Casting announced for The Burnt Part Boys

The European premiere of chamber musical The Burnt Part Boys will be staged at the Park Theatre.

The show will open on 11th August (previews from 10th August) for a limited run to 3rd September 2016, marking the first musical to be staged in Park90.

The Burnt Part Boys has music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen, who co-wrote Tuck Everlasting which recently closed on Broadway. Book is by Mariana Elder. The Burnt Part Boys ran off-Broadway in 2010.

Editor's Blog: Christmas telly picks + odds & ends

Turkey? Check. Presents? Check. Stagey TV planned and set to record...?

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without some stagey TV. Highlights on Christmas Day include Kiss Me, Kate at the Proms (BBC2 / 14.45) starring Ben Davis, Tony Yazbeck, Alexandra Silber and Louise Dearman, as well as The Sound of Music Live (Channel 5 / 12.35) which was originally broadcast live on US TV. It stars Carrie Underwood, Stephen Moyer, Christian Borle and Audra McDonald.

Louise Dearman in Kiss Me, Kate at the Proms

If you're looking for a classic musical movie there's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Channel 5 / 15.25) or documentary-wise there's Frozen at Christmas (Channel 4 / 20.00) and Tim Rice - A Life In Song (BBC2 / 22.30).

Interview: Chris Jenkins, currently in Spamalot

Chris Jenkins is currently in the West End production of Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre. He performs in the ensemble whilst understudying Sir Galahad, Sir Bedevere and Sir Lancelot.

Lovingly ripped off from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot follows King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in their quest to find the Holy Grail. Spamalot originally ran in the West End at the Palace Theatre between 2006 and 2009. Following a UK Tour a new production of the musical opened at the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre in July 2012 before transferring to the Playhouse Theatre from November 2012.

Chris’ theatre credits include: South Pacific (Barbican/UK Tour), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Gielgud Theatre), Jamie Wellerste in The Last 5 Years (Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury), Larry Foreman in The Cradle Will Rock (Arcola Theatre), Roméo et Juliette, Simon Boccanegra and Aida (Royal Opera House), Adraste in Moliere's The Sicilian (tour), John Milton in workshop of Devil's Advocate (Upstairs at the Gatehouse), Peter Pan (Liverpool Empire), Callum in Super Alice Smith (Trafalgar Studios), Bobby Duval in the World Premiere of new Big Band musical Come Fly With Me, Prince Tarrogan in Tickledom (Wales Millennium Centre) and Demetrius/Fight Director in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Welsh Tour).

I recently went backstage at the Playhouse Theatre and spoke to Chris about Spamalot’s success, dramatic understudy moments and what he looks for in a dream role…

You’ve been in Spamalot for just over a year now, are you still enjoying it?

Yes! It’s one of those shows where you can just sit back and chill out because the show does the work itself. Spamalot’s a show you can have a laugh with because it’s such great material. When you have an audience who are really going with you you’re literally riding on the wave of their laughs, and when you do less they seem to love it even more. That’s what is so great about it! This is the first big comedy I’ve ever done so it has been a really big learning curve. I’m still really enjoying it because the show changes all the time, we’ve had so many cast changes which always keeps it fresh.