It’s hard to believe that American Broadway star Stephanie J. Block is yet to fully experience the London theatre scene. But if she was waiting for the perfect role to come along, she’s been vindicated for her patience, as she’s set to star in Cole Porter’s timeless musical Kiss Me Kate. Alongside her is a more surprising yet equally compelling cast-mate in Adrian Dunbar, who puts down his Line Of Duty detective’s hat to don something a little more flamboyant. With rehearsals taking place ahead of their June launch at the Barbican, we met them on the same day they first met one ..read more

March ushers in exciting new theatre our way, whilst also saying goodbye to quite a few fantastic plays. Read on to discover which award-winning shows you’ll want to catch before it’s too late… New West End openings There’s some serious star power heading to the West End this March. Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic Long Day’s Journey Into Night returns to our stages, with Succession’s Brian Cox and Sharp Objects’ Patricia Clarkson leading the cast. We’re also welcoming some theatre royalty: four-time Tony winner Billy Crudup will be starring as Harry Clarke in the eponymous new ..read more

It’s the West End’s biggest night next month, and there’s still time to see some of the most nominated productions live on stage. From brand new musicals to celebrated revivals, here are all the productions you’ll want to catch before the Oliviers on 14 April. Guys And Dolls Nicholas Hytner’s immersive revival has the potential to be a big winner in April with nine nominations, including Best Theatre Choreography, Best Actor and Actress in a Musical, and Best Musical Revival. You can experience 1930s Manhattan for yourself at the Bridge Theatre, either safely from your seat, or – if you want ..read more

There’s no shortage of domestic dysfunction in the arts. From Thomas Vintenberg’s Festen to Jesse Armstrong’s Succession and The Mountain Goats’ The Sunset Tree, the awful ways blood traumatises blood have played out in every form imaginable. On the stage, it’s an even more potent brew, offering the perfect opportunity to trap a family in a single setting and have them let loose on each other, like a WWE cage fight if you swapped out piledrivers for passive aggressive barbs. Few would dispute that, even in a genre that includes A Doll’s House, True West and Death Of A Salesman, Eugene O’Neill ..read more

There haven’t been many records quite like Jeff Wayne’s double-album, The War Of The Worlds, a musical version of H.G. Wells’ science fiction novel from 1897. All good stories need a great opening, and ‘The Eve Of The War’ has gone on to become the best-known track from a piece of work that has sold upwards of 15 million copies worldwide, since its 1978 release.  “The very first chapter in the novel is called The Eve Of The War, and it read to me like an overture,” Wayne begins. “You don’t learn a lot, but you know something is about to happen, and by the time the chapter is over, it real ..read more

Much as we love a buzzy Broadway transfer or the latest jukebox creation, a brand new British musical is always something to celebrate. This applies double when it brings veteran West End performer Sheridan Smith back to our stages. Smith is no stranger to heading up a major production – she’s been Audrey in Little Shop Of Horrors, Elle in Legally Blonde and Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, to name a few. Her resumé reads like a musical theatre student’s Christmas list. But originating the role of Myrtle in Ivo van Hove and Rufus Wainwright’s Opening Night is a fresh challenge – this is a musical fa ..read more

This World Book Day, we’re taking recommendations for our next read from the West End’s most bookish show. Based on the beloved Roald Dahl classic, Matilda The Musical sees its title character harnessing the power of a curious mind and a vivid imagination to protect herself and those she loves. Matilda reads some pretty hefty books in the show (including War And Peace in the original Russian) but we were curious about what the real children in the cast were reaching for this World Book Day. Here’s what they said. The Matildas “My favourite book is The BFG by Roald Dahl. I love it for its quirk ..read more

It’s a busy month for the West End theatre world, with tons of new openings and a couple of familiar faces arriving on the Mamma Mia! stage. Here’s all the theatre news you need to know this February. New West End openings It’s an exciting month for new musicals, with Just For One Day arriving at The Old Vic and Standing At The Sky’s Edge coming to the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Just For One Day tells the story of Live Aid, set to the music of many of the era’s greatest musicians, whilst Standing At The Sky’s Edge uses the music of singer songwriter Richard Hawley to send a love letter to the peop ..read more

Singer-songwriter Richard Hawley’s seventh studio album is now on the West End, in the form of a much-lauded new musical. Standing At The Sky’s Edge follows three families in Sheffield’s Park Hill estate and takes place over the course of 60 years, their stories woven around Hawley’s songs. The show’s National Theatre run earned it an Olivier for Best New Musical – now it comes to the Gillian Lynne Theatre for its inauguration as an official West End show. In honour of the musical’s opening this week, we’ve compiled a list of 20 other albums we believe would make fantastic West End shows in th ..read more

London’s theatre community descended on the London Palladium over the weekend for the 24th annual Whatsonstage Awards, honouring all the most memorable moments this past year in the West End and beyond. As expected, Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Boulevard took home its fair share of accolades, but plenty of other worthy productions also got their flowers, with classic musicals like Cabaret and Guys And Dolls doing particularly well. Here’s your rundown of the winning shows, including where you can see them for yourself. Cabaret Almost two years after it collected seven statuettes at the 2022 Olivier A ..read more