The International Ballroom Dance Sensation
BURN THE FLOOR

Starring Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian from Strictly Come Dancing! (more…)

Following the launch of its inaugural season last spring, year two of The Bridge Project led by Olivier and Academy Award®- winning director Sam Mendes, promises another stellar transatlantic lineup and the intriguing pairing of Shakespeare’s two celebrated classics. (more…)

Richard Eyre directs a new play by Moira Buffini, WELCOME TO THEBES, continuing the Travelex £10 Tickets season in the Olivier Theatre and opening on 22 June.  (more…)

There’s no business like show business and the biggest deal of all for families this summer is the much-loved and eagerly awaited annual initiative – Kids Week in the West End! Now in its 13th year, Kids Week offers children aged 5-16 the opportunity to experience the magic of London theatre for FREE! From 13 to 27 August 2010, head to London’s West End for a fortnight of theatre fun. (more…)

• Katori Hall’s THE MOUNTAINTOP wins Best New Play
• WICKED wins Audience Award for Most Popular Show
• SPRING AWAKENING and HELLO DOLLY! share musical titles
• Dame Maggie Smith and Michael Codron honoured (more…)

DIRECTED BY
DAVID GILMORE
Like Father like Son… They’ll take you for a ride!

(more…)

The National Theatre Studio and West Yorkshire Playhouse are delighted to announce that the first Quercus Award for Theatre Directors will be given this year to Róisín McBrinn. (more…)

A drama of passion and prejudice: part play, part gig, part installation
Written by Mick Gordon, Pressure Drop, for 20 nights only, 19 April – 12 May, 19.30 (exc. Sundays) at Wellcome Collection (more…)

Royal Court Theatre gets 15 nominations
• Audience Award for Most Popular Show shortlist revealed
• Three categories extended to six nominations for the first time (more…)

Jagged Fence Productions Present
The Hostage
By Brendan Behan
3rd – 20th February
Press Night: 4th

Directed by: Adam Penford, Designed by: Morgan Large, Lighting Design by: Emma Chapman

A modern classic by one of Ireland’s most acclaimed and controversial playwrights; last seen in London over fifteen years ago, Brendan Behan’s most famous play receives an overdue revival.

(more…)

Cast: Jason Butler Harner, Charlotte Emmerson, Jason O’Mara, Geraldine Somerville

Director: Simon Curtis; Designer: Peter McKintosh
Lighting Designer: Guy Hoare; Composer and Sound Designer: Adam Cork (more…)

Husband And Wife Team Beat Lloyd Webber And Mackintosh To Top Of Theatre Power List (more…)

• Over 55 top London shows
• 1000s of discount theatre tickets
• FREE activities and exclusive workshops
• Get into London Theatre from 1 January-12 February 2010 (more…)

Based on a novel by Terry Pratchett and adapted by Mark Ravenhill (more…)

Romeo & Juliet
by William Shakespeare

Mercury Theatre Colchester

Original Music: Julián Peralta

With Astillero Tango Orchestra

25 February – 13 March 2010

Director: Ed Hughes; Associate Director/Designer: Michael Vale
Choreographers: Leandro Palou & Romina Godoy; Lighting Designer: Aideen Malone
Sound Designer: Gurgit Dhinsa; Video Designer: Alejandro Diez

The seven-piece critically acclaimed Astillero Tango Orchestra unite with an international company of actors to perform Shakespeare’s classic tale of forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet in a co-production between the award-winning Mercury Theatre Company and Salida Productions. The production opens at the Mercury Theatre Colchester on 25 February – press night on 1 March, and runs until 13 March. (more…)

Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) has confirmed that it had completed the purchase of Live Nation’s UK Theatres (excluding their one third share of The Dominion Theatre). The acquisition is the most significant development in ATG’s 17 year history. (more…)

This November the residents of Avenue Q will be climbing into bed with moustache growers across the UK. The puppets and humans of London’s funniest adult musical will be pushing Movember, the annual month-long celebration of the moustache that highlights men’s health issues, particularly the dangers of prostate cancer. (more…)

Sadler’s Wells has announced the appointment of acclaimed choreographer Arlene Phillips to its Board of Directors. (more…)

London’s Theatreland makes a song and dance as it unveils exclusive workshops, backstage tours and amazing ticket offers (more…)

Mother Courage and Her Children
by Bertolt Brecht
in a translation by Tony Kushner
(more…)

When science teacher Bertram Cates violates a state law he finds himself
at the centre of a court case that not only shakes the United States but
resonates across the world. (more…)

Can you judge a five star show?  Do you know your Shakespeare from your Rodgers and Hammerstein?  The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is looking for ten theatre-going members of public to join the judging panels of the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards. (more…)

TOP PRICE TICKETS FOR JUST £24.25 TO SEE FRANK, SAMMY & DEAN – THE RAT PACK LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS! (more…)

THE 39 STEPS – HILARIOUS STAGE VERSION OF THE HITCHCOCK CLASSIC – TOP PRICE TICKETS FOR JUST £19.50 (usually £45.00) (more…)

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

A new play by Alan Bennett, THE HABIT OF ART, opens at the Lyttelton with Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour leading the cast, directed by Nicholas Hytner

Katie Mitchell directs PAINS OF YOUTH by Ferdinand Bruckner, in a new version by Martin Crimp

Dr Seuss’s THE CAT IN THE HAT, adapted and directed by Katie Mitchell for 3-6 year-olds in the Cottesloe  (more…)

Nica Burns & Max Weitzenhoffer present Endgame by Samuel Beckett

Mark Rylance joins the cast of Complicite’s Endgame at the Duchess Theatre (more…)

Wild and Live at the Royal Albert Hall – A concert in aid of Wildlife
Marking 25 years of leading animal charity Born Free (more…)

TOP PRICE TICKETS FOR JUST £27.50 TO SEE DREAMBOATS & PETTICOATS AT THE SAVOY THEATRE! (Usually £50.00)

Inspired by the smash hit million selling albums DREAMBOATS AND PETTICOATS – which rocketed to the top of the charts within the first week of its release – and DREAMBOATS AND (more…)

10% OFF TOP TWO TICKET PRICES FOR THE CONTINETAL AIRLINES TOWER FESTIVAL 2009! Celebrating the best in Arts, Culture and Music.

The CONTINETAL AIRLINES TOWER FESTIVAL 2009 will take place from the 10th – 20th September and is set in one of the most beautiful and spectacular historic royal palaces right in (more…)

Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition
22 – 30 August
Holland Park, London
www.ballet.org.uk/angelina (more…)

A day of free activities at the National, Friday 21 August
The National Theatre and Prudential set the stage for retirement on Friday 21 August: a day specifically for people in and approaching retirement to discover the many opportunities that retirement offers, all with a unique theatrical twist – and FREE to attend (registration and advance booking is required for some events). (more…)

On 19th October 2009, Disney’s THE LION KING will celebrate its tenth anniversary at London’s Lyceum Theatre. This multi award-winning musical now ranks among the top ten longest-running shows in West End history. (more…)

Nearly three years after it opened at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End, Dirty Dancing is still the Number One show in the UK.

According to theatre ticket comparison website SeatChoice.com, in the last three months there have consistently been more searches for Dirty Dancing tickets via their website than for any other show in the UK. The production, based on the cult film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, will be three years old in September but is still playing to packed houses. (more…)

The World Premiere of TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN

TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN, a dramatic new musical of a fictional account of the last year in the life of Ernest Hemingway, has its World Premiere in London’s West End this summer, opening at THE COMEDY THEATRE on Thursday 16 July for a strictly limited 8 week season (Press night: Friday 24 July). (more…)

The Power of Yes: A dramatist seeks to understand the financial crisis

Lyttelton Theatre
Previews from 29 September, press night 7 October, continuing in repertoire

On 15 September 2008, capitalism came to a grinding halt. As sub-prime mortgages and toxic securities continued to dominate the headlines, this spring the National Theatre asked David Hare to write an urgent and immediate work to be staged this autumn that sought to find out what had happened, and why. (more…)

London, 29th May 2009

The open air Minack Theatre, perched on top of the Cornish cliffs, installed a live streaming webcam a year ago. Over the last year a growing audience around the world has been able to both watch activity at the theatre and take in the beautiful views out into the Atlantic. The spectacular views can be seen at www.checkitlive.com.

(more…)

WIN! A pair of top price tickets to see ‘Shall we dance’ at Sadlers Wells
A tribute to Richard Rodgers starring Adam Cooper!

Set to a score comprised entirely of melodies by Richard Rodgers, Shall We Dance tells the story of one man’s extraordinary quest to find true love. His panoramic voyage transports us from the Orient to the Wild West by way of Russian folk dance, New York jazz and the delirious waltzes of a Viennese ballroom.
(more…)

FUNKYFOGEY SPECIAL OFFER!
Carries War

Carries War starring Prunella Scales and Kacey Ainsworth at the Apollo Theatre!
Pre-theatre dinner package for only £70.00!

The acclaimed stage adaptation of Nina Bawden’s classic novel, Carrie’s War, starring Prunella Scales and EastEnders’ Kacey Ainsworth is coming to the Apollo Theatre from 18th June – 12 September 2009! The classic 1973 book has sold over 1 million copies!
(more…)

FUNKYFOGEY SPECIAL OFFER!
We’re Going on a Bearhunt

Directed by Sally Cookson,
Designed by Katie Sykes
Music by Benji Bower
At the Duchess Theatre
Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5LA
July 8th – August 16th

BEST AVAILABLE TICKETS FOR JUST £10.00 FOR WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT LIVE ON STAGE AT THE DUCHESS THEATRE – ALL SHOWS IN JULY!

Adapted from the picture book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. This best-selling, much loved children’s picture book is brought to life for the West-End stage in a strictly limited summer season.

We’re going to the theatre
We’re going to see A Bear Hunt
What a beautiful play!
We’re not scared….

Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen’s, ever popular Smarties Book Prize winner We’re Going On A Bear Hunt is brought vividly and noisily to life on stage by Director Sally Cookson’s loving adaptation and Benji Bower’s versatile lively score.

Look out for the gigantic swishy swashy grass, the splishy splashy river and the thick oozy, squelchy mud-fight. What a surprise awaits you in the cave on the other side of the dark forest!

‘Beautifully produced, written and illustrated, this is a classic work for any age.’
The Independent on Sunday

For children aged 3 and above. Running time: Approx. 55 minutes

Author of over 140 books, Michael Rosen has enjoyed a successfully diverse career as writer, poet and broadcaster. Involved in educational campaigns and a firm believer in making poetry accessible to children, he has made numerous visits to schools throughout the UK and abroad. Filled with rhythm, repetition and onomatopoeia, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt has been praised for its ability to engage and entertain young children of all learning abilities.

Helen Oxenbury is an eminent illustrator of many classic picture books, including the Kate Greenaway Medal-winning Alices’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and the Nestlé Smarties Prize-winning Farmer Duck, by Martin Waddell.

Sally Cookson directed We’re Going on a Bear Hunt for a successful run at the Bristol Old Vic. Her directing work has included previous collaborations with designer Katie Sykes and composer Benji Bower, such as Aesop’s Fables (Scamp Theatre), The Ugly Duckling (Tobacco Factory) and Papa Please Get the Moon for Me (Bristol Old Vic).

Funkyfogey members can book best available seats for just £10.00 for all performances in July. To book this fantastic ticket offer call the Box Office now on 0844 412 4659 and quote ‘Funkyfogey Offer’.

We’re Going On A Bearhunt
Duchess Theatre, Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5LA
www.nimaxtheatres.com

T&C’s
Tickets are valid for all performances in July 2009, subject to availability and not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

The Black Album
Cottesloe Theatre

Previews from14 July, continuing in repertoire
THE BLACK ALBUM by Hanif Kureishi opens in the Cottesloe Theatre on 21 July, directed by Jatinder Verma. The production will be designed by Tim Hatley, with costumes by Claudia Mayer, lighting by Jvan Morandi, video by Tom Hadley, music by Sister Bliss, choreography by Shobana Jeyasingh and sound by Fergus O’Hare. The cast is: Alexander Andreou, Jonathan Bonnici, Tanya Franks, Sean Gallagher, Beruce Khan, Nitin Kundra, Shereen Martineau, Robert Mountford and Glyn Pritchard. THE BLACK ALBUM is a co-production between the National Theatre and Tara Arts.
(more…)

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Olivier Theatre

Performances from 9 January 2010, in repertoire until 17 February
Following a sell-out run earlier this year, Tom Stoppard and André Previn’s EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR returns to the Olivier Theatre for a limited run from 9 January to 17 February 2010.
(more…)

Tokens - a real treat

Theatre Tokens, the theatre gift vouchers that can be exchanged for theatre tickets nationwide, are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. That’s 25 years of treating people to hundreds of award-winning productions and musicals and seeing some of theatre’s best-loved actors and actresses take to the stage.
(more…)

A chance to take part in free specialist behind-the-scenes tours of The London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, as part of the new Story of London Festival.

This summer two of London’s premier theatres, the London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, will open their doors to offer audiences a chance to explore the colourful and varied histories of two of the cities’ best-known theatrical destinations – for free. (more…)

Box of Tricks Theatre presents the world première of WHISPERING HAPPINESS
by Kenneth Emson

Directed by Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder. Designed by Georgia Lowe.
Lighting Design by Steven Moseley. Sound Design by Chris James.

Tristan Bates Theatre: 9th June – 4th July 2009

“Come closer. Some things should only be whispered…”

Box of Tricks continues its commitment to the next generation of new writing by reuniting artistic director Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder (sell-out Word:Play 2 at Theatre503), associate playwright Kenneth Emson (Old Vic New Voices: 24 Hour Plays ’08) and designer Georgia Lowe (Fanny and Faggot and In My Name, West End) to bring this startling and hard-hitting new play to the London stage.

“A launchpad for top quality new talent” – British Theatre Guide (on Box of Tricks)

A provocative urban fairytale

Developed with support from Old Vic New Voices, Whispering Happiness is the second part of Emson’s ambitious Town/Country Trilogy (following Rural). The play is a lyrical and theatrical portrait of urban life, exploring happiness at a time of despair. The story focuses on two teenagers – Simon and Hayley – caught in a world in turmoil, where the cities and countryside have been torn apart. As society becomes increasingly apathetic, the State has seized power and relocated to the country, forcing those left behind to fend for themselves in a desolate wasteland.

“Emson’s script is a heady stew of big ideas… Tyrrell-Pinder’s production endows proceedings with Pinteresque menace” – Time Out (on Rural)

Drugs, gangs and violence reign as communities fall apart and tower blocks crumble. The future seems to be beyond Simon and Hayley’s control until a shadowy figure appears offering a way out, promising happiness. But nothing is as it seems when Simon finds himself in a police interview room, searching for answers. A political play of personal journeys, Whispering Happiness explores the choices we must make when the future lacks hope.

“The play delivers a lesson about the unplumbed darkness present even in people or situations we thought safe and familiar” – British Theatre Guide (on Emson’s Captain of the School Football Team)

This provocative urban fairytale is a relevant and unflinching examination of the conflicts facing modern society, tackling the big questions facing us today. Through an engaging and human narrative, it asks what happiness can mean when hope is gone, in a world where the police and the State have assumed absolute power, leaving disaffected youth, knife crime and poverty in their wake.

“Years of neglect has led to some disaffected young people looking to criminal gangs for the support and guidance they would normally find at home and at school” – Boris Johnson, London Mayor

The excellent cast is Abigail Hood (That Face, Royal Court), Richard James-Neale (Frantic Assembly’s Othello), Simon Weir (Scottish Television’s High Road and BBC’s Monarch of the Glen), Henry Maynard (u/s That Face, West End) and Jamie MacLachlan (Old Vic New Voice’s Coriolanus).

Box of Tricks Theatre is rooted in story-telling. We are committed to developing and producing the best new work around; discovering, nurturing and promoting the next generation of new playwrights. We are drawn to plays that have an immediacy and relevance today: the stories that need to be told, the voices that need to be heard.

Kenneth Emson is a graduate of the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Writing for Performance MA. Last year, he was selected as one of seven playwrights for Old Vic New Voices’ 24 Hour Plays and had work première at the Hotbed Festival (Cambridge) and Hotink Festival (New York). Kenneth was a recent member of the Royal Court’s invitation-only Writers’ Programme and has worked with Paines Plough and The National Theatre Studio on invitation-only workshops. He has received funding from the Peggy Ramsay Foundation and the Arts Council.

Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder is Artistic Director and co-founder of Box of Tricks Theatre Company. She trained as a director at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. She is an associate member of Old Vic New Voices and a Young Vic Genesis Director. Her credits for Box of Tricks include: Word:Play 2 (Theatre503), Rural and A Hole in the Fence (White Bear Theatre), Word:Play (Union Theatre).

Georgia Lowe trained on the MA Scenography course at Central St Martins College. Her design credits span the West End and fringe theatre, including Fanny and Faggot (Finborough, Trafalgar Studios), In My Name (Old Red Lion, Trafalgar Studios), Lone Star / Private Wars (King’s Head) and various productions for Box of Tricks. She assisted Janet Bird on The Merry Wives of Windsor (Globe Theatre) and was recently part of the design team for Stovepipe (NT/Bush Theatre).

Shakespeare’s Globe will take to the road again this summer, with two new scaled-down productions of The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The tours will visit beautiful open-air settings across the UK and Europe between May and August 2009, offering theatre-lovers a delightful and totally unique summer experience. Performed on a small Elizabethan stage, two troupes of eight travelling players reinvent renaissance touring theatre for the 21st century with two of Shakespeare’s comic masterpieces.
(more…)

Saturday 30 May – Saturday 10 October 2009

Thea Sharrock will direct Shakespeare’s As You Like It at the Globe this summer from 30 May. A favourite among Shakespeare’s comedies, As You Like It combines cross dressing and slapstick with gentle satire and brilliant conversation. Cast in the central role of Rosalind is Naomi Frederick best known from her acclaimed performance in Kneehigh’s production of Brief Encounter. Joining the creative team are designer Dick Bird and composer Stephen Warbeck who reunite after their 2007 Globe production of Othello.
(more…)

TOP PRICE TICKETS TO BE WON TO SEE LATIN FEVER STARRING BBC’S STRICTLY COME DANCING STARS DARREN BENNETT & LILIA KOPYLOVA!

Take an exhilarating journey into the exotic world of Latin American dance with sparkling stars Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova!

The dazzling partnership from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing will be joined
by four leading Latin American dancing duos and a live Latin band for their breathtaking voyage, which takes them from the streets of Brazil to the bullrings of Spain by way of a vibrant mix of dance styles including the rumba, the cha-cha-cha and of course the tango.

Their glamorous journey begins with an explosion of Brazilian rhythms at the Carnival in Rio, before the audience is transported to the sultry clubs of Buenos Aires to be seduced by the passion and intensity of the tango. Cuba beckons with the cheeky cha-cha-cha and rumba, and then it’s time to boogie to the American dance halls of the 1920s for the swing and jitterbug. The voyage continues in Spain where the passion, aggression and drama of the bullring is brought to life in the glorious paso doblè.

To be in with a chance of winning go to our Theatre quiz section and do the quiz.

LATIN FEVER – 27 May – 28 June 2009
Sadler’s Wells Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, London, WC2
Booking Office: 0844 412 4300

T&C’s
Prize tickets are valid for the opening performance on Wednesday 27 May 2009. Subject to availability and not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. No alternative dates offered.

COMPETITION AND TICKET OFFER FOR COLLABORATION/TAKING SIDES BY RONALD HARWOOD AT THE DUCHESS THEATRE!

Collaboration and Taking Sides, two critically acclaimed plays written by award winning playwright Ronald Harwood, explore the fine line between collaboration and betrayal during the Second World War. Each play poses provocative and powerful questions and together they form one exhilarating theatrical debate.

Ronald Harwood CBE, wrote the screenplays for The Dresser for which he was nominated for an Oscar and The Pianist, for which he won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007).

Taking Sides, first seen in 1995 deals with an investigation into the great German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler (Michael Pennington), After the war Furtwängler became the target for vigorous interrogation by the crude, apparently uncultured Major Steve Arnold (David Horovitch). Michael Pennington also plays composer Richard Strauss in Harwood’s London Premier of Collaboration. The play opens in 1931 in a spirit of optimism as Strauss and writer Stefan Zweig embark on an invigorating artistic partnership. However, Zweig is a Jew and the Nazis are on the march.

The cast includes Isla Blair, Pip Donaghy, Martin Hutson, Melanie Jessop, and Sophie Roberts.

Funkyfogey has a fantastic ticket offer of Best Available seats for just £25.00 (usually £46.00) valid for all Mon – Fri performances from May 20th – 3rd July 2009. To book this offer call the Box Office now on 0844 412 4659 and quote ‘Email offer’ Alternatively you can book via the links below:
To Book your £25 Taking Sides tickets online CLICK HERE
To Book your £25 Collaboration tickets online ClICK HERE

Collaboration/Taking Sides
Duchess Theatre, Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5LA

by Joanna McClelland Glass Directed by Derek Bond.

Veteran actor Michael Craig returns to the London stage in the UK premiere of the award-winning TRYING, opening for a four week limited season on Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at London∂s Finborough Theatre.

A surprising yet touching play about a profound friendship between two strangers – at dramatically different points in their lives – who unexpectedly find they have more in common than they thought.

This rich story of life’s most inevitable adventure –of growing old is inspired by the playwright’s real-life experience as personal secretary to the real Judge Biddle, US Attorney General under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Chief American Judge at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.

Internationally famous, cantankerous and in failing health, the 81 year old Judge Francis Biddle awaits the new secretary that his wife has forced upon him. Sarah is very young and inexperienced and, even worse, from Canada. Francis doesn∂t trust her. Francis doesn∂t trust anyone – his last assistant managed to burn half his books. Despite undergoing her own marital pressures and impending motherhood, Sarah is determined to get the Judge∂s life in order – without crying in the bathroom.

Since its New York premiere in 2004, Trying has been presented in numerous theatres across the world including the USA, Canada and Australia, and now receives its UK premiere.

Helen Mirren plays the title role in Racine’s PHEDRE, directed by Nicholas Hytner
Richard Eyre directs a new play by Matt Charman, THE OBSERVER

The Travelex £10 Tickets season continues with Shakespeare’s ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, directed by Marianne Elliott

Lee Hall’s THE PITMEN PAINTERS tours the UK

NT LIVE launches with a live broadcast of Phèdre into cinemas worldwide

NEW CONNECTIONS premieres new plays for young people by writers including William Boyd, Anthony Horowitz and David Mamet

Entry Pass offers free tickets for under 26s as part of ‘A Night Less Ordinary’

Watch This Space and Square2 return; Sunday performances resume from July; Platforms, Exhibitions and Discover

THE OBSERVER
Cottesloe Theatre. Previews from 13 May, press night 20 May, continuing in repertoire

THE OBSERVER, a new play by Matt Charman, will open in the Cottesloe Theatre on 20 May, directed by Richard Eyre. The production will be designed by Rob Howell, with lighting by Neil Austin, projection design by Jon Driscoll, music by Richard Hartley and sound by Rich Walsh. The cast is: Leo Bill, Daon Broni, Anna Chancellor, James Fleet, Peter Forbes, Lloyd Hutchinson, Chuk Iwuji, Aïcha Kossoko, Louis Mahoney, Cyril Nri, Isabel Pollen and Joy Richardson.

An international group of observers arrives in a West African country to oversee and rubber stamp its first democratic election. New voters queue in their thousands, but a senior member of the observation team find herself both horrified by the President’s suppressive tactics and, for once, in a position to do something about it. Yet as violence on the streets escalates and the country enters free fall, an increasingly angry young translator forces this well-meaning outsider to confront the impact of her intervention.

Matt Charman’s plays include The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder for the NT, and A Night at the Dogs (Soho) which won him a Verity Bargate Award in 2004. The Observer won the 2008 Catherine Johnson Award for Best Play, as part of the Pearson Playwrights’ Scheme. Anna Chancellor’s stage appearances include Never So Good and Stanley at the National; King Lear for the RSC (Stratford, London and Japan); and Creditors at the Donmar. She and James Fleet appeared in Richard Curtis’ Four Weddings and A Funeral.

James Fleet’s recent work in theatre includes Three Sisters and Art in the West End. He is perhaps best known to TV audiences for his role in the long-running BBC series, The Vicar of Dibley. Chuk Iwuji’s theatre work includes the title role in Henry VI Parts 1, 2 & 3 for the RSC; and Christy in The Playboy of the Western World at the Abbey, Dublin. Richard Eyre was Director of the National from 1988 – 1997. His recent work includes The Reporter at the NT, Hedda Gabler (Almeida and West End), which won Olivier Awards for Best Director and Best Revival; Mary Poppins (West End and Broadway); and the films Iris, Stage Beauty and Notes on a Scandal.

THE OBSERVER is sponsored by Accenture, supporters of Innovation at the National Theatre.

Press night: Wednesday 20 May
Contact: Jennifer Reynolds on 020 7452 3233; jreynolds@nationaltheatre.org.uk

Four awards for Donmar Warehouse and RSC productions
Black Watch most celebrated individual production with four wins
Sir Alan Ayckbourn recognised for contribution to theatre

The winners of the 33rd Laurence Olivier Awards were announced tonight, Sunday 8 March 2009, at a glamorous ceremony held at Grosvenor House, London, hosted by James Nesbitt. The variety of theatre on offer in London throughout 2008 was highlighted at this year’s awards with 16 different productions sharing the honours.
(more…)

WIN! Funkyfogey has a pair of top price tickets to see SYLVIA by the Birmingham Royal Ballet

As part of the exciting season of Spring Dance at the London Coliseum for 2009 the Birmingham Royal Ballet makes a long-awaited return to the London Coliseum with a refreshing programme of works.
(more…)

As part of the exciting season of Spring Dance at the London Coliseum for 2009 the highly distinguished American Ballet Theatre company is performing SWAN LAKE set to Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score at the London Coliseum.
(more…)

Funkyfogey offer! –
2 FOR 1 ON TOP PRICE TICKETS TO SEE ALAN AYCKBOURN’S WOMAN IN MIND
STARRING JANIE DEE AT THE VAUDEVILLE THEATRE! Usually £46.00 each

(more…)

Donmar West End at the Wyndham’s Theatre

Further casting announced for Hamlet
Director: Michael Grandage; Designer: Christopher Oram; Lighting Designer: Neil Austin; Composer & Sound Designer: Adam Cork
29 May – 22 August
Press night: Wednesday 3 June

Jude Law will be joined by Ron Cook, Peter Eyre, Gwilym Lee, John MacMillan, Kevin R McNally, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matt Ryan, Alex Waldmann and Penelope Wilton in Michael Grandage’s production of Hamlet – the final production in the Donmar’s year long residency at the Wyndham’s Theatre.
(more…)