Sparkle Of The Stage

​ Photo Credit: Photos provided by production.  Hope Mill Theatre and Chris Harper Productions with Lowry have today announced Jason Donovan will star in Disney’s High School Musical as Coach Bolton. He will join previously announced Tobias Turley, Leonor Correia, Caitlin Tipping and Luke Bayer.  Celebrating 20 years since the iconic movie’s release, Lowry, Salford will open the first UK non-replica production on 22 August 2026 which will now run until the extended date Saturday 19 September.  On joining the production, Jason said  “High school musical was such a massive part of my kids early childhood. As a parent and as a musical fan the film was family entertainment at its best. Magical! Loved it. Popular culture has a cycle and I’m delighted to be joining this new reimagined High School Musical theatrical experience 20 years on from when I first discovered the film. Looking forward to seeing all in Salford.” High School Musical has a book by David Simpatico with ...

​ Photo Credit: Beetlejuice West End Crossroads Live and Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures have announced the first casting for the long‑awaited West End premier of Beetlejuice The Musical. Following its success on Broadway, Beetlejuice The Musical will make its West End debut this year with Olivier Award nominee David Fynn (School of Rock) taking on the title role of Beetlejuice.  Based on Tim Burton’s iconic cult classic, the musical follows Lydia Deetz, a gothic teenager caught between the living and the dead, and the mischievous ghost with the most, Beetlejuice.  About stepping into the shoes of Beetlejuice, David Fynn said: “It’s a show I’ve admired for a long time – bold, funny, and totally chaotic. Getting the chance to step into such an iconic role is both a huge honour and a slightly surreal experience. I’m looking forward to bringing my own take to it while staying true to what makes the character so much fun. Plus, I do look good in stripes, and I am a little dead insid...

​ Photo credits: Production and Mark Senior.  The full cast has been revealed for Drew McOnie’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS. Based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S.Eliot, and directed and choreographed by McOnie, the show is set to begin performances this summer at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. The cast features Fin Adams (Alonzo), Carla Bertran (Electra/co-dance captain), Eliot Broadfoot (Bustopher Jones), Grace Burrows (offstage swing), Matthew Caputo (Skimbleshanks), Josie Chamber-Sims (Syllabub (Jemima), Briana Craig (Rumpleteazer), Katie Dunsden (Bombalurina), Joshua-Samuel Freeman (Tumblebrutus (Bill Bailey), Regan Garcia (Pouncival (Carbuckety), and Aaron Jenkins (Offstage Swing). Also joining the cast will be Hannah Joseph (Victoria), Taziva-Faye-Katsande (Tantomile), Melanie La Barrie (Old Deuteronomy), Diante Lodge (Macavity / Admetus), Owen McHugh (George), Danny Nattrass (Mungojerry), Millie O’Connell (Demeter), Andrew Parfitt (Coricopat)...

​ Photo Credit: Jesus Christ Superstar and London Palladium.  Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals has today announced further casting for Jesus Christ Superstar at The London Palladium this summer.  Tyrone Huntley will reprise his role of Judas Iscariot, Desmonda Cathabel will play Mary Magdalen and David Thaxton will return to the role of Pontius Pilate.  The production which runs from the 20 June to 5 September 2026 will feature previously announced Sam Ryder as the title role, alongside the six performers sharing the role of King Herod: Jesse Tyler Ferguson (20 June - 11 July), Simon Russell Beale (13 - 25 July), Richard Armitage (27 July - 1 August), Boy George (3 - 15 August excluding 8 August), Layton Williams (17 - 29 August) and Julian Clary (31 August - 5 September).  Jesus Christ Superstar has lyrics by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The revival will mark a homecoming for the production originall...

​ Comedy icons Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will return to the stage together for the first time in 17 years to play the Ugly Step Sisters in this year’s Palladium pantomime Cinderella.  The duo will be joined by returning cast members Julian Clary, who returns wand in hand as The Fairy Godfather, along with  Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Rob Madge as the panto enters its 11th season.  The cast will also include Dex Lee as Prince Charming and Hope Dawe as Cinderella who will both make their Palladium Panto debuts this year.  The 2026 production will also be the 11th consecutive year that Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin and Nigel Havers have performed in since the Palladium panto was revived back in 2016.  Cinderella is produced and directed by Michael Harrison for Crossroads Pantomimes with a  creative team featuring set designer Mark Walters, costume designers Hugh Durrant, Teresa Nalton and Mike Coltman, choreography by Karen Bruce, with visual effects fro...

​ Photo Credit: Headshots provided by production.  Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies is set to return for a concert revival at The London Palladium later this year. Produced by Darren Bell and Cuffe and Taylor, the production will run for two performances on 16 and 17 October 2026. Jamie Muscato will star as the Phantom with Celinde Schoenmaker as Christine Daaé which will see her return to the role after her portrayal in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane concert in 2023.  Love Never Dies is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera which follows on a decade after the original story. It has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth and Glenn Slater.  The Love Never Dies Concert will again be directed by Shaun Kerrison, with the revival marking part of the West End’s celebrations this October for the 40th Anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera which continues to be one of the West End’s most popular and longe...

​ Photo Credit: Johan Persson Grease The Musical will be heading out on a new UK Tour in 2027, with a first set of dates now confirmed. Directed by Nikolai Foster with Choreography by Arlene Phillips, the production which first started at Curve Leicester in 2016, has since had a number of triumphant tours and West End runs, including at Dominion Theatre in London’s West End.  The 2027 tour will open at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 23 April 2027 and will then visit Wolverhampton (17 - 22 May), Stoke-on-Trent (24 - 29 May ), Oxford (19 - 24 July), Liverpool (26 - 31 July), Edinburgh (20 - 25 September), Sunderland (4 - 9 October), Nottingham (12 - 16 October) and Birmingham (18 - 23 October) with further venues and a full set of tour dates to be announced.  The show which includes popular numbers such as “Hopelessly Devoted”, “Summer Nights” and “Greased Lightnin’ is sure to, once again be one audiences won’t want to miss.  Cast and further creative team will be revealed soon....

​ Photo Credit: The Play That Goes Wrong The Play That Goes Wrong has revealed it will appear in tonight’s broadcast of Comic Relief: Funny for Money on BBC One.  Comic Relief: Funny for Money which begins at 7pm will feature a specially filmed sketch by the cast in which they will be sharing different ways to donate.  Cast include: Izzy Edmunds-Clarke as Annie, Jack Hardwick as Chris, Robert Jackson as Robert, Jonty Peach as Johnathan, Charlotte Scott as Sandra, Mitesh Soni as Dennis, Tom Wainwright as and Ronnie Yorke as Trevor and Winston the dog appearing as himself (if Winston can be found that is). Understudies are Alex Blackie, Jake Burgum, Kitty Devlin, Louise Hoare and Ed Shamwana.  The cast will bring their own funny side to the Comic Relief broadcast which streams live from 7pm on BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC’s official YouTube Channel.  Make sure to tune in! 

​ Photo Credit: Headshots provided by production.  The Barn Theatre has today announced its cast for a new revival of Double Double.  Written by Rick Elice and Roger Rees, with direction from Ryan McBride the production is set to star Daniel Brocklebank and Faye Brookes and will run at The Barn Theatre, Cirencester from 28 April to 30 May.  Two Strangers. One Big Lie. The story follows Philippa, who’s husband Richard passes just weeks prior to his 37th Birthday, the very point in life which required him to be alive and married for her to inherit his estate. Quick thinking from Philippa results in her devising a plan to find a lookalike who can pass off as Richard in order for her to obtain and split the £2 million inheritance. Double Double for the Barn’s spring season will mark 40 years since the play first premiered at the Fortune Theatre, London with further creative team for the revival to be announced.  Pygmalion meets Dial M For Murder, this story of power, lo...

​ Photo Credit: Artwork for the show supplied by Sonia Friedman Productions and Nica Burns.  Sonia Friedman productions has today announced that a new revival of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ will open in the West End this autumn. The production will feature Gillian Anderson as Martha, Billy Crudup as George, and Phoebe Horn as Honey.  In the early hours of the morning, the play which is set on the campus of an American college follows the story of Martha and George, who invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey back to their home. As the night unfolds, and morning approaches the two couples engage in a series of escalating exchanges until it reaches its climax of the devastating truth.  The production will open at sohoplace on the 21 September where it will play a 13 week run until the 19 December. Creative team also includes Miriam Buether as designer, James Farncombe as lighting designer, Ian Dickinson as sound designer, and Jim Carnahan as casting director.  Ti...

​ Photo Credit: Feast Creative Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals has today confirmed full dates for the CATS UK tour.  With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot the new revival of CATS is directed and choreographed by Regents Park Open Air Theatre Artistic Director Drew McOnie where it will play a summer season at the venue from 25 July - 12 September. Following the summer run at Regents Park Open Air Theatre the tour will open at Theatre Royal, Plymouth from 6 - 16 October 2026 which will then visit Hull New Theatre (20 - 24 October), Birmingham Hippodrome (27 October - 7 November), Manchester Palace Theatre (10 - 21 November), Bristol Hippodrome (24 - 28 November), Llandudno Venue Cymru (1 - 5 December) and Theatre Royal Glasgow ( 8 - 27 December)  Newly confirmed dates for 2027 today are Nottingham Theatre Royal (6 - 16 January 2027), Marlowe Theatre Canterbury (19 - 23 January 2027), Sunderland Empire...

​ Ride The Cyclone will return to London this summer.  After a freak roller-coaster accident, six teenagers find themselves suspended in limbo and offered one final chance to return to life. One by one, they step into the spotlight to prove why they deserve that second chance.  Written by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, ‘ Ride The Cyclone ’ will play Southwark Playhouse Elephant for a 10 week summer run from 19 June to 22 August 2026. Ride The Cyclone The Musical is directed and choreographed by Lizzi Gee with musical direction and supervision by Ben McQuigg, set and costume design by Ryan Dawson Laight, lighting design by Tim Deiling, video design by Nina Dunn for PixelLux, sound design by Tom Marshall, illusion design by Richard Pinner, casting by Harry Blumenau and associate direction by Eva Sampton. Production Management is by Toby P Darvill for Production Solutions Group, with general management by Jack Maple Productions.  We’re back for round two. Ready to ride ...

​ Photo Credit: Matt Crockett  The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical has extended its run at the Dominion Theatre in the West End.  Opening in December 2024, the show will  also see Vanessa Williams continue in the role of Miranda Priestly until Saturday 17 October 2026. Matt Henry will also remain with the show in the role of Nigel until the aforementioned date.  Current cast includes Stevie Doc as Andy, Taila Halford as Emily, Keelan McAuley as Nate and James Darch as Christian with ensemble featuring Gabby Antrobus, Georgia Aspinall, Anta Bah, Selena Barron, Evonnee Bentley-Holder, Pamela Blair, Jenna Bonner, Xenoa Campbell-Ledgister, Lloyd Davies, Jinny Gold, Selina Hamilton, Kimberley Hoyle, Luke Jackson, Emma Johnson, Justin-Lee Jones, Debbie Kurup (as alternate Miranda), Mark Lamb, Ethan Le Phong, Brandon Lee Sears, Nathan Lorainey-Dineen, Dean Makowski-Clayton, Shannon Molloy, Eleanor Peach, Joshua Robinson, Joshua Steel, Kayleigh Thadani, Harry Tunningley, Ale...

​ Photo Credit: Danny Kaan West End LIVE will return to Trafalgar Square on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June 2026, bringing a packed lineup of free performances across the weekend from some of London’s top West End shows, yet to be announced.  Presented by Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre, the annual event is open to the public with no general admission tickets required. Audiences can expect performances from many West End shows as well as touring productions.  Official London Theatre will also provide performances and backstage content, streamed online via their Youtube and social media.  For 2026, the organisers will again keep the environmentally focused production model introduced at last year’s event, which consisted of large-scale battery-powered staging.   An online competition will run prior to the event, offering 100 queue-jump places per day. One winner will also receive backstage access, along with Theatre tokens and a merchandise v...

​ It has been announced the upcoming production of High School Musical will extend its run at Lowry, Salford due to demand.  Produced by Hope Mill Theatre and Chris Harper Productions with Lowry, the first UK non-replica production of Disney’s High School Musical marks two decades since the iconic films original release.  As announced exclusively at this year’s Whatsonstage Awards, the cast includes Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping as Sharpay and Luke Bayer as Ryan.  Further casting is to be announced.  Featuring a book by David Simpatico and with music adapted, arranged and produced by Bryan Louiselle, High School Musical will be co-directed by Hope Mill founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton.  The production will now run at The Lowry in Salford from 21st August to the newly extended date 19th September 2026.  Tickets for the extended period are now on sale and more information can be found at thelowry.com 

​ Today it has been announced that a workshop of a new musical ‘ I Dream ’ will have its UK premiere at The Other Palace on Monday 27th April at 7:30pm.  ‘ I Dream ’ follows civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy at the end of his life as he reflects on his lifelong friendship and memories with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., all set against a contemporary score rooted in gospel and soul.  ‘ I Dream ’ features book, music and lyrics by Douglas Tapping, with additional writing by Jonathan Payne. The workshop will be directed by Annabel Mutale Reed with music direction by Keith Williams and casting by Heather Basten CDG CSA.  ‘ I Dream ’ premiered in Atlanta in 2010, on the Alliance Stage, Directed by Jasmine Guy. A concert version of the musical was performed in 2017 at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. The musical was performed as an opera between 2017 and 2021, before further musical and concert presentations in the USA, including at NYC’s Apo...

​Hello! Welcome to Sparkle Of The Stage! A theatre blog for all things theatre news, reviews and more!  In these blogs you’ll find someone with a huge passion for theatre sharing their own views about various shows and other bits and bobs. I’m a UK based theatre reviewer who has been reviewing shows for a while. I decided now was the time to create my own theatre blog to share my stagey adventures.  If, like me you love the theatre and like reading reviews and news stories please follow along on my journey to enjoy all the stagey content! 🎭 SOTS x