Production news stories published on The Stage website from January 2 to 13.
MUSICALS
She Loves Me will be revived at the Landor Theatre in London later this year. The musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1963, will run at the Clapham venue from February 4 to March 7, press night on February 9.
Writers: Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock (music and lyrics), Joe Mastersoff (book)
Director: Robert McWhir
Design: David Shield (set),
Richard Lambert (lighting)
Choreographer: Robbie O’Reilly
Musical director: James Cleeve
Producer: Theatrica Ltd
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Natalie Dew and Lauren Samuels will lead the cast of the West End adaptation of Bend It Like Beckham. Based on the 2002 film, the musical will also feature Jamie Campbell Bower and Ronni Ancona. The show opens at the Phoenix Theatre on May 15,
with press night on June 24.
Writers: Howard Goodall (music), Charles Hart (lyrics), Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges (book)
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Cast also includes: Preeya Kalidas, Jamal Andreas, Tony Jayawardena and Natasha Jayetileke
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions and Deepak Nayar Productions
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Miss Saigon has extended its West End run at the Prince Edward Theatre until September. Previously booking until April 25, the musical has been extended by three months and will now run until September 26.
Writers: Alain Boublil (book and lyrics), Claude-Michel Schonberg (book and music)
Director: Laurence Connor
Producer: Cameron Mackintosh
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Kerry Ellis will replace Nicole Scherzinger in the West End production of Cats, which has extended its run by two months. The musical was originally booking until February 28, but will now run at the London Palladium until April 25, with Ellis taking over as Grizabella from February 9.
Writer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Director: Trevor Nunn
Producers: David Ian and Really Useful Theatres
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Cassie Compton and Stephanie Fearon are to lead the cast of Molly Wobbly, which opens at Leicester Square Theatre later this month. The show, which premiered in Belfast in 2011, runs from January 27 to March 14, with press nights on January 29 and 30.
Writer/director: Paul Boyd
Design: Diego Pitarch (set),
Tom Kitney (lighting)
Choreographer: Sarah Johnston
Musical director: Matthew Reeve
Cast also includes: Jane Milligan, Conleth Kane, Christopher Finn, Ashley Knight, Alan Richardson and Russell Morton
Producer: Martin Witts and Lesley Ackland for Leicester Square Theatre in arrangement with PBM
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PLAYS
Pub theatre the Other Room in Cardiff has announced its inaugural season, which includes Sarah Kane’s Blasted and a new bilingual play by Alun Saunders. Blasted will be directed by the theatre’s artistic director Kate Wasserberg and will feature Welsh actor Christian Patterson. The production will run from February 17 to March 7. The season also includes Howard Barker’s The Dying of Today, from March 24 to April 11, as well as Saunders’ A Good Clean Heart, which will be performed in Welsh and English. Directed by Mared Swain, it will run from April 28 to May 16.
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Full casting has been announced for Sheffield Theatres’ Sarah Kane season, which begins in February. The season includes productions of three of Kane’s plays – Blasted, Crave and 4.48 Psychosis – as well as two semi-staged readings and a screening of her film. Jessica Barden, Martin Marquez and Mark Stanley will appear in Blasted, which is directed by Richard Wilson and runs from February 4 to 21, while Crave, which runs from March 6 to 21 and is directed by Charlotte Gwinner, will star Rakie Ayola, Pearl Chanda, Christopher Fulford and Tom Mothersdale. Meanwhile, 4.48 Psychosis, which is also directed by Gwinner, will feature Ayola, Chanda and Mothersdale.
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Nathan Ives-Moiba has been cast in the title roles of Sell A Door Theatre’s new touring production of Jekyll and Hyde. Lyle Barke and Rowena Lennon have also been cast in the adaptation, which will run at Greenwich Theatre in London from February 11 to 14 before embarking on a 33-date national tour.
Writer: Jo Clifford
Director: David Hutchinson
Design: Richard Evans (set), Charlie Morgan Jones (lighting)
Choreographer: Racky Plews
Producer: Sell A Door
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Jonathan Pryce will play Shylock in The Merchant of Venice as part of Shakespeare’s Globe’s summer season, which also includes As You Like It, starring Michelle Terry. Pryce will appear in Jonathan Munby’s production, which runs from April 23 to June 7, with press night on April 30. Terry meanwhile, will play Rosalind in As You Like It, directed by Blanche McIntyre, from May 15 to September 5. Press night is on May 20.
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Sharon D Clarke is to appear in Sally Cookson’s production of Romeo and Juliet at the Rose Theatre Kingston, which also stars Audrey Brisson and Joseph Drake as the eponymous lovers. Clarke will play Nurse in the play, which runs from February 28 to March 21, with press night on March 4.
Writer: William Shakespeare
Director: Sally Cookson
Design: Katie Sykes (set), Aideen Malone (lighting), Mike Beer (sound)
Cast also includes: Maureen Beattie, Matt Costain, Chris Bianchi, Laura Elphinstone, Daniel Ezra, Felix Hayes and Javier Marzan
Producer: Rose Theatre Kingston
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Christine Bottomley and Neil D’Souza will join the previously announced Maxine Peake in How to Hold Your Breath at the Royal Court. The play will run at the London theatre from February 4 to March 21, with press night on February 10.
Writer: Zinnie Harris
Director: Vicky Featherstone
Cast also includes: Peter Forbes, Siobhan McSweeney, Danusia Samal and Michael Shaeffer
Producer: Royal Court Theatre
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