West Yorkshire Playhouse today announced it will change its name to Leeds Playhouse. The name change marks a new chapter in the theatre’s 50-year history.
‘Retains the heart of the original while bringing it right up to date’: SUNSHINE ON LEITH – Touring ★★★★
Raw in delivery and driven by big emotions, Sunshine on Leith returns to Edinburgh in a tough new version produced by the West Yorkshire Playhouse which retains the heart of the original 2007 musical while bringing it right up to date.
‘It is everything I want from my musical theatre’: SUNSHINE ON LEITH – West Yorkshire Playhouse & Touring
Humourous and heartfelt, Sunshine on Leith is utterly joyous. It is everything I want from my musical theatre and I couldn’t recommend it more.
NEWS: Sharon Small stars in Still Alice stage adaptation on tour after Leeds premiere
Following a successful three-week run at West Yorkshire Playhouse earlier this year, Christine Mary Dunford’s newly adapted version of Lisa Genova’s best-selling novel, Still Alice, will tour the UK from September 2018, directed by David Grindley and starring Sharon Small as Alice.
From The Country Wife to Olivier Award nominations: What to look out for in March
Lots of different things opening across the country in March. In London there are a lot of Fringe and Off West End productions coming your way.
Never Mind The Blog, here’s January’s theatre news
Lots & lots of shows have their first performances in London and across the country this month, including new productions of Pinter’s The Birthday Party, Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, and Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well.
NEWS: Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom musical gets West End premiere in 2018 TICKETS ONSALE
After success in Australia and its UK premiere at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Baz Luhrmann’s screen-to-stage musical Strictly Ballroom gets its West End premiere, directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie.
NEWS: Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith gets new version in Leeds
West Yorkshire Playhouse mounts a new version of The Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith in April ahead of a UK tour.
BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – National Theatre
Black theatre used to be one of most creative aspects of contemporary British drama. But recently a lot of the impetus behind plays by black playwrights seems to have dried up. The great names of the past couple of decades are either silent, or, which is worse, merely repeating themselves.
NEWS: Catherine McCormack & Jack Monaghan star in The Graduate revival
Catherine McCormack and Jack Monaghan will lead the cast of a major new production of screen-to-stage play The Graduate, which opens at Leeds’ West Yorkshire Playhouse in May.
STRICTLY BALLROOM – West Yorkshire Playhouse
It is now Drew McOnie who takes the directorial chair, the choreographer-director’s rising star an ideal fit for a musical all about dance. And what dance it is.
NEWS: Gemma Sutton & Broadway’s Sam Lips star in Strictly Ballroom, Full cast
The full cast has been announced for STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL, with an international company coming together ahead of the first UK staging of the musical, which is to premiere on Wednesday 30 November at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. West End star Gemma Sutton and Broadway’s Sam Lips, making his UK debut, take on the iconic lead roles of Fran and Scott.
DOCTOR FAUSTUS – West End
Game of Thrones celebrity casting can’t save a misconceived, vulgarly populist updating of this Renaissance classic.
NEWS: Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom gets UK premiere at West Yorkshire Playhouse
The first UK staging of STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL – based on the much loved film that inspired the world to dance – is to premiere at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds on Wednesday 30 November 2016, playing a season through until Saturday 21 January 2017 (Press Night: Tuesday 6 December at 7.30pm).
Diary of a Theatre Addict: Doing the timewarp again, revisiting Gypsy on TV, and catching up with Linda
I’ve been out and about over the pre- and post-Christmas week, including trips to Brighton, Manchester and Leeds, with lots of catching up to do in London, too.
Curtain Up: The news from the last week
being laid up on the sofa has allowed me to keep my head above water with the volume of theatre news emerging lately, so I thought this would be a good time to start my new weekly round-up of what is happening in the West End and beyond…
NEWS: Jon Robyns leads Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, full cast announced
Casting has been announced for the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Music & Lyrics Limited production of the much-loved Sherman Brothers musical CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, opening at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds on 2 December, with a national press night on Thursday 10 December, for a nine-week season finishing on 30 January 2016. Jon Robyns (Memphis, Spamalot, Avenue Q) will play Caractacus …
NEWS: The 39 Steps ends nine-year run at Criterion Theatre on 5 Sep
On Saturday 5 September 2015, The 39 Steps will close after nine years at the West End’s Criterion Theatre. Based on John Buchan’s 1914 spy thriller The Thirty Nine Steps and adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow (Desmond Oliver Dingle/The National Theatre of Brent), The 39 Steps is directed by Maria Aitken, with design by Peter McKintosh, lighting by Ian Scott, sound by Mic Pool, and movement by Toby Sedgwick.