Camp Calendar Casting

All hail David Pugh, producer of Calendar Girls and clearly a casting genius. In what’s becoming the Vagina Monologues of its day, the Calendar Girls cast is having another clear out and importing a dizzyingly camp and comedic troupe of new actresses.

Disrobing from 3 November, the new cast will include camp icon and longtime Coronation Street actress Julie Goodyear; model, presenter and actress Kelly Brook; respected Olivier award-winning actress Janie Dee; ex news reader and I’m A Celebrity contestant Jan Leeming; and an array of great British female comedy talent, including wild-eyed Helen Lederer, the Fast Show’s Arabella Weir and TittyBangBang’s Debbie Chazen.

The new cast will perform at the Noel Coward Theatre until 9 January, when the show will move to a new theatre to make room for the Royal Court’s celebrated production Enron.

Discount tickets to Calendar Girls at the Noel Coward Theatre London

Theatre pieces: Hunter Parrish, August:Osage County, Chichester

After Gareth Gates, do we have a new Joseph?

Gareth Gates seems to be doing a fine job in Joseph at the Adelphi Theatre – at least if comments on the westendtheatre blog are anything to go by. Whilst musing on Spring Awakening’s demise on Broadway, we turn our attention to Hunter Parrish – pot smoking star of TV’s Weeds – who recently played the lead role of Melchior on Broadway.

Well known for his love of all things theatrical, in a recent interview he said: “I want them to bring back Joseph [and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]. If anyone has that idea, I’m your man!” Could he be prize casting post-Gareth – or in any future Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway plans?

August the Movie?

Apparently a film version of August: Osage County, the play by Tracy Letts that wowed critics and audiences alike at the National Theatre recently, is on the cards. Written by Letts herself, the Weinstein Company is backing the adaptation and aiming for a 2011 release. There are some potential dream casting scenarios for this one.

Starry Chichester

There is much oo-ing and ahh-ing over this year’s Chichester Festival Theatre season, with lots of big name stars. Chief amongst them is Joseph Fiennes who is to headline Trevor Nunn‘s staging of Cyrano de Bergerac; also Rupert Goold directs Enron before it makes it’s way to the Royal Court; Oklahoma! gets a revival from Sweeney Todd stage director John Doyle, Iain Glen stars in a new adaptation of Friedrich Schiller play Wallenstein, and Diana Rigg stars as Judith Bliss in a revival of  Noel Coward’s Hay Fever.

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Enron… the musical?

Writer Lucy Prebble

Well not quite “the musical” but it would be fabulous! Ridiculously young and talented playwright Lucy Prebble (creator of the Secret Diary of a Call Girl TV series) is turning the infamous American corporate scandal into a new play, which also promises music, movement and video. This could all go so easily wrong if it wasn’t that man of the moment Rupert Goold (Oliver!), teaming up again with Oliver! designer Anthony Ward, is at the helm. Promising to cast new light on the scandal, the play opens at the Royal Court Theatre in September.

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