NEWS ROUNDUP: 3 - 9 August

As we once again welcome Fringe season, one of the busiest and most creatively vibrant periods of the theatrical calendar, it is also once again time to round off the past week's most notable news stories that have been making waves...

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SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Ariana Grande pulls out of production to focus on her health

It has been revealed that, having originally been announced as half of the lead pair for the upcoming London revival of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Tony and Pulitzer-winning musical “Sunday in the Park with George”, Ariana Grande (13 The Musical) has made the decision to drop out of the production, citing a need to take a step back from visibility following her "Eternal Sunshine Tour", with the role of Dot currently in the process of being recast; we as a community wish Ariana all the very best, and hope that she is taking good care of herself.

The show, last performed in London over 20 years ago, will star Jonathan Bailey (Company) as Georges Seurat/George, and is scheduled to open at the Barbican Theatre in the summer of 2027, with tickets now set to go on sale this autumn. You can sign up for further updates via the venue’s website, and further casting, including for Dot, will be revealed at a later date.

TRAINSPOTTING

UK tour of new musical cancelled, citing poor sales

It has been announced that, due to disappointing ticket sales across the country, the new musical adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s “Trainspotting” has called off its tour of the UK and Ireland. The show opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on the 15th of July, and was due to commence its 19-stop tour in Edinburgh during October of this year, however after its west end run was almost universally panned by critics, with many stating that the story being a musical felt redundant, producers decided it was best to pull the plug on post-west end performances.

The show continues to run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, and will give its final performancein the west end on the 5th of September, with tickets still available from the venue’s box office and website, where you can also find out more about the show, as well as about the theatre itself.

CATS

Full cast announced for UK/Ireland tour of Regent's Park production

The UK & Ireland touring production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn and Richard Stilgoe musical “Cats” has revealed its (almost) full cast, to begin touring in October at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, following its current run at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre this summer. Following its run in Plymouth, the show will then perform in Hull, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Llandudno, Glasgow, Nottingham, Canterbury, Sunderland, Aberdeen, Norwich, Belfast, Dublin, Oxford, Southampton, Edinburgh, Bradford, Liverpool, Woking, Cardiff, Milton Keynes & Newcastle, concluding in June 2027. Casting for the role of Grizabella will be revealed at a later date, and more information including tour dates can be found via the official production website and social pages.

The cast will feature Fin Adams (Alonzo), Kalisha Amaris (Old Deuteronomy), Carla Bertran (Electra), Elliot Broadfoot (Bustopher Jones / Gus), Matthew Caputo (Skimbleshanks), Josie Chambers-Sims (Syllabub), Briana Craig (Rumpleteazer), Katie Dunsden (Bombalurina), Joshua-Samuel Freeman (Tumblebrutus), Regan Garcia (Pouncival), Hannah Joseph (Victoria), Taziva-Faye Katsande (Tantomile), Diante Lodge (Macavity), Owen McHugh (George), Danny Nattrass (Mungojerrie), Millie O’Connell (Demeter), Andrew Parfit (Coricopat), Lucie-Mae Sumner (Jellylorum / Griddlebone), Laura Tyrer (Jennyanydots / Gumbie Cat), Jaydon Vijn (Rum Tum Tugger), Jack Wilcox (Munkustrap), Jet Yau (Mr. Mistoffelees), and Patricia Zhou (Cassandra). Swings will comprise Grace Burrows, Aaron Jenkins, Shona Mairi Masson, Dean Rickards, Nathan Rigg and Taela Yeomans-Brown.

THE STANDARD OF LIVING

Full cast announced for new James Graham play

The full cast for the upcoming world premiere of new James Graham play “The Standard of Living” has been revealed; previously announced Rory Kinnear and Natalia Osipova are to be joined by Thomas Flynn (Bridgerton) as Duncan Grant, Laurie Kynaston (Spring Awakening) as Friedrich Hayek, Pip Carter (1917) as Lytton Strachey, Agatha Enecio (pro debut) as Dora Carrington, Naomi Frederick (As You Like It) as Virginia Woolf, Claire Price (The Second Best Marigold Hotel) as Vanessa Bell, and George Taylor (Rye Lane) as William Beveridge.

Completing the cast are ensemble members Christopher Akrill, Luke Cinque-White, Dannie Norman, Xolisweh Ana Richards and Ben Warwick. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, “The Standard of Living” will run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from the 21st of September until the 12th of December, with tickets on sale from the venue's website.

PETER GILL

Renowned director and playwright passes away

It was announced earlier this week that former director of institutions such as Riverside Studios and the National Theatre Peter Gill has died at the age of 86. Gill had a career in theatre that spanned over 6 decades, originally training as an actor before moving to directing in the 60s at the Royal Court Theatre, most notable for reviving the stage works of D. H. Lawrence, directing groundbreaking new stagings of plays such as "A Collier’s Friday Night" and "The Daughter-in-Law", to enormous critical acclaim. As well as having written his own works, he's also renowned for adapting various works by Anton Chekhov, including "The Cherry Orchard" for Riverside Studios, and "The Seagull" at the Swan Theatre as commissioned by the RSC.

Gill was appointed an OBE back in 1980, and was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2019. The Royal Court, in a statement, shared that “Today the English Stage Company marks the legacy of a major writer and director, and a great discoverer and champion of new theatre talent. Peter Gill arrived in Sloane Square as a teenager auditioning for small parts, and across six decades played a leading role in shaping modern British theatre.” There is. nodoubt that he will be missed, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

West end production announces full casting

The full cast joining the west end run of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" have been announced, with previously announced Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup being joined by Josh Dylan (Sheppey) as Nick and Phoebe Horn (The Motive & the Cue) as Honey, with the cast completed by understudies Alex Cartuson, Jessica Kirton, Georgia Miles, and Simon Willmont. Written by Edward Albee and originally premiering back in 1962, this new London revival is set to be directed by Marianne Elliott, with 5500 front row seats also having been released via Nimax.

The show also features a creative team that includes designer Miriam Buether, James Farncombe (lighting), Ian Dickinson (sound), Jim Carnahan and Liz Fraser (casting), Ingrid Mackinnon (movement/intimacy director), Charmian Hoare (voice/dialect coach) and Sam Lyon-Behan (fight director). It will open at @sohoplace on the 21st of September, where it will run until the 19th of December, in a strictly limited season. You can find out more about the production and its full cast, as well as how to book tickets for the show, via the official production website.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

Barn revival set to transfer to London, initial cast revealed

Following its run at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester, Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux musical "Million Dollar Quartet" is set to transfer to London this autumn. Telling of the famed initial meeting between Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, the musical contains a whole host of top 1950s hits from the quartet, such as "Hound Dog", "Great Balls of Fire" and "Blue Suede Shoes". The show originally ran in Florida in 2006, and later on broadway, yielding 3 Tony Award nominations, including a win for Levi Kreis as Lewis; it later ran at the Noël Coward Theatre in the west end before touring the UK in 2016 and 2017.

Darren Day will reprise the role of record producer Sam Phillips, with the remainder of the cast to be announced at a later date. This new revival will perform at the Arts at Marble Arch from the 4th of September until the 6th of December, taking the vacant slot left by "Burlesque" after it announced it was postponing its return to the capital. You can find out more, as well as book tickets, via the official production website.