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London Theatre Magazine online: June edition

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Immerse yourself in London's theatre world with our digital flip-through of the June edition of London Theatre Magazine, including interviews, reviews, and insights.

[*SIX the Musical*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/12201-six-the-musical-tickets) will hold open auditions for the 2025/26 West End cast. Auditions will be held in Salford on 19 June and London on 21 June.

Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss's hit musical, which won two Tony Awards in 2022 and was nominated for five Olivier Awards, tells the herstory of the six wives of Henry VIII. 

The musical debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018, before transferring to the West End's Arts Theatre in...

'SIX the Musical' to hold open auditions for 2025-26 West End cast

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Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss's hit musical won two Tony Awards in 2022 and was nominated for five Olivier Awards. It has extended its booking period to 4 May, 2025. 

The Royal Shakespeare Company will transfer two of its Stratford-upon-Avon shows to the Barbican in London this winter.

An adaptation of Hanif Kureishi's *The Buddha of Suburbia*, a co-production with Emma Rice's Wise Children, will open on 22 October and follows 17-year-old Karim, who is desperate to escape the suburbs in 1970s south London.

Emma Rice said, “I have truly loved making this show, and spending time immersed in Hanif’s laugh-out-loud funny, rude and anarchic world. His razor...

Emma Rice's 'The Buddha of Suburbia' transfers to the Barbican

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The second RSC show to transfer to the Barbican this winter is director Eleanor Rhode’s production of Shakespeare's *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*.

It seems like everyone already has an opinion about Jeremy O Harris’s *[Slave Play](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/40715-slave-play)*. That’s partly because it has sparked a spirited discussion around the programming of Black Out nights (performances aimed at Black-identifying audiences), and partly because of the subject matter of this incendiary show, which is designed to provoke a passionate response.

We definitely saw that when *Slave Play* premiered Off Broadway in 2018 and then on...

Everything you need to know about 'Slave Play'

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Jeremy O Harris's explosive, multi-Tony-nominated play about love, race, and trauma is coming to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End this summer. 

James McArdle (*Mare of Easttown, The Tragedy of Macbeth*) and Bel Powley (*A Small Light, The Morning Show*) will star in a revival of Tom Stoppard’s comedy *The Real Thing* at the Old Vic in London this summer.

Directed by Max Webster (*Macbeth, Life of Pi*), the play follows actress Annie and playwright Henry, who have an affair, before marrying each other and repeating history.

Max Webster said: "*The Real Thing* has always been one of my favourite plays and it’s a great honour to be...

James McArdle and Bel Powley to star in 'The Real Thing' at the Old Vic

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Directed by Max Webster, *The Real Thing* follows actress Annie and playwright Henry, who have an affair, before marrying each other and repeating history.

Olivier Award winner John Dagleish will star in the title role in [*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/29855-the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button), which opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End on 10 October.

Dagleish, who won an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Ray Davies in *Sunny Afternoon* and starred in the live-action adaption of *The Little Mermaid*, will be joined by Matthew Burns, Jonathan Charles, Oonagh Cox,...

John Dagleish to star as Benjamin Button in West End musical

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Dagleish won an Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Ray Davies in *Sunny Afternoon* and starred in the live-action remake of *The Little Mermaid*.

The Kiln Theatre's new artistic director Amit Sharma has announced his inaugural season of work, which includes Roy Williams's adaptation of Sam Selvon’s *The Lonely Londoners* following its run at Jermyn Street Theatre. 

The season will begin on 19 September with the world premiere of Rob Drummond’s *Pins and Needles*, which is directed by Sharma. This new play explores the politics around vaccines and who chooses to trust in the institutions that produce them.

Drummond's play is followed by...

Kiln Theatre announces Amit Sharma's inaugural season

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The season will begin on 19 September with the world premiere of Rob Drummond’s vaccine drama *Pins and Needles*, which is directed by Sharma.

The complete cast has been announced for the UK premiere of *The Devil Wears Prada*, which will star Vanessa Williams and Matt Henry as Runway Magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly and creative director Nigel. The musical opens at the Dominion Theatre on 24 October.

Joining them will be Georgie Buckland (*Shrek the Musical*) as Andy (played by Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film) and Amy Di Bartolomeo (*Six*) as Emily, who was played by Emily Blunt. James Darch (*Mamma Mia!*) will play...

Complete cast set for 'The Devil Wears Prada' in the West End

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*The Devil Wears Prada* has a score by Elton John and Shaina Taub and book by Kate Wetherhead, with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell. 

James Graham's Olivier Award-winning play *Dear England* will return to the National Theatre for a 10-week run in March 2025, ahead of a four-week run at the Lowry in Salford.

The play, which tells the story of the England men's football team under manager Gareth Southgate, won Best New Play and Best Supporting Actor for Will Close at the Olivier Awards this year, following its premiere at the National Theatre in June 2023 and a West End run at the Prince Edward Theatre from October 2023 to...

James Graham's 'Dear England' to return to National Theatre in 2025

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*Dear England* won Best New Play and Best Supporting Actor for Will Close at the Olivier Awards this year, following a National Theatre premiere and West End run.

For the first time ever, audiences can see all three of Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’s acclaimed *Death of England* stage plays in one season in the West End. *Death of England: Michael, Delroy*, and *Closing Time* are playing in rep at London’s @sohoplace, and with a fantastic new cast.

Paapa Essiedu, Thomas Coombes, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and Erin Doherty star in these blazingly brilliant state-of-the-nation dramas. The trio are interconnected, with overlapping characters, places, events, and...

Everything you need to know about the 'Death of England' plays

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Learn all about a major theatrical event: the first time ever that all three *Death of England* plays have been programmed together in the West End.

Olivier nominee Charlie Stemp and West End rising star Georgina Onuorah will take to the stage in Cole Porter's musical comedy *Kiss Me, Kate* at the Barbican this summer. They join *Line of Duty*'s Adrian Dunbar and Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block.

Stemp, who has previously appeared in *Crazy For You* and *Mary Poppins*, will bring his tap-dancing skills to the role of the impulsive gambler Bill Calhoun/Lucentio. Onuorah (*The Wizard of Oz, Oklahoma!*) will play Lois Lane/Bianca.

Stemp said: “*Kiss Me, Kate* has always been a favourite show of mine, so to get the chance to return to the West End so soon in this title and specifically opposite Adrian Dunbar, Stephanie J. Block and Georgina Onuorah is a dream come true.”

Onuorah added: “I am thrilled to be involved in this reimagined *Kiss Me, Kate* - with a Lois/Bianca that looks like me! Bart Sher is a remarkable director and I am so excited to get working on this beloved musical with this wonderful team.”

The classic musical comedy farce, directed by Bartlett Sher (*The King and I, South Pacific, To Kill A Mockingbird*), is a show within a show and follows a theatre company as it attempts to put on a production of Shakespeare's *The Taming of the Shrew*. 

*Kiss Me, Kate* runs for a strictly limited 15-week season at the Barbican Theatre from 4 June – 14 September.

Book [*Kiss Me, Kate* tickets](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/10471-kiss-me%2C-kate?) on London Theatre.

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=10471&content_product_id=10471&venue_id=788&product_type=show&qt=2)

*Photo credit: Charlie Stemp. (Photo courtesy of production)*

Charlie Stemp to join cast of 'Kiss Me, Kate' in the West End 

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Kiss Me, Kate - LON [10471]

Genre: Musical

Kiss Me, Kate

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Kiss Me, Kate Product Media

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Production shot of Kiss Me, Kate in London featuring the company

Production shot of Kiss Me, Kate in London featuring Adrian Dunbar

Production shot of Kiss Me, Kate in London featuring Stephanie J Block and Adrian Dunbar

Production shot of Kiss Me, Kate in London featuring Adrian Dunbar, Nigel Lindsay and Hammed Animashaun.

Production shot of Kiss Me, Kate in London featuring Charlie Stemp and Georgina Onuorah

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*Kiss Me, Kate*, the fan-favourite backstage musical comedy by Cole Porter, returns to the West End starring Tony Award-winning actress Stephanie J. Block in her West End debut opposite BAFTA-nominated actor Adrian Dunbar. Book *Kiss Me, Kate* tickets on London Theatre.

From the beginning, *Kiss Me, Kate* was a smashing success. The musical's original Broadway run in 1948 won five Tony Awards, and its West End revival in 1987 earned two Olivier Awards. Since then, the esteemed musical has had numerous successful Broadway and West End revivals; most recently, the 2019 Broadway revival won a Drama Desk Award and a Drama League Award. 

The *Kiss Me, Kate* musical tells the tale of two fraught ex-lovers who may or may not still have feelings for each other. The always-fighting duo are forced to work together on a musical version of *The Taming of the Shrew*. Ex-husband Fred Graham is the director, and he also plays the lead role of Petruchio alongside his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi, who plays his co-star, Katherine. *Kiss Me, Kate* is a show within a show as scenes switch between the Shakespearean performance and the rising tensions backstage. 

In addition to a star-studded cast, *Kiss Me, Kate* in London boasts a stellar creative team. Costume designer Catherine Zuber won numerous awards for her work, including an Olivier for *The King and I* in 2019. Anthony Van Laast is the Tony and Oliver-nominated choreographer known for *Tina: The Tina Turner Musical*. The stunning choreography, coupled with hit songs such as “Too Darn Hot,” “So In Love,” and “Wunderbar” make this musical exceptional.

Kiss Me, Kate - LON - London Theatre

Cole Porter’s beloved musical comedy *Kiss Me, Kate*, returns to the West End, starring award-winning actors Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J. Block as fraught ex-lovers forced to star opposite each other in a musical. 

In *Kiss Me, Kate*, it's not just the former couple whose drama impacts the preparation for The Taming of the Shrew. One of the other castmates has gambling debts that come to light and result in run-ins with gangsters. Through jealousy, one of the actors almost quitting, and endless drama and laughs, the contentious cast must band together. 

*Kiss Me, Kate* is a musical with show-stopping choreography by Tony and Olivier nominee Anthony Van Laast (*Tina: The Tina Turner Musical*). The many hit songs include “Another Op'nin', Another Show” and “Kiss Me, Kate.”

The talented cast includes Adrian Dunbar, who audiences may recognize from his television and film work, including his roles in *Line of Duty* and *The Crying Game*. He is starring opposite Stephanie J. Block, whose many theatre roles include *The Cher Show*, in which she won a Tony Award for her role as iconic musician Cher. The main cast is complete with Charlie Stemp (*Half a Sixpence*) and Georgina Onuorah ([*Hamilton*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/20561-hamilton-tickets)). 

## What to watch for 

- Porter was an incredibly successful composer in the 1930s, but as time went on, he began to be considered old-fashioned or past his prime. In the face of this struggle, he wrote *Kiss Me, Kate*, which became his only show to have more than 1,000 performances in its original run on Broadway.
- The behind-the-scenes story in *Kiss Me, Kate* often mirrors the story of *The Taming of the Shrew* that the characters are working to perform. 
- "Wunderbar" is one of the most popular songs in the musical. Porter originally wrote it for his musical version of *Aladdin*, but it seemed better for *Kiss Me, Kate*. 
- *Kiss Me, Kate* was inspired by real-life married actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, who were the leads in a 1935 production of *The Taming of the Shrew*. *Kiss Me, Kate*'s future Broadway producer, Arnold Saint-Subber, witnessed them butting heads and later commissioned the musical.

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I unlocked £30 Rush tickets for Kiss Me, Kate on @TodayTixUK! https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/10471?share=unlock

Kiss Me, Kate - LON - TodayTix

Don’t miss the return of one of Cole Porter’s greatest hits, *Kiss Me, Kate*, to the West End starring award-winning actors Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J. Block. The duo plays the fraught ex-lovers who are forced to star opposite each other in *The Taming of the Shrew*. 

__Cole Porter’s__ hit musical starring the multi award-winning __Adrian Dunbar__ (*Ridley, Line of Duty*) and Broadway musical superstar and Tony Award winner __Stephanie J. Block__ (*Into The Woods, 9 to 5*).

Ages 6+. Younger guests are welcome although the production is not suitable for under 4s (including babes in arms). Children need to occupy their own seat. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. All guests, regardless of age, must have a valid ticket.

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My Neighbour Totoro

Don't miss the theatrical event of 2025 as the record-breaking, award-
winning My Neighbour Totoro transfers to London's West End.

After the Barbican site was destroyed by the blitz in World War Two, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the renovated Barbican Centre on 3 Mar. 1982. The Barbican Centre contains a concert hall, two theatres, three cinemas, two art galleries, a public lending library and conversatory.

The Barbican was voted "London's ugliest building" in 2003. But its stand-out architectural design makes it an integral part of London's skyline. The largest venue inside the Barbican Centre is the Barbican Hall. The Barbican Hall seats 1,943 people, followed by the Barbican Theatre which seats 1,156. 

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Barbican Centre

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Stemp joins the cast with rising star Georgina Onuorah. They will appear alongside the previously announced Adrian Dunbar and Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block.

Charlie Stemp to join cast of 'Kiss Me, Kate' in the West End

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