NEWS ROUNDUP: 5th - 11th October

Happy Sunday, we have reached the end of another week, and what a week it’s been, so what better way to close it out than to do another news recap in case there’s anything you’ve missed…

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ROWAN ATKINSON

New London show to open in the new year

After an absence of over a decade, legendary comedy actor and performer Rowan Atkinson, star of TV shows like “Blackadder” and “Mr Bean”, and stage shows such as the 2008 west end revival of “Oliver!”, is set to return to the west end stage in a new comedy show at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. He was last seen in a London theatre back in 2013, when he starred in the revival of the Simon Gray play “Quartermaine’s Terms” playing the title role, and has previously performed various revues in both London and New York.

The new show, entitled “Rowan Live”, will begin performances on the 8th of February 2027, and will run until the 13th of March, in a strictly limited 30-show engagement. Tickets for the show are now. on sale, and can be purchased via the LW Theatres website, where you can also find .

IN PIECES

New musical to receive fully staged premiere in London

Off the back of it’s concert run earlier this year, the new Joey Contreras musical “In Pieces” is set to have its fully staged world premiere in early 2027, at the same venue where it had its concerts. Also returning will be director Martha Geelan, as well as Sam Wilson Freeman as choreographer, Brian Russell Carey as music supervisor, and Harry Blumenau as casting director, with further details, including the full cast and creative team, to be revealed at a later date. Originally beginning life as a concept album recorded during Covid, starring the likes of Solea Pfeiffer and Andrew Barth Feldman, composer Contreras finally brings this musical to the stage.

The show will open at The Other Palace on the 6th of February, initially billed as a nine-day run until the 14th of February, but was later extended for an extra 5 weeks, now set to run until the 21st of March. Tickets are now on sale, and can be purchased through the Other Palace website.

SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM

Revue returns to London for festive run

The acclaimed revue “Side By Side By Sondheim”, originally premiering in the west end 50 years ago, is set to return to London during the festive period. The production, which will perform Upstairs at the Gatehouse, will be directed by Amanda Noar, with musical direction by Harry Style, and a creative team that also includes set designer Ruby Boswell-Green, lighting designer Simon Jackson and costume designer Hannah Danson. It features a whole host of songs from Sondheim's earlier works, such as "A Little Night Music", "Company", "West Side Story", "Pacific Overtures" and "Follies", as well as from film and TV.

The revue will open on the 10th of December at The Gatehouse, where it will run until the 17th of January, with a press night on the 16th of December. The full cast, which will comprise a quartet of “all-singing, all-dancing, all piano-playing performers”, will be revealed at a later date, and tickets can be found via the Gatehouse website.

ONE DAY

New musical announces full cast for its west end run

The full cast of the upcoming west end transfer of “One Day”, to open later this year, has been announced. As previously revealed, Jamie Muscato (Cabaret) returns as Dexter, while Sharon Rose (Hamilton) will reprise the role of Emma. Joining them are Dan Buckley (Fiver) as Ian, Dougie Carter (Wicked) as Callum, Anna-Jane Casey (Kiss of the Spider Woman) as Alison Mayhew, Ross Dawes (the Time Traveller's Wife) as Mr Godalming, Christopher Dickins (Mamma Mia!) as Stephen Mayhew, Kelly Hampson (Stiletto) as Sylvie, Jennifer Louise Jones (My Fair Lady) as Miffy, and Romona Lewis-Malley (Clueless) as Tilly.

Additionally, Vanessa Fisher is in the Ensemble, with Rosalía Morales, Ewan Murphy, and Tom Mussell as Understudies; ‘Jasmine’ and ‘Sonia’ are played by Bonnie Harper, Esmae Kevany, Hannah McIntyre and Ava-Rae Timewell. “One Day” runs at the Garrick Theatre from the 17th of November, and will run until the 14th of March, with tickets on sale now for all dates via the Nimax Theatres website.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Glenn Close to join production at Drury Lane

The cast for the west end return of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opersa "Jesus Christ Superstar" is now complete, with one final Herod added to the roster. Previously appearing as Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" at the London Coliseum, multi-award winning actress Glenn Close returns to the capital to play the role for the final week of performances at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, from the 4th until the 9th of January 2027, the last of 8 performers to be taking on the role of Herod during this second west end stint.

Originally opening at the London Palladium this summer, the production reopens at Drury Lane on the 16th of October, to run over the festive period prior to a UK tour starting at the Manchester Opera House in February. To find out more about the production, head on over to the official JCS website, where you can find out more about the cast, as well as ticket sales for both London and tour dates.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

West end musical to be filmed professionally

In the year when it celebrates its 40th anniversary, musical theatre juggernaut "Phantom of the Opera", currently running at His Majesty's Theatre, is to be recorded in its entirety for public viewing, with the current cast featuring Jordan Donica as The Phantom, Beatrice Penny-Touré as Christine Daaé, Rhys Whitfield as Raoul, Sierra Boggess as Carlotta, Matt Bateman as Piangi, Joseph Millson as Monsieur André, Ian Pirie as Monsieur Firmin, Joanna Riding as Madame Giry and Millie Lyon as Meg. The film will be released in 2027, with the capture directed by Brett sullivan (Hadestown), and produced by Dione Orrom (Six: The Musical Live!).

Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, "Phantom of the Opera" has been performed to over 160 million people across hundreds of cities, in 23 different languages across 52 individual countries and territories. To find out more about the musical, including its current cast, head on over to the official Phantom of the Opera website., where you can also find ticket sales for all current productions, incuding in Germany, South Korea, Italy and the US tour.

FALSETTOS

Full cast of 2016 broadway revival to reunite in London

The 2016 broadway cast of William Finn and James Lapone’s Tony winning musical “Falsettos” are set to reunite early next year in London, following concerts in New York next month. Featuring the six leads Stephanie J Block (Kiss Me, Kate) as 'Trina, Christian Borle (Some Like It Hot) as Marvin, Andrew Rannells (Gutenberg!) as Whizzer, Tracie Thoms (Working) as Charlotte, Brandon Uranowitz (Ragtime) as Mendell, and Betsy Wolfe (Death Becomes Her) as Cordelia, with a guest appearance from Anthony Rosenthal (Leopoldstadt) who played 13-year old Jason in the show.

Originally premiering in 1992, the musical gained a major following after it was revived at the Walter Kerr Theatre, during which it was filmed professionally. Following performances in the US, the additional London concerts will run on the 23rd and 24th of February 2027 at the London Palladium, with fans now able to sign up for priority booking via the LW Theatres website, this opens on the 14th of October at 1pm.