Young Vic's Scottsboro Boys to Transfer to the West End

The critically acclaimed production, which played at the Young Vic last year, will transfer to the Garrick Theatre on 20 October 2014, following previews from the 4 Octobber, with tickets on general sale now. The Scottsboro Boys was nominated for 12 Tony Awards on Broadway and six Olivier Awards following the Young Vic run, in addition to winning the Critics' Circle award for Best Musical last year.

The Scottsboro Boys
© Richard Hubert Smith

The musical, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2010, tells the story of nine young black men, falsely convicted of rape while travelling through Scottsboro, Alabama in the 1930s. The trials which followed divided America.

The cast of The Scottsboro Boys
© Richard Hubert Smith

2014 Tony Awards Nominees Announced

The nominations for the 2014 Tony Awards, hosted by Hugh Jackman on June 8, have been announced.

Best Play
"Act One"
"All the Way"
"Casa Valentina"
"Mothers and Sons"
"Outside Mullingar"

Best Musical
"After Midnight"
"Aladdin"
"Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Revival of a Play
"The Cripple of Inishmaan"
"The Glass Menagerie"
"A Raisin in the Sun"
"Twelfth Night"

Best Revival of a Musical
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
"Les Miserables"
"Violet"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Samuel Barnett, "Twelfth Night"
Bryan Cranston, "All the Way"
Chris O'Dowd, "Of Mice and Men"
Mark Rylance, "Richard III"
Tony Shalhoub, "Act One"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Tyne Daly, "Mothers and Sons"
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, "A Raisin in the Sun"
Cherry Jones, "The Glass Menagerie"
Audra McDonald, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill"
Estelle Parsons, "The Velocity of Autumn"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Neil Patrick Harris, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Ramin Karimloo, "Les Miserables"
Andy Karl, "Rocky"
Jefferson Mays, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
Bryce Pinkham, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Mary Bridget Davies, "A Night with Janis Joplin"
Sutton Foster, "Violet"
Idina Menzel, "If/Then"
Jesse Mueller, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Kelly O'Hara, "The Bridges of Madison County"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Reed Birney, "Casa Valentina"
Paul Chahidi, "Twelfth Night"
Stephen Fry, "Twelfth Night"
Mark Rylance, "Twelfth Night"
Brian J. Smith, "The Glass Menagerie"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Sarah Green, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Celia Keenan-Bolger, "The Glass Menagerie"
Sophie Okonedo, "A Raisin in the Sun"
Anika Noni Rose, "A Raisin in the Sun"
Mare Winningham, "Casa Valentina"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, "Cabaret"
Nick Codero, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Joshua Henry, "Violet"
James M. Iglehart, "Aladdin"
Jarrod Specter, "Bullets Over Broadway"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Linda Emond, "Cabaret"
Lena Hall, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Anika Larson, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Adriane Lenox, "After Midnight"
Lauren Worsham, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Direction of a Play
Tim Carroll, "Twelfth Night"
Michael Grandage, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Kenny Leon, "A Raisin in the Sun"
John Tiffany, "The Glass Menagerie"

Best Direction of a Musical
Warren Carlyle, "After Midnight"
Michael Mayer, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Leigh Silverman, "Violet"
Darko Tresnjak, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Book of a Musical
Chad Beguelin, "Aladdin"
Douglas McGrath, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Woody Allen, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Robert L. Friedman, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater
"Aladdin" (Music: Alan Menkin; Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Begeulin)
"The Bridges of Madison County" (Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown)
"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" (Music: Steven Lutvak; Lyrics: Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak)
"If/Then" (Music: Tom Kitt; Lyrics: Brian Yorkey)

Best Choreography
Warren Carlyle, "After Midnight"
Steven Hoggett and Kelly Devine, "Rocky"
Casey Nicholaw, "Aladdin"
Susan Stroman, "Bullets Over Broadway"

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Jason Robert Brown, "The Bridges of Madison County"
Steve Sidwell, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"
Jonathan Tunick, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt, "Act One"
Bob Crowley, "The Glass Menagerie"
Es Devlin, "Machinal"
Christopher Oram, "The Cripple of Inishmaan" (show to the right)

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christopher Barreca, "Rocky"
Julian Crouch, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Alexander Dodge, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
Santo Loquasto, "Bullets Over Broadway"

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jane Greenwood, "Act One"
Michael Krass, "Machinal"
Rita Ryack, "Casa Valentina"
Jenny Tiramani, "Twelfth Night"

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
William Ivey Long, "Bullets Over Broadway"
Arianne Philips, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Isabel Toledo, "After Midnight"

Best Sound Design of a Play
Alex Baranowski, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Steve Canyon Kennedy, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill"
Dan Moses Schreier, "Act One"
Matt Tierney, "Machinal"

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, "After Midnight"
Tim O'Heir, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Mick Potter, "Les Miserables"
Brian Ronan, "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, "The Cripple of Inishmaan"
Jane Cox, "Machinal"
Natasha Katz, "The Glass Menagerie"
Japhy Wideman, "Of Mice and Men"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Christopher Akerlind, "Rocky"
Howell Binkley, "After Midnight"
Donald Holder, "The Bridges of Madison County"

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the TheatreJane Greenwood

Regional Theatre Award
Signature Theatre

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Rosie O'Donnell

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Joseph P. Benincasa
Joan Marcus
Charlotte Wilcox

Full Casting Announced for Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play at the Almeida Theatre

Casting has been announced for Mr Burns at the Almeida Theatre which plays from 5 June to 26 July 2014.

The company includes Jenna Russell (currently performing in Urinetown at St James Theatre). She won has also won an Olivier Award for her performance in Sunday in the Park with George at the Menier Chocolate Factory which subsequently transferred to the Roundabout Theater Company, New York where she was nominated for a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award and a Drama League Award.

Also in the cast are:  

Adrian der Gregorian. Previous West End credits include La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre and The Woman in White at the Palace Theatre. TV credits include the recent BBC comedy W1A.

Demetri Goritsas whose National Theatre credits include His Girl Friday, A Prayer for Owen Meany and Finding the Sun.

Adey Grummet’s opera and musical theatre credits include Dr Dee and The Big Barber Bash with the ENO, and also with The Cradle Will Rock at the Arcola.

The company also includes: Justine Mitchell, whose theatre credits include Gastronauts and The Stone at Sloane Square's Royal Court, as well as Shakespeare's Twelfth Night with the RSC and King Lear at the Donmar; Wunmi Mosaku who has appeared in Truth and Reconciliation and The Vertical Hour at the Royal Court; Annabel Scholey who was last seen in the West End production of Passion Play at the Duke of York's Theatre; Michael Shaeffer was last on stage in Godchild at the Hampstead Theatre. Mr Burns also stars Fiona Digney and Michael Henry.

Mr Burns is written by Anne Washburn and is directed by Almeida Theatre Associate Director Robert Icke. It features designs by Tom Scutt, lighting by Philip Gladwel, sound design by Tom Gibbons, and joint composition and musical direction by Orlando Gough and Michael Henry.

X-Factor Musical: I Can't Sing! to Close on May 10 after Two Months on the West End!

Much like the talent show it's based around, the West End is a cut-throat world of profits and competition. 

In a statement released last night Rebecca Quigley, CEO of Stage Entertainment UK, said: “We are sad to be bringing I Can’t Sing! to a close but are immensely proud to have co-produced the show. The West End can be an unpredictable place as the closure of a number of high profile productions recently has shown. I Can’t Sing! has had audiences on their feet night after night, four and five star reviews from the critics and an amazing company and creative team, but it seems that isn’t always enough."

She then added:

“To open any big musical, and particularly a brand new British musical comedy at the London Palladium, is no mean feat and hundreds of dedicated people have played a part in bringing this unique and wonderful show to the stage. I thank every one of those people and the audiences who have come to see the production.”

Nigel Hall, who works the Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment, added: “From the moment Harry Hill and Steve Brown told us their idea for I Can’t Sing we knew this was going to be a fun project. Alongside Stage Entertainment we’d like to thank the cast and crew who have worked so hard on this show. To everyone at Really Useful Theatres and the ever supportive staff at the London Palladium, and everyone involved in I Can’t Sing! I’d like to say a huge thanks and the very best of luck with their next venture.”

People who have already bought tickets for the show that had been due to be held after May 10 were urged to “contact their original point of purchase”.

An anonymous source claimed that the show will be closing because of poor ticket sales due to the current economic climate. 

That Theatre Thing would like to extend our best wishes to the cast and crew of I Can't Sing!, and wish them the best of luck in the future. 

The Drowned Man to Close on July 6th, 2014

Punchdrunk announced via their Temple Studios Twitter feed today (@Temple_Studios) that their hit show, 'The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable', will close on July 6th, 2014. 

 

Temple Studios‏@Temple_Studios

It’s a wrap! The Drowned Man will close on July 6th 2014 after a year of performances, the longest ever UK run of a Punchdrunk show.

The show has been seen by over 170,000 people since it opened last summer, a number which will increase to well above 200,000 by the end of the run. The show marks Punchdrunk's second collaboration with the National Theatre, the first being with 'Faust' in 2006.

The show, which divided critics, is popular amongst audiences and soon amassed a dedicated army of fans, who remain active on Facebook, Twitter and blogging-site Tumblr. 

Congratulations, Punchdrunk!

In case you didn't read my review, I gave the production a 10/10 and urged everyone to go and see it. Make sure you do before Temple Studios closes forever. 

Review: Punchdrunk's The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable

I can't really begin to even explain the plot of Punchdrunk's new multi-sensory epic, 'The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable'. Well, I could, but it would take me a very long time, and I'd probably spoil some of the show, taking away some of the magic. Instead I'll say this: just go. Book. Now. Because since I saw this wonderful piece of theatre on the 18th of April it's completely and utterly taken over my brain. It's all I can think of. I've discovered and have been researching some wonderful things; I've begun to read Buchner's fragmented masterpiece 'Woyzeck', the book and DVD's of 'The Day of the Locust' are on order and I'm currently reading about the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. Who would've known a three hour trip to the theatre could result in so much voluntary background research?

Punchdrunk do, because making layered, self-contained universes is their speciality. In 'Faust', they played Goethe in deep-south America, and more recently took the New York nightlife scene by storm with 'Sleep No More', an interpretation of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' set in a dark, Hitchcockian dream-scape. Told mostly through stylised, graceful interpretive dance, Punchdrunk force us to work. Donning Venetian, orgy masks, we must chase after actors and rummage through dimly lit rooms to look for letters and notes which form the backstory of this fractured world. The dancers move quick, and hard work is often met with a reward: actors may take an audience member's hand and lead them into a private room for a one-on-one performance. 

With 'The Drowned Man', Punchdrunk have taken Buchner's 'Woyzeck' and set it in a 60's film studio knows as 'Temple Studios' and the surrounding areas: the town outside the gates, a seedy trailer park and an empty desert at midnight. They have transformed four floors of an old postal sorting office and transformed it into a small slice of Hollywood hell.

The attention to detail is staggering. The experience lasts three hours, and it would be entirely to spend this whole time in a single room, examining documents and watching scenes. In a room belonging to a fading Hollywood starlet, I found drawers full of love-letters, each one handwritten. Another was full of pieces of ominous red string, each crimson thread representing each of the characters doomed lives. All of this is set to a brilliant soundtrack: the Shangri-Las can often be heard, yet there are also surreal moments too: a grimy tune from 'Twin Peaks' plays over a seedy basement orgy as characters writhe and grind while the omnipotent Mr Stanford (played incredibly by the immensely talented Adam Burton) watches over in his wheelchair.

It's also a highly physical piece, and the talented cast rise to the challenge admirably. Leslie Kraus' Wendy and Rob McNeill's Fool were particular highlights, but all of the cast were stellar, with Fania Grioriou's PA containing brilliant amounts of ice-cold bitchiness and ignorance. There were also strong turns from Lily Ockwell as Faye Greener, Omar Gordon as William (the male Woyzeck) and Kate McGuiness as the Seamstress. 

'The Drowned Man' will be spoken of for years to come. Much like Lesley Manville's Olivier-winning performance as Helene Alving in Ibsen's 'Ghosts', in five years time when you're sitting at dinner you'll be able to proudly announce, "well, I saw 'The Drowned Man'..." as your companions listen in jealousy and awe.

Drop whatever you're doing and book. Do no research. Wear comfy shoes. Be bold. Explore. 'The Drowned Man' shines light on the darkest recesses of human emotion: lust, greed, hate. It invites us to stare into a dark world, and that world stares back. 

10/10