Blog / West Side Story

Check here for the latest musical news with links to all your #StageFaves performers, shows and theatres. Also look out for our regular #GetSocial features and contributions from our syndicate media partners including MyTheatreMates.com and the Musical Theatre Appreciation Society.

12 Jan
2018

Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr is the first of the big-name casting for CHICAGO's West End return. The Jerry Maguire star will razzle-dazzle as lawyer Billy Flynn - who'll play his murderess clients Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly? Any bets on a few more Hollywood headline-grabbers...

10 Jan
2018

The hype is STRONG with this one! SIX - the pop musical about the six wives of Henry VIII - has exploded onto London's West End and the five shows at the Arts Theatre are now completely sold out. SO, the lovely ladies have added another, final date to their run, bringing the total to, yup...six!

How many Broadway musical writing legends have you met? Add another to your list this month. Join #StageFaves founder Terri Paddock for an exclusive post-show Q&A with Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me) and the company for the European premiere of his show ROTHSCHILD & SONS at the Park Theatre on 30 January 2018...

09 Jan
2018

Producers of THE GRINNING MAN have welcomed in the new year with a new extension – the award-winning transfer from Bristol Old Vic is now booking at the West End’s Trafalgar Studios until 14 April 2018. Why are folks raving? Why haven't you seen it yet?

08 Jan
2018

Get the tissues ready…it’s time to say goodbye! Panto season officially came to an end for lots of our #StageFaves this week and the West End waved farewell to some terrific shows too! We’re saying adieu with 10 top tweets!

08 Jan
2018

Get the tissues ready…it’s time to say goodbye! Panto season officially came to an end for lots of our #StageFaves this week and the West End waved farewell to some terrific shows too! We’re saying adieu with 10 top tweets!

08 Jan
2018

It's a new year, so we thought why not start as we mean to go on, with some new #StageFaves segments!? After a little thought we had a lightbulb moment - why not feature a different song each week and tweet cool little bits of trivia about it as we go!? - and so your first #StageFaves song of the week is "Aquarius" from the musical HAIR.

04 Jan
2018

To celebrate the smash-hit HAMILTON opening at the Victoria Palace theatre in December, the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda joined the West End cast for a very special British #Ham4Ham video, mashing up classic UK tunes with our favourite HAMILTON ones...

03 Jan
2018
FROM:

The first-ever revival of THE WOMAN IN WHITE is currently enjoying a run at the Charing Cross Theatre and we couldn't be more excited about it! Chris Peluso and Ashley Stilburn are starring in this long-awaited production and our friends at the Musical Theatre Review caught up with the two to chat about re-imagining the show in 2017...

01 Jan
2018

Welcome to 2018! What’s the best way to start the New Year? By checking out our sparkling top 20 #StageFave New Year tweets of course! Here's to another #stagey year of fantastic theatre!

30 Dec
2017

It was Musicals week on Strictly Come Dancing and glorious gaggle of dynamic duos treated us to a host of brilliant dances to classic Showtunes! From CATS to PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, we were swept away by the marvellous moves, and we even spotted some familiar faces from the West End...

29 Dec
2017
FROM:

Celinde Schoenmaker is a West End name and superstar StageFave with a CV chock-full of West End credits but this year she's spending Christmas at the Menier Chocolate Factory alongside Marcus Brigstocke in BARNUM. Our friends at the Musical Theatre Review chatted to Celinde about rehearsals, the showbiz story and fitting such a big show into a smaller theatre...

December 21st may be the shortest day of the year but the stars were aligned and shining brightly for the fantastic opening night of HAMILTON in London! And as soon as the show finished the rapturous reviews started pouring in! Still on a HAMILTON high we’ve rounded up our top 15 tweets from the big night!

27 Dec
2017

It’s time to get festive! We decided to channel a little Christmas magic by rounding up 10 top cast tweets from some of the most Christmassy #StageFaves shows of the season! To be taken with mulled wine and mince pies all round...

27 Dec
2017

It’s time to get festive! We decided to channel a little Christmas magic by rounding up 10 top cast tweets from some of the most Christmassy #StageFaves shows of the season! To be taken with mulled wine and mince pies all round...

22 Dec
2017

We'll have to wait just a little longer for them to show us their paso doble as it has been announced that the opening of Baz Luhrmann's STRICTLY BALLROOM will be delayed by two weeks. The first preview will now take place on Thursday 28th March, with the opening night moved to Thursday 24th April.

21 Dec
2017

The wait is over! HAMILTON officially got its London premiere tonight (21 December 2017) at the West End's Victoria Palace Theatre. We're rounding up the reviews as they come in. Do Brits get it? Here's what critics are saying so far...

As the hours count down to HAMILTON's opening night, we've rounded up some of the best news stories about this fantastic show and how it really is changing the face of musical theatre. From the realisation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's epic vision to the racial politics of its casting, there's even room for a light-hearted look at cast members' favourite lyrics and our very own 'spy in the stalls' report of the first preview. Find out more about HAMILTON here.

21 Dec
2017

HAMILTON is more than just a musical. As the West End premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda's 11-time Tony Award-winning blockbuster raises interest further, learn more about the man behind the rap with this short extract from the newly released Alexander Hamilton: An Illustrated Biography by noted Hamilton scholar Richard Sylla. And be sure to enter our competition to win a copy too!

Our #FirstNightTakeover series continues with Perry O'Bree attending the West End premiere (on 14 December 2017) of macabre musical masterpiece THE GRINNING MAN, which has transferred to Trafalgar Studios after its award-winning 2016 world premiere at Bristol Old Vic. In addition to capturing the creepy atmosphere and Trafalgar transformation, Perry caught up with show stars Louis Maskell, Sanne den Besten and Amanda Wilkin, as well as fellow #StageFave Hannah Waddingham, who recently recorded her own version of one of the show's songs...