A boom in theatre building in the Art Deco 1930′s has resulted in six West End theatres celebrating their 80th anniversaries in 2010.

September proves a particularly important month, with three theatres celebrating their 80th: the Cambridge Theatre on Earlham Street on 4 September; Charing Cross Road’s Phoenix Theatre on 24 September; and the Trafalgar Studios on Whitehall, formerly known as the Whitehall Theatre, on 29 September.

Already this year the Prince Edward Theatre has celebrated its 80th birthday on 3 April, and later in the year the Apollo Victoria Theatre will mark its 80th on 15 October and the Adelphi Theatre on 3 December.

London Palladium in 1912, courtesy of The Theatres Trust

Celebrations will include a charity gala for the Apollo Victoria on 10 October featuring the cast of the venue’s current show, Wicked, and past productions including Starlight Express.

Advisory Body, The Theatres Trust, commented on the anniversaries: “The West End theatres that celebrate their 80th anniversaries this year are among the UK’s best examples of art deco and moderne style venues. Each is distinctive and unique, built to appeal to a public eager for entertainment, plays, films, variety and musicals. It is a mark of their quality that they continue to do so to this day.”

2010 also marks theatrical milestones for a number of other venues, notably the 100th anniversary of the famous London Palladium on 26 December. A special Facebook page has been set up for the London Palladium’s centenary allowing theatregoers and theatre professionals to remember the historic venue. Also, on Radio 2 this autumn a two-part documentary series, The London Palladium Story, will tell the story of the theatre, narrated by Michael Grade.

Also this year the Peacock Theatre, originally called the Royalty Theatre, will celebrate its 40th birthday in June, and the former Leicester Square Theatre, now the Odeon West End cinema, will turn 80.

QUICK THEATRE FACTS

Adelphi Theatre

Opened: 3 December 1930

Designed: Ernest Schaufelberg, incorporating parts of the former Sans Pareil theatre

Location: Strand, London, WC2E 7NA Adelphi Theatre Map

First production: Ever Green by Benn W. Levy and Lorenz Hart

Current production: Love Never Dies

Apollo Victoria Theatre

Opened: 15 October 1930

Designed: E. Wamsley Lewis and W E Trent

Location: 17 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LL Apollo Victoria Theatre Map

First production: originally opened as a cinema (film: George Arlis in Old English)

Current production: Wicked

Cambridge Theatre

Opened: 4 September 1930

Designed: Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie with Serge Chermayeff

Location: Earlham Street, London, WC2 9HU Cambridge Theatre Map

First production: Charlot’s Masquerade by Ronald Jeans

Current production: Chicago

London Palladium

Opened: 26 December 1910

Designed: Frank Matcham

Location: London Palladium, Argyll Street, London, W1F 7TF London Palladium Map

First production: A Variety Show and one act play called The Conspiracy.

Current production: Sister Act

Peacock Theatre

Opened: June 1960

Designed: Lewis Solomon and Kaye and Partners

Location: Portugal Street, London, WC2A 2HT Peacock Theatre Map

First production: opened as a cinema

Current productions: include La Boheme, Euridice

Phoenix Theatre

Opened: 24 September 1930

Designed: Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Bertie Crew, and Cecil Masey, with Theodore Komisarjevsky

Location: Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0JP Phoenix Theatre Map

First production: Noel Coward’s Private Lives

Current production: Blood Brothers

Prince Edward

Opened: 3 April 1930

Designed: Edward A. Stone with Marc-Henri and Laverdet and Gaston Laverdet

Location: Old Compton Street, London, W1D 4HS Prince Edward Theatre Map

First production: Rio Rita by Harry Tierney

Current production: Jersey Boys

Trafalgar Studios

Opened: 29 September 1930

Designed: Edward A. Stone with Marc-Henri and Laverdet and Gaston Laverdet

Location: Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY Trafalgar Studios Map

First production: The Way To Treat A Woman by Walter Hackett

Current productions: include Shirley Valentine, Educating Rita, State Fair

LINKS:

The Theatres Trust

Arthur Lloyd website

Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire

Alongside his wife and business partner Rosemary Squire, they are now the most powerful people in British Theatre and certainly the largest theatre owners. Their deal last year to buy Live Nation’s venues boosted their portfolio to 39 theatres in the UK, including London’s Apollo Victoria, Comedy, Duke of York’s, Fortune, Lyceum, Phoenix, Piccadilly, Playhouse, Savoy, Trafalgar Studios and Donmar Warehouse. That means they manage more than 11,000 theatre seats in London. Powerful indeed.

In the feature, Panter, 61, revealed his ambition to capitalise on the current overseas interest in London shows. His aim is to export shows to other countries by selling the intellectual property of a show but getting it backed by investment from the home country, and populating it with the host country’s local talent.

Presumably it’s a similar model to Cameron Mackintosh but without actually producing the show – more in line with TV companies exporting formats overseas. This makes sense given ATG’s increasing emphasis on production (recent examples include Keira Knightly in The Misanthrope, Legally Blonde at the Savoy and a new tour of The Rocky Horror Show – which Panter owns the rights to). This virtuous circle of owning venues and then producing plays for them makes perfect business sense and mirrors Mackintosh in reverse (a producer who moved into theatre ownership).

Panter is also lobbying hard for tax breaks to help “angels” invest in commercial theatre. Angels – usually rich theatre-loving individuals who take a punt on backing a show in the hope of making some money (rare) and getting a bit of West End glamour (guaranteed) – have long been the life-blood of commercial theatre financing. As Panter says, “With the cuts that are coming, commercial theatre is the bit that’s going to grow, while the publicly subsidised sector of the theatre will be under huge additional strain. The problem, though, is how you sell this politically right now”.

Hard to do, I imagine, when you put it like that.

If commercial theatre is going to grow then tax breaks are going to be less likely. The argument needs to be that, like productions and venues, the subsidised and commercial theatre run in a virtuous circle of talent and creativity – generating lots of money for the UK in the process. It doesn’t pay to have one without the other, so in the short-term commercial theatre will grow as it takes audiences away from a dwindling subsidised world, but in the long-run the whole thing dries up.

We also learnt that Howard has minor dyslexia, likes a good holiday, started in theatre with £1 but now turns over about £230m a year, and has got showbiz in his bones: he originally studied lighting, sound, design, stage management and direction at Lamda.

Which is good to know because with great power comes great responsibility (ref: Spider-man), and we are going to need some seriously passionate, powerful and benevolent theatre people to see us through the next few years.

LINKS

Sunday Times – Howard Panter 15/08/10

Laura Dos Santos and Tim Pigott-Smith

Two of Willy Russell’s best known plays,  Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine, are currently running at the Trafalgar Studios in London for a limited run.

The productions, which originally premiered at the Menier Chocolate Factory, have been a critical and audience hit since they transferred to the West End.

And now westendtheatre.com presents a very special offer on Educating Rita, which stars Tim Pigott-Smith and Laura Dos-Santos, and is directed by Jeremy Sams, who will direct Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz early next year. 

Willy Russell’s much-loved play follows a young, brash hairdresser who, much to the dismay of her husband, has recently discovered a passion for English literature and enrols with the Open University.  Her fresh, unschooled reaction to the classics challenges the attitudes of the university and her lecturer Frank who begins to question his own understanding of his work and himself.

Westendtheatre.com also presents a special offer on Shirley Valentine starring Meera Syal: Save £16 on top price tickets until 31 August

EDUCATING RITA REVIEWS

4 out of 5 stars
“Highly recommended” – Telegraph

4 out of 5 stars
“Willy Russell is a dramatist of exceptional warmth and humanity” – Evening Standard

4 out of 5 stars
“Perfect” – Times

4 out of 5 stars
“Memorable and Joyous” – The Independent

BOOK NOW: Educating Rita at the Trafalgar Studios – Save £27.50

Special Offer: Best seats reduced from £39.50 to £11.99 until 31 August 2010

The much anticipated revival of comedy La Bete will have its premiere tonight at the Comedy Theatre in London.

An all-star cast features US theatre and TV star David Hyde Pierce (Frasier), recent Olivier Award winner Mark Rylance (Jerusalem), and veritable national treasure Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous). The play is directed by acclaimed, Tony award winning director Matthew Warchus and will run at the Comedy Theatre for a short season until 28 August before moving straight to Broadway.

American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play, is a comic tour de force about Elomire (David Hyde Pierce), a high-minded classical dramatist who loves only the theatre, and Valere (Mark Rylance), a low-brow street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Joanna Lumley) decides she’s grown weary of Elomire’s royal theatre troupe, he and Valere are left fighting for survival as art squares off with ego in a literary showdown for the ages.

Other cast include Stephen Ouimette, Lisa Joyce, Greta Lee, Robert Lonsdale, Michael Milligan, Liza Sadovy and Sally Wingert.

Book tickets to La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London

ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK:

WOLFBOY

Thursday 8 July sees the opening of WOLFBOY at the Trafalgar Studios. This psycho-sexual musical thriller stars Daniel Boys (Avenue Q), Emma Rigby (Hollyoaks), Paul Holowaty and Gregg Lowe.

Wolfboy is a dark and disturbing tale of two troubled teenage boys locked in an asylum for their own good. Bernie has attempted suicide; David may or may not have the powers of a wolf. For them the outside world is a frightening place of abuse and violence. Bernie’s brother Christian and Cherry the young nurse on the unit, also hide secrets that surface in the night, when the moon is full.

This new musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival fringe last year and has a book by Russell Labey, music and lyrics by Leon Parris and is based on a play by Brad Fraser. Labey previously directed New Boy at Trafalgar Studios in 2009, while Parris has won the Vivian Ellis Award for Best Musical, Really Useful Group Award for Most Promising Writer and the Cameron Mackintosh Bursary.

Book tickets to Wolfboy at the Trafalgar Studios in London

Spring and autumn may be the busiest times for new shows in London, but this summer will still pack quite a punch with some big names, high-profile directors and a few surprises in store.

A range of musicals and plays will open in the capital over the next few months, including classic musicals from Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods) and Rogers & Hammerstein (State Fair); starry comedy, including David Hyde Pearce and Joanna Lumley in La Bete, Jeff Goldblum in The Prisoner of Second Avenue and Simon Russell Beal and Jonathan Groff in Deathtrap); dance spectaculars (Burn the Floor), new musicals (Wolfboy), ambitious children’s drama (The Railway Children) and a terrifying new play (Ghost Stories).

MORE INFORMATION AND BOOKING

GHOST STORIES

Duke of York’s Theatre, from 25 June 2010

A truly terrifying theatrical experience written and directed by The League of Gentlemen’s master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown’s television and stage shows and star of Dead Set and Severance.

As three men gather together, each has an uncanny, chilling tale to tell. Ghost Stories played a hugely successful run at the Lyric Hammersmith before transferring to the Duke of York’s theatre in the West End. The show stars Nicholas Burns, David Cardy, Ryan Gage and Andy Nyman.

Strictly for theatregoers aged 16 and older. “A pant-wetter of a night. It’s terrifying” Daily Mail

Book tickets to Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London

LA BETE

Comedy Theatre, from 26 June 2010

American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play, La Bete is a comic tour de force about Elomire (David Hyde Pierce – “Frasier”), a high-minded classical dramatist who loves only the theatre, and Valere (Mark Rylance – “Jerusalem”), a low-brow street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Joanna Lumley – “Absolutely Fabulous”) decides she’s grown weary of Elomire’s royal theatre troupe, he and Valere are left fighting for survival as art squares off with ego in a literary showdown for the ages.

Other cast include Stephen Ouimette, Lisa Joyce, Greta Lee, Robert Lonsdale, Michael Milligan, Liza Sadovy and Sally Wingert. The play is directed by Matthew Warchus and will run for a limited season at the Comedy Theatre before heading to Broadway.

Book tickets to La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London

THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE

Vaudeville Theatre, from 30 June 2010

Kevin Spacey’s Old Vic theatre company will produce its first West End show this summer, as a new production of Neil Simon’s 1971 comedy The Prisoner of Second Avenue comes to town. The play stars Hollywood actors Jeff Goldblum (Tall Guy) and Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King) for a limited season at the Vaudeville Theatre.

In the show Goldblum stars as Mel Edison, a man at breaking point. In the heat of a New York City summer his air-conditioning has broken, his neighbours won’t shut-up, his job is hanging by a thread and there are a gang of burglars on the prowl.

Terry Johnson, flush from his Tony success for La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway, will direct the show.

Book tickets to The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Vaudeville Theatre in London

WOLFBOY

Trafalgar Studios, from 6 July 2010

Psycho-sexual musical thriller starring Daniel Boys (Avenue Q), Emma Rigby (Hollyoaks), Paul Holowaty and Gregg Lowe.

Wolfboy is a dark and disturbing tale of two troubled teenage boys locked in an asylum for their own good. Bernie has attempted suicide; David may or may not have the powers of a wolf. For them the outside world is a frightening place of abuse and violence. Bernie’s brother Christian and Cherry the young nurse on the unit, also hide secrets that surface in the night, when the moon is full.

This new musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival fringe last year and has a book by Russell Labey, music and lyrics by Leon Parris and is based on a play by Brad Fraser. Labey previously directed New Boy at Trafalgar Studios in 2009, while Parris has won the Vivian Ellis Award for Best Musical, Really Useful Group Award for Most Promising Writer and the Cameron Mackintosh Bursary.

Book tickets to Wolfboy at the Trafalgar Studios in London

STATE FAIR

Trafalgar Studios, from 3 August 2010

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s charming musical follows the Frake family, farming folk on a trip to the 1946 Iowa State Fair. Whilst parents Abel and Melissa are hoping to win a few blue ribbons, their children Margy and Wayne are more interested in finding romance on the way.

Set against the colourful backdrop of America’s rural traditions, the Academy Award-winning score includes such Rodgers and Hammerstein classics as It Might As Well Be Spring and It’s A Grand Night For Singing.

The show has a book by Tom Briggs and Louis Mattioli, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Richard Rodgers.

Book tickets to State Fair at the Trafalgar Studios

BURN THE FLOOR

Shaftesbury Theatre, from 21 July 2010

Burn The Floor is a dance spectacular that has thrilled audiences around the world with its dynamic mix of Latin and ballroom dancing.

Now the West End is set to experience its fiery, passionate power as Burn The Floor comes to the Shaftesbury Theatre in London featuring special guest dancers Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian, who wowed BBC audiences on Strictly Come Dancing last year.

First conceived as a special performance at Sir Elton John’s 50th birthday celebrations in 1997, Burn The Floor made its UK premiere two years later before setting off on a world tour.

Burn The Floor takes audiences on a journey through the passionate drama of dance, including the elegance of the Viennese Waltz, the exuberance of the Jive, the intensity of the Paso Doble as well as the Tango, Samba, Mambo, Quickstep and Swing.

Burn The Floor features the talents of 20 award-winning dancers from around the globe.

Book tickets to Burn the Floor at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London

DEATHTRAP

Noel Coward Theatre, from 20 August 2010

Deathtrap, the 1978 comedy thriller by Ira Levin, is set for a West End revival at the Noel Coward Theatre this summer.

Famously turned into a film by Sidney Lumet starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, the play will feature acclaimed actor Simon Russell-Beale, (London Assurance), alongside US heartthrob Jonathan Groff (Glee, Hair the Musical), Academy award-winner Estelle Parsons and Claire Skinner (Outnumbered).

When good-looking young author Clifford (Jonathan Groff) turns up at best-selling author Sidney Bruhl’s Connecticut home with a brilliant new stage thriller, just at a time when Bruhl’s career has hit the skids, an ingenious murder plot is hatched.

The play is directed by Matthew Warchus, who won a Tony award last year for his production of God of Carnage, and has also directed La Bete at the Comedy Theatre.

Deathtrap is produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers (Brief Encounter, Equus, Calendar Girls).

Book tickets to Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre in London

INTO THE WOODS

Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park, from 5 August 2010

Stephen Sondheim’s dark and humorous twist on the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, presented in the beautiful setting of the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park.

A talented cast includes Hannah Waddingham (A Little Night Music), Jenna Russell (Sunday In The Park With George), Helen Dallimore, Alice Fearn, Mark Hadfield, Beverly Rudd, Ben Stott and Michael Xavier.

Stephen Sondheim, who is 80 years old this year, is one of America’s greatest living composers of musical theatre, and his work includes A Little Night Music, Sunday In The Park With George, Assassins, Company and Follies.

Into The Woods is directed by Open Air Artistic Director Timothy Sheader, who directed last season’s popular production of Hello, Dolly!

Book tickets to Into the Woods at the Open Air Theatre in London

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

Waterloo Station Theatre from 4 July 2010

A major new production of classic children’s story The Railway Children comes to London this summer in an exciting new venue at Waterloo Station. This new adaptation of E. Nesbit’s much-loved novel stars Marshall Lancaster, best known for playing DC Chris Skelton in BBC dramas Ashes to Ashes and Life on Mars, and Caroline Harker, WPC Hazel Wallace in A Touch of Frost.

In a venue within the former Eurostar terminal at Waterloo station, Mike Kenny’s new production will start previews from 4 July and is booking until September. A specially built auditorium at Waterloo will feature seating either side of the original railway track, and makes use of the old Gentleman’s saloon carriage from the original classic film plus a period steam train from the National Railway Museum in York.

The show will star Caroline Harker as Mother and Marshall Lancaster as Mr Perks, with other cast including David Baron, Nicholas Bishop, Louisa Clein, Elizabeth Keates, Steven Kynman, Roger May, Blair Plant, Amanda Prior and Sarah Quintrell.

The show is directed by Damian Cruden with design by Joanna Scotcher and music by Christopher Madin.

Book tickets to The Railway Children at Waterloo Station in London

AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS:

Passion at the Donmar Warehouse, from 10 September 2010

Les Miserables at the Barbican Theatre, from 14 September 2010

Yes, Prime Minister at the Gielgud Theatre from 16 September 2010

Birdsong at the Comedy Theatre, from 18 September 2010

Flashdance at the Shaftesbury Theatre, from 24 September 2010

Onassis at the Novello Theatre, from 30 September

Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena, 3 October 2010

Fela! at the National Theatre, from 6 November 2010

The Master Builder at the Almeida Theatre, from 12 November 2010

The West End is having a bit of a Plays renaissance at the moment and to celebrate we have put together some great offers on the best drama and comedy in London.

LA BETE

Hotly anticipated, must-see production by critically acclaimed comedy by American playwright David Hirson.

Starring the extraordinary 2010 Olivier Award-winning actor Mark Rylance (Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing), ‘the most exciting stage actor of his generation’ (Times), the wonderful Tony and Emmy Award-winning David Hyde Pierce (best known as Niles in the smash-hit sitcom Frasier), and one of the country’s most loved and popular actresses, the magnificent Joanna Lumley, this new staging is directed by the internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, Boeing-Boeing, Art, The Norman Conquests).

When Princess Conti (Joanna Lumley) invites street clown Valere (Mark Rylance) to inject some bawdy fun and mischief into her staid acting troupe, she anticipates an exciting creative combination. But the troupe’s leader, Elomire (David Hyde Pierce), is an elitist and fervent lover of high-brow theatre who clashes with Valere – a gaudy comic and a fervent lover of …. well, himself.  So begins a gloriously witty and wildly hilarious battle of art and egos.

Written in 1991, La Bete was a huge critical success in London in 1992 and won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy.

BOOK NOW: Tickets from only £12 to see La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London

GHOST STORIES

Direct from a sell-out season at the Lyric Hammersmith, comes Ghost Stories a truly terrifying theatrical experience. Written and directed by The League of Gentlemen’s master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown’s television and stage shows and star of Dead Set and Severance this is one event not to miss this Summer.

Please be advised that Ghost Stories contains moments of extreme shock and tension. The show is unsuitable for anyone under the age of 15. We strongly advise those of a nervous disposition to think very seriously before attending.

BOOK NOW: Save £13 on tickets to see Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre

HOLDING THE MAN

LAST CHANCE to see this acclaimed play starring Kath & Kim’s Jane Turner.

Based on the much loved award winning book by Tim Conigrave, adapted for the stage by acclaimed playwright Tommy Murphy, Holding the Man is a hilariously funny, tender and moving play following the remarkable true life love story of Tim Conigrave and John Caleo. It is a celebration that speaks across generations, sexual preference and culture.

BOOK NOW: Save up to £27 on tickets to see Holding The Man at the Trafalgar Studios

ENRON

One of the most infamous scandals in financial history becomes a unique theatrical event in ‘Rupert Goold’s brilliant production’ (Guardian). Mixing classical tragedy with savage comedy, it reviews the tumultuous 1990s and casts new light on the current financial situation. In what promises to be ‘an outstanding evening’ (ES), Enron is ‘the exhilarating answer to a $60bn question’ (Times). Inspired by real-life events and using music, dance and video, Enron is directed by Headlong Theatre’s Artistic Director Rupert Goold whose recent credits include the award-winning Macbeth and Six Characters in Search of an Author, King Lear, No Man’s Land and Oliver!

BOOK NOW: Save up to £11 on tickets to see Enron at the Noel Coward Theatre

SHIRLEY VALENTINE

Starring Meera Syal in ‘London’s Best Comic Performance’ (Time Out).

Meet Shirley: a middle-aged Liverpudlian housewife who talks to the wall whilst preparing her husband’s egg and chips.  She’s in a rut.  What has happened to her life?  When her best friend Jane pays for a holiday for two to Greece, she packs her bags, heads for the sun and starts to see the world and herself rather differently…..  Commissioned by the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine premiered in 1986 directed by Glen Walford. In 1988, under the direction of Simon Callow, it opened in the West End, wining the Olivier Award for Best Comedy, and starring Pauline Collins, who went on to play Shirley on Broadway (winning a Tony Award) and in the 1988 film (winning a BAFTA Award and Oscar nomination).

BOOK NOW: Save £7 on tickets to Shirley Valentine at the Trafalgar Studios

AS YOU LIKE IT and THE TEMPEST

Award winning director Sam Mendes returns to the UK to direct two new productions as part of  The Bridge Project.

A stellar transatlantic lineup includes Michelle Beck, Christian Camargo, Ron Cephas Jones, Stephen Dillane, Juliet Rylance and Thomas Sadoski in an intriguing pairing of Shakepeare’s pastoral comedy As You Like It and his late masterpiece The Tempest.

BOOK NOW: Save £12 on tickets to see As You Like It and The Tempest at the Old Vic Theatre

Daniel Boys

Daniel Boys has come a long way from his 2007 TV debut on BBC One’s Any Dream Will Do. Lee Mead may have won the show, but Boys has gone on to prove that he’s got more than what it takes to forge a strong career in UK theatre.

His successful two-year stint in the West End’s Avenue Q, which earned him a 2009 What’s On Stage Award for ‘Best Takeover in a Role’, put him firmly on the “stars to watch” list. He has also performed in a number of concerts and events including a special guest artist on John Barowman’s UK tour, and is a regular on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night. 2009 also saw him release his debut album, So Close.

And now Daniel is set to appear at the Trafalgar Studios this summer to star in the psycho-sexual musical thriller Wolfboy (6 – 31 July), joined by former Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby and Paul Holowaty and Gregg Lowe.

Wolfboy is a dark and disturbing tale of two troubled teenage boys locked in an asylum for their own good. Bernie has attempted suicide; David may or may not have the powers of a wolf. For them the outside world is a frightening place of abuse and violence. Bernie’s brother Christian and Cherry the young nurse on the unit, also hide secrets that surface in the night, when the moon is full.

This new musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival fringe last year and has a book by Russell Labey, music and lyrics by Leon Parris and is based on a play by Brad Fraser.

Book tickets to see Wolfboy at the Trafalgar Studios in London

Former Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby is set to appear at the Trafalgar Studios this summer to star in the psycho-sexual musical thriller Wolfboy (6 – 31 July).

Emma Rigby, who is 20 years old and originally from St. Helens, won a Best Actress gong at the British Soap Awards in 2008 for her sensitive portrayal of a girl’s battle with anorexia.

Wolfboy is a dark and disturbing tale of two troubled teenage boys locked in an asylum for their own good. Bernie has attempted suicide; David may or may not have the powers of a wolf. For them the outside world is a frightening place of abuse and violence. Bernie’s brother Christian and Cherry the young nurse on the unit, also hide secrets that surface in the night, when the moon is full.

This new musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival fringe last year and has a book by Russell Labey, music and lyrics by Leon Parris and is based on a play by Brad Fraser.

The cast also includes former Avenue Q star Daiel Boys, Paul Holowaty and Gregg Lowe.

Book tickets to see Wolfboy at the Trafalgar Studios in London

New shows starting this week in the West End include long-running Broadway musical The Fantasticks, which began previews at the Duchess Theatre last night. Also previewing from last night is The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s play at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. Another Arthur Miller play, All My Sons, gets its first night premiere on Thursday 27 May at the Apollo Theatre starring David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker. Also opening on Thursday 27 May is South African-set Dream of the Dog at the Trafalgar Studios starring Janet Suzman. Finally, previewing from this Thursday is Simon Gray’s play The Late Middle Classes at the Donmar Warehouse starring Helen McCrory, Eleanor Bron and Robert Glenister.

THE FANTASTICKS

Duchess Theatre, from 24 May 2010

The world’s longest-running musical finally makes it to London after first wowing audiences on Broadway 50 years ago. Since its debut in 1960 it has played in over 2,000 cities and towns in 67 countries worldwide, and now makes its UK debut at the Duchess Theatre in London.

This brand new production of the much-loved musical is directed by Amon Miyamoto, bringing a fresh visual, emotional and musical energy to the show. The Fantasticks tells an allegorical story about two neighbouring fathers who put up a wall between their houses to ensure that their children fall in love, because they know children always do what their parents forbid.

After the children do fall in love, they discover their fathers’ plot and each go off and experience the world. Finally, they return to each other and appreciate the love they had after learning to recognise their true feelings.

An impressive cast includes David Burt (Les Miserables, Chess, Taboo), Edward Petherbridge (The Woman in White ), Clive Rowe (Chicago, Caroline, or Change), Carl Au (High School Musical), Luke Brady (Nightfall), Hadley Fraser (Peter Pan), Paul Hunter (The Fahrenheit Twins),  and Lorna Want (Footloose The Musical).

Special Offer: Save £20 on tickets to The Fantasticks at the Duchess Theatre in London

THE CRUCIBLE

Open Air Theare Regent’s Park, from 24 May 2010

One of Arthur Miller’s greatest plays, The Crucible is set amid the Salem witch hunts of the 1600s, in which a community is divided by jealousy and superstition.

The cast of this powerful new production includes Patrick O’Kane, Emma Cunniffe, Emily Taaffe, Oliver Ford Davies, Lucy May Barker, Charlie Cameron, Philip Cumbus, Anni Domingo, Susan Engel, Christopher Fulford, Patrick Godfrey, Christopher Hunter, Bettrys Jones, Paul Kemp, Geoff Leesley, Alexandra Mathie, Gary Milner, Ellie Paskell and Malcolm Rogers. The director is Timothy Sheader.

Special Offer: Save £10 on tickets to The Crucible at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park

ALL MY SONS

Apollo Theatre, opens 27 May 2010

All My Sons is Arthur Miller’s compelling story of forbidden love, loyalty, guilt and the corrupting power of greed, and marks the first great success of Miller’s influential career.

Acclaimed actors David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker return to the West End to star in the play, directed by Howard Davies.

In All My Sons, Joe Keller (Suchet) is alleged to have supplied World War II fighter planes with defective engines, leading to the deaths of innocent pilots, a crime for which his business partner took the fall. One of Keller’s sons, himself a pilot, is thought to have been killed in action. His mother (Wanamaker) can’t accept his death and equally can’t accept that her dead son’s fiancée has transferred her affections to her other son. The confrontations that ensue lead to the uncovering of a world-shaking family secret.

Director Howard Davies previously won a Laurence Olivier Award for his 2000 production of All My Sons, which was staged at the National Theatre.

Book tickets to All My Sons at the Apollo Theatre in London

DREAM OF THE DOG

Trafalgar Studios, from 27 May 2010

Oscar nominated actress Janet Suzman returns to London to star in Dream of the Dog, a rich and complex story set in South Africa. Dream Of The Dog takes an unflinching look at the twin mantras of the post-Mandela age, reconciliation and forgiveness, asking whether black and white can ever live together peacefully.

The cast includes Janet Suzman alongside Ariyon Bakare, Gracy Goldman and Bernard Kay, is written by Craig Higginson and directed by Katie McAleese.

Special offer: Save £5 on tickets to Dream of the Dog at the Trafalgar Studios in London

SPONSORED NEWS UPDATE:

If you live outside of London then your theatre trip may require an overnight stay. There are numerous London hotels to choose from, so check out Simon Seeks for reviews, offers and advice on London hotels.

London theatre tickets can be purchased from a number of sources including established ticket agencies such as UK Tickets, who offer a variety of shows including Wizard of Oz Tickets and Lion King Tickets.

Based on the award winning book by Tim Conigrave, Holding the Man is an hilarious, touching and moving play that follows the true life love story of Tim Conigrave and John Caleo.

One of Australia’s most celebrated comic actors, Jane Turner, from the Australian TV hit Kath and Kim, makes her West End debut in the play.

The course of teenage love rarely runs smooth, but it is a white-water adventure if you are a gay boy in an all-male school in 1970s Melbourne with a crush on the captain of the football team. Still, despite the odds, Tim and John become close and for fifteen years their relationship survives everything life throws at it – the separations, the discriminations, the temptations, the jealousies and the losses – until the only problem that love can’t solve turns up to part them.

One of the most successful Australian stage productions in years, Holding the Man is running in London for a strictly limited period.

“A theatrical triumph’” - Variety

“Wickedly funny” - The Australian

Book now to save £17 on tickets to see HOLDING THE MAN at the Trafalgar Studios in London
Offer valid Thursday and Saturday Matinees until 26th June

Note: Contains adult themes and strong language – age 15+.