Production news round-up: Jac Yarrow and Jason Donovan to reprise roles in Joseph musical

This week’s production news round-up includes Sara Bareilles’ West End debut in Waitress, the world premiere of a double bill by Hofesh Shechter opening Brighton Festival, and Jac Yarrow and Jason Donovan reprising their roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Musicals

Jac Yarrow and Jason Donovan will reprise their roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for its 2020 run at the London Palladium. The Stage Debut Award winner Yarrow will play the title role, with Donovan as pharaoh for a ten week run, beginning on July 2. Further casting is still to be announced.
Authors: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
Producers: Michael Harrison and the Really Useful Group

Jac Yarrow and Jason Donovan to return to Joseph musical

Sara Bareilles will maker her West End debut in Waitress, playing Jenna alongside Gavin Creel, who appeared in the show with her on Broadway. Bareilles will be in the show for a six week run from January 27 to March 7, 2020.
Author: Jessie Nelson (book), Sara Bareilles (music and lyrics)
Director: Diane Paulus
Producers: American Repertory Theatre, Barry and Fran Weissler, Norton and Elayne Herrick, Alecia Parker, David I Berley, Feste Investments BV, Peter May,Evamere Entertainment, Tamar Climan, Michael Roiff, Ken Schur, 42nd. Club, Square 1 Theatrics, Jam Theatricals, Adam Blanshay Productions

Sara Bareilles to make West End debut in Waitress

Heathers the Musical has announced initial dates for its UK tour, which begins on May 26 at Brighton Theatre Royal. Venues on the tour includes Edinburgh Playhouse, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre and Bristol Hippodrome, with more dates to be confirmed.
Authors: Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy
Director: Andy Fickman
Producers: Bill Kenwright, Paul Taylor-Mills

Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester has announced the UK’s first fully staged production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway version of Cinderella. The production will run from May 9 to June 6, 2020. The theatre will hold open auditions for the title role.
Author: Douglas Carter Beane (book)
Director: Joseph Houston, William Whelton (choreographer)
Design: Elly Wdowski (set and costume), George Reeves (projection design) Aaron Dootson (lighting design)

Hope Mill to stage UK premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Preeya Kalidas will join the West End cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, performing as Miss Hedge from November 17 at the Apollo. Roy Haylock, best known as his drag alter ego Bianca Del Rio, will reprise his role as Hugo/Loco Chanelle from December 9.
Authors: Tom MacRae (book and lyrics), Dan Gillespie Sells (music)
Director: Jonathan Butterell
Producers: Nica Burns, Ian Osborne, Paula Marie Black, Teresa and Craig Beech

Preeya Kalidas to join Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

The Addams Family musical has announced a second UK and Ireland tour in 2020, to open at Newcastle Theatre Royal on July 30, 2020. The musical comedy previously toured in 2017. Casting and further venues are yet to be announced.
Authors: Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (book), Andrew Lippa (music and lyrics)
Director: Matthew White
Producers: Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Music & Lyrics Limited

The Addams Family musical returns for second UK and Ireland tour

Full casting has been announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Daisy Wood-Davis will play the title role, joined by Adam Gillian as Gerry Goffin and Laura Baldwin as Cynthia Weil.
Authors: Douglas McGrath (book), Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (lyrics and music)
Cast includes: Cameron Sharp, Susie Fenwick, Oliver Boot, Vicki Manser
Producers: Paul Blake, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Mike Bosner in association with Michael Harrison

Plays

Frantic Assembly have confirmed full casting for the world premiere of I Think We Are Alone, which tours the UK from February 03, 2020. The play explores connection and human fragility between siblings and friends.
Author: Sally Abbott
Directors: Kathy Burke and Scott Graham
Cast includes: Chizzy Akudolu, Charlotte Bate,   Polly Frame, Caleb Roberts,   Simone Saunders and Andrew Turner

Nuffield Southampton Theatres has announced its 2020 spring season, which features a co-production of The War of the Worlds, Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of), and a production of Wuthering Heights.

York Theatre Royal has confirmed The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, and a three-week season by South African theatre company Isango as part of its 2020 season. The season also features A Bunch of Amateurs by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, and Shandyland by Gareth Farr.

Rosalind Blessed will perform in a double bill of two of her plays, at the Old Red Lion Pub and Theatre in London. The Delights of Dogs and the Problems of People, and Lullabies for the Lost examine domestic abuse and mental health, and run from January 7 to February 1, 2020.
Author: Rosalind Blessed
Directors: Caroline Devlin, Zoe Ford Burnett
Cast includes: Rosalind Blessed, Duncan Wilkins, Kate Tydman, Helen Bang, Hildegard Neil, Liam Mulvey, Nick Murphy, Chris Pybus, Chris Porter
Producer: Brian Blessed

Debbie McGee is to make her theatre debut in thriller The House on Cold Hill, running for eight weeks at the Mill at Sonning from April 23 to June 13.
Authors: Peter James (book), Shaun McKenna (adaptation)
Director: Keith Myers
Producer: Mill at Sonning

Debbie McGee to make theatre debut in The House on Cold Hill

One-woman show Blood Orange opens at the Old Red Lion on December 10, running until January 4 with a press night on December 12. The play explores mental health, comedy and working in A&E at Christmas.
Author/actor: Tania Amsel

Full casting has been announced for the English-language world premiere of Danish play The Warmhouse, which opens at London’s Rose Lipman Building on November 20, running until 30.
Authors: Anna Bro, Paul Russell Garett (translation)
Director: Trine Garrett
Cast includes: Andy Barton, Debbie White, Gavin Duff, Irene Panni, Maura Duff, Odne Stenseth, Will Timbers
Design: Roland Glasser (light), Pembe Tokluhan (sound), Franck Jeuffroy (movement)

Full casting has been confirmed for Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime at Theatre Peckham. The cast includes a mix of students from Theatre Peckham Academy and professional actors.
The show runs from December 4 to 22.
Authors: Paul Sirett (book), Wayne Nunes and Perry Melius (music)
Director: Suzann McLean
Cast includes: Michael Bertenshaw, Yinka Williams, Tamara McKoy-Patterson, Michael Gonsalves, Kitty Hollingsworth and Luis Gustavo Silva Navarro
Producer: Theatre Peckham

The Chiswick Playhouse pantomime, a climate change-focused re-imagining of Hansel and Gretel opens on December 4 and runs to January 4, with a press performance on December 6.
Author: Orlando Wells (book and lyrics), Leon Parris (music and lyrics)
Director: Lucy Jane Atkinson
Design: Cory Shipp, Zia Bergin-Holly (lighting), Annie May Fletcher (sound)
Producer: Chiswick Playhouse Productions

Other

Belgrade Theatre Coventry and Strictly Arts Theatre Company are co-producing Club 2B, an immersive theatre experience featuring characters including Marilyn Monroe, Lady Godiva and Jay Gatsby. The event premieres at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry from December 11-31.

Scottish Ballet has announced its 2020/21 programme, which features a re-imagined production of Kenneth’s MacMillan‘s The Scandal at Mayerling, a double bill of contemporary work including This Is My Body by Angelin Preljocaj, and Sibilo by Sophie Laplane. Swan Lake and The Nutcracker will conclude the season.

Hofesh Shechter will open Brighton Festival 2020 with new contemporary double bill, performed by 10 dancers in his company at the Brighton Dome. The double bill includes the world premiere of New Creation and a performance of Clowns, both choreographed by Shechter. The festival runs for three weeks in May from 2 to 24, with exact performances to be confirmed in February.

Brighton Festival 2020 to open with Hofesh Shechter world premiere

German Cornejo’s Dance Company has announced a UK tour performing Tango Fire, following a run at the Peacock Theatre. The show opens at Warwick Arts Centre and is performed at venues including Northampton’s Royal and Derngate, the Orchard Theatre Dartford and Theatre Royal Brighton, where it closes on March 2, 2020.

The producers of Norfolk and Norwich Festival have announced its 2020 programme, which includes a performance of Out of Chaos by circus company Gravity and Other Myths.