Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield present the new musical about the life and legend of Cilla Black, which will open in her hometown at the Liverpool Empire from Thursday 7 to 16 September 2017 before embarking on a nationwide tour.
A JUDGEMENT IN STONE – Edinburgh
There’s been a murder. Well, four murders actually. The Coverdale family, a blended bunch consisting of mum Jacquie, dad George and ‘steps’ Giles and Melinda, have been blasted to oblivion.
EVITA – Touring
Evita returns to the Edinburgh Playhouse with more than a little starryness about the turns, to match the starry nature of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical. Bill Kenwright’s touring production, last seen at the Playhouse in February 2014, gives a strong sense of the operatic to the late seventies show.
EVITA – Southampton
It won’t be easy, you’ll think it strange – but Evita in 1978 was the last show co-written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Despite their later separate successes, it remains an often-overlooked triumph – a near-operatic, through-sung construction, and a fine combination of musicality with a genuinely fascinating, historically accurate story.
GHOST THE MUSICAL – Touring
Unbelievable: Part thriller, part romantic comedy, part Sarah Harding casting error, Ghost: the Musical, now in Edinburgh as part of its ongoing tour, does just about everything expected of it.
NEWS: John Partridge plays Zaza in first-ever UK tour of La Cage aux Folles
Bill Kenwright presents the much loved musical LA CAGE AUX FOLLES with John Partridge as ‘Albin/Zaza’ and American TV star Adrian Zmed as ‘Georges’, opening at New Oxford Theatre on Thursday 5 January 2017 before embarking on its first-ever nationwide tour, with further dates to be announced.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION – Touring
It must be daunting taking on characters so well known and trying to make them your own, especially when it comes to those from a movie as revered as The Shawshank Redemption. Thankfully this cast were, for the most part, up to the challenge.
NEWS: Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding makes stage debut in Ghost tour
Singer and actress Sarah Harding will make her stage debut this autumn in Bill Kenwright’s new production of the timeless story of love, despair and hope: GHOST – THE MUSICAL. She will star as ‘Molly’ opposite Andy Moss, best known for starring as ‘Rhys Ashworth’ in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, as ‘Sam’.
NEWS: How the Other Half Loves extends in West End, moves to Duke of York’s
Bill Kenwright’s West End production of Alan Ayckbourn’s farcical tale of matrimonial mishaps How The Other Half Loves is moving house. The comedy, which has enjoyed huge public and critical acclaim since it opened in March, will extend its West End run, transferring from the Theatre Royal Haymarket to the Duke of York’s from 7 July – 1 October 2016.
REHEARSAL FOR MURDER – Touring
Accomplished: Efficiently staged, well acted and cleverly paced, Rehearsal for Murder has everything you would want from a large-scale touring production.
JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT – Touring
A technicolour spectacle is promised by the cast and crew of Joseph and it is duly delivered – to rapturous applause. Telling the classic Old Testament story of the favourite of Jacob’s 12 sons cruelly cast out in a fraternal coup, at the heart of the dark tale is a celebration of hope and dreams.
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS – West End
Wayne’s ‘World’ has been kicking about since the late 1970’s when he wrote this famous prog rock album around the same time Pink Floyd produced Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall and completely laid the genre to rest. He deserves medals, though, for still thrashing through these repetitive strains nightly on the conducting platform like a hunched and superannuated Peter Stringfellow.
BLOOD BROTHERS – Touring
Every musical needs a great soaring tune to call its own. And Blood Brothers certainly has that.
BLOOD BROTHERS – Touring
Every musical needs a great soaring tune to call its own. And Blood Brothers certainly has that.
NEWS: Ayckbourn classic How the Other Half Loves gets West End revival at Haymarket
Alan Ayckbourn’s farcical tale of matrimonial mishaps, How The Other Half Loves will appear in the West End this spring. At turns heart-wrenching and hilarious, Ayckbourn’s tale of social graces and personal misunderstanding remains one of the celebrated writer’s most famous comedies. The 1969 classic – the first of Ayckbourn’s plays to be staged on Broadway – returns to London to play the Theatre Royal Haymarket from Wednesday 23 March – Saturday 25 June 2016 and is produced by Bill Kenwright.
NEWS: Michael Crawford returns to West End in The Go-Between, TICKETS ON SALE
Michael Crawford – internationally renowned for originating the title role in The Phantom of the Opera and loved by millions for his role as the hapless Frank Spencer in the classic British sitcom, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em– will return to London’s West End this summer in a new production of THE GO-BETWEEN.
THE GLENN MILLER STORY – Touring
Considerable musicality and dollops of goodwill cannot hide the huge basic problems at the heart of The Glenn Miller Story.
NEWS: Jimmy Nail, Daniel Bedingfield & Heidi Range make West End debuts in War of the Worlds
All star casting for the world stage premiere of Jeff Wayne’s classic includes Jimmy Nail, Daniel Bedingfield and Sugababe Heidi Range – all making their West End debuts – as well as David Essex, Michael Praed and Madalena Alberto.
BLOOD BROTHERS – Touring
Have you heard the story of the Johnstone twins…….? Sometimes as a reviewer, you finish watching a show thinking this is going to be the easiest review I’ve ever written and then you start to write it and hit a block? Why? Just because sometimes a performance that receives a full house standing ovation, is so incredible that its hard to find the words to do it justice! This is one of those occasions.
NEWS: Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds makes West End debut in Feb
The long-running, multi award-winning music phenomenon, Jeff Wayne’s musical version of The War of the Worlds, receives its West End premiere at the Dominion Theatre in the new year.