NEWS ROUNDUP: 6 - 12 April

We are at the height of awards season, with the WhatsOnStage Awards and Critics Circle Theatre Awards having been bestowed last month, and both the Oliviers and Stalls To Stage Awards taking place during April. Whilst the biggest events in the theatrical calendar are happening, here is your weekly roundup of wider news stories...

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THESPIANS

Full cast announced for new Mischief musical

The full cast for the upcoming world premiere of Mischief’s new musical “Thespians” has been revealed, and will feature Allie Dart (2:22) as Rhapsodes and dance captain, Claire-Marie Hall (Operation Mincemeat) as Poly, James Spence (Unfortunate) as Thespis, Luke Latchman (Sunset Boulevard) as Atlas, Marc Pickering (Bleak Expectations) as Adonis, Matt Cavendish (The Comedy About Spies) as Bard, Mia Jerome (Romeo & Juliet) as Melampus, and Rhys Taylor (Millennials) as The Tyrant, with the cast completed by Ashley Tucker, Josh Patel-Foster and Curtis Patrick.

Written by Jonathan Sayer, with music and lyrics by Ed Zanders, this is the first ever musical to be staged by Mischief Comedy, produced by HOME Manchester, JPT Productions and Mercury Theatre Colchester. The show will have its world premiere on the 9th of May at the Mercury, where it will run to the 23rd of May before performing in Bath, Swindon, Guildford (week 1), Cheltenham, Cardiff, a return to Guildford (week 2) and finishing in Manchester. You can find out more about the production and its tour dates via the Thespians website.

HIGH SOCIETY

Full cast announced for London revival and tour this summer

The full cast for the upcoming London revival of “High Society” has been revealed; the show has a score by Cole Porter and a book by Arthur Kopit, and is based on the 1956 movie musical of the same name. Joining previously announced Helen George and Felicity Kendal will be Julian Ovenden (South Pacific) as Dexter, Carly Mercedes Dyer (Singin’ in the Rain) as Liz, Nigel Lindsay (Kiss Me, Kate) as Uncle Willie, Freddie Fox (She Stoops to Conquer) as Mike, and Malcolm Sinclair (Pie in the Sky) as Seth.

The cast is completed by Naomi Pacquette, David Seadon-Young, James Hume, Bethany Adamson, David Austin-Barnes, Jabari Braham, George Bray, Andrew Coshan, Jordan Crouch, Frances Dee, Aaron Elijah, Tosca Fischer, Jacob Fisher, Heather Jackson, Aoife Kenny, Nell Martin, Isabel Snaas, Thomas Inge, Robin Kent, Imogen Bailey and Lucy Rice. The show will open at the Barbican Theatre on the 19th of May, where it will run until the 11th of July, followed by a UK tour to commence in High Wycombe and run until November. you can find out more, including how to book tickets, via the official High Society website.

HOT MESS

Jack Godfrey and Ellie Cootes' musical to return to London

It has been revealed that, following hugely successful runs both in Edinburgh and off-west end last year, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote’s new musical “Hot Mess” is set to return to the London stage later this year. Telling the story of the relationship between the personifications of both Earth and humanity, the musical premiered at the Pleasance Courtyard at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe before a London premiere at Southwark Playhouse in the autumn.

The show’s original runs starred Tobias Turley and Danielle Steers, both of whom feature on the cast recording, which released last year on streaming services. The musical will return to London this summer, running at the Other Palace from the 13th of June until the 6th of September. Further details including casting will be revealed at a later date, and tickets are now on sale for all performances. via the Other Palace website.

SINATRA: THE MUSICAL

Full cast announced for west end transfer

The full cast for the upcoming west end premiere of “Sinatra: The Musical” has been revealed; with a book by Joe Dipietro, and a score featuring many of Sinatra’s most popular numbers, the show originally premiered at Birmingham Rep in 2023. Previously announced Joel Harper-Jackson, Ana Villafañe and Phoebe Panaretos being joined by Olivier Award winner Jenna Russell (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) who will play Frank’s mother. “Sinatra” will open at the Aldwych Theatre on the 3rd of June, with tickets currently on sale until the 10th of April 2027.

Completing the cast are Oliver Adam-Reynolds, Becky Anderson, Carl Au, Sam Brown, Helen Colby, Adam Davidson, Jenna Innes, Marty Maguire, Mia Musakembeva, Melissa Nettleford, Samuel Nicholas, John Stacey, Allana Taylor and Lee Zarrett, with Emma Crossley, Alexander Day, Christopher GoPaul, Stuart Hickey, Nardia Ruth and Christina Shand acting as swings. You can find out more about the show, as well as book tickets, via the official Sinatra website.

SYLVIA

New limited cast album to be released

ZooNation Records have announced that a new album, containing tracks from the new musical “Sylvia”, written by Josh Cohen, DJ Walde and Kate Prince, is set to be released next month, with a second track having been made available to stream and download earlier this week. The new single, entitled “Stand Up”, is one of 14 tracks from the musical to feature on the album, starring Beverley Knight and Sharon Rose. This announcement comes on the tail of news that the show will return to London this autumn, for a strictly limited run.

The musical celebrates the life of Sylvia Pankhurst, rebellious daughter of renowned suffragist Emmeline, and her role in the suffragette movement in the 1910s; following a UK tour, the show will run from the 13th - 15th of November at the Royal Albert Hall, where over 20 suffragette rallies were held between 1913-1918. The album will release on the 20th of May, now available for pre-order via Proper Music.

BEETLEJUICE

Full cast announced ahead of west end premiere

Say their names, as the full cast for the west end premiere of “Beetlejuice: The Musical” has finally been announced! Joining previously announced David Fynn as Beetlejuice will be Hannah Nordberg (Little Miss Sunshine) as Lydia, David Hunter (Time Traveller’s Wife) as Adam Maitland, Chelsea Halfpenny (Waitress) as Barbara Maitland, Aimie Atkinson (Six) as Delia Schlimmer, and Alasdair Harvey (Come From Away) as Charles Deetz. Chasity Crisp makes her West End debut as Maxine Dean / Juno, with Otho played by Richard Frame, Maxie Deane by Irvine Iqbal, Girl Scout by Rachel Macdougall and Miss Argentina by Vanessa Aurora Sierra. Tom Xander acts as alternate Beetlejuice.

The cast is completed by Jemma Alexander, Samuel Bangs, Natasha Cayabyab, Chris Draper, Harley Emmitt, Catherine McCormick, Robbie McMillan, Kieran Mellish, Elliott Parry, Jacob Smith, Adam Taylor, Tyler Timmins and Issie Wilman. “Beetlejuice” opens at the Prince Edward Theatre on the 20th of May 2026, and runs until the 17th of April 2027, with tickets available from the Delfont Mackintosh website.

CABARET

New stars join London cast as Emcee and Sally

It's time once again to say Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome to the newest faces to enter the fold at the Kit Kat Club, as it has been announced that Jamie Muscato (One Day) is set to take over the role of the Emcee, and Joy Woods (The Notebook) will take on the role of Sally Bowles. Woods made her London stage debut last year in the 30th anniversary concert production of Jason Robert Brown's early musical "Songs from a New World", whereas Muscato returns to the London stage following his performance in the titular role in "The Great Gatsby".

The pair take over from the departing Matt Willis and Katie Hall, who play their final performances in the show on the 23rd of May, with Muscato and Woods beginning their respective tenures at the Kit Kat Club on the 25th of May. The show is currently booking until early next year, with tickets now on sale for all performances up to and including the 30th of January 2027 via the ATG website.

LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARDS

Winners for 2026 announced at the Royal Albert Hall

Following this years ceremony on the evening of the 12th of April, the full list of winners of the 2026 Laurence Olivier Awards has been revealed. As had been heavily tipped, "Paddington: The Musical" was the big winner of the evening, winning 7 awards from 11 nominations, including for "best new musical", as well as for 3 out of 4 acting categories, and creative awards for direction, set design and costume design. There were also big wins for "Kenrex", "Into The Woods", "All My Sons", "Evita" and "Punch", all coming way with two wins each.

There were also, however, a surprising number of total shutouts, with big hitting shows such as "Stereophonic", "The Great Gatsby" and "The Producers" all failing to win a single award, in spite of promising seasons and major success elsewhere, especially with David Adjmi and Will Butler's piece, which became the most Tony Award nominated play in history when it ran on broadway. You can find the full list of winners and nominees here

INTO THE WOODS

Bridge Theatre production to transfer to the west end

Following a good showing at this year's Oliviers, winning 2 awards from 11 nominations, including "best musical revival", it was announced during the ceremony that the production, currently running at the Bridge Theatre, is set to transfer to the west end this autumn. The musical last performed in the west end back in 1990, in a production starring the likes of Imelda Staunton, Clive Carter, Julia McKenzie and Nicholas Parsons, making this the first ever west end revival of the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical.

Following its closure at the Bridge Theatre, the production will then open at the Noël Coward Theatre on the 22nd of September, following the current production of "Dracula", and subsequent staging of "Cyrano de Bergerac" starring Adrian Lester, with an official opening night on the 7th of October, and will close on the 9th of January 2027.