London’s Shaftesbury Theatre will be renamed the Judi Dench Theatre early next year in honour of the much-loved actress.
Tag Archives | Shaftesbury Theatre
Avenue Q – Shaftesbury Theatre
Avenue Q continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London until 29 August 2026. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Almost exactly 20 years after Avenue Q first came to the West End, it’s back, and it’s as brilliant as ever.
Cast and creatives for London return of Avenue Q
The full cast and the creative team have been unveiled for the eagerly awaited West End return of the award-winning puppet show with bite, Avenue Q.
Avenue Q will return to the West End for its 20th anniversary
The three-time Tony Award-winning and Olivier Award-nominated musical, Avenue Q will return to the West End for its 20th anniversary, bringing the original Broadway puppets to the Shaftesbury Theatre for a strictly limited season from 20 March to 29 August 2026.
Five Questions With: Ria Jones
Award-winning actress and singer Ria Jones is reprising the role of Mrs Overall in a special charity concert revival of Acorn Antiques The Musical, Victoria Wood’s cult-classic satire of British soap operas, which plays Manchester Opera House (2 and 16 November) and London’s Shaftesbury Theatre (9 November).
Just For One Day – Shaftesbury Theatre
Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London until 10 January 2026. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ The production at the Shaftesbury Theatre follows a record-breaking world premiere at London’s The Old Vic back in January 2024.
Just For One Day – London and Toronto cast confirmed
Casting has been confirmed for the West End transfer and North American premiere of the hit Live Aid-inspired musical Just For One Day.
Mrs Doubtfire – Shaftesbury Theatre
Mrs Doubtfire continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Mrs Doubtfire is destined to stay in the West End for the long haul, even if it’s more of a successful screen-to-stage adaptation and a great comedy with music than a great original musical in itself.
Shaftesbury Theatre to be London home for Mrs Doubtfire
The UK premiere production of Mrs Doubtfire will sweep into London’s West End next summer with performances at the newly refurbished Shaftesbury Theatre due to begin on 12 May 2023.
Musicals Mash Up: 30 October-6 November 2022
Welcome to Musicals Mash Up in which we catch up with lots of the week’s stories that haven’t yet appeared on the Musical Theatre Review pages. We hope you approve! News editor Angela Thomas reports
& Juliet bids farewell to the West End in March 2023
& Juliet, the award-winning musical which has been entertaining audiences in London since opening in 2019, will play its final performance at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre on 25 March 2023. The musical first opened at the Manchester Opera House in October 2019 and transferred to London the following month. As well as three Olivier Awards, & […]
& Juliet welcomes further extension and new cast members
The producers of multi-award-winning musical & Juliet have announced another extension to the feel-good show’s Shaftesbury Theatre run with tickets now on sale up to September 2023. The extension announcement was accompanied by the news that three new cast members – Nicolos Colicos, Billy Nevers and Joe Foster are joining the West End company. Colicos […]
& Juliet extension announced and new nurse confirmed
The producers of multi-award-winning musical & Juliet have announced an extension to the feel-good show’s Shaftesbury Theatre run with tickets now on sale up to 25 March 2023. The extension announcement was accompanied by the news that Malinda Parris (Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre, Footloose, UK tour) will join the cast to play Angelique the […]
& Juliet singalong performance announced
The producers of multi-award-winning musical & Juliet have announced the first singalong performance of the feel-good show at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 6 June 2022. Announcing the special performance which will feature screens displaying the lyrics to every song, director Luke Sheppard said: “During our hugely successful run at the Shaftesbury Theatre, we’ve been reminded […]
& Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre
& Juliet continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, booking until 24 September 2022. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ & Juliet opened in London’s Shaftesbury Theatre in 2019, and its exuberant bubblegum brilliance immediately made fans of even the most sceptical and joyless of theatregoers, myself very much included. Whether or not […]
New cast members for West End’s & Juliet
Tom Francis and Julius D’Silva will join the previously announced Keala Settle in the cast of multi-award-winning musical & Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre from 29 March 2022. Francis (Rent, Hope Mill Theatre) will step into the role of Romeo following the departure of Jordan Luke Gage with D’Silva (What’s New Pussycat? Birmingham Rep) taking […]
Greatest Showman star Keala Settle to make West End Debut in & Juliet
Keala Settle – internationally renowned for her starring role in the global smash hit movie The Greatest Showman – is to make her West End debut in the award-winning & Juliet. The Tony Award-nominated Broadway actress who shot to worldwide fame performing the iconic song ‘This is Me’ in the movie alongside Hugh Jackman will […]
Two new cast members announced for Be More Chill’s West End run
The West End production of hit Broadway musical Be More Chill will welcome two new cast members for the final five weeks in its limited 10-week run at the Shaftesbury Theatre. & Juliet’s Grace Mouat (Six will step into the role of Chloe Valentine with Mountview graduate Nathania Ong making her professional debut as Jenna Rolan. […]
Award-winning stars head returning cast of & Juliet
Olivier Award-winners Miriam-Teak Lee, Cassidy Janson and David Bedella will be among a largely unchanged cast when & Juliet makes its eagerly-anticipated return to the Shaftesbury Theatre from 24 September 2021. Best Actress Lee (Hamilton, On the Town) will return in the title role alongside Janson (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Chess) who collected the […]
Be More Chill – Shaftesbury Theatre
Be More Chill continues at Shaftesbury Theatre, London until 5 September 2021. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Surely the holy grail for commercial musical theatre producers is a piece that can connect with young people in a way that feels authentic. Those young people know how to use the internet which […]
Cast for Lady Chatterley musical
2020 graduate Georgia Lennon will star opposite West End actor Michael Pickering in the world premiere of Lady Chatterley’s Lover at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre next month. Lennon will take on the role of Lady Chatterley with Pickering (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, London Palladium, Kiss Me, Kate, Royal Albert Hall) bringing gamekeeper Mellors to […]
Abba Mania – Shaftesbury Theatre
Abba Mania continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London until 6 June 2021. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Maybe just whisper it among close friends, but strange as it seems in 2021 there was a time when being an Abba fan was something you kept to yourself – to maintain your street cred. […]
West End season for Be More Chill
Hit Broadway musical Be More Chill will return to London next month for a limited 10-week run at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Presented by Bill Kenwright with Jerry Goehring, Lisa Dozier King and Paul Taylor-Mills, the musical will play its first West End run from 30 June 2021. The show was previously seen in London at […]
Casting for West End return of ABBA MANIA
Casting has been unveiled for the first West End production of hit ABBA tribute concert ABBA MANIA in 19 years. Rhiannon Porter (Les Misérables 25th Anniversary, O2 Arena, Jesus Christ Superstar, UK and Australia Arena tour), Jojo Desmond (Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Doctor Who Live, UK Arena tour), Edward Handoll (BIG The Musical, West End, […]
West End return for & Juliet in September 2021
Multi-award-winning new musical & Juliet will make its eagerly-anticipated return to the Shaftesbury Theatre from 24 September subject to the Government’s lifting of restrictions affecting the full capacity operation of theatres. Announcing an early autumn return for the show which envisions a happy ending for William Shakespeare’s Juliet, the producers thanked fans of the show […]
& Juliet to return to the West End in May
Multi-award-winning new musical & Juliet is the latest hit West End show to announce plans to reopen in the late spring. Subject to the lifting of social distancing measures, the show which envisions a happy ending for William Shakespeare’s Juliet will return to the Shaftesbury Theatre from 28 May 2021 with its booking period extended […]
Tickets on sale for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical
Tickets have gone on sale for the world premiere of Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical featuring Arinzé Kene as the iconic music star. Produced by Playful Productions, Stage Play and Cedella Marley, the musical will now begin preview performances at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue on 28 May 2021 ahead of an […]
New take on Shakespeare’s Juliet features Max Martin hits
Prolific pop hit writer Max Martin will produce and provide the music for a major new musical & Juliet that will envision a happy ending for William Shakespeare’s Juliet. Featuring rising theatrical star and award-winner Miriam-Teak Lee (Hamilton, On the Town) in the title role, & Juliet will use Martin’s modern pop hits to accompany a […]
West End Eurovision returns to London in April
Sequin-spangled fundraiser West End Eurovision will return to the heart of London’s theatreland for the first time in four years next month. Inspired by the annual song contest, the show which raises funds for Make A Difference Trust, the UK-based charity involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS both at home and overseas, will […]
Interview – Lucy St Louis on the joy of playing Diana Ross in Motown the Musical
LUCY ST LOUIS, currently playing the iconic role of Diana Ross in the West End production of Motown the Musical (a performance for which she has just won an IARA Award), is no stranger to the musical theatre world. Her credits include Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre), The Book of Mormon (Prince of […]
Interview – Cedric Neal plays Berry Gordy in Motown the Musical
CEDRIC NEAL is currently making his West End debut as Motown founder Berry Gordy in Motown the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre. His theatre credits include: Rhythm of Life – A Cy Coleman Revue (St James Theatre), The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre/Broadway) and After Midnight (Broadway). As a company member at Dallas Theater Center, Cedric has also […]
Obioma Ugoala joins the cast of Motown the Musical as Smokey Robinson
The West End production of Motown the Musical has released more than 350,000 tickets for sale with the show now booking at the Shaftesbury Theatre to 28 October 2017. It has also been announced that Obioma Ugoala will join the cast in the role of Smokey Robinson from 4 July 2016. Featuring a 16-piece orchestra playing 50 Motown tracks including […]
Motown the Musical – Shaftesbury Theatre, London
Motown the Musical continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ The best jukebox musicals make an emotional connection with an audience, however formulaic the narrative structure, and on one level Motown the Musical (originally on Broadway three years ago) does just that. It is no surprise that right from […]
Motown the Musical – further 200,000 tickets are released for sale
Following last night’s first preview of the West End production of Motown the Musical, due to public demand, a further 200,000 tickets are released for sale taking bookings at the Shaftesbury Theatre to 18 February 2017. With music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and […]
Motown the Musical – casting update revealed
Charl Brown (Smokey Robinson) and Sifiso Mazibuko (Marvin Gaye) join the previously announced Cedric Neal (Berry Gordy) and Lucy St. Louis (Diana Ross) in the West End production of Motown the Musical. With music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright. London previews at the Shaftesbury Theatre will begin on 11 February 2016, with […]
Motown the Musical to hold open auditions for two key roles
The key roles of Marvin Gaye and the young Michael Jackson in the upcoming West End production of Motown the Musical will be cast following open auditions next month. The auditions will be held on 7 November at the Royal Shakespeare Company Rehearsal Rooms (35 Clapham High Street, London). Those wishing to try out for […]
Motown the Musical – Cedric Neal and Lucy St. Louis lead cast
Cedric Neal (Berry Gordy) and Lucy St. Louis (Diana Ross) will lead the cast in the West End production of Motown the Musical, opening at the Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016. With music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright. London previews will begin on 11 February 2016, with press night on […]
Memphis the Musical – Shaftesbury Theatre
Memphis the Musical continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London until 31 October, 2015. Star rating: 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Memphis the Musical mixes fiction and fact to produce a sensational musical about the music scene and segregation in 1950s Memphis. The story is inspired by a mix of true events and people from the underground dance […]
Interview – Matt Cardle – from X Factor to Memphis the Musical
X Factor winner, multi-platinum selling recording artist and songwriter MATT CARDLE has joined Beverley Knight in the cast of David Bryan and Joe DiPietro’s Memphis the Musical. He took over the role of radio DJ Huey Calhoun from Killian Donnelly (opposite Knight as Felicia Farrell) on 6 July and will continue in the show until the end of its run […]
Motown the Musical – open auditions to be held in July
The West End production of Motown the Musical, opening at the Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016, will hold open casting auditions next month for the opportunity to portray the iconic artists of Motown in the musical. The open auditions will be at the London Welsh Centre on Tuesday 7 July 2015, with registration open on the […]
Motown the Musical opens at Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016
Tickets for the West End production of Motown the Musical, opening at the Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016, are released for sale today (15 May 2015). With music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright. London previews will begin on 11 February 2016 with press night on 8 March […]
Memphis the Musical – Original London Cast Album
Newly crowned as the West End’s Best New Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards, Memphis the Musical is set in the world of underground R&B clubs in 1950s Tennessee. Killian Donnelly stars as Huey Calhoun, the white radio DJ who faces wrath – and outright racism – as he brings the clubs’ “race music” to wider […]
Military Wives join Eternity cast to mark Pear Harbor attack
To mark the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, an event integral to the plot of the musical From Here to Eternity, the producers of the show have revealed that The Military Wives Choir will be joining the full company of the show on stage to perform a curtain call rendition of the song which […]
