Sitting In The Cheap Seats

The Mill At Sonning has been on my radar for a long time, a fascinating sounding venue that I just never got around to visiting… until now! Frankly I feel like an idiot for waiting so long, in addition to being a charming little theatre, the Mill is in a stunning location, just a stone’s throw from Reading but quiet and remote.

The Jamie Lloyd Company, the hugely successful partnership between the UK’s leading theatre company Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and Artistic Director Jamie Lloyd , today announces Golden Globe and Olivier Award nominated James McAvoy is to lead the company of Edmond Rostand ’s Cyrano de Bergerac , freely adapted by Martin Crimp . The production marks the first in a new season directed by Jamie Lloyd at the Playhouse Theatre from November 2019 to August 2020. Further productions to be announced.

There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow… The sun was shining on Chichester yesterday for press night as we arrived for the Festival Theatre’s summer musical, always a highlight of the theatrical calendar as they revisit a classic and more often than not find something fresh and new in it. This year they’re taking on Oklahoma! with their usual mix of respect for the piece and urge to find a new viewpoint on it.

We know, we’re terrible at keeping you up to date with all the latest theatre news, but we’re turning over a new leaf, and we’re back with a roundup of all the stories you should know from the last week. We’ve got more news to share with you in future days too, so keep dropping by to check in!

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT , the brand-new stage musical with music and lyrics by  Stephen Schwartz  ( Wicked, Godspell ) and a book by  Philip LaZebnik  ( Mulan ,  Pocahontas ) and based on the celebrated DreamWorks Animation film, today announces initial casting for its West End premiere production.   Luke Brady  and  Liam Tamne  will lead the cast as ‘Moses’ and ‘Ramses’ respectively, with  Christine Allado  as ‘Tzipporah’ and  Alexia Khadime  as ‘Miriam’. Further casting to be announced.

There is little in life that is quite as entertaining as utter chaos. When everything seems to happen completely at random and nothing ever stays still you just can’t stop watching. It’s why people still tune into clip shows on TV or binge bizarre Youtube videos… It’s also the spirit that Rock of Ages so perfectly captures. At any moment it feels like anarchy could break out, yet this cast know exactly what they’re doing!

David Hare’s Plenty caused quite the stir when it was first staged in the late 70s. The story of a woman who found herself in war and then lost that sense of self in the return to normality seemed to strike a nerve and now, as we remember one of the greatest pushes of the second World War, seems a sensible time to return to the play.