NEWS UPDATE – 25th August 2025

By: pHayward 25th August 2025

• SIX – the multi award-winning musical SIX, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, announces its return to Southampton (where it originally played at the Nuffield Theatre before its first move into London) at Mayflower Theatre in 2026 following five consecutive sold-out runs, opening on 27^th October 2026. In addition, new casting has been announced for the run. The new touring Queens will be played by LaSasha Aldredge (Catherine of Aragon), Yna Montarde (Anne Boleyn), Emily Dawson (Jane Seymour), Jodie Knight (Anna of Cleves), Sammy Timbers (Katherine Howard) and Layla Chivandire (Catherine Parr). Abi Atchison, Millie Readshaw and Eve Kitchingman will be joining the cast as Alternates, with Super Swings Emilia Paige Jurin and Lucia Valentino. The cast are backed by the show’s all-female band, The Ladies in Waiting, led by Musical Director Rosabella Gregory. On the international stage, SIX continues its reign on Broadway at the Lena Horne Theatre and is now booking into its fourth year. SIX has toured the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, Holland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland and enjoyed a seven-week season at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Back on home turf, the London production recently celebrated its sixth sensational year in the West End and continues its reign at the Vaudeville Theatre (its third royal residence), whilst nationally, the UK tour – now booking through 2026 – continues to break Box Office records.
• Lost Atoms – the world premiere of Frantic Assembly’s 30th anniversary production will take place at Mayflower Studios, Southampton on 25^th November 2025 ahead of a national tour. The production stars Joe Layton (ITV’s Coronation Street; Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD) and Hannah Sinclair Robinson (Metamorphosis, UK tour; The Play That Goes Wrong, West End). The play is written by Anna Jordan (Succession, Killing Eve, One Day, The Unreturning) and directed by Artistic Director of Frantic Assembly Scott Graham (Othello, Metamorphosis). Jess and Robbie – a chance meeting, some disastrous dates, an extraordinary transformative love. It’s the stuff of fairy tales. Or is it?  Lost Atoms is a wild ride through a life-changing relationship, or Jess and Robbie’s recollection of it. Together they scale the soaring highs and crushing lows, relive the beats of connection, the moments of loss.  But are their stories the same? And can their memories be trusted? It is by turns funny and heartbreaking; a timeless story which explores how love shapes our lives and how we remember it. Two people plunge deep into their shared pasts and propel themselves into multiple futures, risking it all. The production will have set design by Andrzej Goulding, lighting by Simisola Majekodunmi, sound by Carolyn Downing, costumes by Alice McNicholas and music supervision by Julie Blake. Commissioned and Produced by Frantic Assembly, Lost Atoms will be a co-production with Mayflower Southampton, Curve Leicester and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
• Beautiful Little Fool – a new musical will release its concept album ahead of its world premiere production in London. With music and lyrics by Hannah Corneau and a book by Mona Mansour. It tells the story of Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald through the eyes of their adult daughter, Scottie, as she rediscovers the lives and writings of her parents. Performing on the album are Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller as Scottie, Ryan Vasquez as F Scott, and Hannah Corneau as Zelda. It was recorded at Renaissance Recording in New York, and is engineered and mixed by Ian Kagey and mastered by Oscar Zambrano. Orchestrations and music direction are by Adam Rothenberg, and produced by Mark Cortale, Ross Baum and Corneau. It will be available from 24 October 2025. The musical, directed by Michael Greif, will debut in London at Southwark Playhouse in January 2026. Casting and further details will be confirmed next month. Producer Mark Cortale commissioned the musical in 2022 through the developmental theatre lab New Works Provincetown.

• Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – is returning to the stage, opening at the Lowry in Salford for a Christmas season, playing from 5 December 2025 to 11 January 2026. With a book and lyrics by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx, and music by Tim Gilvin, it gives the legendary Ursula a chance to share her backstory, in a “tell-all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers.” Having first premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe, the musical parody has been seen in various forms across the country. The musical has been seen on tour and in London. Leading the cast will be Sam Buttery. Joining her will be Miracle Chance as Ariel, Allie Dart as Sebastian, Blair Robertson as King Triton and James Spence as Prince Eric. The ensemble cast members are Freya McMahon and Fionan O’Carroll.
• Paddington The Musical – initial casting has been announced as rehearsals begin for the world premiere at London’s Savoy Theatre on 30 November (previewing from 1st Nov). The production, adapted from Michael Bond’s books and the hit films, features music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, a book by Jessica Swale and direction by Luke Sheppard. The principal cast is made up of Timi Akinyosade (Tony), Amy Booth-Steel (Lady Sloane), Tarinn Callender (Grant), Delilah Bennett-Cardy (Judy Brown), Adrian Der Gregorian (Mr Brown), Tom Edden (Mr Curry), Brenda Edwards (Tanya), Amy Ellen Richardson (Mrs Brown), Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Millicent Clyde), Teddy Kempner (Mr Gruber), Bonnie Langford (Mrs Bird), and the role of Jonathan Brown is played by Joseph Bramley, Leo Collon, Stevie Hare and Jasper Rowse. The creative team working with Sheppard includes Matt Brind as musical supervisor, orchestrator and arranger, Ellen Kane as choreographer, Tom Pye as scenic designer, Gabriella Slade as costume designer, Neil Austin as lighting designer, Gareth Owen as sound designer, Ash J Woodward as video designer and animator, Campbell Young Associates as hair, wig and make-up designers, Majid Adin for illustration and additional animation and Laura Bangay as musical director. Paddington The Musical is booking at the Savoy Theatre until 25 May 2026.
• The Choir of Man – cast changes have been confirmed for as the show continues its run at the Arts Theatre and soon to celebrate its fourth birthday. The production began its West End run in October 2021 and has since welcomed over 280,000 audience members across more than 1,000 performances and is currently scheduled to run until 4^th January 2026. Earlier this year, it paused its season while preliminary work was done to redevelop the venue. Set in a pub called The Jungle, the show features a nine-strong male cast combining vocal performances with dance and spoken word. The musical includes songs from artists including Queen, Adele, Guns and Roses, Sia and Paul Simon. Audience members are offered a pint as part of the performance. Originally created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, The Choir of Man has previously been staged at the Sydney Opera House and toured in the US and Europe. Following its initial West End season, the show received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play and has since partnered with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and Signature Brew. Some current cast members will head to Shanghai to join the production there, and the West End company will welcome back familiar faces from the Choir of Man family. From 2 September, the full company will feature Aled Pennock (as Bore), Jason Brock ‘Romantic), Cal T King (Beast), Ifan Gwilym-Jones (Maestro), Oliver Jacobson (Barman), Benji Lord (Joker), Paul McArthur (Poet), Tom Carter-Miles (swing), Alex Mallalieu (swing), Dave Shute (swing), and Sam Ebenezer (swing). The roles of Hardman and Handyman will be shared. Playing Hardman will be Matt Beveridge (2 to 21 September) and Levi Tyrell Johnson (23 September to 4 January). Playing Handyman will be Ben Goffe (2 September to 12 October), Adam Hilton (14 October to 2 November), and George Knapper (4 November to 4 January). Direction is by Nic Doodson with Daniel Harnett as associate director. Monologues are by Ben Norris. Musical supervision, vocal arrangements and orchestrations are by Jack Blume, with Lee Freeman as resident musical director. Movement direction is by Freddie Huddleston, scenic design by Oli Townsend, lighting by Richard Dinnen, and sound by Sten Severson. The show is produced by HH Productions Ltd, Nic Doodson, Andrew Kay, Wendy and Andy Barnes, Gavin Kalin and Hunter Arnold.
• Bonnie and Clyde – The Old Joint Stock Theatre has announced a new production of the musical will play from 1 October to 2 November. Frank Wildhorn, Dan Black and Ivan Menchell’s musical follows the two infamous outlaws. This non-replica production will be directed by Emily Susanne Lloyd. The show will feature the 85-seater venue’s biggest cast to date, with sixteen performers. Leading the show in the title roles will be India Lily Cooper and Samuel Murray. They’ll be joined by Killian Thomas Lefevre as Buck/understudy Clyde and Faye Campbell as Blanche. Hannah Victoria will play the Preacher, while Davis Weave is Ted. Completing the adult company are Hannah Willars, who was originally cast as cover Blanche in the cancelled UK tour, understudying Bonnie and Blanche, with Thomas Oxley understudying Clyde, Buck and Ted. Steven Rostance, Kurran Dhand, Charlotte Neale and Charlotte Dixon form the ensemble. Four young performers will play Young Bonnie and Young Clyde, they are Tessy Hawkesford, Beau Eaton, Evie Pavlovs and Dan Dare. Joining Lloyd on the creative team are Liam Alexandru (associate director), James Edge (producer), Ben Barrow (musical director), George P Martin (set and costume designer), Joanne Marshall (lighting designer) and Paul Finch (sound designer).
• The Importance of Being Earnest – casting has been confirmed for the National Theatre’s production of Oscar Wilde’s comedy about hidden identities, cucumber sandwiches and unexpected romances which will open at the Noël Coward Theatre this autumn, in a co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions. Following a sold-out run at the National Theatre the show will begin performances on 18 September 2025 and continue until 10 January 2026. Over 20,000 tickets are available for under £30 across the run. Directed by Max Webster, the production will feature the previously revealed Olly Alexander in the role of Algernon Moncrieff. Joining him and previously confirmed are Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Jack Worthing, Hugh Dennis as Rev Canon Chasuble, Shobna Gulati as Miss Prism, Kitty Hawthorne as Gwendolen Fairfax, Jessica Whitehurst as Cecily Cardew, Hayley Carmichael as Merriman/Lane, and Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell. Completing the cast are ensemble and understudy members Jasmine Kerr, Sam Liu, Gillian McCafferty, Elliot Pritchard and Liv Spencer. Webster, who recently directed Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse and Life of Pi in both the West End and on Broadway, leads a creative team that includes set and costume designer Rae Smith, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Nicola T Chang, movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, and composer DJ Walde. Additional team members include physical comedy advisor Joyce Henderson, intimacy coordinator Ingrid Mackinnon, casting director Alastair Coomer, and dialect coach Kate Godfrey.

NEWS UPDATE – 18th August 2025

By: pHayward 18th August 2025

• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – initial casting has been revealed for the West End transfer of the musical, which will open in London at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 29 January 2026, running until 18 April, following an initial run at Chichester Festival Theatre. It has been confirmed that Mark Addy and Jenna Russell will reprise their roles as Harold and Maureen. The creative team includes designer Samuel Wyer, choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, arranger, orchestrator and additional music provider Jeremy Holland-Smith, musical supervisor and additional music provider Phil Bateman, lighting designer Paule Constable, sound designers Ian Dickinson and Gareth Tucker for Autograph, video designer Ash J Woodward, casting director Anna Cooper, and musical director Chris Poon. The adaptation is co-created by Joyce, Peter Darling and Rudd.
• Really Useful Group – has been rebranded as LW Entertainment, with plans to expand activity across the entertainment industry while continuing to manage the composer’s body of work. The company will develop brand and franchise strategies for titles including The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Sunset Boulevard and Starlight Express. The business is led by chief executive James McKnight alongside chief operating officer and general counsel Louise Hughes, group chief financial officer Lawrence Chapman and chief commercial officer Libby Grant. Famed composer Lloyd Webber will continue to focus on musical composition. LW Entertainment will represent the broadening of its work across different entertainment fields, whilst bringing it into line with LW Theatres which has just completed its most successful trading year ever. As usual, every penny of LW Theatres’ profit will be ploughed back into the buildings. LW Entertainment will focus on “copyright exploitation”, with theatrical production handled by Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals. Current and recent productions include Starlight Express, the multi-award-winning Sunset Boulevard and Evita at The London Palladium, with upcoming projects including Cats: The Jellicle Ball, which will open on Broadway in 2026, and a new musical, The Illusionist. The company has also licensed the immersive Phantom-inspired production Masquerade, currently in previews in New York, and is planning further Phantom projects in theatre, film, publishing and music. A multi-book publishing programme with Penguin Random House will launch in 2026, beginning with Our Strange Duet, a young adult novel by Erin A Craig retelling the Phantom story from Christine Daaé’s perspective. Additional initiatives include an equity investment in GWB Entertainment to strengthen work in the Asian market, development of a potential Phantom anime with Qubic Pictures, and a new consumer products programme in partnership with Merchantwise and Event Merchandising Ltd. The Phantom of the Opera has been seen by over 160 million people worldwide since its 1986 debut. A revitalised production will begin a multi-city US tour in November 2025, alongside international stagings in over 40 cities in 2026. Meanwhile, Jesus Christ Superstar recently played a three-night sell-out at the Hollywood Bowl, with Cynthia Erivo as the first woman to play Jesus.
• The Talented Mr Ripley – casting has been revealed for the stage adaptation which will tour the UK for the first time coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Patricia Highsmith’s novel. The production opens at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham on 4 September. The novel, well known thanks to the hit 2000 film adaptation starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, and more recently through a 2024 Netflix series with Andrew Scott, follows Tom Ripley, a man who becomes dangerously entangled in a mission involving a wealthy acquaintance from Italy. Set to star are Ed McVey and and Maisie Smith, taking on the roles of Ripley and Marge until the end of the year. Joining them will be Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf, Christopher Bianchi (Othello) as Herbert Greenleaf/Roverini, Cary Crankson (Death of England as Freddie Miles/Alvin McCarron, Leda (Antigone) as Cleo/Dottie and Jason Eddy (Othello,) as Peter/Fausto. The cast is completed by Lachlan McCall, Hollie Sullivan and Aldous Ciokajlo-Squire. The play is a Faction production, adapted and directed by Mark Leipacher. Producers Jack Maple and Thomas Hopkins are behind the tour, with design by Holly Piggott, lighting by Zeynep Kepekli, sound by Max Pappenheim and casting by Marc Frankum. From Cheltenham the tour will continue on Sep 15 2025 to Edinburgh and then Sep 22 to Birmingham, Oct 06 Woking, Oct 13 Oxford, Oct 27 Brighton, Nov 03 Bristol and Nov 10 Richmond.

NEWS UPDATE – 11th August 2025

By: pHayward 11th August 2025

• Mayflower Southampton – have announced that their Higher Education Tuition Fee Grant applications for the new educational year have opened. The Grant has been designed to support individuals in the local community (Hampshire and East Dorset) between the ages of 18 – 25 that are looking to pursue a career in the arts, whether that is in acting, dance, music, writing, technical theatre or other arts-related professions. There are also additional ‘special’ awards for those who have exceptional potential or unique talent and ideas. Mayflower recognises the importance of developing the future workforce for the cultural sector and is delighted that the grant supports young people in the region to pursue their dream of working in the arts. Support is prioritised to those who are either attending a degree course run by a member of The Federation of Drama Schools or The Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre; experiencing financial or other hardship or who demonstrate outstanding commitment and achievement in their art form. In the last 12 months some £36,500 has been awarded to nine deserving rising stars to help them fulfil their ambitions. and we are delighted to continue to support more individuals through this scheme.
• The Sound of Music – a new revival of the musical is set to open in Leeds at the Grand Theatre where it will run from 9 July to 1 August 2026. It will be developed from Nikolai Foster’s Curve production, which is set to open in Leicester this Christmas. The music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, will be brought to life by the chorus and orchestra of Opera North. This production follows on from the success of My Fair Lady at Leeds Playhouse last year.
• Top Hat – the Chichester Festival Theatre production of the Irving Berlin musical is set to embark on a UK tour after its summer in Chichester. Adapted for the stage by Matthew White and Howard Jacques, and directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, the cast will feature Phillip Attmore as Jerry Travers, Clive Carter as Horace, Sally Ann Triplett as Madge, James Clyde as Bates and Alex Gibson-Giorgio as Beddini. reprising their roles from Chichester. New to the cast for this run will be Amara Okereke, joining the production as Dale Tremont. The company is completed by Lindsay Atherton, Rhiannon Bacchus, Jeremy Batt, Freddie Clements, Pedro Donoso, Bethan Downing, Autumn Draper, Tilly Ducker, Laura Hills, Maddie Harper, Connor Hughes, James Hume, George Lyons, David McIntosh, Jordan Oliver, Emily Ann Potter, Joe Press, Molly Rees Howe, Kirsty Sparks and Toyan Thomas-Browne. Joining Marshall on the creative team are set designer Peter McKintosh, costume designers Yvonne Milnes and Peter McKintosh, musical supervisor Gareth Valentine, musical director Stephen Ridley, orchestrator and arranger Chris Walker, lighting designer Tim Mitchell, sound designer Paul Groothuis, casting director Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting, associate director and choreographer Carol Lee Meadows, associate director Cameron Wenn, associate set designer Ben Davies, associate lighting designer Imogen Clarke, associate sound designer Rich Pomeroy, and resident director and choreographer Richard Pitt. The tour will open at Woking New Victoria Theatre on 18^th September before moving on to Milton Keynes (23^rd Sept), Edinburgh (30^th Sept), New Wimbledon Theatre (14 Oct), Liverpool (28 Oct), Sunderland (18 Nov), Manchester (25 Nov) and then London Queen Elizabeth Hall (12 Dec 2025 to 17 Jan 2026) with the current final stop being in Glasgow (from 3 Feb).

NEWS UPDATE – 4th August 2025

By: pHayward 4th August 2025

• Kiss Of The Spiderwoman – Kander and Ebb’s hit Broadway musical is to receive its first major UK revival since 1992. The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is based on Manuel Puig’s novel and adapted for the stage by Terrence McNally. It follows Molina and Valentin, forced into an unlikely friendship in the cell they share in a brutal prison. In an attempt at escapism, Molina fantasises about glamorous movies and the tales of the Spider Woman. The revival, a Made at Curve, Bristol Old Vic and Mayflower Southampton co-production, will be directed by Paul Foster. It will feature choreography by Joanna Goodwin, set design by David Woodhead, costume design by Gabriella Slade, orchestrations and arrangements by Sarah Travis, lighting design by Howard Hudson, and sound design by Matt Peploe. Casting is by Stuart Burt. Anna-Jane Casey will star as Aurora. The production will run in Curve’s Studio Theatre from 3 to 25 April 2026, at Bristol Old Vic from 29 April to 16 May 2026, and at Mayflower Studios from 2 to 6 June 2026.
• Matilda The Musical – The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced the casting for the musical’s second UK and Ireland tour. Based on Roald Dahl’s book, the production is set to begin performances at Curve, Leicester, on 6 October 2025, with the new tour running concurrently with the West End run. The musical follows a determined young girl and her imaginative approach to life. It has received over 100 awards, including 24 for Best Musical. Numbers in the show include “Quiet”, “Naughty”, “When I Grow Up” and “Revolting Children”. A film adaptation of Matilda was released in 2022 and is available on Netflix. Madison Davis, Mollie Hutton, Olivia Ironmonger and Sanna Kurihara will share the title role of Matilda. Richard Hurst will play Miss Trunchbull, Tessa Kadler will play Miss Honey, Adam Stafford will play Mr Wormwood and Rebecca Thornhill will play Mrs Wormwood. They are joined by Scotty Armstrong, Sam Holden, Portia Jefferies, Caiomhe Judd, Brooke Kelly, Ryan Lay, Cassandra Lee, Samuel Leon, Jordan Maisuria-Wake, Nicole Manumbre, Lizzie Nance, Esther Niles, Jordan Ricketts, Josh Singleton, Bradley Trevethan, Ella Tweed, Ben Tyler and Karen Walker. The other young performers forming the company are Rudy Bragg, Jacob Connor-Ashton, Charlie Cox, Sylvie Grace, Rose Jammeh, Dottie Jones, Takunda Khumalo, Sana Lennon, Oisin-Luca Pegg, Millie-May Mankowska, Tate Masuku, Leo Maurice, Carter-J Murphy, Jaxon James Nolan, Cole Nicholson, Pixie Pettigrew, Brodie Robson, Haiden Sihapanya and Felix Schmitt. Matilda The Musical is written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and is directed by Matthew Warchus. The creative team includes Rob Howell (design), Peter Darling (choreography), Christopher Nightingale (orchestrations and musical supervision), Hugh Vanstone (lighting), Simon Baker (sound), and Paul Kieve (special effects and illusions). The production will celebrate its 15th anniversary at Curve, Leicester (where it plays until 25 October), before continuing to theatres including Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre (30 October to 23 November), Liverpool Empire (2 December to 4 January 2026), Theatre Royal Plymouth (13 January to 7 February), Sunderland Empire (11 to 28 February), Edinburgh Playhouse (4 to 22 March), Manchester Palace Theatre (26 March to 25 April), Mayflower Theatre in Southampton (29 April to 17 May), before visiting Bristol Hippodrome (2 to 27 June), Birmingham Hippodrome (1 July to 2 August), Norwich Theatre Royal (6 August to 6 September) and Milton Keynes Theatre (28 October to 14 November). The musical will then return to Roald Dahl’s birthplace, Cardiff. It’ll run at Wales Millennium Centre from 9 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. Additional dates will be confirmed in September.
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame – the in concert adaptation of Disney’s musical has set its complete casting. The show, which first opened in Berlin in 1999 under the German name Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, ran for over 1200 performances. A new version premiered in San Diego in 2014 and has since been produced in the US, Japan, and Germany, but never seen professionally on UK shores until now. The West End’s Prince Edward Theatre will host the performance on Sunday, 17 August 2025 at 3pm and 7.30pm. An additional concert will be held on Sunday, 24 August 2025 at 6pm. Produced by Jack Maple, the piece features music and lyrics from the 1996 animated film by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, with additional songs and a book by Peter Parnell. It is based on the tale of Quasimodo, who takes refuge in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Notable tunes include “Out There,” “God Help the Outcasts,” “The Bells of Notre Dame,” “Heaven’s Light,” and “Hellfire”. Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle with musical direction by WhatsOnStage Award-winner Alan Williams, the concert will bring Victor Hugo’s story to life with a full orchestra and choir. Set to star is Ben Joyce as Quasimodo, with Zachary James as Claude Frollo, Christine Allado as Esmeralda, Dex Lee as Captain Phoebus, and Adam Strong as Clopin. The role of Quasimodo will also be BSL interpreted on-stage by dancer and performer Oliver Hewing. Completing the cast are Lois Mia Chapman, Davide Fienauri, Caleb Lagayan, Emma Lloyd, Anna Marya Smith, Fanja Parent, and Aaron Rahn, alongside a 20-piece choir from the London Voices. The concert will have choreography by Olivier Award nominee Mark Smith (The Little Big Things), lighting design by Jamie Platt (Something Rotten! in Concert), costume design by Alice McNicholas (Spring Awakening 15th Anniversary Reunion), sound design by Sound Quiet Time (Stereophonic), casting direction by WhatsOnStage Award-winner Harry Blumenau (Why Am I So Single?), production management by Toby P Darvill for Production Solutions Group, and creative signing consultation by Kevin Jewell.
• Sylvia Young – founder and principal of Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, has died at the age of 86. The news was confirmed today by Young’s daughters Alison and Frances Ruffelle via a post on instagram. Sylvia founded her theatre school in 1981 in Drury Lane, London, before moving to its current Marylebone premises in 1983. The school is co-educational and provides a combination of academic and vocational classes for children aged 10 to 16 years. The academic curriculum encompasses GCSEs, while the vocational curriculum teaches acting, dance and music. She married Norman Ruffell in Hackney, London, in 1961 and had two children who became actresses Frances Ruffelle and Alison Ruffelle. Sylvia’s granddaughter is pop singer Eliza Doolittle.
• Moominvalley – a new musical adaptation of Tove Jansson’s final Moomin story will run at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in London from 23 October to 16 November 2025. The piece is co-produced by Nummulite and Chromolume, the venue’s in-house company, whose previous credits include Road Show, In Clay, Tom Lehrer Is Teaching Math And Doesn’t Want To Talk To You and You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. As part of the tale, six characters arrive in Moominvalley to find the Moomins absent and take shelter in the empty Moominhouse. While waiting for their hosts, they share their stories, including Snufkin’s hunt for a new tune, Fillyjonk’s need for order and young Toft’s wish to meet the Moomins. Written and composed by Swedish-born, London-based Hans Jacob Hoeglund, whose work includes Muliebris at The Place and Like Miss Brodie at Wigmore Hall, this will be the first full staging of the piece after it was shortlisted for the Mercury Musical Developments BEAM 2025 showcase. Casting and further creatives will be announced shortly.
• To Sir, With Love – A New Musical – will launch with two concert performances at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre on Monday 24 November 2025. Lulu will return to the story that launched her career. The production revisits the tale of Rick Braithwaite, a Cambridge-educated engineer and former RAF fighter pilot who challenges prejudice and inspires his students to face the world as adults. It was adapted into a much-loved film starring Sidney Poitier, and Lulu, in 1967. Producers Kris Lythgoe and Darren Bell present this newly reimagined stage adaptation of E R Braithwaite’s memoir, featuring music and lyrics by John Farrar and Kara DioGuardi, and directed by Sheldon Epps. The musical has been developed through the Ogunquit Playhouse New Works Program. Co-producers Willette and Manny Klausner join the team and the concert will include a new score alongside the title song by Mark London and Don Black. Kenny Seymour is music director with musical arrangements by Eve Nelson, supervision and orchestration by Joseph Joubert, dramaturgy by Shereen Jasmin Phillips and choreography by Edgar Godineaux. Casting is by Debbie O’Brien.
• Murder at Midnight – casting has been confirmed for the new thriller from Torben Betts, which will embark on a UK tour later this year. Murder at Midnight is said to prove “that even the best-laid plans can unravel spectacularly when the wrong people are in the wrong place at exactly the wrong time.” It follows Jonny “The Cyclops,” who is holding a New Year’s Eve party in rural Kent, when a trail of destruction emerges. The production reunites Betts with director Philip Franks and is produced by Original Theatre. Franks describes the piece as “Feydau rewritten by Tarantino,” saying it is “a dark and often very funny thriller set in the luxury Kent mansion of a one-eyed drug dealer, pig farmer and possible gangland killer.” Starring in the tour, which kicks off this autumn, are Jason Durr as Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, Susie Blake as Shirley, and Max Bowden as Paul. They’ll be joined by Katie McGlynn as Lisa, Callum Balmforth as Russell, Peter Moreton as Trainwreck and Iryna Poplavska as Cristina, with Bella Farr and Andy McLeod as Police Officers/Understudies. The creative team features designer Colin Falconer, lighting designer Jason Taylor, sound designer and composer Max Pappenheim, casting director Ellie Collyer-Bristow, associate director Barney McElholm, sound associate Joe Dines, fight and intimacy director Ruth Cooper-Brown for Rc-Annie and associate fight director Carlotta De Gregori for Rc-Annie. The production manager is Brian Watson, the costume supervisor is Chrissy Maddison and the props supervisor is Robyn Hardy. It’ll open at Derby Theatre on 5 September, before travelling to Birmingham Rep (16 to 20 September), Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham (23 to 27 September), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford (30 September to 4 October), Malvern Theatres (7 to 11 October), Palace Theatre, Southend (13 to 18 October), York Theatre Royal (21 to 25 October), Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne (27 to 31 October), New Theatre, Cardiff (4 to 8 November), Fareham Live (18 to 22 November) and Churchill Theatre Bromley (25 to 29 November). Into 2026, the tour will visit the Lowry, Salford (19 to 24 January), The Grand Theatre Blackpool (27 to 31 January), New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich (2 to 7 February), Royal and Derngate, Northampton (16 to 21 February), Floral Pavilion New Brighton (23 to 28 February), Belgrade Theatre Coventry (3 to 7 March), Salisbury Playhouse (9 to 14 March), Theatre Royal Bath (16 to 21 March), and Darlington Hippodrome (31 March to 4 April).