We reckon Kate Fleetwood will make an outstanding villainess! She'll do this summer as Cruella de Vil in the Open Air Theatre's new musical adaptation of the much-loved children's story.

It's hard to imagine a StageFave more perfect for the role of Sammy Davis Jr than Olivier Award winner Giles Terera. After years of development, he'll star in Leslie Bricusse's new musical about the Rat Packer, directed by Clarke Peters.

Just the titles ‘No Woman No Cry’, ‘Exodus’ and ‘3 Little Birds’ will remind you of the iconic artist Bob Marley and it is his musical genius that will be celebrated in new show Get Up, Stand Up! Featuring the talents of Arinzé Kene, the musical will start previews at London’s Lyric Theatre on 6 February 2021 (which would have been Marley’s 76th birthday).

It’s the traditional fairy tale with a modern twist and a very modern Cinderella as played by Carrie Hope Fletcher in Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel’s new musical, based on an original idea by Emerald Fennell, opening for previews at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on 28 August 2020.

Check out the new faces joining the West End cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at London’s Apollo Theatre in March 2020. Rufus Hound is preparing to strut his way into the ever-popular show as Hugo/Loco Chanelle and Katy Brand will be in full teacher mode as Miss Hedge.

New term dates are in the calendar for Wise Children’s musical adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers, now in a co-production with Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, where the tour will open on 27 March 2020. London dates see the show running at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall from 27 July to 31 August.

Building on a successful tradition of new work created by the RSC for family audiences at Christmas, the company will present The Magician’s Elephant, a musical adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s novel by Nancy Harris and Marc Teitler, directed by Sarah Tipple.

Have we got news for you. Paul Merton will make his West End musical debut as Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray at the London Coliseum from 23 April to 30 August 2020, as full casting is announced. We can’t wait to see him strutting his stuff in the new production alongside his onstage wife, as played by Michael Ball who reprises his Olivier Award-winning role.

It began on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 & now Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ ‘her-story’ has just opened in Sydney, has its Broadway debut in February, is currently touring the UK, and as celebrations begin for its first birthday at London’s Arts Theatre, the West End run has just been extended until 31 January 2021. It’s a musical theatre fairy tale like no other.

Watch as Jason Manford announces the news that he will be back at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 5 April 2020 to host the prestigious Olivier Awards. It’s a triple whammy for Jason as it’s the third time the comedian, actor and current star of Curtains The Musical has steered the prestigious event.

Did you hear that Gander is going to be welcoming (via London’s Phoenix Theatre) a bunch of new members of the Come From Away community from 10 February 2020 as the award-winning musical begins its second year in the West End? Surely a return visit is in order.

There were rumours that the new musical version of the classic fairy tale Cinderella with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by David Zippel, based on an original idea by Emerald Fennell, would open on Broadway but instead it will be London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre which will host the show when it opens in September 2020. Are you going to buy tickets for the ball?

Rehearsals begin this week for Pretty Woman: The Musical, opening at London’s Piccadilly Theatre on 13 February 2020, so it’s the perfect time to share the news of full casting for the show. Aimie Atkinson and Danny Mac, playing the roles of Vivian and Edward, will be joined by Rachael Wooding, Bob Harms, Neil McDermott and Mark Holden. We have to go shopping now...

What a Christmas present for Olivier Award winners Giles Terera (well known to musical theatre fans for playing Aaron Burr in the original West End production of Hamilton) and director and choreographer Stephen Mear (Mary Poppins, White Christmas, Hello, Dolly!, Gypsy) who have received a MBE and CBE respectively in the New Year Honours List. Not to forget The Lion King and Billy Elliot composer (and general superstar) Elton John who becomes a Companion of Honour.

What a trouper Matt Lucas is. Having heard that Gerard Carey, originally playing Thénardier in Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre, had been taken ill, he rescheduled his Christmas plans and stepped into the breach. Lucas will be Master of the House for six weeks from 23 December 2019 with Carey expected to return on 3 February 2020.

There will be a new Queen in town when Sophie Isaacs is crowned the next Katherine Howard in the West End production of Six The Musical at the Arts Theatre from 21 January 2020.

Fresh from its success at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre, Joseph Stein, Stephen Schwartz and Charles Strouse’s heart-warming and powerful show RAGS The Musical will transfer to London’s Park Theatre from 9 January to 8 February 2020, with Carolyn Maitland, Dave Willetts and Sam Attwater leading the cast as Rebecca, Avram and Bronfman respectively.

We want the fairy tale when Pretty Woman: The Musical opens for a 46-week season on 13 February 2020 and we now know that it will be Aimie Atkinson as Vivian and Danny Mac as Edward who will be bringing it to London’s Piccadilly Theatre.

The players are in place for the cult show Be More Chill, fresh from Broadway and now in transit to London’s The Other Palace for the UK premiere from 12 February to 3 May 2020. Scott Folan and Blake Patrick Anderson take the lead roles of Jeremy Heere and Michael Mell, while Renee Lamb and Millie O’Connell (formerly known as Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn in Six The Musical) also join the line-up.

The popularity of Disney’s Frozen goes from strength to strength, with the recent movie release of Frozen 2, and now a few more on sale details about the arrival of Frozen the Musical to the newly refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane in October 2020. The cold never bothered us anyway…