That Stagey Blog
- Apr 13, 2021
- 4 min read

Sixty-Second Theatre News Roundup -April 12th

Updated: Apr 14, 2021

I’m back with my 60 second theatre news roundup.

This weeks video is available on YouTube:

This week’s news includes:

Snowflake: A New musical by Lewis Cornay have launched a crowdfunder. They aim to raise £7,500 to support the development and workshop of this new show.

If you would like to contribute please follow this link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/snowflake-a-new-musical-development-workshop

West End in Blackpool

A brilliant documentary about The history of the Winter Gardens Blackpool with performances from Jodie Prenger, Tom Lister, Kelsey-Beth Crossley and Ashley Luke Lloyd in this ‘docu-concert’ show!

Streaming until 9th July

https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/whats-on/west-end-blackpool

The F*CK Am I Doing? Is the inaugural production of the new writing initiative, The COW Community, founded by recent graduates of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Produced as a digital charity event to steam on April 30th at 20:00.

Tickets are $10.65 including booking fee.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-fck-am-i-doing-presented-by-the-cow-community-tickets-148360272569?ref=eios

Gus Gowland has announced the month long - Musical Theatre Writing Challenge , Come What May. A brand new writing challenge to encourage writers to keeping writing - come what may.

Sign up to be part of the inaugural musical theatre writing challenge at www.themusicaltheatrewritingchallenge.com and follow the journey via the hashtag #ComeWhatMay.

2020 The Covid Musical written by Natasha Mould and Richard Vanryne, have announced their cast and tour dates.

Co-director & Choreographer

Taylor Walker

Cast

Eloise Davies, Jason Kajdi, Natasha Mould, Charles Tatman, Alex Tranter, Dawn Williams, Edward Bullingham, Demmileigh Foster, Mukeni Nel, Micaela Todd, and Oliver Imeson

The Camberley Theatre

22/23 May

The Leatherhead Theatre

28-31 May

The Stag Theatre

4-6 June

Www.2020thecovidmusical.com

Tom Allen will return as commentator with The Show Stoppers for the Alternative Eurovision Song Contest

On 15th May, 8pm.

With musical directors – Duncan Walsh Atkins, Christopher Ash and Jordan Clarke. Showstopper hosts Pippa Evans and Andrew Pugsley and an all-star cast of celebrities including actor Les Dennis, Russell Kane, London Hughes, Le Gateau Chocolat as judges and Grace Mouat, Jordan Gray and Mike McShane as guest performers.

https://showstopperthemusical.com/alternative-eurovision-2021/

MT Fest UK have announced the casts for their eight new shows.

Produced by Turbine Theatre artistic director Paul Taylor-Mills.

Far From Heaven

Book by Richard Greenberg

Music by Scott Frankel

Lyrics by Michael Korle

Direction by Matthew White

Musical direction by Alex Parker

Cast

Cory English

Tiffany Graves

Aimee Hodnett

Melanie La Barrie

Ako Mitchell

Bryce Pinkham

Scarlett Strallen

50 Days

Created and written by Thabo Stuck

Direction by Ajjaz Awad

Musical direction by Amiir Salem

Cast

Aminita Francis

Nadine-Rose Johnson

Reuben Joseph

Kyran Mitchell-Nanton

Robert Saunders

Cleve September

The Man in the Ceiling

Music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa

Book by Jules Feiffer

Directed by Annabel Mutale Reed

Musical direction by Richard Beadle.

Cast

Matthew Croke

Jazz Jenkins

Andrew Lippa

Sharon Rose

Millennials

Music, book and lyrics by Elliot Clay

Director Luke Sheppard

Musical director Katy Richardson

Cast

Luke Bayer

Allie Daniel

Beth Hinton-Lever

Nathan Lorainey-Dineen

Tim Mahendran

Grace Mouat

Jodie Steele

Housefire

By P Burton-Morgan and Felix Hagan

Musical direction by Mark Collins

Cast

Alex Cardall

Eleanor Kane

Robin Simões da Silva

Cake, inspired by the life of Marie Antoinette

Music and lyrics by Jack McManus and Tasha Taylor-Johnson

Book and lyrics by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm Direction by Drew McOnie.

Cast

Tori Allen-Martin

Emma Kingston

Phoebe Panaretos

Sebastien Torkia

Daisy

Book, music and lyrics by Caroline Kay

Direction by Séimí Campbell

Musical direction by Sarah Travis.

Cast

Jessica Cervi

Chris Chung

Caroline Kay

Sharon Sexton

Tony! (A Tony Blair Rock Opera)

Book and lyrics by Harry Hill and Steve Brown

Direction by Peter Rowe

Musical directon by Sarah Travis.

Cast

Jenna Boyd

Scott Garnham

Gemma Knight Jones

Marie Lawrence

Simon Lipkin

Nicola Sloane

Paul Thornley

17 to 29 May at the Turbine before embarking on a ‘digital tour'.

Venues it will visit in virtual form are:

31 May to 6 June: Norwich Theatre Royal, The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and Birmingham Hippodrome

7 to 13 June: Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and the Mercury Theatre, Colchester

14 to 20 June: Curve Theatre, Leicester and Dundee Repertory Theatre

21 to 27 June: New Wolsey Theatre and Theatre Clwyd

28 June to 4 July: Royal & Derngate, Northampton, Sheffield Theatres and The Lowry, Manchester

https://www.theturbinetheatre.com/whats-on/tony-%28mtfest-on-tour%29

Public Domain by Francesca Forristal and Jordan Paul Clarke transfers to the West End for five performances from 27th May.

Originally performed at the Southwalk

Playhouse

Produced and directed by Adam Lenson

https://publicdomainshow.com/

The team behind Kinky Kabaret, Baby Grand Collective are launching West End Drag Brunch at the Folly Bar from 30th May.

Ft. Coco Vadose, Ella Vaday, Luna Bundy, Miss D, Paige Three, Lovelle, Ruby Murry, Portia De Fosse, Mercedes Bends.

https://www.designmynight.com/london/bars/city-of-london/the-folly/west-end-drag-brunch

The full line up for West End Live Lounge on June 14th has been announced with tickets for the stalls and dress circle already sold out.

Glenn Adamson, Kelly Agbowu, Marcus Ayton, Zoe Birkett, Kayla Carter, Louise Dearman, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Divalution (Sejal Keshwala, Laura Tebbutt, Lisa-Marie Holmes), Vivienne Ekwulugo, Hiba Elchikhe, Alice Fearn, Simon Gordon, Joel Harper-Jackson, Emma Hatton, Sophie Isaacs, Aisha Jawando, Rachel John, Martha Kirby, Emma Lindars, Vicki Manser, Kayleigh McKnight, Christina Modestou, Cedric Neal, Natalie Paris and Matt Terry.

The host for the evening will be Samuel Holmes.

Musical direction by Sam Coates. Sound design by Will Miney and Paul Gatehouse.

Proceeds from this event will be split between the Equity Charitable Trust and the Graham Martin Bursary Appeal.

https://www.nimaxtheatres.com/shows/west-end-live-lounge-the-greats/

Heathers is returning to the West End’s Theatre Royal Haymarket from 21st June as well as a UK Tour from 28th July.

Opening in Leeds before visiting Liverpool, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham, Canterbury, Bristol, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Milton Keynes, High Wycombe, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

The tour cast includes includes Rebecca Wickes (Veronica Sawyer), Simon Gordon (JD), Maddison Firth (Heather Chandler), Merryl Ansah (Heather Duke), Lizzy Parker (Heather McNamara), Mhairi Angus, Andy Brady, Callum Connolly, Liam Doyle, Georgina Hagen, Bayley Hart, Kurt Kansley and Daisy Twells.

https://linktr.ee/Heathers_Musical

Alexandra Burke will play the Narrator in this summer’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat along side Jac Yarrow and Jason Donovan at the London Palladium from 1st July.

https://www.josephthemusical.com/

And The Last 5 Years will transfer to the West End from 17th September for four weeks.

Written by ‪Jason Robert Brown ‬

This production ran twice at the Southwark Playhouse and filmed for online streaming. It is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment in association with Edward Prophet.

Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle with Musical Director Leo Mundy and choreography by Sam Spencer-Lane

It stars Oli Higginson and Molly Lynch.

https://www.last5yearsuk.com/

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