NEWS ROUNDUP: 31st August - 6th September

Dear diary: It's official, summer has come to a close, and we have a fresh new batch of news updates from the world of theatre to get us geared up for the new season, and it truly has been a mixed bag over the past week...

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MAMMA MIA!

Latest cast announced for the west end production

The latest cast to join the west end production of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaelus’ musical “Mamma Mia!” has been revealed, and has also announced its latest extension at the Novello Theatre, with tickets now on sale until the 2nd of October 2027. Sara Poyzer and Richard Standing will continue in their respective roles of Donna and Sam, alongside Vivien Carter (Anything Goes) as Tanya, Laura Medforth as Rosie, Daniel Crowder as Harry and Rakesh Boury as Bill. Joining them will be Ellie Gilbert-Grey (Freaky Friday) as Sophie, with Kyle Cox (& Juliet) as Sky, Natorii Illidge (Moulin Rouge!) as Ali, Foxy Valentine (pro debut) as Lisa, Edward Turner (Grease) as Eddie, and Charlie Garton (Matilda) as Pepper; Emma Odell (Sister Act) will play Donna at certain performances.

The ensemble will comprise Margaret Atta, Dan Burstow, Will Forgave, Erin-Sophie Halliday, Nicole Ingram, Harry Jack, Imogen Malone, David Nairne, Andy Rees, Julie Repérant, Beth Shaw and Matt Trevorrow. They join returning company members Matthew Barrow, Lawrence Guntert, Laura Jayne Hardie, Deena Kapadia, Benjamin Kempton, Tom Parsons, Emily Squibb and Ria Turner. The musical is now in its 28th year in the west end, and you can buy tickets through the Delfont Mackintosh website.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

Stage version of Highsmith novel to tour next year

A new UK & Ireland touring production of Craig Warner's play "Strangers on a Train", based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, as well as the 1951 film it inspired directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is set to open in the early part of 2027, with tour dates and venues having been announced. The show will open at the Theatre Royal Windsor on the 15th and 16th of January 2027, then going on to perform in Canterbury, York, Birmingham, Mold, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Richmond, Peterborough, Aberdeen, Brighton, ublin, Cheltenham, Bradford, Guildford and Darlington, with further dates late into next year still to be announced.

The play last toured in 2018, in a production led by John Middleton, Christopher Harper, Jack Ashton, and Hannah Tointon, following its west end premiere at the Gielgud Theatre. This new production will be directed by Roxana Silbert, and will be dedicated to the memory of playwright Warner, who passed away earlier this year. You can find out more, as well as find links for ticket sales, via the Bill Kenwright website.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Jonathan Bailey withdraws from Barbican Theatre production

Following the withdrawal of Ariana Grande from the production earlier this year, it has also been revealed that Jonathan Bailey, who was set to star alongside her in the titular role, has also taken the decision to pull out of the production, with no reason officially stated in the actor's statement online. Further news about the show, including who will be cast in the two lead roles, will be revealed at a later date, all that’s known is that it is still expected to go ahead as planned, with direction by Marianne Elliott and design by Tom Scutt, and is set to run at the Barbican Theatre during the summer of 2027.

Last seen in London almost two decades ago, this Pulitzer Prize winning musical was inspired by French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's creation of his best known work "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte", painted in 1884-86, with the first act centred around the artist himself, and his mistress Dot, as he works on this great work, and the second jumping forward by a century to Seurat's great-grandson George, himself a struggling contemporary artist. You can head on over to the Barbican website now to sign up for future updates about the show.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Musical to be revived in London, starring Michael Ball

A brand new London revival of the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is set to open next summer, with west end legend Michael Ball (Les Miserables) to star as the enigmatic factory owner Willy Wonka. It will open at Leicester Curve for a preview run, before transferring to the London Coliseum on the 4th of June 2027, where it will run until the 18th of September 2027. Further details about the production, including full cast will be confirmed at a later date, and tickets will go on sale from the 29th of September; Michael Ball will only appear in London, with a weekly alternate to also be revealed in due course.

With a score by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, and a book by David Greig, the musical originally premiered in the west end back in 2013, running at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane for just short of 4 years, during which it won 2 Olivier Awards from 7 nominations. It later opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on broadway, where it had a much more modest innings, closing after just 10 months. Bookings for groups, including for schools, are now open, and general sale tickets will be released on the 29th of September, head on over to the Coliseum website to find out more.

13 GOING ON 30

Musical production releases full cast recording

Following the world premiere of the musical adaptation of the 2004 romantic comedy film "13 Going On 30" in Manchester last year, it was revealed this week that they would release a complete original cast recording from the show, which release on Friday. The musical first opened at the Manchester Opera House on the 21st of September 2025, running for three weeks and closing on the 12th of October. The album will feature the full original cast, including Lucie Jones (Waitress) as Jenna, David Hunter (Beetlejuice) as Matt, Grace Mouat (Death Note) as Lucy, Caleb Roberts (Tina) as Richard, Andrew Berlin (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) as Kyle, Dominic Andersen (Mrs Doubtfire) as Alex, Jenna Innes (Heathers) as Wendy, Ross Dawes (Time Traveller's Wife) as Wayne, Suzie McAdam (Thelma & Louise) as Bev, Iván Fernández González (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals) as Darius, and Rose Galbraith (Titanique) as Paige.

Also featured will be young company members Amelia Minto as young Jenna, and Max Bispham as young Matt, as well as ensemble members Tia Antoine-Charles, George Bray, Melody Caruana, Emmeline D’Arcy Walsh, Sarah Drake, Jersey Blu Georgia, Hughie Higginson, Henry Lawes, Nyomi Okoro, Amy Parker, Elliot David Parkes, Marlis Robson, Jack Rowell, Star Lily Shentall-Lee, Maddison Thew, Rebecca-Daisy Wellington, Clark Young and Kevin Yates; the album is now available on all streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.

BEETLEJUICE

Closing date for west end run moved up to January

The west end production of “Beetlejuice”, originally opening in May, has moved its closing date forward to early next year, with its final performance now set to take place on the 2nd of January 2027. The show had originally planned to run until April, however will now close three months earlier than anticipated, with the producers yet to disclose the reason for the moving up of the final show. The musical originally opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway back in 2019, reopening post-Covid at the Marquis Theatre, where it ran for 9 additional months in 2022-23, and finally closing for the third time at the Palace Theatre earlier this year.

The show continues its current run at the Prince Edward Theatre, starring David Fynn as Beetlejuice, Hannah Nordberg as Lydia, David Hunter as Adam, Chelsea Halfpenny as Barbara, Alasdair Harvey as Charles, Summer Strallen as Delia (until the 2nd of November, after which Aimie Atkinson will return to the role), Chasity Crisp as Maxine Dean / Juno, Richard Frame as Otho, Irvine Iqbal as Maxie Dean, Rachel Macdougall as Girl Scout, and Vanessa Aurora Sierra as Miss Argentina. Tickets are available through the Delfont Mackintosh website, as well as through TodayTix for rush on the day; those with tickets for performances from the 3rd of January through April will be contacted directly through their original point of purchase regarding refunds.

GAME OF THRONES: THE MAD KING

RSC production to transfer to London next year

In the wake of a hugely successful world premiere run at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, “Game of Thrones: The Mad King”, adapted by Duncan MacMillan from the enormously successful novels by George R. R. Martin, is set to open in London next year. Exact dates and venue are yet to be revealed, but it has been confirmed that it will open some time in 2027, as confirmed by Martin himself in a new video released earlier this week. You can sign up for updates, as well as first access to presale tickets, via the official production website, where you can also find links to their social pages.

Set several decades prior to the events of the critically acclaimed books and subsequent TV series, the new play tells the story of the events that unfurled during the fall of house Targaryen, the deposition of "Mad King" Aerys II, and the rise of Robert Baratheon as King of Westeros. The play first opened at the RSC Theatre on the 20th of July to hugely positive reviews, including from this page (read here), and gave its final performance this weekend.

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Come back the same time next week for another batch of news stories to round up...