25 – 29 May 2027

www.wmc.org.uk 

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Theatre   

1 – 5 June 2027

www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Newcastle, Theatre Royal 

8 – 19 June 2027 

www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Alice Fearn performs as Grizabella

Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham – until Saturday 10th October 2026

Reviewed by Chris Jarvis

5*****

I love to investigate the background before reviewing a performance and learned that the visionary producer Judy Craymer met Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus while working for Tim Rice in the early ‘80s when they were collaborating with him on the musical ‘Chess’. Craymer describes Abba’s songs taking her on a journey and she starts seeing them as a narrative for a story. Together with writer Catherine Johnson, and director Phyllida Lloyd, the threesome worked together to produce this female led show.

Their collaboration opened in London’s West End in April 1999 as an original stage musical using existing popular songs that fitted perfectly within a new original story. It was an instant success and has since become a record-breaking global phenomenon seen by over 70 million people worldwide, in 50 countries and 16 languages. This feelgood musical has resulted in two smash-hit films – Mamma Mia! in 2008 and a sequel Here We Go Again in 2018. Apparently, Craymer is currently working on a third movie using more of Abba’s huge playlist to complete the trilogy!

I was really looking forward to seeing this 2026 production of Mamma Mia at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall! I was lucky to see it on Broadway while in New York in 2003 where it had been running since it’s opening night on October 5, 2001 barely a month after “9/11”, following a brief pause in theatre productions after the unprecedented tragedy.

Tonight’s performance was truly spectacular on the wide stage of Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall. The Greek inspired set was simple, but real and effective, the music both uplifting or moving depending on the scene, the costumes were bright, colourful and crazy and went beyond your wildest imagination from wet suits and flippers to a beautiful and demure wedding dress.

The storyline centres on 20yr old Sophie (Hazel Baldwin) who secretly invites three former lovers of her mother, Donna (Jenn Griffin), to her wedding to Sky (Samual Downey) on a Greek island to find out which one is her biological father – what could possibly go wrong

The acting was incredible – it felt like the actors were their character and not acting as them. All the characters were a blend of genuine love and emotion with humour and there are numerous hilarious characters in the story. Donna’s best friends Rosie (Lauren Woolf) and Tanya (Sarah Earnshaw) made a comeback as their former band Donna and the Dynamos in vibrant sparkly jumpsuits, bell-bottom trousers, wide waist sashes and tall platform boots blasting out “Super Trouper” and other well-known Abba songs.

There were so many memorable scenes but one of my favorite’s was Tanya and Rosie trying to cheer up Donna after she realised Sam, Bill and Harry were all on the island 21 years after she’d last seen them. It was a hilarious romp around the bedroom singing “Chiquitita” – the words of which were surprisingly poignant raising her spirits enough to finish with a high energy rendition of “Dancing Queen”.

I also loved the priceless beach scene where cheeky young Pepper (Ashton Sharp) tries it on with thrice divorced Tanya who responds with a brilliant performance of “Does Your Mother Know” with some incredible dancing and acrobatics from other cast members and ensemble.

The music was brilliant though the initial loud blast at the beginning of each half was louder than usual with audience members startled into attention. The finale had everyone up singing and dancing and the enjoyment of the whole cast was palpable and spread throughout the audience.

Don’t miss this phenomenal performance which is on nightly with additional matinees until Saturday 9th October. Age recommendation 12y+, it has cross-generation appeal and even those who aren’t Abba fans will enjoy this heartwarming, exciting show that has had spectacular success in almost 3 decades and continues to collect new devotees.