NEWS ROUNDUP: 27 April - 3 May

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...

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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 “Something Rotten!”, with a score by Karey & Wayne Kirkpatrick, and a book by K. Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell. Originally premiering on broadway back in 2015, the show is set to open at the Manchester Opera House on the 16th of June, and will run until the 19th of July, with tickets on sale via the ATG website. Previously announced Jason Manford, Richard Fleeshman and Marisha Wallace, all reprising their roles from Drury Lane, will be joined by Cassius Hackforth (From Here to Eternity), returning to play Nigel Bottom after playing the role in the staged concert in the west end back in 2024.

Also featuring will be Cory English (Back to the Future) as Nostradamus, Carla Dixon-Hernandez (Mrs Doubtfire) as Portia, Gareth Davies (Fiddler on the Roof) as Shylock, Chad Saint Louis (50 First Dates) as Troubadour, Paul Ryan (Mamma Mia!) as Brother Jeremiah, and Elliotte Williams-N’Dure (Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder) as Lady C, with Andrew Davison (Pretty Woman), Dylan Collymore (101 Dalmatians), Jordan Cambridge-Taylor (Just For One Day), Richard James-Neale (Secret Life of Bees) and Paul Kemble (Cry Baby) as Troupe. The cast is completed by Stephanie Costi, Robert Donnelly, Zac Frieze, Samuel How, Bailey Johnson, Jessica Keable, Rhys Lambert, Sara Morley, Indiya Payne, Hannah Petley, and Rina Punwani.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL GOES WRONG

Mischief's show returns to London, international productions to open

God help us, everyone! Mischief Comedy’s festive fiasco “A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong” is set to return to the west end this winter, in the midst of a UK tour, and simultaneous international premieres. Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the show will begin touring from the 27th of October 2026, playing in Bromley, Norwich, Wolverhampton, Manchester and Portsmouth, before returning to the west end for a festive run. It will then continue its tour during the month of February, playing Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Its west end run will take place at Wyndham's Theatre, where it will play from the 18th of December until the 23rd of January, in a strictly limited 5-week run. At the same time, the show will also make its international debuts, playing at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles from the 12th of December 2026 until the 10th of January 2027, and in Australia from the 1st - 29th of December 2026, at a venue to be confirmed. You can find out more about the show via the Mischief Comedy website, where you can also book tickets for all performances in London and on tour.

HAMILTON

Full cast announced for 2026-27 season in the west end

The latest cast members to join the west end production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical masterpiece “Hamilton” have been announced, with those joining Leslie Odom Jr. during this summer now known. Joining the cast will be Stephenson Ardern-Sodje as Alexander Hamilton, with Georgina Onuorah returning as Angelica Schuyler, Akmed Junior Khemalai as George Washington, Ashley J. Daniels as Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Bellinfantie as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison and Shak Mancel James as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton. They begin performances at the Victoria Palace Theatre on the 15th of June, with Odom Jr. appearing in shows from the 3rd of July until the 5th of September (with the exception of the 27th - 29th of July); more information and ticket sales can be found via the Delfont Mackintosh website.

Additionally, joining the ensemble will be John Browning, Milan Cacacie, Yesy Garcia, Riccardo Haerri, Jared Irving, Michael Lin, Avigalle Mendoza, Fallon Mondlane, Liam Morris and Phoebe Samuel-Gray. They all join returning Yeukayi Ushe, currently the role of Aaron Burr, as well as Bente Mulan as Eliza Hamilton, Jasmine Jia Yung Shen as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds and Daniel Boys as King George III, with the cast completed by Yuki Abe, Turrell Barrett-Wallace, Joshua Clemetson, Roxanne Couch, Manaia Glassey-Ohlson, Jack Harrison-Cooper, Olivia Kate Holding, Sergi Ibanez, Nicolais-Andre Kerry, Lily Laight, Tamara Morgan, Tim Nutt, Joshian Angelo Omaña, Aharon Rayner and Daisy Ward.

THE LIVES OF OTHERS

Keira Knightley to return to the London stage in new play

Oscar and Olivier nominated actress Keira Knightley, bst known for her roles in films such as "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Love Actually", is set to return to the west end for the first time in 15 years, with a new stage adaptation by Robert Icke of Academy Award wining German film “The Lives of Others”. Knightley’s previous west end appearance was in Lillian Hellman’s play “The Children’s Hour” at the Comedy Theatre (now the Harold Pinter), later making her broadway debut in Helen Edmundson’s play “Thérèse Raquin”, alongside Matt Ryan and Gabriel Ebert.

“The Lives of Others” will be directed by Icke, with Knightley being joined on stage by Olivier nominee Luke Thompson (An Oak Tree) and Tony winner Stephan Dillane (The Real Thing), with further casting to be announced at a later date. It will run at the Adelphi Theatre from the 14th of October until the 9th of January, and tickets are now on sale from the LW Theatres website.

RENT

Jonathan Larson musical to return to the west end

It’s gonna be less than 525,600 minutes until we see this one again, as Jonathan Larson’s Tony and Pulitzer winning musical “RENT” is set to return to the west end, in celebration of the show’s 30th anniversary. Inspired by Puccini’s “La Bohème”, the musical tells of a group of broke young artists struggling to get by in lower manhattan, as they try and make a life for themselves, and features iconic .

The revival is set to open this autumn, with exact details yet to be made known, other than it will be produced by Sonia Friedman and Chris Harper, more information will be released in due course…

FUN HOME

Full cast announced for UK regional premiere

The full cast taking to the stage in the regional revival of Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron’s Tony winning and Pulitzer nominated musical “Fun Home” have been revealed. Featuring will be Jodie McNee as Alison Bechdel and Nigel Harman as Bruce Bechdel, alongside Alex Young, Alice Audrey O’Hanlon, Natasha Cottriall, Lucca Chadwick Patel, Jennifer Caldwell, Alfie Richards, Felicity Moore, Lillie Babb, Harriet O’Shea, Morris McKinley, Theo Wake, Arthur Lyons, Finley Litchfield, Reuben Shepherd and Reggie Kempson.

Based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, “Fun Home” opens at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester this summer, running from the 3rd of July until the 1st of August; it will be the first major UK run in 8 years, as well as its UK regional premiere. You can find out more, as well as book tickets, via the Royal Exchange website.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

Hope Mill Theatre revival to transfer to London

It has been revealed by Hope Mill Theatre that, following a summer engagement at the Lowry in Salford, the non-replica regional revival of “High School Musical” is set to open at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in the autumn for a limited season. Additionally, McFly drummer and Strictly Come Dancing winner Harry Judd has been announced to be joining the London cast as Coach Bolton, taking over from the departing Jason Donovan.

This will be Hope Mill’s first ever fully staged production to run in London, after they staged their first concert production in the west end last year with “Acorn Antiques” at the Shaftesbury Theatre. The show will open in Wembley on the 12th of October, with a press night on the 20th of October, and will run until the 3rd of January; this comes after its run at the Lowry from the 22nd of August until the 19th of September. Priority booking opens on the 20th of May, with general sale from the 22nd of May, and you can find out more, as well as sign up for priority booking, via the official production's website.

EVITA

Jamie Lloyd directed production to transfer to broadway

Following an enormously successful run at the London Palladium, it has been announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber and TIm Rice's musical "Evita", directed by Jamie Lloyd is set to open on broadway in the spring of 2027, with Rachel Zegler (The Last Five Years) reprising the role of Eva Perón, having won an Olivier Award for her performance at the Palladium. This comes after a series of official Evita logos appeared at various points in New York City, as well as the presence of a poster for the London run having been present outside of the St James Theatre since the 2024-25 season.

The exact venue is yet to be confirmed, however it is known that the show will go into a Shubert theatre; it has also been confirmed that the show's flagship song "Don't cry for me, Argentina" will not be performed outside, as it was in London, amid safety concerns. How this will be staged. on broadway is yet to be confirmed, and more details, including further casting, is to be revealed at a later date. You can sign up for updates via the official Evita website.

MY SON'S A QUEER (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?)

Rob Madge autobiographical musical to return to the west end

After a series of successful runs across multiple cities and countries, including mutiple London runs, an engagement at the Edinburgh Fringe, and a recent run at New York City Center, it has been announced that Rob Madge's autobiographical musical "My Son's A Queer (But What Can You Do?)" will return to the west end for one final run. The show first premiered at the Turbine Theatre in London back in 2021, later having two separate west end runs in 2022 and 2023, at the Garrick Theatre and Ambassador's Theatre respectively, and will make one final return to the west end later this year, running at the Apollo Theatre.

"My Son's a Queer", Olivier nominated in 2023 for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play, will perform at the Apollo from the 16th of September until the 3rd of October 2026, in a strictly limited 3-week run. You can find out more, as well as book tickets, via the Nimax Theatres website.