Casting announced for Bar Mitzvah Boy at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Casting has been announced for Bar Mitzvah Boy at Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

The musical, which was adapted by Jack Rosenthal from his 1976 TV play, has music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Don Black. 

Directed by Stewart Nicholls, Bar Mitzvah Boy opens on 10th March (previews from 3rd March) and runs until 10th April 2016. This new production marks the show's first staging since the original 1978 London production. 

The cast includes: Adam Bregman (Eliot), Sue Kelvin (Rita), Robert Maskell (Victor), Lara Stubbs (Lesley), Nicholas Corre (Harold), Hayward B Morse (Granddad), Jeremy Rose (Rabbi), and Hannah Thompson (Denise). 

Review: Kerry Ellis returns to Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre

Wicked

Apollo Victoria Theatre

Reviewed on Monday 4th August 2014

★★★★★

Kerry Ellis as Elphaba

Running on to a never ending round of applause, those who innocently bought a ticket to a random Monday evening performance of Wicked must have wondered what all the fuss was about when Kerry Ellis made her first entrance during last night's performance.

Of course many were there, clapping as fast and screaming as loud as humanly possibly, to see Kerry Ellis - who was the first British actress to star as Elphaba in the West End and Broadway productions of Wicked - reprise her celebrated performance for the first time in five years ahead of a limited twelve week run.

Despite Ellis being something of a Wicked legend, this was my first time seeing her as Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West), the most sought after female role in musical theatre.

Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name, Wicked tells the cleverly put together untold story of the witches of Oz. We first meet Elphaba and Glinda (the Good) as students; during act one we learn about their pasts before discovering what really happened whilst Dorothy was following the yellow brick road during act two.

Nikki Davis-Jones takes over as Elphaba in Wicked London; new West End cast announced

It has been announced that Nikki Davis-Jones (pictured below) will take over as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked from  Monday 27th October 2014.

Davis-Jones recently created the role of Elphaba in Wicked's first UK Tour. She was previously Standby Elphaba in the West End production for nearly three years. The actress will play her final performance in the Wicked UK Tour on Saturday 6th September 2014 at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Liza Sadovy (Madame Morrible) and Philip Childs (Doctor Dillamond) are also joining the production.