TRADGE THE THEATRE GEEK

PREMIERED: 2003 (National Theatre, London) PLAYWRIGHT: Martin McDonagh ----- Artwork from the 2023 west end revival I'm back again with the latest in my series of theatrical exponents which I would rather like to see either return to the stage, or be staged for the first time; today's featured work is the former, a Tony-winning play that has been staged in London more than once, as well as on broadway. Written by Oscar-winning Irish writer and director Martin McDonagh, "The P

The summer seems to have absolutely whizzed by, as we shall soon be waving it goodbye, and heralding the autumn days, darkening nights, plummeting temperatures, and undoubtedly a whole new set of shows opening, so let's round off the summer with another round of news updates from the past week. ----- RENT Full cast announced for upcoming west end revival The full cast for the upcoming west end revival of Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking musical “RENT” has been revealed, with

We're back once again with another week of theatre news, in a week during which we've seen temperatures dip and the rain come back with a vengeance, especially north of the border, with a handful of shows at the Edinburgh fringe being cancelled due to flash flooding. Here are the stories from the past week which have been the most noteworthy... ----- RIGHT BEFORE I GO Edinburgh Fringe success to transfer to London next month In the midst of an enormously successful run at the

PREMIERED: 1955 (46th Street Theatre, NYC) MUSIC/LYRICS: Richard Adler & Jerry Ross BOOK: George Abbott / Douglass Wallop ----- We return this week with a broadway golden age musical that not too long ago celebrated its 70th anniversary, and has its third revival in the big apple not too far round the corner. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross aren't what one would call prolific in their composition for the stage, in fact their partnership was tragically cut short due to the early

Another week, another round of news stories to recap; this week was my annual trip to Edinburgh for the Festival Fringe, and in the midst of sharing another series of reviews for the year, we also have another series of news updates to share, so let's get right to it... ----- LAYTON WILLIAMS West end and broadway actor to tour new concert production To celebrate two decades since he first made his professional stage debut, Tony Award nominee Layton Williams, star of musicals

PREMIERED: 2010 (Chichester Festival Theatre) SCORE: Howard Goodall / Stephen Clark BOOK: Stephen Clark Stream/Download: Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube ----- A return to the wish list sees us dive into the back catalogue of a composer you have probably heard more frequently on television, as Howard Goodall to most is best known for his TV theme tunes, having written intro music to shows such as "Blackadder", "The Vicar of Dibley" and "QI". It would most likely surprise many

As we once again welcome Fringe season, one of the busiest and most creatively vibrant periods of the theatrical calendar, it is also once again time to round off the past week's most notable news stories that have been making waves... ----- SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Ariana Grande pulls out of production to focus on her health It has been revealed that, having originally been announced as half of the lead pair for the upcoming London revival of James Lapine and Stephen S

Summer is in full swing, as is festival fringe season, with Brighton and Manchester now behind us, and Camden and Edinburgh both just round the corner. That certainly doesn't mean that theatre news has shown any sign of letting up, so we should probably go right ahead and round off another week of news announcements, as there is plenty to discuss from the week just gone... ----- KING LEAR Royal Exchange production announces full cast The full cast for the upcoming production

It's the end of another week, so you know what that means: time to round up the biggest stagey news stories from the past week, with everything from cast announcements, new musicals and UK premieres to report, so let's get to it... ----- BEETLEJUICE Summer Strallen to join west end cast for limited run The netherworld is set for a fresh arrival, as four-time Olivier nominee Summer Strallen is set to take over the role of Delia Deetz for a limited time, whilst Aimie Atkinson i

After a comparatively quiet week, during which we spent more time trying to cool off from the heatwave than paying attention to stagey news, we are back to round up the biggest news stories from the past week, as well as one or two from the previous week... ----- RENT More cast members announced for upcoming west end revival Further casting has been revealed for the upcoming west end revival of Jonathan Larson’s musical “RENT”, to open at the newly christened Tom Stoppard The

MUSIC & LYRICS: Jorge Rivera-Herrans ----- Official artwork for the "EPIC" concept album We turn this week once again to the world of recorded media, and a sung-through musical that has yet to be staged, but exists solely as a concept album. With a story that comprises millennia old stories from ancient civilisation, this is a musical that is an amalgamation of the old and the new, having been produced independently, cast online, and marketed solely on social media, with crit

PREMIERED: 2022 (Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florida, USA) SCORE: Lynn Ahrens / Stephen Flaherty BOOK: Frank Galati ----- Official artwork for "Knoxville" From the timeless classic of our last excursion to a musical that is still in its relative infancy, this week we dive into the latest exponent of Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music), the team behind "Ragtime", "Seussical" and "Anastasia". Conceived originally by playwright Frank Gelati, the trio have adapted the

We have made it to the halfway point of 2026, temperatures have mercifully dropped, and the news updates just keep on coming, as we have cast to announce, more venues to rename, and beloved comedy institutions being brought to the stage for the first time. Here is your weekly news digest to round off another seven days of stagey goodness... ----- HAMLET New revival starring James Norton to open in the west end A new staging of Willam Shakespeare’s masterpiece “Hamlet”, is to

We have somehow managed to survive the extreme heat of the past week to be able to recap some of the most exciting news stories, that have been (hopefully) keeping us distracted from the elevated temperatures, and though it has been a relatively quiety week news wise, let's round them up... ----- JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Sam Ryder led production to tour the UK Following two separate runs in London’s west end, the first having just launched at the London Palladium, the Sam Ryder

On the longest day of the year, and a weekend when theatre fans gather together in Trafalgar Square for a festival of free musical theatre, I have a fresh batch of news updates to recap, and there are some particularly exciting ones this week... ----- SAVAGE New musical about Paul O'Grady to premiere It has been announced by Leicester Curve and Hope Mill Theatre that a brand new play, based on the life of entertainer Paul O’Grady and his blonde bombshell alter-ego Lily Savage

PREMIERED: 1971 (Colonial Theatre, Boston, USA) MUSIC & LYRICS: Stephen Sondheim BOOK: James Goldman ----- After a brief hiatus, we are back with another edition of "shows I haven't seen but I really want to", and this week I've dipped into my inexhaustible stock to pull out one of Stephen Sondheim's most beloved and successful, though often under-appreciated musicals. Written during the earliest part of his most productive and influential period, and the second of two collab

Welcome back to my weekly news roundup, summarising all of the top stories to have hit the world of theatre over the past seven days, and my goodness have there been some absolute corkers, so let's just get straight into it. ----- 79TH TONY AWARDS Winners announced for the 2025-26 broadway season Another year, another bestowment of the most prestigious accolades in theatre, as broadway celebrated the 79th annual Tony Awards ceremony, as presented by the American Theatre Wing

We welcome in the arrival of the summer months with a whole new set of news announcements from the world of theatre, and my goodness there have been some exciting stories making waves this past week, so let's just jump right in... ----- KIMBERLY AKIMBO Full cast announced for UK premiere in Hampstead It’s time to see who will be coming on this great adventure, as the full cast for the upcoming London premiere of “Kimberly Akimbo” has been revealed. Joining previously announce

Welcome back to my weekly news roundup, and with summer approaching, there has been plenty to keep our interests piqued over the past 7 days, so let's look back on what's been happening in the world of theatre as May prepared to turn into June... ----- OH, MARY! Cole Escola to return to show in their west end debut Cole Escola and Conrad Ricamora in "Oh, Mary!" on broadway It has been revealed that, after originating the role off-broadway, and later at the Lyceum Theatre on b

Another week, and another series of stagey news stories to recap, and whilst I have not been able to post them all onto my instagram page this week due to a flurry of activity, fear not, as they will all be rounded off below for you... ----- TITANIQUE New cast members to join west end production, extention announced The London company of parody musical "Titanique" is set to add several new cast members, with the role of Ruth to be taken on by etiquette coach, author and podca