TRADGE THE THEATRE GEEK

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

PREMIERED: 1987 (Yale Repertory Theatre, Connecticut, USA) PLAYWRIGHT: August Wilson ----- Artwork from the 2023 broadway revival This week we featured a Pulitzer winning play by August Wilson, and one which, as a musician and piano player myself, is bound to (if you’ll pardon the pun) really strike a chord; in spite of the title though, this is a story that delves deeper than mere instrumental tuition. First premiering almost 4 decades ago, "The Piano Lesson" is a play that

A very happy Sunday to you all, as a special treat I'm going to run through all the biggest stage news stories of the past week, and my goodness have they come thick and fast this week; from cast announcements to new UK tours, there's bound to be something that will pique your interest... ----- TRAINSPOTTING THE MUSICAL Full cast announced for world premiere, musical set to tour The full cast for the upcoming world premiere of “Trainspotting The Musical”, set to open in the w

We have arrived at that lusty month of May, and with summer not far round the corner, it's high time we took a look back at some of the biggest news stories of the past week. It may have been a quiet week, but there are still some exciting announcements with which to catch up... ----- JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR On-stage standing tickets announced for west end revival It has been announced by Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals that, for the first time ever, the Lo

PREMIERED: 2023 (RSC Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon) PLAYWRIGHT: Lolita Chakrabarti ----- I'm back with another play this week, and one that built up a lot of buzz after being adapted to the screen, subsequently being nominated for 8 Academy Awards, with Jessie Buckley winning for her leading performance as Agnes. Originally a novel by Maggie O'Farrell, "Hamnet" tells the true story of William Shakespeare's only son, who died at the age of 11 in the summer of 1596, as well as t

We were told by N'SYNC that "it's gonna be May", and finally it has come to fruition. Days are getting longer, weather is more erratic, and the stagey world has really been treating us this past week with news updates; here are the most exciting stories from the past week in theatre... ----- SOMETHING ROTTEN! Complete cast announced for full UK premiere It’s…a…cast announcement! We finally know the full company for the upcoming European premiere of Tony winning musical “Somet

Another week has passed us by, and another opportunity to look back on all of the most exciting news announcements to have come out in the past seven days… ----- SOMETHING ROTTEN! Marisha Wallace to reprise her role in full UK premiere Marisha Wallace as Bea Further casting has been revealed for the upcoming fully staged European premiere of “Something Rotten!”, with Jason Manford and Richard Fleeshman, set to play the reprise of Nick Bottom and William Shakespeare respective

PREMIERED: 2026 (Palace Theatre, NYC) BOOK: Chris Hoch, David Hornsby MUSIC & LYRICS: The Rescues ----- Official artwork for "The Lost Boys" We are back once again, this time with the newest entry yet, with the first run of the show currently still in previews on broadway. There has been considerable hype surrounding this new musical, with a score by indie pop/rock band The Rescues, and book by Chris Hoch and David Hornsby, and even though its opening night isn't for another

We're back with another weekly news recap, and there have been some particularly exciting news announcements to bring you over the past seven days, so here goes nothing... ----- SWEENEY TODD Full cast announced for Birmingham revival Official artwork for " Sweeney Todd " at Birmingham Rep The full cast attending the tale in the upcoming regional revival of “ Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ” has been revealed. Joining previously announced Ramin Karimloo , Meow

We are at the height of awards season, with the WhatsOnStage Awards and Critics Circle Theatre Awards having been bestowed last month, and both the Oliviers and Stalls To Stage Awards taking place during April. Whilst the biggest events in the theatrical calendar are happening, here is your weekly roundup of wider news stories... ----- THESPIANS Full cast announced for new Mischief musical The full cast for the upcoming world premiere of Mischief’s new musical “ Thespians ”

Following this evening's awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall , we finally have our winners of the 2026 Laurence Olivier Awards , with plenty of stories, surprises and shutouts to report, so scroll down for the full list of winners. -Full winners below- ALL WINNERS & NOMINEES PRODUCTION Best new play "1536" by Ava Pickett at the Almeida Theatre "Inter Alia" by Suzie Miller at the National Theatre – Lyttelton "Kenrex" by Jack Holden & Ed Stambollouian at The Other Palace W

PREMIERED: 2019 (Signature Theatre Company, NYC) BOOK/MUSIC/LYRICS: Dave Malloy ----- Official artwork for " Octet " off-broadway On the tail of the announcement that it is to be made into a movie musical, I thought there no better time to feature this latest musical success by Dave Malloy . Classed as a chamber choir musical, " Octet " follows a group of eight attendees of a support group, entitled "Friends of Saul", who are all battling with internet addiction, and gather i

The clocks have gone forward, the days are getting longer, and there’s a fresh helping of news stories on which we need to catch up, so let's dive right in; here are the news stories from the past week that have rocked the world of theatre... ----- BANK OF DAVE Full cast announced for world premiere in Salford Sam Lupton and Dave Fishwick The complete cast for the upcoming world premiere of new musical “ Bank of Dave ” has been announced, with the title role having been fill

After a week off due to a mix of a quiet week and general personal burnout, we are back with another roundup of the most notable stories from the past week, and there are some good ones to make up for missing out on last week! ----- THE LAST FIVE YEARS New rehearsal photos released ahead of Palladium run Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler New images from the rehearsal room of the upcoming concert run of Jason Robert Brown ’s musical “ The Last Five Years ” have been released. Set to

PREMIERED: 2024 (Goodman Theater, Chicago) MUSIC & LYRICS: Jason Robert Brown BOOK: Taylor Mac Official artwork for " Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil " We feature another new musical this time round, as we dive into Jason Robert Brown 's most recently premiered work, an adaptation of " Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ", based on the non-fiction novel of the same name by John Berendt . Set in the 1980s, it tells a fictionalised take on the real life story of

It's been a comparatively quiet week, however there is always news to be shared when it comes to theatre, and there have been some terrific stories divulged over the past 7 days... ----- HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL Initial casting announced for regional premiere (L-R) Leonor Correia , Tobias Turley , Lue Bayer , Caitlin Tipping Initial casting for the upcoming regional revival of David Simpatico ’s musical “ High School Musical ” has been revealed; set to star will be Tobias Turley

Spring has sprung, and so too has the annual awards season, with the WhatsOnStage awards taking place today, and the Oliviers having announced their nominees this week. All that and more in this week’s news roundup... ----- ROMEO & JULIET Upcoming west end revival extends by two weeks Noah Jupe and Sadie Sink Due to phenomenal demand for tickets, the upcoming west end production of Shakespeare ’s “ Romeo & Juliet ”, starring Sadie Sink (Juliet), Noah Jupe (Romeo) and Clark

PREMIERED: 2019 (Claire Tow Theater, New York) MUSIC/LYRICS/BOOK: Grace McLean As we enter the spring season, and plant life begins to reinvigorate, how about a one-act musical from broadway favourite Grace McLean to get you feeling the warmth. Best known for her roles in musicals " Suffs ", " Alice By Heart " and " Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 ", McLean is also a highly accomplished writer and composer, and this musical tribute to saint Hildegard von Bingen t

It's that time of year again, where we look back on the recently concluded season of theatre, and find out which productions, performers and creatives have been nominated by SOLT for the most prestigious accolades in the UK theatrical calendar; The Olivier Awards ceremony will take place on the 12th of April at the Royal Albert Hall . -Full nominations below- FULL NOMINATIONS PRODUCTION Best new play "1536" by Ava Pickett at the Almeida Theatre "Inter Alia" by Suzie Miller a