Sparkle Of The Stage

​ Photo Credit: Courtesy of production  The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced full casting for the world premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King, a new theatre show based on the novels by George R R Martin, adapted for the stage by Duncan Macmillan.  The cast includes Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark, Elizabeth Ayodele as Princess Elia Martell, Maxim Ays as Ser Jaime Lannister, Miles Barrow as Benjen Stark,  Islam Bouakkaz as Howland Reed, Luke Brady as Brandon Stark, Marty Breen as Catelyn Stark, Sebastian Charles as Owen Merryweather and Ensemble, Adrain Christopher as Prince Lewyn Martell/Ensemble, Ronan Cullen (Ensemble/Swing), Fred Davis as Qarlton Chelsted/Ensemble,  Edem-Ita Duke as Oberyn Martell,  Simi Egbejumi-David (Ensemble),  Daisy Franks as Cersei Lannister/Ensemble,  Mariah Gale as Queen Rhaella Targaryen/Lady Shella Whent, Richard Hansell as Grand Maester Pycelle, Daniel Hawksford as Ser Barristan Selmy, Lewis Howard (Ensemble),...

​ Photo Credit: Provided by production  It has been announced Divina De Campo will star as The Amazing Karnak in the return of Ride The Cyclone The Musical at Southwark Playhouse Elephant this summer.  Written by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, the show follows six teenagers who are killed in a rollercoaster accident. Suspended in limbo, they are offered one final chance to return to life and one by one, they step into the spotlight to prove why they deserve that second chance.  We’re back for round two. Ready to ride again?  Divina De Campo joins the previously announced Josh Butler as Noel, Grace Galloway as Jane Doe, Robyn Gilbertson as Constance, Bartek Kraszewski as Mischa, Jack Maverick as Ricky and Kayna Montecillo as Ocean. The company is completed by Nathaniel Purnell and Rebecca D’Lacey, who return as swings.  On joining the production, De Campo said: “I am so excited to be joining this amazing vibrant cast for what is a hilarious and tongue-in-chee...

​ Double Double written by Roger Rees and Rick Elice, is currently being revived at Barn Theatre and is the psychological thriller which will get everyone talking. Directed by Ryan McBryde, the show stars Faye Brookes and Daniel Brocklebank, and follows the story of Phillipa James, who’s husband Richard dies prior to the birthday that the terms of his inheritance required him to be alive and married. As Phillipa struggles with her grief, she hatches a plan: find someone who can falsely take on Richard’s identity and split the money between them. Question is, can she convince Duncan (Richard’s doppelgänger) to go along with the lie?  The show’s opening scene which takes place in Phillipa’s stylish, modern apartment, sets the scene perfectly for this powerful two-hander. As Duncan (Daniel Brocklebank) comes on the scene, it’s here when the anticipated drama begins.  Watching the production play out, it has an intensity that keeps the audience hooked, this is largely due to the ...

​ Cameron Mackintosh has announced full casting for Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular.  Joining the previously announced cast are original company member Peter Polycarpou and Philip Quast, who will share the role of the Bishop of Digne in the UK/Ireland and New York. Also returning to the show is Rob Madge in the role of Bamatabois, having previously played Gavroche in the 25th Anniversary Concert. They join Alfie Boe, Killian Donnelly or Gerónimo Rauch as Jean Valjean; Bradley Jaden or Jeremy Secomb as Javert; Samantha Barks or Katie Hall as Fantine; Matt Lucas and Marina Prior or Helen Walsh as the Thénardiers; Jac Yarrow as Marius;  Beatrice Penny-Touré as Cosette; Shan Ako as Éponine; and Christian Mark Gibbs as Enjolras. The company is completed by West End performers Kelly Agbowu, Amelia Broadway, Mary Jean Caldwell, Harry Chandler, Rosy Church, Gabrielle Cummins, Beth Curnock, Jade Davies, Jordan Lee Davies, Jonathan David Dudley, Bryony Duncan, Harry Dunnet...

​ Photo Credit: Barn Theatre Cirencester  The Barn Theatre in Cirencester has revealed the full cast and creative team for the return of Million Dollar Quartet.  Directed by Jonathan O'Boyle with a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, the production follows real life events of the night on 4 December 1956 when Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley came together by chance for an impromptu jam session at Sun Records in Memphis. The show features a classily defined soundtrack, including ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Fever’, ‘Walk The Line’, ‘Hound Dog’ and many more.  Joining previously announced Darren Day as Sam Phillips will be Connor Payne as Elvis Presley, Christopher Erasmus as Johnny Cash, Joe Bence reprising his role as Jerry Lee Lewis, and Joey Bradick as Carl Perkins. They are joined by Jenay Naima as Dyanne, Geraint Downing as Brother Jay and Josh Haberfield as WS “Fluke” Holland. The creative team for the show includes choreographer Joanna Goodwin...

​ Hadestown has extended its West End run to June 2027.  Now entering its third year in London, the musical retells the mythic love stories of Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone.  The West End production currently stars Rachel Adedeji as Persephone, Bethany Antonia as Eurydice, Marley Fenton as Orpheus, Alastair Parker as Hades and Clive Rowe as Hermes.  The company is completed by Melanie Bright, Spike Maxwell and Lauren Rae as the Fates, alongside Femi Akinfolarin, Michelle Andrews, Gabriela Benedetti, Ollie Bingham and Sebastian Lim-Seet as Workers, with Juan Jackson, Oisin Nolan-Power, Lindo Shinda, Jasmine Triadi and Milly Willows as Swings.  The show has a book, music and lyrics by Anaïs Mitchell, with direction by Rachel Chavkin. The rest of the creative team  includes choreographer David Neumann, scenic designer Rachel Hauck, costume designer Michael Krass, lighting designer Bradley King, sound designers Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, music...

​ Starlight Express has announced UK dates and venues for its 2027 world tour.  The beloved musical returned to London in 2024, where the new production opened to widespread critical acclaim at Troubadour Wembley Park. It then went on to win multiple awards, including an Olivier Award and a record-breaking seven WhatsOnStage Awards, and became London’s longest running revival of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in 20 years. Starlight Express, which has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, follows the story of a train set through a child’s perspective, as they come to life and race to become the fastest in the world.  Rusty the steam train has little hope of winning until he is inspired by the legend of the ‘Starlight Express’. The new production is directed by Luke Sheppard and will feature set designs by Tim Hatley, costume designs by Gabriella Slade, lighting designs by Howard Hudson, sound designs by Gareth Owen, new orchestrations by Matthew Brind with...

Photo Credit: (Pretty Woman and Marc Brenner)  Pretty Woman: The Musical is set to return for a new UK tour in 2027.  Based on the tale of unexpected romance in the late ’80s, Pretty Woman features original music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and a book by the movie’s director Garry Marshall and the original film’s screenwriter J F Lawton. It has previously had successful runs in Chicago and on Broadway, as well as in the West End and a sell-out UK tour in 2023.  The show has direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell, with a wider creative team including scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by Tom Rogers adapted from the original Broadway designs by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Philip S Rosenberg, sound design by John Shivers, hair design by Josh Marquette, and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Will Van Dyke with direction recreated by Dominic Shaw.  The tou...

​ The boys are back! Full casting has been announced for Jersey Boys 20th anniversary UK and Ireland tour, which opens this summer.  The anniversary cast will be led by Luke Baker as Frankie Valli, alongside Carlo Boumouglbay as Tommy DeVito, Lewis Kennedy as Nick Massi, Toby Miles as Bob Gaudio and Ellis Kirk as Alternate Frankie Valli.  Also joining the company are  Aiden Carson as Joey, Artemis Chrisoulakis as Francine, Sydnie Hocknell as Mary Delgado, Michael Levi as Bob Crewe, Olivia Mitchell as Lorraine, Jarryd Nurden as Hank Majewski, Oliver Tester as Norm Waxman, Damien Winchester as Barry Belson and Fed Zanni as Gyp DeCarlo.  The cast is completed by swings Scott Goncalves, Melissa Potts, Zach Sorrow and Joshua Spencer-Pepper.  Jersey Boys follows the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, from the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The show features hit songs, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like A Man, Can't Take My Eyes ...

​ Operation Mincemeat have announced its new West End cast, who will begin performances at the Fortune Theatre from 11 May 2026.  Written and composed by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts of SpitLip, the musical comedy is based on the true story of the high octane, unbelievably funny and eccentric secret mission that helped the allies to win World War II. The year is 1943 and we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse.  The show has been described as ‘Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Noel Coward meets Noel Fielding’. After hugely popular sell-out runs at New Diorama Theatre and Southwark Playhouse, along with an extended Riverside Studios and its first UK tour, Operation Mincemeat has now transferred to the West End. The new West End cast will welcome new recruits Charlotte Fleming as Jean Leslie and Others, Colm Gleeson as Hester Leggatt and Others, Ahmed Hamad as Charles Cholmondeley and Ot...

​ Ride The Cyclone has announced casting for its London production, which will return to the Southwark Playhouse Elephant this summer.  We’re back for round two. Ready to ride again?  Written by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, the show follows six teenagers who are killed in a rollercoaster accident. Suspended in limbo, they are offered one final chance to return to life and one by one, they step into the spotlight to prove why they deserve that second chance.  Joining the St Cassian’s Chamber Choir and newly set to star are Kayna Montecillo as Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg and Josh Butler as Noel Gruber. They will be joined by returning cast members Grace Galloway as Jane Doe, Robyn Gilbertson as Constance Blackwood, Bartek Kraszewski as Mischa Bachinski and Jack Maverick as Ricky Potts. The company is completed by Nathaniel Purnell and Rebecca D’Lacey, who return as swings.  Casting for The Amazing Karnak is to be announced.  The show is directed and choreograp...

​ Full casting has been revealed for the UK tour revival of 9 to 5 the Musical.  Based on the 1980 film of the same name, 9 to 5 the Musical features music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and tells the story of three office workers who decide to take revenge on their overbearing boss. The cast includes Kayla Carter as Judy, Karla Tracey as Doralee, Jade Marvin as Violet, Tim Rogers as Hart, and Jessica Martin as Roz. They are joined by Sammy Graham, Ceris Hine, Bradley Judge, Benjamin Karran, Colin Kiyani, Alicia Mencía, Rodney Vubya and Jemima-Jane Willcox, with ensemble members Jamie Chidzey, Beth Woodcock and Ashley St John, who also serves as dance captain. Directed by Paul Jepson, the production will mark Landmark Theatre’s first in-house UK tour. The creative team features set and costume design by Amanda Stoodley, musical supervision by Mark Crossland, lighting design by Andy Purves, sound design by Chris Whybrow, and assistant direction by Sonny Nwachukwu.  9 to 5 is set to...

​ The Phantom of the Opera will welcome a new Christine at His Majesty’s Theatre later this month.  It has been announced Anna Zavelson will play the role of Christine Daaé for a limited 11-week run from Monday 18 May - Saturday 1 August 2026.  Zavelson previously played the role of Christine in Masquerade, the immersive New York adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, with her other theatre credits including her  debut as Younger Allie in The Notebook (Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre), Chinese Republicans (Laura Pels Theatre, Off-Broadway) and The Light in the Piazza (New York City Centre).  Anna will appear alongside Dean Chisnall as The Phantom, Ashley Gilmour as Raoul, Joanna Ampil as Carlotta Giudicelli, Martin Ball as Monsieur Firmin, Adam Linstead as Monsieur André, Helen Hobson as Madame Giry, Bradyn Debysingh as Ubaldo Piangi and Millie Lyon as Meg Giry, with Colleen Rose Curran appearing as Christine Daaé at selected performances.  The cast is completed by...

​ Midsomer Murders: The Killings at Badger’s Drift (based on the novel by Caroline Graham) is playing in Oxford this week, as one of the stops on its current UK tour, which as an avid Midsomer Murders fan I was excited to see what this show would have to offer and I can quite honestly say it did not disappoint!  Written and directed by Guy Unsworth, the play is set in 1997 and follows the story of well-loved spinster Emily Simpson, who is found dead in the picturesque village of Badger’s Drift. As suspicion starts to arise from Emily’s close friend Lucy Bellringer (Julie Legrand) that this might not be of natural causes, DCI Tom Barnaby (Daniel Casey) and Sergeant Gavin Troy (James Bradwell) are called in to investigate.  It was interesting to watch Daniel Casey go from playing Troy in the TV Series to now stepping in to the opposite role of Tom Barnaby for the stage play, in which his portrayal is brilliant. Bradwell as Troy also makes for fantastic theatre, as paired with Ca...