A UK Kinky Boots revival, incredible cast announcements for Legally Blonde and Sister Act, and a West End Original Cast reunion for Six at Hampton Court Palace… these are just a few bits of news coming out of the theatre world this week! If, like me, you’ve been scrolling your feed everyday to what seems like something new and exciting, you’ll know it’s been quite hard to keep up. So, I’ve rounded up some of the top stories from the UK theatre scene this week.
Sister Act reveals London cast
Sister Act will run at the Eventim Hammersmith Apollo in London before embarking on a UK tour, and this week, the cast was revealed for the London run. Leading the cast as Deloris Van Cartier will be West End icon Beverly Knight, joined by some massive names from the world of entertainment. Comedy legend Jennifer Saunders will be stepping into the role of Mother Superior, while The Greatest Showman‘s Keala Settle will play Sister Mary Patrick. Joining them will be Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph, stage and screen actor Clive Rowe and, following her successful run in both Hairspray and Heathers, Lizzie Bea. Further casting can be found on the offical website.
SIX at Hampton Court Palace
Six the Musical will be staged at Hampton Court Palace this summer. Based on the lives of Henry VIII’s queens, the musical presented in the style of a concert, will play three performances across June 19th and June 20th.
The showcase will reunite the original West End line-up of Olivier Award-nominated cast members Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Catherine of Aragon), Millie O’Connell (Anne Boleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Alexia McIntosh (Anna of Cleves), Aimie Atkinson (Katherine Howard) and Maiya Quansah-Breed (Catherine Parr). It is sure to be a stunning and special occassion as the Queens will perform against the backdrop of the stunning Tudor palace.
Legally Blonde Cast Announced
This is the piece of news that I’ve perhaps been most excited about all week because Legally Blonde is one of my favourite shows. It is incredible to see such a diverse cast, across the board, with SIX’s Lucy Moss directing the musical this summer. Courtney Bowman (Six and of COURSE Big Cook, Little Cook) will be leading the show as Elle Woods which is such a really exciting casting choice. Joining her will be Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as Emmett, Lauren Drew as Brooke, Vanessa Fisher as Vivienne, Isaac Hesketh as Margot, Nadine Higgin asPaulette, Alžbeta Matyšáková as Enid, Eugene McCoy as Callahan, Grace Mouat as Pilar, Alistair Toovey as Warner and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as Serena, with further casting yet to be announced.
Kinky Boots to be Revived
The much-loved musical about the unlikely bond between a shoe-maker and a drag queen returns later this year. Based on Geoff Deane and Tim Firth’s hit 2005 film of the same name, the multi-award winning show was first seen at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre in 2012, with a West End premiere in 2015 and a tour starting in September 2018. Tim Jackson (freshly appointed creative associate at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) will be directing the musical which will open atat the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich from 1 to 24 September before a run at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 28 September to 22 October.
Additional Names Added to Sondheim Concert Line-Up
Further names have joined the all-star line-up of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, a concert to celebrate the life of the late composer and lyricist. Proceeds from the concert, taking place at the Sondheim Theatre, will be donated to the Stepehn Sondheim foundation.
Anna-Jane Casey, Julian Ovenden, Rob Brydon, Rosalie Craig, Janie Dee, Rob Houchen and Gary Wilmot have joined the line-up. Previously announced to be performing during this special evening are Michael Ball, Petula Clark, Judi Dench, Daniel Evans, Bonnie Langford, Damien Lewis, Julia McKenzie, Elaine Paige, Bernadette Peters, Clive Rowe, Imelda Staunton and Hannah Waddingham. Adrian Lester is now said to no longer be able to take part in the event. A 26-piece orchestra will be conducted by Alfonso Casado Trigo for the event, which will run at the Sondheim Theare on Shaftesbury Avenue on Tuesday 3rd May 2022.
Unfortunately the one-off concert has already sold out (in seconds!) but it has been rumoured that the production team is exploring alternative ways for audiences to experience the show. With such high demand for tickets, this could be a fantastic opportunity to livestream the show, on the back of many successful livestream theatre performances across the pandemic.
Phew, I’m exhausted from all of that exciting news and that’s not even all of it! This past week also saw the cast announcement for Oklahoma! at the Young Vic which will include Arthur Darvil and Marisha Wallace, as well as the cast announcement for the new 101 Dalmations musical to run during Regent Park’s summer season at the Open Air theatre. There has been so much to digest this week, it’s making me incredibly excited for the year of theatre ahead after what’s been an extremely difficult time for the industry.
Wow! It’s been a busy week in the theatre world for sure. I enjoyed ‘Kinky Boots ‘ at the Edinburgh Playhouse a couple of years ago . Surprisingly funny and great story. I look forward to seeing some of the others . Thanks for the info .