Like so many of us, Jonathan O'Boyle grew up on Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. But one show he never saw was 1989's ASPECTS OF LOVE. Now he gets to bring his acclaimed Hope Mill Theatre revival to London thirty years after the musical's West End premiere. He explains how he feels about this honour...

CBBC regular Jade Johnson’s audition via Instagram must have been pretty successful because now she has a starring role in the world premiere of part-immersive, part-musical clubbing experience Club Mex at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre in early 2019. Plus there’s a chance to view that new song below…

2019 marks 30 years since Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's ASPECTS OF LOVE premiered at the West End's Prince of Wales Theatre. What do you have to look forward to when Jonathan O'Boyle's acclaimed chamber revival transfers from Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre to London's Southwark Playhouse in January to celebrate the anniversary? Watch this stunning trailer to see why critics are raving already...

Manchester to London is becoming a well-worn path for musical transfers from the Hope Mill Theatre. After Pippin in January, now another of director Jonathan O'Boyle's Hope Mill classic revivals comes to Southwark Playhouse, care of Aria Entertainment. Full London cast is now announced for this new take on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's ASPECTS OF LOVE. Have you seen who's who?

Even after two hugely successful seasons in 2016 and 2017, it was still hard to say our farewells to Regent’s Park’s memorable staging of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Chris Superstar. Now we are looking forward to welcoming it back next year when it transfers to the Barbican Theatre for 60 performances from 4 July to 24 August.

Following sell-out performances in 2016 and 2017, the London Musical Theatre Orchestra returns to the Lyceum Theatre for three performances of Alan Menken, Lynn Ahrens & Mike Ockrent’s A Christmas Carol on 10 and 17 December 2018 & just look at the cast – full of #StageFaves. There’s no ‘Bah, humbug!’ from us!

Southwark Playhouse could never be accused of not championing musicals including productions of new work. Next year’s season will see the transfer Aspects of Love from Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester; the one-man musical Stay Awake, Jake in its first full-length run and the world premiere of new musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A trio of treats!

London Musical Theatre Orchestra’s concert performance of Howard Goodall’s Girlfriends, composed by Emmy Award-winner Howard Goodall, can be seen at London’s Bishopsgate Institute on 1 and 2 November 2018 – & if the casting is anything to by, it’s going to be quite a treat!

The weather will just be fine on your parade if you catch this sneak peek of the cinema trailer for Funny Girl starring Sheridan Smith. The Menier Chocolate Factory production, which had a West End run followed by a tour, was filmed during the final week of its run at the Manchester Palace Theatre and is released on 24 October 2018. Not long now…

Did you miss out on seeing Sheridan Smith in Funny Girl at the Menier Chocolate Factory, in the West End or on tour? Well, don’t despair as the show will be broadcast in cinemas nationwide on 24 October 2018, as part of a worldwide release.

With Club Tropicana the musical soon to tour the UK, and an ex-Dreamgirls cast member Samira Mighty starring on the ITV2 show, it seems that Love Island and the theatre world are being inescapably drawn together.

The UK musical theatre scene is truly leading the pack at the moment. We have a thriving West End, wonderful UK tours, heightened interest in community and inclusive theatre, and now… a musical theatre cruise. Yes, you did hear that right. Later this year, Floating Festivals are premiering Stages At Sea, a 4 night immersive cruise experience with musical theatre appreciation at its’ core. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE.

Wicked, the hit musical, tells the story of what happened before Dorothy dropped into Oz. It opened in London’s West End in September 2006 and has been enthralling audiences ever since with gravity-defying moments of theatre magic… BUT GUESS WHAT?! You definitely missed some hidden eggs inside this magical land, all the way from the Badlands to Munchkinland… Here are some references that link the two tales together.

Our #FirstNightTakeover series continues with Holly Mallett boarding The Barn Theatre bus for a trip to Cirencester and Michael Strassen's brand-new production of Jim Carwright's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. Which cast members did she grab for selfies? And, most critically, what did Holly's mum think of the show?!

There has been a long-standing argument that audiences should know exactly who they are seeing perform each night. In England, most shows sell programmes and a lot have up to date cast information on display somewhere within the theatre. In America, shows have playbills which show the cast for that night. These are given free to audience members therefore ensuring that the audience know who is performing. A substantial amount of people want to see playbills, like used in Broadway, introduced to English theatres...