THE BAND is off to a fan-frenzy start - taking £2 million in the first two hours of its touring on-sale today! Check out our video and photos from the Take That musical's secret launch yesterday at Manchester Apollo to see what all the fuss is about. Then #GetSocial for THE BAND & its Let It Shine-winning stars on the show's new #StageFaves page...

Having sadly departed the West End, SUNNY AFTERNOON tours the UK until 13 May 2017. The north London band had their fair share of troubles as they competed against The Beatles and Rolling Stones, but they shine on stage. Find out more about them here, care of Musical Theatre Review...

While Gary Barlow and Tim Firth have been celebrating their Olivier nominations for THE GIRLS this week, preparations are already under way for their new Take That inspired musical THE BAND that's had casting help and a major publicity boost thanks to TV's Let It Shine. We've now loaded 'The Band' in THE BAND onto #StageFaves so you can #GetSocial for all five (even while they take a reported Twitter break!)... Check out the Let It Shine performers on Stage Faves whilst they're on a social media holiday during rehearsals. Keep on eye on us for developments!

Homegrown musical MISS NIGHTINGALE, set in London during the Second World War, finally gets an extended London season after five successful UK tours. It runs for eight weeks this spring at The Vaults (which is near-enough to a bomb shelter?)...

The life and career of the late Cilla Black is coming to the stage, adapted from the successful TV mini-series starring Sheridan Smith. Producers are holding open auditions to find a new Cilla. We've been playing the #StageFaves fantasy casting game in the office today. Which other names should we add to the list?

After looking back at the musical theatre successes of 2016, Musical Theatre Review opened the year by previewing some of the 2017 musical theatre openings we know about so far in the West End, on the London Fringe and across the UK. Here are some of the big ones coming up fast. Where are we up to?

It's the age of Aquarius... again! The ultimate 1960s hippy musical, HAIR, transfers to London as it hits the grand old age of 50, transferring - care of the mighty Katy Lipson and Aria Entertainment - after an acclaimed run at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre...

Miranda Hart has 'a spring in her step' - thanks to being cast as villainess Miss Hannigan in the new West End production of ANNIE, which comes to the Piccadilly Theatre in May. We reckon she'll be as big a success on the musical stage as she is in comedy world...

Now it's official, we can start properly thinking of which #StageFaves we want to star in Mel Brooks' screen-to-stage Broadway musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, which will have its West End premiere in September at the Garrick Theatre...

You'll have to wait a little longer to see Carley Stenson and her real-life fiance and Strictly Come Dancing star Danny Mac following in love onstage. Their planned pairing in the screen-to-stage musical adaptation of 1993 romcom Sleepless in Seattle, which was due to premiere in April in Plymouth ahead of a West End transfer, has been postponed...

She's a #StageFaves legend, the 'understudy' who saved the day last year when Hollywood star Glenn Close was taken ill at the London Coliseum. And now, Ria Jones, who originated the role at Andrew Lloyd Webber's private Sydmonton Festival workshop in 1991, will fully make Norma Desmond her own in a major new production that opens at Leicester Curve in September ahead of a UK-wide tour...

Jodie Prenger predicts the small screen-to-stage musical adaptation of Kay Mellors FAT FRIENDS will be 'a big fat hit' - and one that she gets to star in when it premieres in Leeds later this year...

After Miss Saigon and Groundhog Day in the West End, #StageFave Carolyn Maitland hits the road to star opposite Hollyoaks hunk Andy Moss in the continuing tour of screen-to-stage adaptation GHOST...

After starring in the European premiere of DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY in London this month, Miss Saigon and Show Boat hunk Chris Peluso will hit the road to star opposite Sheridan Smith's Fanny Brice as Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl. The full cast of #StageFaves performers for Funny Girl's extensive post-West End tour also includes Darius Campbell and Sheridan's former understudy Natasha J Barnes, reprising their roles as Nick and Fanny later in the run...

Carley Stenson and her real-life fiance and Strictly Come Dancing star Danny Mac star as Annie and Sam, the roles immortalised on screen by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, in the screen-to-stage musical adaptation of 1993 romcom Sleepless in Seattle. SLEEPLESS premieres at Theatre Royal Plymouth in April ahead of a short tour and planned West End run.

Director Bruce Guthrie had never seen RENT before tackling the 20th anniversary production, opening at London's St James Theatre next week. What does he think of Jonathan Larson's legacy and his cast of #StageFaves giving the show new life? Musical Theatre Review's Rebecca Gordon interviewed him...

Broadway musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY gets its UK & Irish premiere next year and initial casting has just been announced. Samantha Womack, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Les Dennis have joined the family as Morticia, Wednesday and Uncle Fester. But which of your #StageFaves will get to be Gomez?! And will the show transfer....?