Musical news to start: firstly, the sad news that Loserville will be leaving the West End early. The Elliot Davis and James Bourne musical based around teenage geeks in the 1970s was full of bouncy energy, but alas, it’s closing in early January instead of March. Rumour suggests it’s headed abroad, so fans of the show might be able to see it elsewhere…

However, there’s happier news of a new musical coming to the West End: The Tailor-Made Man runs at The Arts Theatre for eight weeks from February. The story of the gay MGM star William Haines refusing to marry another movie star to cover up his sexuality has been turned into a musical by Showstopper co-creator Adam Meggido. It will star former Steps popstrel Faye Tozer and West End regular Dylan Turner.

Finally this week, some fun Sadler’s Wells news. Two more productions have been announced for the venue’s 15th birthday season. From 7 August, you can see the 2008 production of West Side Story; and from May, innovative dance company ZooNation are bringing their 2011 hit Some Like It Hip Hop back to London, to Sadler’s Wells’ West End stage at the Peacock Theatre.

London Theatre Cast News:

• Daniel Lapaine, Kevin R McNally and Indira Varma will star in Conor McPherson’s new adaptation of The Dance Of Death, which plays as part of the final Donmar Trafalgar season next month
• American actors Gavin Creel and Jared Gertner will be leading the cast in the hit US musical The Book Of Mormon at London’s Prince of Wales theatre from February next year. The pair are currently starring in the show’s Los Angeles production
• Comedian Rufus Hound is taking over from Owain Arthur as Francis Henshall in the West End production of One Man, Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket next year. He’s currently starring in the UK touring production, and will join the London cast from 4 February
• 60s singing star Mark Wynter is joining the cast of Dreamboats and Petticoats at Wyndham’s Theatre from next week, until 19 January

Have you enjoyed any great theatre in London recently? Let us know in the comments below.

In other news, Michael Attenborough has announced he’ll step down as Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre in spring next year. Attenborough has been at the venue for 11 years, producing an eclectic programme from Shakespearean classics to new writing, including 32 premieres all tackling critical issues of our times. His tenure has also seen four Almeida Festivals and he established the Almeida Projects, a creative programme dedicated to involving young people with the theatre. I wonder who his replacement will be…

Dance news now, and anyone into Strictly Come Dancing will be as excited as I am to hear two of its stars are headed to the West End. Robin Windsor and Kristina Rihanoff will star in a new production of dance extravaganza Burn The Floor at the Shaftesbury Theatre from March next year. I can’t wait.

Finally, the National Theatre’s current sell-out show, This House is moving. After a critically acclaimed opening at the National Theatre’s Cottesloe space this week, I’ve been told that This House will move to the larger Olivier stage next year. James Graham’s acclaimed 1970s House of Commons-set play continues its run at the Cottesloe until 1 December; it will transfer to the Olivier in February. Casting is yet to be confirmed.

London Theatre Cast News

• Zubin Varla leads the cast of The Changeling which returns to the Young Vic later this year. He’ll be joined by Sinead Matthews and Harry Hadden-Paton.
• Kristin Scott Thomas, Rufus Sewell and Lia Williams will star in a new production of Harold Pinter’s Old Times next year. As well as a sparkling cast to look forward to, this will also be the first time a Pinter play is produced in the renamed Harold Pinter Theatre.
• Downton Abbey star Lily James (Lady Rose) joins Matthew Kelly in a new adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Southwark Playhouse next month
• Finally, and most excitingly, Olivier Award winner Douglas Hodge (La Cage Aux Folles) is to play Willy Wonka in the much-anticipated (by me!) new musical Charlie And The Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. What a great choice!

Will the vintage musical ever go out of fashion? With their fabulously flirty costumes, the jiving and jitterbugging and the fun tunes, it seems retro shows just keep getting more popular.

My absolute favourite is Grease, which I saw for the third time this week. It is as good as ever, with all the rock’n'roll numbers everyone remembers from the film, and dance routines that are as brilliant as expected from choreographer Arlene Phillips. The cast has recently changed and now features Matthew Goodgame (Channel 4 Musicality, Chicago) as the leader of the T-birds, Danny Zuko and Lauren Samuels (BBC1 Over the Rainbow finalist) making her West End debut as Sandy. Despite tackling some controversial social issues like teenage pregnancy and gang violence, this musical is a fun night out for everyone, and a must-see on the London stage before it goes off on tour in Spring 2011.

Other vintage musicals to see in London:

• Flashdance: new to the West End stage it tells the tale of 18-year-old Alex, welder by day, “flashdancer” by night, who hopes to be given a place at the Shipley Dance Academy.
• Dreamboats and Petticoats: a sweet song-writing love story that features many classic songs.
• Dirty Dancing: brought to the stage after the hit 1987 film about rebellion, growing up pains and above all, the power of dance.
• Sweet Charity: the story of a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance-hall who finds love at last (hurry it ends 6 November).

Why not kit yourself out in the appropriate retro get-up from Rokit in Covent Garden, Portobello Market, Camden Markets or one of the quirky shops on Brick Lane.

What’s your favourite vintage musical in London? Tell us in the comments below…

I can’t believe that I had never heard of Dreamboats and Petticoats before I went to see it this week. And so I’m guessing perhaps lots of other people haven’t either. I’m not sure why… the show is full of classic 1960s hits, sure to get you tapping your feet. And despite being born 20 years later I knew nearly all the songs as if they had been in the charts yesterday. Perhaps pop music was more catchy back then.

There has never been a better time to go and see the show as currently Tony Christie stars as Phil and Older Bobby. Christie is great and has a surprisingly powerful and in tune voice; the song that made him famous, Is This the Way to Amarillo?, is featured towards the end of the show. The audience went wild for it!

I couldn’t help singing along, which I’m sure annoyed the people either side of me and I guarantee there will be at least one song that you recognise. My favourites included

• Shakin’ All Over
• Teenager In Love
• Let’s Twist Again
• At The Hop

Bad boy Norman is played by Ben James-Ellis who I have previously seen in Hairspray in London as suave Link Larkin. Lorna Want is sweet as Laura, and is by far the most convincing character on stage. The narrative follows her quest to woo the boy (Bobby) and win the National Youth Songwriting competition with him. This is a fun and light-hearted production, with nearly 40 songs sung live on stage with a band . Pretty impressive for a two-hour show.

Dreamboats and Petticoats is on at the Playhouse Theatre until 27 Nov. Get your Dreamboats and Petticoats tickets here.

We’re too young to know anything about the original(!) but we’ve heard our parents talking about it, recognise the songs (Aquarius and Let The Sunshine In) and it all the stories about it from the 60s sound incredible. (Plus, anything starring Elaine Paige, Richard O’Brien, Tim Curry and Paul Nicholas must’ve been amazing!)

It’s also exciting to have the first entire Tony-award-winning Broadway cast opening a musical in London. We’ve got to wait til April, but it’s down in our diaries to get tickets!

In other theatre news, Dreamboats and Petticoats, the musical inspired by an album of 50s songs, is due to reopen in January. From a successful touring show, this musical was so popular at the Savoy this summer, it extended its run by seven weeks!

And now it’s coming back: book your tickets to see it at the Playhouse from 6 January. Anyone out there seen it and want to tell us about it? We’re yet to catch this one.

If you’re looking for a shorter-term theatre fix, Panto season is very nearly upon us! We’ve had news from the Lyric that the rehearsals for Jack and the Beanstalk are well under way. Backstage, the Dame’s seven (count them!) dresses are almost finished, and the 4-metre-tall Giant is getting close to being brought to life…

Over at the New Wimbledon Theatre, we’ve heard news their panto has added another jewel to its star-studded Aladdin’s lamp. Anita Dobson (fresh from baring all in Calendar Girls, but best-known to the world as Angie Watts from EastEnders in the 80s) is the final star to share the role of the Genie of the Lamp alongside Ruby Wax, Pamela Anderson and Paul O’Grady.

Do you have plans to see any of London’s fantastic Pantos? Let us know which baddie you’ll be booing and hissing at over the Christmas season…