London Theatre News

Tickets now on sale for The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the National Theatre

The National Theatre's chilling production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane is set to transfer to the Duke of York's Theatre following a sell-out run in the Dorfman in 2019, and tickets for the exciting transfer are now on sale.Based on Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel, Joel Horwood's stage adaptation follows a man returning to his childhood home, where memories of his 12th birthday party come flooding back. Playing with his friend Lettie on the banks of what they thought was a pond, they...

What theatres are doing to cope with the growing impact of Coronavirus

When the best government advice to avoid the coronavirus is still to wash your hands frequently - and for at least twenty seconds, with soap and water - but its own health minister Nadine Dorries has become the first MP to test positive for the virus and is now self-isolating at home, its proving difficult to know exactly what to do to keep oneself safe. Last week I reported on the first signs of worry (and action) in the entertainment world, with Guildhall School of Music and Drama closing its...

The show goes on in the face of Coronavirus fears

The world is currently gripped by fear over the implications of the widespread global arrival of Coronavirus, and just how prepared we are (or should be) for its presence. Face masks are becoming ubiquitous on the tube; some people have even been photographed sporting Tesco's shopping bags for protection.The latter may be a disproportionate (and not to mention futile) response; but the wartime motto 'Keep Calm and Carry On' (at least until we're otherwise advised) is the best we can do, besides...

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella delays West End opening

Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming musical version of Cinderella is will delay its opening later this year, due to the 'the current global circumstances'.The composer's new musical was officially announced last month, and set an opening date at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on 23rd September, with previews from 28th August.However, announcing that previews will now begin on 9th October, Lloyd Webber said: "The show will go on sale next week as planned, but in the current global circumstances the...

Tyrone Huntley and Clare Halse join full cast of Hello, Dolly! In the West End

Full casting has been announced for the West End production of Hello, Dolly!, which is set to open at the Adelphi Theatre this summer.Olivier Award winner Dominic Cooke will direct the classic Broadway musical about a matchmaker who arrives in New York, and sets her sights on finding herself a partner. It features Jerry Herman's classic score which includes the numbers "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", "Before the Parade Passes By", "It Only Takes a Moment" and "Hello, Dolly!".Joining the previously...

Should I go to the theatre during the Coronavirus outbreak?

Updated: 17th March 2020

Five reasons why The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a masterclass in imaginative storytelling

Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel is the latest page-to-stage adaptation that's set to take over London, with tickets now on sale for the play's West End transfer coming to the Duke of York's later this year. There's no stone unturned in Joel Horwood's science-fiction survival play, where magical worlds and fantastical creatures come alive in sleepy, rural England. Here's why you'll want to be the first to visit The Ocean at the End of the Lane when the show transfers to the West End.British...

Bring It On: The Musical to play Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of national tour

Following a national tour of Bring It On: The Musical this year, the musical will transfer to Queen Elizabeth Hall for a limited season. The tour will begin at the Birmingham Hippodrome in June 2020, with performances around the country and ending at the London venue for five weeks from 9th December, with tickets for the London run on sale next week.Adapting the 2000 movie of the same name for the stage, Bring It On: The Musical sees Campbell, a high school cheerleader who is forced to move to a...

Go, go, go Joseph: The legacy of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on tour

Once again this summer, Andrew Lloyd Webber will have three musicals in residence in the West End: joining his longest-running record-breaker The Phantom of the Opera (still at Her Majesty's) will be an indoor run for last summer's Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production of Evita at the Barbican Theatre, and a return season for last summer's London Palladium revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Both Evita and Joseph have just been nominated for this year's Olivier Award for...

A complete guide to Martin McDonagh plays in London, on Broadway, and beyond

His plays have conjured up terrifying scenes for decades, establishing Martin McDonagh as one of the leading playwrights on the London theatre scene. Ahead of the long-awaited West End premiere of the Olivier Award-winning play The Pillowman at the Duke of York's Theatre, we look back at productions of Martin McDonagh plays in London that have had audiences on the edge of their seats. McDonagh's playwriting debut came in 1996, with his first trilogy of plays set in and around County Galway....