What We’ve Learnt This Week 9.02.15 – 15.02.15

As we all know, last night was The WhatsOnStage Awards 2015, the only major theatre awards to be voted for by the public. Whilst the play awards tended to be shared out between many productions, the musical awards were dominated by Miss Saigon. It had an almost clean sweep (only losing Lighting Design to Coriolanus) winning a record nine awards including Best Musical Revival and Best West End Show. Memphis took the award for Best New Musical, Shakespeare In Love claimed Best New Play and Coriolanus received Best Play Revival. You can see the full list of winners here.

Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick

A film about the relationship of two people opened over the weekend. No, not that film, I’m talking about The Last Five Years, the film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s musical opened in the US on Friday starring Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick. The film seems to be getting mixed reviews in the US, and has yet to have a UK release date set, but I still plan on seeing it soon. In further JRB news, Parade is returning to the Lincoln Center on February 16th for a one night only engagement, with Brown conducting. The starry cast includes Jeremy Jordan, Laura Benanti, Ramin Karimloo and Andy Mientus among others. Events like this are why I should be living in America! In other stateside news, the revival of On the Twentieth Centuary began previews on February 13th. The Roundabout Theatre Company (Violet, Cabaret, Anything Goes) production stars Kristen Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher and will play at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway until July.

Tom Cruise and the Cast of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Over here in the UK, previews of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical started on February 10th. Starring Katie Brayben as Carole King, the musical will have its press night on 25th February. The cast got a surprise visit from Tom Cruise on Friday 13th. I myself will be seeing the show this Wednesday 18th, and I will post my review of it for you to read. It’s also been announced that Carrie: The Musical will be coming to the Southwark Playhouse. Originally a flop with poor reviews and plagued with disaster in 1988, the show was revised and shown Off-Broadway in 2012. Carrie: The Musical will open on 1st May.

Photo credits: Dan Wooller, Variety, BroadwayWorld

My WhatOnStage Awards Predictions

So we’ve come to that time of year. It’s awards time!! No, not the Oscars (although I am excited for those too) but the WhatsOnStage awards! These awards are voted for by the public, setting them apart from any other major London theatre awards. I did vote, yet my predictions slightly differ. I reckon quite a few of the awards are 90% set in stone already because of the large fanbase of a certain show, and if the musical acting awards go to anyone else, I will be very surprised. There are many worthy nominees this year and I wouldn’t be disappointed, just surprised. Remember, this is not who I voted for, this is who I predict will win. My predictions (in bold) are:

Best Actor in a Play:
• David Tennant, Richard II
• Mark Strong, A View From the Bridge
• Richard Armitage, The Crucible
• Tom Bateman, Shakespeare in Love
• Tom Hiddleston, Coriolanus

Best Actress in a Play:
• Billie Piper, Great Britain
• Gillian Anderson, A Streetcar Named Desire
• Helen McCrory, Medea
• Imelda Staunton, Good People
• Lucy Briggs-Owen, Shakespeare in Love

Best Actor in a Musical:
• Alistair Brammer, Miss Saigon
• Jon Jon Briones, Miss Saigon
• Killian Donnelly, Memphis the Musical
• Marti Pellow, Evita
• Robert Lindsay, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best Actress in a Musical:
• Beverley Knight, Memphis the Musical
• Eva Noblezada, Miss Saigon
• Gemma Arterton, Made in Dagenham
• Jenna Russell, Urinetown the Musical
• Madalena Alberto, Evita

Best Supporting Actor in a Play:
• Adrian Schiller, The Crucible
• David Oakes, Shakespeare in Love
• Hadley Fraser, Coriolanus
• Mark Gatiss, Coriolanus
• Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies

Best Supporting Actress in a Play:
• Anna Madeley, The Crucible
• Deborah Findlay, Coriolanus
• Nicola Walker, A View From the Bridge
• Samantha Colley, The Crucible
• Vanessa Kirby, A Streetcar Named Desire

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical:
• Ben Forster, Evita
• George Maguire, Sunny Afternoon
• Hugh Maynard, Miss Saigon
• Kwang-Ho Hong, Miss Saigon
• Rolan Bell, Memphis the Musical

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical:
• Claire Machin, Memphis the Musical
• Karis Jack, Urinetown the Musical
• Katherine Kingsley, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Rachelle Ann Go, Miss Saigon
• Samantha Bond, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Best New Play:
• Great Britain
• King Charles III
• The Nether
• Shakespeare in Love
• Wolf Hall

Best New Musical:
• Here Lies Love
• Made in Dagenham
• Memphis the Musical
• Sunny Afternoon
• Urinetown the Musical

Best Play Revival:
• Blithe Spirit
• Coriolanus
• The Crucible
• Richard II
• A Streetcar Named Desire

Best Musical Revival:
• Evita
• Miss Saigon
• The Pajama Game
• Porgy and Bess
• Sweeney Todd

Best Direction:
• Christopher Ashley, Memphis the Musical
• Gregory Doran, Richard II
• Jamie Lloyd, Urinetown the Musical
• Laurence Connor, Miss Saigon
• Yaël Farber, The Crucible

Best Choreography:
• Ann Yee, Urinetown the Musical
• Bob Avian & Geoffrey Garratt, Miss Saigon
• Drew McOnie, In the Heights
• Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Sergio Trujillo, Memphis the Musical

Best Set Design:
• Bunny Christie, Made in Dagenham
• David Gallo, Memphis the Musical
• Nick Ormerod, Shakespeare in Love
• Soutra Gilmour, Urinetown the Musical
• Totie Driver & Matt Kinley, Miss Saigon

Best Lighting Design:
• Adam Silverman, Urinetown the Musical
• Bruno Poet, Miss Saigon
• Howell Binkley, Memphis the Musical
• Jon Clark, Made in Dagenham
• Mark Henderson, Coriolanus

Best Off-West End Production:
• Dogfight, Southwark Playhouse
• Forbidden Broadway, Menier Chocolate Factory
• In the Heights, Southwark Playhouse
• Oh, the Humanity and Other Good Intentions, Tabard Theatre
• Sweeney Todd, Twickenham Theatre

Best Regional Production sponsored by Travelzoo:
• Guys and Dolls, Chichester Festival Theatre
• Gypsy, Chichester Festival Theatre
• The Kite Runner, Nottingham Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse
• Oliver!, Sheffield Crucible
• Water Babies, Curve Leicester

Best Takeover in a Role sponsored by Equity:
• Craige Els, Matilda the Musical
• David Hunter, Once
• Jennifer DiNoia, Wicked
• Kerry Ellis, Wicked
• Michael Watson, Jersey Boys

Best West End Show:
• Les Misérables
• Matilda the Musical
• Memphis the Musical
• Miss Saigon
• Wicked

So there you go! I reckon it will be a near clean sweep for Miss Saigon due to it’s huge popularity, and I reckon it deserves many of the awards. In many of the categories there are people that also thoroughly deserve the awards, particularly in the acting categories as there have been some splendid performances this year, but this is who reckon will pull the prize.

Do you agree or not? Please let me know! If you are going to the ceremony, I am very jealous of you but hope you have a wonderful time!

Photo credits: WhatsOnStage

What We’ve Learnt This Week 2.02.15 – 9.02.15

As this is my first post it covers slightly more than a week

This week has been a rather big one in the theatre world. The freshest news came today that Michael Gambon will be retiring from the stage. Gambon, best known in recent years for playing Dumbledore in the latter six Harry Potter films, has stated that due to memory loss, he is finding it increasingly difficult to remember his lines, therefore live theatre just isn’t an option any more. Whilst this is a great shame, he will continue with his screen work though, and can be seen in the Sky Atlantic series Fortitude.

The Original Cast of Kinky Boots

Following the announcement that Made In Dagenham will be closing and leaving the Adelphi Theatre on 11^th April, we now know what will be filling the stage, or should I say boots! Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Firestein’s Kinky Boots, another film-to-stage musical set in a British factory, will begin previews on 21^st August with press night on 15^th September. Another Broadway import opening this year is Elf: The Musical, which will open at the Dominion Theatre on 5^th November following previews from 24^th October. It will be a limited run lasting 10 weeks and closing on 2^nd January 2016.

Rory Kinnear

Other prolific shows that have been announced are The Trial, The Car Man and Beautiful Thing. Kafka’s The Trial will star Rory Kinnear and run at the Young Vic from 19^th June to 8^th August. Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man starring Jonathan Olliver and Zizi Strallen will tour the UK for 16 weeks, beginning in Bromley on 16^th April. Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing will tour the UK for 18 weeks, beginning in Canterbury on 23^rd March, with a 5 week stop at London’s Arts Theatre from 3^rd June. It has also been announced that John Owen-Jones will play the role of Pirelli in the ENO’s upcoming production of Sweeney Todd, joining Emma Thompson, Bryn Terfel and Philip Quast.

Photo credits: The Standard, Fan Share, O&M Co.