It’s the first week of the year and it’s been an exciting one in theatre land, with casting announcements galore dropping this week. Here’s some news stories that have caught our eyes over the last seven days.
Casting Announced for Upcoming Mamma Mia Tour
Mamma Mia, here we go again! The casting has been announced for the upcoming UK and international tour of smash hit musical Mamma Mia!.
Joining the cast will be Sara Poyzer (Donna Sheridan), Nicky Swift (Rosie/Alternate Donna Sheridan), Sarah Earnshaw (Tanya), Richard Standing (Sam Carmichael), Neal Craig (Harry Bright), Phil Corbitt (Bill Austin), Jess Michelmore (Sophie Sheridan), Christopher Foley (Sky), Tanisha Butterfield (Ali), Freya Humberstone (Lisa), Jaden Oshenye (Pepper), Archie Flynn (Eddie) and Andrew Bateup (Father Alexander) leading the cast.
Further casting includes Clàudia Bahrani, Alice Baker, Peter Camilleri, Henryk Firth, Andrew Gallo, Claire Greenway, Ashleigh Harvey, Ashleigh Jones, Matt Kennedy, Robert Knight, Grace May, Hollie Nelson, Ashley Rowe, Nathen Scott, Marissa Sims and Lucy Walsham.
The tour begins at the end of January, with dates across 2023, including a week of open-air performances at Scarborough Open Air Theatre with stops including Wolverhampton, Manchester, Cardiff, Blackpool, Leeds, Peterborough, Portsmouth and Truro. Tickets are on sale now from mamma-mia.com.
Head Over Heels announces Casting for Hope Mill Theatre Run
Our lips are no longer sealed – the casting for the much anticipated Head Over Heels UK premiere has been announced this week. Opening at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester on the 1 February (with previews from 26 January), this adaptation of The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia combines a seminal piece of British political literature with the hits of 1980s pop grop The Go-Gos.
Starring in the show are Luke Bayer (DIVA: Live from Hell!) in the leading role of Musidorus, alongside Alison Driver (RENT) as ensemble, Iz Hesketh (Legally Blonde) as Pythio, Jenny O’Leary (Heathers) as Pamela, Daniel Page (My Kingdom Is a Horse ) as Dametas, Maiya Quansah-Breed (RENT) as Philoclea, Samuel Routley (The Osmonds) as ensemble, Khadija Sallet (Last Life) as Mopsa, Julie Stark (Bat Out of Hell) as Gynecia, Marina Tavolieri (Sister Act) as ensemble, Timo Tatzber (making his professional debut) as ensemble, and Fed Zanni (Mamma Mia! The Party) as Basilius.
Performances run until 4 March 2023, with tickets available from £25 at hopemilltheatre.co.uk
PANdemonium Comes to Broadway!
Peter Pan Goes Wrong, the international comedy sensation from the people who brought you The Play That Goes Wrong, will open on Broadway this spring with a limited engagement from March 17, 2023. Opening at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, the cast includes includes Chris Leask, Henry Lewis, Ellie Morris, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields, Greg Tannahill and Nancy Zamit.
Co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, Peter Pan Goes Wrong is a highly physical comedy packed with finely-tuned and inspired slapstick, delivered with split-second timing and ambitious daring. The play sees the ‘Cornley Drama Society’ back on stage battling technical hitches, flying mishaps and cast disputes as they attempt to present J.M Barrie’s much-loved tale. But will they ever make it to Neverland? Buy your tickets from Telecharge.com to find out!
Mill at Sonning Announces Season and Lead Gypsy Casting
It’s been a big week for the Mill at Sonning, announcing their upcoming season and revealing the lead casting for one of its upcoming shows.
The exciting announcement of the Mill at Sonning’s summer musical, Gypsy, came late last year. This week, we have been treated to the initial casting for the show – and what a treat it is! Set to appear in the Sonning revival are Rebecca Thornhill (Matilda, From Here to Eternity, Chicago) as Mama Rose, with Evelyn Hoskins (Waitress, 42 Balloons, Carrie) playing her daughter Louise.
Included in the new season is a new production of High Society, which will run from 29 November 2023 to 20 January 2024. A new adaptation of Ray Cooney’s hit West End comedy Out of Order entitled It’s Her Turn Now set to revolve around a female MP will also plays from 28 September to 18 November.
The season will also feature Issy van Randwyck’s Dazzling Divas (19 to 29 July), directed by Edward Hall and showcasing the lives and careers of Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe, Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Mama Cass, Karen Carpenter and Dusty Springfield, alongside an hour-long, dining experience adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (1 to 5 August), directed by Tam Williams, and a revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s How the Other Half Loves (10 August to 23 September), helmed by Robin Herford.
For full details of the season and to buy tickets, visit https://millatsonning.com/
Broadway’s Sweeney Todd, starring Josh Groban, announces complete cast
A whole host of Broadway favourites had already been announced for the much-anticipated revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd, but this week the full cast has finally been revealed.
As previously announced, we will see Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will leading the company as Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett, the murderous barber and the pie shop proprietress who helps him dispose of the evidence. Additionally, the cast includes Jordan Fisher as Anthony, Gaten Matarazzo as Tobias, Tony Award winner Ruthie Ann Miles as Beggar Woman, Maria Bilbao as Johanna, Jamie Jackson as Judge Turpin, John Rapson as Beadle Bamford, Nicholas Christopher as Pirelli / Standby for Sweeney Todd, and Jeanna de Waal as Standby for Mrs Lovett and Beggar Woman.
The cast is completed by the ensemble will include Galyana Castillo, Jonathan Christopher, Dwayne Cooper, Kyrie Courter, Taeler Cyrus, Timothy Hughes, Paul-Jordan Jansen, Alicia Kaori, Michael Kuhn, Raymond J. Lee, Patricia Phillips, Mia Pinero, Samantha Pollino, Lexi Rabadi, Nathan Salstone, Kristie Dale Sanders, Stephen Tewksbury, Daniel Torres, Felix Torrez-Ponce, DeLaney Westfall, and Hennessy Winkler.
Directed by Tony winner Thomas Kail (Hamilton), Sweeney Todd will feature Jonathan Tunick’s original 26-player orchestrations on Broadway for the first time since 1980. Previews begin at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on 26 February, ahead of an official opening night on 26 March.
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) reveals cast for upcoming UK Tour
Casting has been announced for the upcoming UK tour of Olivier award winning Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), written and directed by Isobel McArthur. The cast includes Leah Jamieson and Lucy Gray (who both made their West End debuts in the Criterion production), Emmy Stonelake (Much Ado About Nothing), Megan Louise Wilson (The Mousetrap), Dannie Harris (The New Musketeers), Laura Soper (The Storm Whale) and Ruth Brotherton (Piramania! The Swashbuckling Pirate Musical).
The tour begins at The Lowry in Salford (19 to 21 January), before heading to Newcastle, Bath, Coventry, Richmond, Chichester, Cheltenham, Inverness, Cardiff, Nottingham, Eastbourne, Chester, Birmingham, Leeds, Blackpool, Bristol, Truro, Malvern, Exeter and concluding in Norwich (19 to 24 June 2023). Tickets are on sale now from https://prideandprejudicesortof.com/
In Case You Missed it: My Son’s a Queer (but what can you do?) Returns to the West End
© Mark Senior
Announced late last month, the award winning My Son’s a Queer (but What Can You Do?) will be returning to the West End this month! Running at the Ambassadors Theatre from Wed 25 Jan – Sat 18 Mar 2023, the show is the joyous autobiographical story of social-media sensation Rob Madge telling the story about the highs and lows of raising a queer child. We caught the show back in 2022 during its sold out run at the Garrick Theatre and loved it, you can hear all our thoughts on episode 6 of Overstudies: The Podcast.
