NEWS ROUNDUP: 1 - 7 June

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...

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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 announced Maria Friedman in the title role will be Alice Fearn (Dear Evan Hansen) as Debra, Peter Hannah (Trainspotting) as Buddy, Gilli Jones (Brigadoon) as Seth Weetis, Niamh Perry (Exposure) as Pattie, Robin Simões da Silva (The Book of Mormon) as Martin Doatyand, and Aviva Tulley (Wizard of Oz) as Delia McDaniels, as well as Sara Hajizadeh as Teresa Benton and Ronav Jain as Aaron Puckett, who are both making their professional stage debuts.

Originally premiering at the Linda Gross Theater off-broadway in 2021, and transferring to the Booth Theatre on broadway the following year, winning 5 Tony Awards, including for best musical, best original score and best book of a musical, “Kimberly Akimbo” will run at the Hampstead Theatre from the 28th of August until the 7th of November. You can find out more about the production, as well as book tickets, via the Hampstead Theatre website.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

Full cast announced for upcoming UK tour

The full cast for the upcoming UK touring production of “Paranormal Activity” has been revealed, following its multiple hauntings of the Ambassador’s Theatre. Featured will be James Bye (2:22 A Ghost Story) as James, Hannah Sinclair Robinson (The Play That Goes Wrong) as Lou, Jo Castleton (War Horse) as Etheline Cotgrave, and Caroline Faber (Network) as Carolanne. The show originally premiered at Leeds Playhouse in July 2024, before transferring to the west end in December the following year, being extended due to popular demand, and set to return to the Ambassador’s Theatre in August, following the closure of “1536”.

Based on, and named for, the cult horror film series of the same name, the tour will commence on the 7th of September in Richmond, subsequently performing in Milton Keynes, Glasgow, York, Woking, Cheltenham, Canterbury, Birmingham, Norwich, Salford, Brighton, Bath, Leeds, Southampton, Aylesbury, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Nottingham, Aberdeen, Shrewsbury, Cambridge, Plymouth, Bradford, Newcastle, Hull, Liverpool, Inverness, Northampton, Dublin, Cork, and Leicester, with full details, including tour dates, available via the production’s website.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

Full cast announced for 20th anniversary musical revival

They're all in this together, and they're heading to the Lowry this summer, as the full cast has now been announced for the upcoming revival of David Simpatico's stage adaptation of "High School Musical", to be performed at The Lowry, and then at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. Previously announced are KayCee Stroh as Ms Darbus, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping as Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, with the role of Coach Bolton to be split between Jason Donovan (Salford) and Harry Judd (London). They are joined by Char Burnett (Frozen) as Taylor, Jordan Benjamin (The Little Big Things) as Chad, Simeon Beckett (Hamilton) as Zeke, Olivia O'Connor (Why Am I So Single?) as Martha, Yna Tresvalles (Ballad Lines) as Kelsi, and Curtis Patrick (Young Frankenstein) as Jack.

The cast is completed by Alexander Black, Eleanor Bye, Harriet Caplan-Dean, Alison Driver, Conor Luke Drury, Mary Francis, Sonia Gil-Lubeiro, Tamsin January, Joseph Lennox, Lucas Morlotti, Katie Mulligan, André Phipps, Meg Silsby, Kade Stenson, Ethan Vijn and Eddie Zickerman. Produced by Hope Mill Theatre and Chris Harper Productions, the show will open at the Lowry in Salford on the 22nd of August, where it will run until the 19th of September, following which it will transfer to the Troubadour in Wembley, where it will play from the 12th of October until the 4th of January. You can find out more info, including how to book tickets, via the official High School Musical website.

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB

Tony-winning musical planning London run

"Buena Vista Social Club" on broadway

It has reportedly been revealed by producer Orin Wolf, lead producer of the current broadway run, is actively looking to bring “Buena Vista Social Club” over to the UK for a west end run, and are at present eyeing up a theatre in order to facilitate this. The musical is currently playing at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway, where it has been running since February 2025, and was the winner of 5 Tony Awards, including for best choreography and best orchestration; this was following a run at the Atlantic Theater Company off-broadway in 2023.

Named for the 1990s Cuban music collective, led by Grammy award winner Omara Portuondo, the musical centres around the life of Portuondo, jumping between the 1950s and 1990s, focussing on her life and both personal and musical relationships, as well as the rise of Fidel Castro's communist revolutionary regime, and the effect that had on musicians at the time. Further details of this planned London transfer are yet to materialise, only that the hope is for it to open in 2027, so keep your eyes peeled for updates. You can still book tickets for the broadway production, currently running at the Schoenfeld, with tickets available via Telecharge.

HADESTOWN

Anaïs Mitchell musical to tour the UK and Ireland

It has been revealed, following a teaser last night, that Anaïs Mitchell’s musical masterpiece “Hadestown” is set to tour the UK for the first time in 2027. The show first opened in the west end in February 2024, following around 14 years of development, that included runs at New York Theatre Workshop, in Edmonton Canada, and at London’s National Theatre. It opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway in 2019, winning 8 Tony Awards in the process including best musical, before returning to London, where it currently performs at the Lyric Theatre.

The tour will commence at the Curve in Leicester, before going on to perform in Salford, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Norwich, Canterbury, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast, Sheffield, Hull, Plymouth, Wolverhampton, Chester and Sunderland, with further dates, as well as casting, to be announced in due course. Head on over to the official Hadestown website for full tour dates, where you can also sign up for further updates.

THE ORESTEIA

Full cast announced for Bridge Theatre production

Ahead of its opening during this summer, complete casting has been announced for the Bridge Theatre production of "The Oresteia", to be directed by Simon Stone (after Aeschylus and others). The show has just begun rehearsals, and will begin previews on the 2nd of July, with an official opening night on the 14th of July. Previously announced are David Morrissey as Christopher, Tom Glynn-Carney as Augie, Mary-Louise Parker as Montie, Rosie Sheehy as Alice, Lloyd Hutchinson as Melville, John Macmillan as Jerome, and Archie Madekwe as Lorenzo. They are to be joined by Alyth Ross as Jenny, and Rakhee Thakrar as Chandra, with Seán Donegan, George Renshaw, Andy Umerah, Emily Waters and Kirsty Yates completing the cast as understudies.

The show is staged in collaboration with producer Wouter van Ransbeek, who is also set to work on "Ivanov" at the Bridge, starring Chris Pine, with a creative team that includes set design by Lizzie Clachan, music by Stefan Gregory, and lighting design by Nick Schlieper, all of whom also worked on "The Lady From The Sea" at the Bridge. "The Oresteia" will run at the Bridge Theatre until the 19th of September, in a strictly limited 11-week run, and tickets are on sale from the Bridge Theatre website.

BURLESQUE

Trio of actors playing Ali across two productions revealed

The three performers who will be taking to the stage as Ali in the London and touring production of “Burlesque” have been revealed, the musical is based on the 2010 film of the same name, written by Steven Antin (who also wrote the book of the musical) and starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. Starring in the role in London will be Natalia Jacques, who will be making her professional stage debut, with Gracie O’Brien (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) taking on the part on tour, and Cecelia Petrush (MJ: The Musical) acting as her alternate. “Burlesque” will open at the Arts at Marble Arch in September 2026, prior to which a UK tour, running simultaneous to the London run, will begin in Woking next month.

The musical first premiered at Manchester Opera House in June 2024, later playing at Glasgow's Theatre Royal before returning to Manchester for a further developmental period. It then transferred to the Savoy Theatre in London, following rewrites and a change in creative team, including Todrick Hall being installed as director and choreographer to replace the outgoing Nick Winston. You can find out more about the show, including its full tour dates, via the official Burlesque website.