TRADGE THE THEATRE GEEK

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

With winter melting into spring, what better way to say goodbye to the bitter cold than warming ourselves up with another theatre news recap. Here are all the stories from the past week that have been piquing out collective interest... ----- PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Horror play to embark on UK tour It has been revealed that, following its run in the west end, Levi Holloway ’s stage adaptation of “ Paranormal Activity ”, based on the hit horror movie series of the same name, is set

It has been a comparably quiet week this week, however we still have a handful of exciting news announcements to bestow upon you, so here's what has been making waves in the world of theatre since the beginning of this week... ----- KINKY BOOTS Full cast announced for London return Johannes Radebe The complete cast for the upcoming west end revival of Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper musical " Kinky Boots " has been revealed, with previously announced Johannes Radebe and M

PREMIERED: 2019 (Stables Theatre, Sydney) PLAYWRIGHT: Suzie Miller ----- Official artwork of " Prima Facie " This week we feature a play that has astounded audiences all over the world, since its initial premiere in Australia 7 years ago. Though initially performed by Australian actor Sheridan Harbridge , it was the performance of Liverpool-born Jodie Comer that launched this solo play to gargantuan global success, first performing the play at the Harold Pinter Theatre in t

Extra, extra! We have a fresh helping of weekly news recaps here for you, in a week when love was in the air, we have been treated to major new revivals, cast announcements galore, and a major film adaptation in the works... ----- MIDNIGHT AT THE NEVER GET Ben Platt to star in UK premiere Ben Platt It has been announced that Broadway favourite Ben Platt ( Parade ) is set to star in the UK premiere of Mark Sonnenblick ’s musical “ Midnight at the Never Get ” this summer, with

Another week, another roundup of what news has been rocking the world of theatre, so here is your latest helping of juicy stagey gossip to go around. ----- EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE Musical to tour in celebration of 10th anniversary Official poster for " Everybody's Talking About Jamie " Following a world premiere in Sheffield, three year run in the west end, and two sold out UK and Ireland tours, the hit musical “ Everybody’s Talking About Jamie ” is hitting the road o

PREMIERED: 1998 (Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, New York) MUSIC/LYRICS: William Finn BOOK: William Finn, James Lapine ----- Official artwork for " A New Brain " at NYCC in 2015 This week we return to the world of musicals, and a lesser known exponent of William Finn and regular collaborator James Lapine . After the roaring success of " Falsettos " in 1992 (made from stitching together two prior one-act musicals), earning two Tony Awards for Finn (the second shared with Lapine

Well somehow the first month of the year is already over, so while we ponder over where on earth the time went, we may as well look back on a jam packed week of theatre news, with some big announcements having made the headlines! ----- THE TRAITORS Hit BBC show to be adapted to the stage Official artwork for " The Traitors on stage" It has been announced by Studio Lambert and Neal Street Productions that a new stage adaptation of global tv phenomenon “ The Traitors ” is in

Time once again to have a look back at the week in theatre news, and although it has been far quieter than usual, there have still been a healthy handful of announcements to keep us on our toes, including plenty of casting news... ----- SINATRA Jukebox musical to transfer to the west end Official artwork for " Sinatra " A new musical about the life, career and music of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra is due to transfer to the west end this summer, following its premiere at Bi

PREMIERED: 2017 (London) PLAYWRIGHT: Jez Butterworth Official poster for " The Ferryman " Another play this week, and arguably Jez Butterworth 's most successful stage work, yielding Tonys, Oliviers, Drama Desks and pretty much every other award going. First premiering in the spring of 2017 at the Royal Court Theatre in London, " The Ferryman " is set in Count Armagh, Northern Ireland in 1981, during a significant chapter of the IRA's history. It focusses around a multi-gene

What a week it's been, cast announcements, new trailers, and confirmation of a major Sondheim revival we all knew was happening anyway. Here are all the top stories that have been rocking the theatre world over the past seven days... ----- LES MISERABLES New faces to join London cast (L-R) Harry Hepple , Lizzie Bea , Jess Folley The latest new recruits to join the barricade have been revealed, as the west end production of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil ’s cultur

PREMIERED: 1928 (Berlin) MUSIC: Kurt Weill BOOK/LYRICS: Bertolt Brecht Artwork from the 1976 broadway revival We're going way back this week, to feature a classic, and a foreign language piece that is soon to be celebrating its centenary. Originally premiering in German back in 1928, " The Threepenny Opera " is a play with music by Kurt Weill , and original German language book & lyrics by Bertolt Brecht . It is often considered a halfway house between a play and a musical,