Big news: The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale is headed to New Zealand / Aotearoa later this year!
The production, which originated at the Watermill Theatre in the UK in 2023 and premieres in Chicago next week, will play a five-week run at Auckland's / Tāmaki Makaurau's The Civic from 5 November 2024. Sign up for priority ticket access here!
The WhatsOnStage Awards, the largest theatre awards in the UK decided by public vote, have announced nominations for the 2024 ceremony.
The most nominated musicals are Guys and Dolls with 12 and Sunset Boulevard with 9. The most nominated new musical was Next to Normal with 6 nominations. The Witches received 5 nominations. Newsies, Operation Mincemeat, The Little Big Things, La Cage aux Folles, and The Lord of the Rings received 4 nominations. Some of you will also be interested to know that Rebecca was nominated for the Best Off-West End Production.
I have not listed every nominated musical.
Linked here is the website if you wish to vote. Voting ends 11 January 2024.
Fiery Angel and The Shed will co-produce William Shakespeare's King Lear, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as the titular character.
King Lear is the latest addition to Branagh's impressive Shakespearean repertoire, which includes his film adaptations of Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, and Love's Labour's Lost and, more recently, The Winter's Tale on stage.
He has also directed acclaimed stage productions of Macbeth, The Winter's Tale, and Romeo and Juliet.
The production will preview from 21 October 2023 at Wyndham's Theatre in London, with a press night on 31 October, and will run for just 50 performances. Tickets will go on sale on 5 June at 12 noon.
Following its London run, the production will transfer to The Shed's Griffin Theater in New York for the autumn of 2024.
Further cast and creative team members are to be revealed.