Back to News & Press Bend It Like Beckham wins 'Best Musical' at this year's Critics' Circle Theatre Awards Tuesday 26 January 2016 The winners were announced on 26 January following a lunchtime ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Producer Sonia Friedman picked up the award, along with director Gurinder Chadha, book writer Paul Mayeda Berges, composer Howard Goodall and cast members Natalie Dew, Lauren Samuels, Jamie Muscato, Sophie – Louise Dann, Jamal Andreas and Tony Jayawardena. Bend It Like Beckham The Musical recently extended booking at the Phoenix Theatre to 5 March 2016 when the show will then play its final performance at the end of the cast’s year-long contract. Up Up

Back to News & Press Evening Standard Power List 2024 Tuesday 19 November 2024 Sonia Friedman has shaped the West End in the last decade like no other producer, moving effortlessly from blockbuster crowd-pleasers (The Book of Mormon , Mean Girls , Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , Stranger Things: The First Shadow ), to championing plays – both classic and new. Her current production slate in London includes Juno and the Paycock at the Gielgud Theatre starring Mark Rylance and J Smith Cameron ; and Robert Icke’s Oedipus at the Wyndham’s Theatre starring Mark Strong and Lesley Manville . Add to that, a new stage adaptation of The Shining , and a huge slate of new shows in development or coming soon. The Evening Standard says: “Friedman is the most influential theatre producer in the city. From Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to a critically acclaimed adaptation of Stranger Things, her company has put on more than 200 shows since 2002. These have won more than 300 major awards — including the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play on five occasions.” Full article here. Up Up

Back to News & Press Wolf Hall wins Best Limited Series or TV Movie at 73rd Golden Globe awards Monday 11 January 2016 Wolf Hall, based on Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novels, has been named Best Limited Series or TV Movie at the 73rd annual Golden Globe awards ceremony hosted by Ricky Gervais in Beverly Hills. Starring Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall was named Best Limited Series or TV Movie in a category that also included American Horror Story, American Crime, Fargo and Flesh and Bone. Other nods for Wolf Hall included a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Damian Lewis. Wolf Hall presents an intimate and provocative portrait of Thomas Cromwell, the brilliant and enigmatic consigliere to King Henry VIII, as he manoeuvres the corridors of power at the Tudor court. Mark Rylance is Thomas Cromwell, the son of a brutal blacksmith who rises from the ashes of personal disaster, and deftly picks his way through a court where ‘man is wolf to man.’ Damian Lewis is King Henry VIII, haunted by his brother’s premature death and obsessed with protecting the Tudor dynasty by securing his succession with a male heir to the throne. Told from Cromwell’s perspective, Wolf Hall follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of this pragmatic and accomplished power broker – from humble beginnings and with an enigmatic past – who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation. Shown on BBC2 and PBS Wolf Hall is a Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures production for BBC and MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide, Altus Media and Prescience. Executive producers are John Yorke for Company Pictures, Polly Hill, BBC Head of Independent Drama, for BBC TWO, Rebecca Eaton for MASTERPIECE, Martin Rakusen and Ben Donald for BBC Worldwide and Tim Smith for Prescience. Associate producer is Sonia Friedman for Sonia Friedman Productions. Executive Producer is Colin Callender. Producer is Mark Pybus. The writer is Peter Straughan. The director is Peter Kosminsky. MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is Executive Producer. Viking River Cruises is the exclusive corporate funder of Wolf Hall on MASTERPIECE on PBS, with additional funding provided by The MASTERPIECE Trust. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sunny Afternoon announces West End extension Monday 4 January 2016 Tickets for new booking period are now on sale. Click here to book. With a book by Joe Penhall, music and lyrics and original story by Ray Davies, and directed by Edward Hall, Sunny Afternoon has established itself as a firm favourite with audiences and critics alike since it opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in October 2014. Fifty years ago The Kinks were sitting at Number One in the UK charts with their single ‘Sunny Afternoon ’. The band’s popularity has not faded since the 1960s, with crowds of all ages filling the Harold Pinter Theatre night after night. Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola , Sunny Afternoon marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s rise to fame. Following a sold-out run at Hampstead Theatre, this world premiere production, with music and lyrics by Ray Davies, new book by Joe Penhall, original story by Ray Davies, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether and choreography by Adam Cooper, opened at the Harold Pinter theatre on 28 October 2014. Lighting is by Rick Fisher, sound by Matt McKenzie and the Musical Supervisor and Musical Director is Elliott Ware. Up Up

Back to News & Press Private Lives with Kim Cattarall is heading to Broadway this fall! Monday 4 July 2011 Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross will star on Broadway this autumn in Noël Coward’s Private Lives directed by Richard Eyre at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). Previews will begin on Sunday November 6; opening night is Thursday November 17. The limited engagement runs through February 5 2012. Kim Cattrall, an international star of film, TV and stage, starred as Amanda in Sir Richard Eyre’s production of Private Lives at London’s Vaudeville Theatre in 2010. The production received rave reviews from the critics and played a sell-out season. It will play a limited run at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre prior to Broadway. Cattrall will be joined by Paul Gross in the role of Elyot. One of Canada’s most acclaimed actors, Gross starred in such TV shows as Due South and Slings and Arrows. The cast is completed by Simon Paisley Day, Anna Madeley and Caroline Olsson. Considered one of the greatest comedies ever written, Noël Coward’s Private Lives premiered in London in 1930 and has been produced around the world ever since; it premiered on Broadway in 1931. Glamorous, rich and reckless, Amanda (Cattrall) and Elyot (Gross) have been divorced from each other for five years. Now both are honeymooning with their new spouses in the South of France. When, by chance, they meet again across adjoining hotel balconies, their insatiable feelings for each other are immediately rekindled. They hurl themselves headlong into love and lust without a care for scandal, new partners or memories of what drove them apart in the first place…for a little while, anyway. The design team is Rob Howell (set and costumes) and David Howe (lighting). Private Lives is produced by Duncan C. Weldon, Paul Elliott, Theatre Royal Bath, Terri and Timothy Childs, Sonia Friedman Productions and David Mirvish. KIM CATTRALL previously starred in Private Lives in London’s West End also directed by Sir Richard Eyre, and in the UK stage production of Antony and Cleopatra for director Janet Suzman. She made her Broadway debut in Wild Honey with Sir Ian McKellen. Her TV and film roles include HBO’s “Sex and the City,” as well as the two screen adaptations of the series; PBS’s “Any Human Heart” based on the William Boyd novel; Meet Monica Velour; and Roman Polanski’s, The Ghost Writer, starring opposite Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor. She is recipient of a Golden Globe Award; a Gemini Award (Canadian Emmy); two Screen Actors Guild Awards; five Emmy Award nominations and three Screen Actors' Guild nominations. Cattrall has also written several books, including the best seller Sexual Intelligence; Being a Girl: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Teenage Life; and Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm, a New York Times best seller. She is the founder of Fertile Ground Productions, a Canadian-based production company. In 2009 Cattrall was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and in 2011 was honored by GLAAD with the prestigious Golden Gate Award for her support of the organization. PAUL GROSS is one of Canada’s most popular actors and is internationally known as Constable Benton Fraser on the award-winning series Due South and received two Gemini Awards (Canada’s Emmy) for his portrayal of Geoffrey Tenant in the acclaimed series Slings & Arrows. He received the Golden Nymph Award for H2O at the Monaco Film Festival. He wrote, directed, produced and starred in the feature films Men with Brooms, and Passchendaele, two of the highest grossing Canadian films and winner of a combined six Genie Awards (Canada’s Oscar) including Best Picture. He recently starred on TV’s “Eastwick,” based on the movie The Witches of Eastwick. Other credits include Armistead Maupin's “Tales of the City” and Barney's Version. On stage, Gross has received Dora Awards for Romeo and Juliet and Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme. He performed the title role in the Stratford Festival’s 2000 production of Hamlet. SIMON PAISLEY DAY’s London stage credits include Private Lives; Timon of Athens; Entertaining Mr. Sloane; The 39 Steps; The Philanthropist (Donmar); The Coast of Utopia, Twelfth Night and Anything Goes (all at The National Theatre). TV includes “Doctor Who,” “Red Dwarf,” and “Spartacus.” ANNA MADELEY’s London credits include three seasons with the RSC; The Roman Actor opposite Antony Sher; Colder Than Here; The Philanthropist; The Cosmonaut’s Last Message…(Donmar); and Coram Boy at The National. CAROLINE LENA OLSSON’s London credits include Private Lives; Carmen at the Royal Opera House directed by Francesca Zambello; This Child; War Crime; GOF and Dickens of a Christmas. Film and TV includes Children of Men and “Vanity Fair". RICHARD EYRE was director of London’s Royal National Theatre from 1988-1997. He has directed many classics and new plays by David Hare, Christopher Hampton, Tom Stoppard, Alan Bennett, Trevor Griffiths, Tony Harrison and Nicholas Wright. His Broadway and London credits include Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Amy’s View, Vincent in Brixton, Judas Kiss, Stanley, Skylight; Racing Demon; Indiscretions; Arcadia, An Inspector Calls and Mary Poppins. He has won five Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard Awards, three Critics Circle Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild, and has directed many award-winning films for TV and four feature films: The Ploughman’s Lunch, the Oscar®-nominated Iris (which he co-wrote), Stage Beauty and Notes on a Scandal. NOËL COWARD is widely known as the creator of a number of stage classics and as the composer of songs such as “I’ll See You Again,” “Mad About the Boy” and “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.” His comedies include Present Laughter; The Vortex; Private Lives; Blithe Spirit; Hay Fever; and Design for Living. Operettas and musical plays include Bitter Sweet; Cavalcade; Conversation Piece; Operette; and Sail Away. He appeared in several films, including Our Man in Havana; The Italian Job; Bunny Lake Is Missing and Boom! In 1942 he received an Academy Award for outstanding production achievement for In Which We Serve, that he produced, co-directed, scored and starred in. He wrote the screenplay to Brief Encounter based on his play Still Life. As a cabaret artist he appeared in Las Vegas in 1955 with a show of his own songs. In 1960, his first novel, Pomp and Circumstance, was on the best seller list in the U.S. for 16 weeks. He was the author of two autobiographical books, Present Indicative and Future Indefinite, and a book of poems entitled Not Yet the Dodo. Coward was knighted in 1970 and died in 1973. Up Up

Back to News & Press La Cage Aux Folles, A Little Night Music and A View From The Bridge receive Outer Critics Circle nominations Monday 26 April 2010 The Outer Critics Circle Awards are decided upon by a group of writers covering New York theatre for out-of town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway. SFP's New York productions have received the following Outer Critics Circle nominations: Outstanding Revival of a Play A View from the Bridge Outstanding Revival of a Musical A Little Night Music La Cage aux Folles Outstanding Director of a Musical La Cage aux Folles, Terry Johnson Outstanding Costume Design La Cage aux Folles, Matthew Wright Outstanding Actor in a Play A View from the Bridge, Liev Schreiber Outstanding Actor in a Musical La Cage aux Folles, Douglas Hodge Outstanding Actress in a Musical A Little Night Music, Catherine Zeta-Jones Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical A Little Night Music, Angela Lansbury Winners of the 2009-2010 Outer Critics Circle Awards will be announced the morning of May 17. Winners will be celebrated with an awards dinner May 27 at Sardi's Restaurant. Up Up

Back to News & Press Live music and theatre industries launch legal action against Government to force the publication of Events Research Programme data Wednesday 23 June 2021 Today the live music industry body LIVE and a range of theatre businesses, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group, Cameron Mackintosh, Michael Harrison and Sonia Friedman, have commenced legal proceedings against the Government to force it to hand over the report of Phase 1 of the Events Research Programme (ERP). The ERP is the Government's research into Covid-19 mitigations in sport, entertainment and business conferences settings. The music industry and theatre businesses have repeatedly called on the Government to outline the scientific basis for its decision to maintain restrictions on events. Despite portions of the ERP economic impact assessment being leaked to the media this week, the Government refused calls from many MPs in a debate on Tuesday 22 June to release the report in full. The live entertainment sector has spent the last few months participating in, and paying for, full capacity pilot events as part of the ERP - including The BRIT Awards at The 02 arena, an outdoor festival event in Liverpool for 5,000 people, a snooker tournament at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and the Download festival for 10,000 people last weekend. These events have been a huge success, according to the government itself in various press reports, showing that with proper precautions in place, live events at full capacity can go ahead safely. But the Government chose to keep the live entertainment industry under severe restrictions from 21 June, while allowing parts of the economy that have not been subject to similar scientific studies, including hospitality, public transport and retail, to operate. The Government has also refused to publish the results from the first phase of the Events Research Programme, despite saying that it would do so on numerous occasions. As well as declining to publish the ERP results, the Government is yet to provide any form of insurance scheme for the sector or to make it clear what kind of ongoing mitigations may be required in the future - effectively making it impossible to plan for any live entertainment business. The short-term hit is stark. Industry research indicates that the potential four-week delay to reopening will lead to around 5,000 live music gigs being cancelled, as well as numerous theatre productions across the country, costing hundreds of millions of pounds in lost income. This devastating impact was well-known to the Government according to leaked ERP economic impact assessments. Live entertainment and theatre generate £11.25 billion in Gross Value Added each year and the sectors support just under one mill ion jobs between them. The Government's Culture Recovery Fund has been welcome but very little has penetrated the commercial theatre sect or in particular. The Government has now begun to announce a third round of pilots. It is clear that these pilots are little more than a way of allowing certain high-profile events to go ahead, primarily large-scale sporting events, while keeping the rest of the sector shut. In the legal action, lodged today, the parties assert that the Government has flagrantly breached the 'duty of candour' which requires it to be transparent when faced with a legal challenge and that none of the reasons given for withholding the Events Research Programme material t hey seek withstand scrutiny. They have asked the Court to consider their application at an urgent hearing as soon as possible. As well as forming the basis for a reopening decision for 19 July, the Events Research Programme findings also provide a path to ensuring t hat live entertainment does not need to be the first to close should there be a Covid resurgence over the winter. Covid certification, plus simple mitigation measures in venues, mean that events can be run safely. In addition to publication of the Events Research Programme reports, there are other things that the theatre and live music sectors need from Government now, in order to be able to plan for a reopening from 19 July: 1. Insurance - the live entertainment industry has been pleading with the Government for more than 9 months to help address the market failure in the provision of commercial Covid cancellation cover. The Government was willing to do this for the film and TV industry but will not step in in the same way for music, theatre and events. Without it, the risk of running activity is too high for many to be able to go forward. 2. Quarantine - the tiny number of productions that are running at reduced capacity, or are in rehearsals, are dropping daily as they are forced to close after a single positive test, even when everyone else in a cast tests negative. The Government has said that it is considering moving to a 'daily testing' regime, such as that undertaken recently by Michael Gove, but live entertainment needs it now. 3. Guidance - the live entertainment industry has been told that there will be new Stage 4 live events guidance. But people are cancelling events due to take place post 19 July because they do not know what the on-going restrictions or requirements are going to be. Guidance should be made available now. Andrew Lloyd Webber said: "Last week I rejected the Government's invitation for Cinderella to be singled out as a last-minute part of the Events Research Programme. Today, with a range of voices from across the theatre and live entertainment industries, we are forced to take it further. We simply must now see t he data t hat is being used to strangle our industry so unfairly. The Government's actions are forcing theatre and music companies off a cliff as the summer wears on, whilst cherry-picking high-pro fi le sporting events to go ahead. The situation is beyond urgent." Stuart Galbraith , music promoter and Co-Founder of LIVE, the representative body for the live music industry, said: "The live music industry has been very willing to work wit h Government for the last year to show that our industry can operate safely. But it is int olerable that after running pilot shows for the Government's Events Research Programme, at our own cost, we have been blocked from seeing the results, leaving the whole sector in limbo with the real chance that the entire summer could collapse for the second year running. "Even now, the live music sector has no idea what the rest of the summer brings, and we are left with a complete inability to plan ahead due to the Government 's continued unwillingness to provide some form of insurance to enable events to move forward." Cameron Mackintosh said: "Having been forced to close our theatres twice last year, the second time after the government encouraged reopening for Christ mas, losing further millions as a result, a joint insurance scheme to protect us against another enforced closure is vital. Along with most of the commercial theatre we have had absolutely no direct financial help either for our productions or the upkeep of our historic theatres. Opening without any sort of protection is impossible for many producers, live event organisers and theatre buildings across the country. Having contributed huge amounts of money to the exchequer over the last few decades, t he theatre desperately needs to be supported in its hour of need or the government will be responsible for the disintegration of one of this country's most priceless and irreplaceable assets after centuries of being the envy of the world." Peter Gabriel, WOMAD Festival, said: "Without immediate government intervention, the festival industry is on the brink of collapse. That doesn't mean cash; it means providing the certainty to enable us to deliver festivals, guidance on safety, and an understanding of how their timing affects us in the real world. "At the end of this week, WOMAD will be faced with one very difficult and heart-wrenching decision. Millions of pounds of investment and the livelihood of around five thousand people are at stake. Several pilot events have been successfully run over recent months. But, like other festival teams, we need to be told what that research means for WOMAD. We struggle to understand why these trials took place if the Government can 't now tell us the results and how that will affect all of us." Sonia Friedman said: "The Government continues to display a wilful lack of understanding of the extraordinary value of the theatre industry, and the way in which we operate. We can only fully reopen once. We need absolute clarity on when and how we can fully reopen - to bring a show back to full production takes months in planning to rehearse and to build a box office advance. It is also incumbent on the Government to underwrite the potential losses riding on its words and provide an insurance scheme to theatre and live entertainment that it, readily and rightly, provided to the fi lm and television industries. Right now, the government's delay and lack of provision and support for the commercial sector has prohibited our reopening in full, but its dithering and lack of clarity is preventing us even being able to make a plan as to how we move forward to save the industry that we love." Craig Hassall , CEO of Royal Albert Hall, said: "The chronic uncertainty and endless indecisiveness from government, and pilot events with no published result s, have damaged audience confidence and further harmed a sector that has already been decimated by the pandemic. For as long as venues like the Royal Albert Hall, and hundreds more across the country, are prevented from effectively operating with no justification, we cannot play our part in supporting the critical ecosystem of freelancers, small businesses and suppliers who rely on us and who are so desperately in need of work." Michael Harrison said: "The theatre and live event industries are operating on a knife edge because of the rules around testing, tracking and isolation. All rehearsal rooms, theatres and performing arts venues have introduced robust Covid secure measures including regular testing to ensure the safety of the many actors, musicians, stage managers and theatre makers but current guidance means that rehearsals or performances must be stopped for 10 days following a single positive test at huge expense. "Without daily testing replacing isolation, productions will be forced to suspend or close and producers will not have the financial resource to continue with product ions leaving theatres across the country dark and many out of work. These rules are yet another barrier on our road to recovery." Up Up

Back to News & Press The Ferryman wins Best New Play at the 2018 Critics' Circle Awards Tuesday 30 January 2018 We are thrilled to announce that The Ferryman has been awarded Best New Play at the 2018 Critics’ Circle Awards. Andrew Scott was also honoured with an award for Best Shakespearean performance, for his incredible lead performance in Hamlet. Following unanimous critical acclaim and widespread demand for tickets, Jez Butterworth ’s epic play is booking to 19 May 2018 at the Gielgud Theatre . Directed by Sam Mendes , the play premiered at the Royal Court, becoming the fastest-selling show in the theatre’s history. Andrew Scott was also awarded Best Shakesperean Performance at this year’s Critics’ Circle Awards for his beautiful and stunning performance in Hamlet , both at the Almeida and then the Harold Pinter Theatre. Up Up

Back to News & Press The Ferryman transfers to the West End Wednesday 8 February 2017 After the short run at the Royal Court Theatre sold out in just one day, the producers are delighted to announce that Jez Butterworth ’s epic, new play The Ferryman will transfer to the West End. Multi award-winning actor, director and writer Paddy Considine will be joined by Laura Donnelly and Genevieve O’Reilly in the production directed by Sam Mendes . The cast will also include Bríd Brennan , Turlough Convery , Fra Fee , Tom Glynn-Carney , Stuart Graham , Gerard Horan , Carla Langley , Des McAleer , Conor MacNeill , Rob Malone , Dearbhla Molloy , Eugene O’Hare and Niall Wright with further casting to be announced. The full company comprises 38 performers: 18 main adults, 7 covers, 12 children on rota and 1 baby. Rural Derry, 1981. The Carney farmhouse is a hive of activity with preparations for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead. But this year they will be interrupted by a visitor. The Ferryman will run at the Gielgud Theatre for 16 weeks from 20 June – 7 October with an opening night on 29 June. Tickets go on sale to priority bookers on Wednesday 8 February and the Box Office opens for general on-sale on Friday 10 February at 9am. Developed by Sonia Friedman Productions , the premiere of The Ferryman is co-produced with Neal Street Productions and Royal Court Theatre Productions . The West End production will follow the run at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs which begins 24 April 2017, with an opening night on 3 May. Jez Butterworth , whose plays include Jerusalem , Mojo and The River , previously collaborated with Sam Mendes on the scripts for Spectre and Skyfall from the Bond franchise. The Ferryman will be the sixth of Butterworth’s plays to be premiered at the Royal Court Theatre and marks his fourth collaboration with Sonia Friedman Productions. Sonia Friedman , on behalf of Sonia Friedman Productions , Neal Street Productions and Royal Court Theatre Productions said: "We are delighted that we have made it possible to transfer Jez Butterworth's new play The Ferryman, which will move to the Gielgud Theatre almost immediately after its run at the Royal Court Theatre finishes. When it first went on sale at the Court, it sold out in record time. It became clear to us even then that there was a far larger demand to see the play than the Court run could ever accommodate. We have therefore worked at speed to find the production another home as quickly as possible, which is no mean feat, and we are very grateful to the company for helping us make this happen. It is thrilling to know that wider audiences will now have a chance to see this extraordinary new work from one of our most important writers. The scope, scale and ambition of Jez’s new play deserves this opportunity and I am delighted that together with Royal Court Theatre Productions and Neal Street Productions we are in the privileged position to make it happen. ” The Ferryman is directed by Sam Mendes , designed by Rob Howell , with lighting by Peter Mumford , and music and sound by Nick Powell . Up Up

Back to News & Press New Cast and New Tickets for West End Production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two Wednesday 14 March 2018 Rehearsals began this week for the third West End cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child who will start their performances at the Palace Theatre in London on 23 May 2018 following the final performance from the current cast on 20 May 2018. Joining the company are Jamie Ballard who will play Harry Potter, Susie Trayling as Ginny Potter and Joe Idris-Roberts as their son Albus Potter. Jonathan Case joins to play Scorpius Malfoy. Thomas Aldridge continues as Ron Weasley as well as Rakie Ayola as Hermione Granger and Helen Aluko as their daughter Rose Granger-Weasley. James Howard also continues as Draco Malfoy. They are joined by cast members Rosemary Annabella , David Annen , Jordan Bamford , Emma Bown , Adrian Christopher , Craig Connolly , Danny Dalton , Leah Haile , April Hughes , Martin Johnston , Gareth Kennerley , Susan Lawson-Reynolds , Ryan J Mackay , David Mara , Dylan Mason , Barry McCarthy , Sandy McDade , James McGregor , Annette McLaughlin , Tom Peters , James Phoon , Eve Ponsonby , Kate Russell-Smith , Sinéad Sharkey , Amarah-Jae St . Aubyn , Mark Theodore and Joshua Wyatt complete the 42-strong company playing a variety of characters, including seven children who will alternate two roles. In addition Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender today announce that on 5 April 2018 at 11am BST they will release a further allocation of tickets for sale for performances from 16 January 2019 – 7 April 2019. Tickets are priced from £15 per part and for every performance there are over 300 tickets at £20 or less per part. Details of any other ticket releases will continue to be listed on the official website, social media channels and the official newsletter. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The critically acclaimed production received its world premiere in June 2016 at the Palace Theatre in London. Subsequently Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won twenty-four major theatre awards including the Evening Standard Best Play Award as well as a record-breaking nine Oliver Awards - including Best New Play and Best Director - the most awarded play in the history of the Oliviers. The Broadway production will begin previews at the Lyric Theatre later this week on 16 March 2018 and in early 2019 the Australian production will open at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling , Jack Thorne and John Tiffany , Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne , directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett , set by Christine Jones , costumes by Katrina Lindsay , music & arrangements by Imogen Heap , lighting by Neil Austin , sound by Gareth Fry , illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison , music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe and casting by Julia Horan CDG . Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is one play presented in two parts. Both parts are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or on two consecutive evenings. On Thursdays there is an evening performance of Part One and on Fridays an evening performance of Part Two. On those days tickets to each part can be bought together or separately. Tickets for Wednesday matinee and Wednesday evening performances can also be bought together or separately. The regular performance schedule is as follows - Monday – no performance, Tuesday – no performance, Wednesday - 2pm Part One & 7.30pm Part Two, Thursday – 7.30pm Part One, Friday – 7.30pm Part Two, Saturday – 2pm Part One & 7.30pm Part Two, Sunday – 1pm Part One & 6.30pm Part Two. Every Friday, The Friday Forty takes place at 1pm when 40 tickets are released for every performance the following week for some of the very best seats in the theatre. Subsequent ticket releases take place each Friday for performances the following week. Priced at £40 (£20 per part) tickets will secure a seat for both Part One and Part Two on consecutive performances. Customers will be selected at random for the opportunity to buy tickets online and will be able to purchase a maximum of two tickets for both Part One and Part Two in one transaction. To ensure that as many people as possible have the chance to access these tickets, they will only be available to buy online www.harrypottertheplay.com/ticket-information For patrons with physical access needs and enquiries regarding access performances call 0330 333 4410 (please note there are no general ticket sales on this number) or email CursedChildAccess@nimaxtheatres.com Returned and other late-release tickets may also become available at short notice. These are not guaranteed, but any tickets that do become available will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis, online or in person at the Palace Theatre box office at full price. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions , Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions . Up Up

Back to News & Press Last chance to see the West End transfer of Robert Icke's critically acclaimed production of Hamlet Monday 14 August 2017 BBC Two will broadcast this critically acclaimed stage production of William Shakespeare’s classic play, starring BAFTA and Olivier award-winning actor Andrew Scott in the title role. BBC viewers will have a front row seat at this celebrated production of Hamlet , which will broadcast on BBC Two in 2018. The programme was commissioned by Patrick Holland (Controller, BBC Two) and Emma Cahusac (Commissioning Editor, Arts) and is produced by John Wyver at Illuminations Television. Shot live in front of a West End audience, BBC viewers will be given close-up access to this generation’s most acclaimed Hamlet. Following a sell out run at the Almeida Theatre, Hamlet has enjoyed a limited season in the West End, with over 55,000 people booked in so far across the entire run, equating to 96% of all tickets. 62% of Hamlet ’s audience have been first time attendees. Over 28,000 seats were available at £30 or under, specifically for under 30s – with over 300 available for each of the 96 performances. 15,000 tickets were sold at £25 or less. Robert Icke , Director (and Almeida Theatre Associate Director) says: “It has been a real joy to work with such a gifted and dedicated company of actors on bringing this most famous play to audiences in 2017. The production has been on a wonderful journey from the Almeida to the West End, and I am very much looking forward to this next step on BBC Two. To be able to offer our version of Hamlet to as wide and diverse an audience as possible has always been of paramount importance to us, and now we are thrilled to be able to bring it to people across the country. ” In celebration of the show’s final weeks at the Harold Pinter Theatre, the critically acclaimed Almeida Theatre production of Hamlet has offered a number of exclusive events and behind-the-scenes insights into the production including a cast Q&A and an In conversation with Robert and Andrew. The final event announced will run on 22 August. LIVE STREAM IN CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT ICKE, ANDREW SCOTT AND STEPHEN GROSZ – HAMLET, MADNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH Tuesday 22 August – 2pm Two of Hamlet ’s key themes are madness and grief; and mourning, bereavement and emotion are central to the story. Director Robert Icke used psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz ’s book THE EXAMINED LIFE as a reference point in rehearsals and one of the most feted aspects of the production has been that, in Andrew’s performance, these emotions feel unusually personal and raw. Robert, Andrew and Stephen discuss the character, the play and its themes of madness and mourning, sanity and survival, live from the Facebook Studio. Watch the live stream from 2pm on Tuesday 22 Aug via Time Out London. Available to watch again in full after the event. Up Up

Back to News & Press Mark Rylance to star in Shakespeare's Globe's production of Farinelli and the King at Broadway's Belasco Theatre Sunday 7 May 2017 The production, directed by John Dove , designed by Jonathan Fensom , with musical arrangements also by Claire van Kampen , will play a limited run at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway). Previews will begin December 5, 2017 in advance of an opening night on Sunday, December 17, 2017. The production plays a strictly limited engagement through Sunday, March 25, 2018. American Express pre-sale for FARINELLI AND THE KING will begin on Wednesday, May 10 at 10:00 AM through Wednesday, May 17 at 9:59 AM. Audience Rewards pre-sale will run from Wednesday, May 17 at 10:00 AM through Monday, May 22 at 9:59 AM. General on-sale will begin on Monday, May 22 at 10:00 AM, via Telecharge.com. FARINELLI AND THE KING originally premiered to rave reviews and played a sold out run at Shakespeare’s Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in February 2015. The production later played a sold out engagement in the West End in Fall 2015, where it was the highest grossing show in the history of the Duke of York’s Theatre, and received six Olivier Award nominations. King Philippe V of Spain (Mark Rylance), plagued by insomnia, lies awake in his chamber. The Queen, desperate for a cure, hears of Farinelli - a castrato with a voice so divine it has the power to captivate all who hear it. Philippe is astonished when Farinelli sings, and begs him to stay. But will Farinelli, one of the greatest celebrities of his time, choose a life of solitude over fame and fortune in the opera houses of Europe? In its five-star review, The Independent hailed FARINELLI AND THE KING as a “profoundly funny and haunting meditation on the power of music in a pitch-perfect production by John Dove. Mark Rylance’s Phillipe is like the love child of Stan Laurel and Hamlet.” FARINELLI AND THE KING returns Mark Rylance to the Belasco, where he triumphed with the double bill staging of Twelfth Night and Richard III in the 2013-2014 season. Mark Rylance won his third Tony Award for his performance as Olivia in Twelfth Night and was also Tony nominated for his performance in the title role of Richard III . FARINELLI AND THE KING is Mark Rylance’s first return to Broadway since he won the 2016 Academy Award for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. The production will feature London cast members Sam Crane (1984 , BBC’s “Desperate Romantics”) as Farinelli, Huss Garbiya (Some People , A Midsummer’s Night Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe) as Doctor José Cervi, Colin Hurley (Twelfth Night/Richard III ) as Metastasio, and Edward Peel (“London’s Burning,” A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe) as De La Cuadra, with additional casting to be announced. The production also stars Grammy Award-winning countertenor Iestyn Davies as the singing voice of Farinelli. Mr. Davies has performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Royal Opera House and La Scala. He also stars in the Metropolitan Opera’s North American premiere of The Exterminating Angel in October. He will make his Broadway debut in FARINELLI AND THE KING. Mr. Davies will share the singing role of Farinelli with another artist to be announced. Sonia Friedman Productions , Shakespeare’s Globe and Paula Marie Black join forces once again (Richard III and Twelfth Night) to bring this inspiring true story, featuring many of the exquisite arias by Handel first sung by Farinelli in the 1730s, to a magically transformed Belasco Theatre. Music will be played live on Baroque instruments in a gallery above the stage, lit almost exclusively by the glow of candlelight. The production will also offer several rows of on-stage seating. Theatregoers who choose the on-stage seating will have an up-close and intimate experience. On-stage seating will go on sale at a later date to be announced. The producers are also pleased to announce that over 200 seats a performance will be set aside to be sold for $32. These $32 tickets will include seating on all levels of the theatre, as well as Globe-style on-stage seating, bookable in advance. Over 25,000 $32 tickets will be made available throughout the run. www.farinelliandthekingbroadway.com Follow FARINELLI AND THE KING on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @farinellibway Up Up