TRADGE THE THEATRE GEEK

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

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 ”