If you’re into experimental and brand new theatre, make sure you check out this summer’s Almeida Festival, running from 9 July to 3 August. It’s a really eclectic programme, including international theatre companies, new collaborations and award-winning artists. Look out for Bryony Kimming’s new show, Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model; Lost Dogs’ new show Rabbits; and Dante or Die’s I Do, a site-specific piece that takes place in six hotel rooms 10 minutes before a wedding is due to start. For the full line-up, see almeida.co.uk/festival-2013.

The line-up for this year’s Kids Week has also been announced. Running for the whole of August in 2013, there are 34 top London shows offering free tickets to children aged 16 and under with every adult ticket bought. As well as top musicals, drama and dance shows, there are also workshops for kids interested in trying ballet, learning pop songs with the cast of Let It Be and tap dancing with Top Hat. Tickets go on sale on 18 June from kidsweek.co.uk.

The latest news from the National Theatre is that Rufus Norris will direct a new stage adaptation of the acclaimed novel Behind The Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death And Hope In A Mumbai Undercity next year. The novel by Katherine Boo is being adapted by playwright David Hare, and is a non-fiction account of life in the slums of Annawadi. If the adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time is anything to go by, the National could have another hit on their hands.

London Theatre Cast News

• Olivier Award-winning actor Julian Glover will star in the UK premiere of The Scottsboro Boys when it opens at the Young Vic later this year
• Joanna Lumley and Andrew Scott will star in two short plays by Harold Pinter as part of a programme of platform events at the Trafalgar Studios
• Maureen Lipman stars in the world premiere of Oliver Cotton’s Daytona at the Park Theatre from 10 July
• Danny Webb joins Imelda Staunton and Toby Jones in the UK premiere of Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation, part of the Royal Court’s Theatre Local project later this year
• Olivier Award winner Gawn Grainger and The Lord Of The Rings star Billy Boyd have joined the cast of Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe

One of my favourite London theatres, Shakespeare’s Globe has announced details of its forthcoming season. In 2013, there’ll be appearances from Roger Allam as Prospero in The Tempest, alongside Colin Morgan (from Merlin) and Jessie Buckley (from I’d Do Anything). The Tempest plays alongside A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth; plus there’ll be a new musical Gabriel, a modern play called Blue Stockings and a new take on Euipides’ The Bacchae called The Lightning Child. Three of last year’s astonishing Globe To Globe plays return too: South Africa’s Venus & Adonis, a Georgian production of As You Like It and Belarus Free Theatre’s King Lear, along with Footsbarn’s Indian Tempest. Head to their website to find out more!

Congratulations to Rupert Goold, the acclaimed Artistic Director of the Headlong Theatre Company, who is going to replace Michael Attenborough as Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre in August. Attenborough steps down after 11 years at the venue; Goold’s first production as leader will be in January 2014. Before that, you can catch the director’s handiwork in the world premiere of the new musical based on Bret Easton Ellis’ best-selling novel American Psycho at the venue in the autumn.

Following the successful Our Country’s Good at the St James Theatre, new play The Thrill Of Love opens next month. Running from 27 March to 4 May, The Thrill Of Love tells the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, after she is convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely, and features music by Billie Holiday. The show’s original cast (including Fate Castelow, Hilary Tones, Maya Wasovicz and Katie West) transfers with the production.

London Theatre Cast News:

• Charlie Rowe, who stars as Peter Pan in Sky’s miniseries Neverland, joins Henry Goodman in the Old Vic’s production of The Winslow Boy, opening next month
• Johnny Flynn, Simon Paisley Day and Elizabeth Berrington will feature in the forthcoming production of Bruce Norris’ The Low Road, opening at the Royal Court next month

Fans of the Kneehigh Theatre Company are in for a treat as their production of Steptoe and Son comes to London next year. Following a successful run at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, the two-hander based on scripts from the original TV series will play from 19 March at the Lyric Hammersmith. Kneehigh founding member and joint Artistic Director Mike Shepherd and Dean Nolan will reprise their roles in London.

Dominic Cooke’s last season as Artistic Director of the Royal Court has been announced this week. Following the hugely successful Clybourne Park, Cooke will direct Bruce Norris’ third play The Low Road in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Young playwright Polly Stenham will premiere her third Royal Court play No Quarter in the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, while Anthony Neilson will close the season with the intriguingly named A New Play, which he will both write and direct. Visit the Royal Court Theatre’s website to find out more.

Finally, more Strictly Come Dancing news: Russell Grant returns to the West End next year to once again share the stage with his Strictly Come Dancing partner Flavia Cacace in the return of Midnight Tango at the Phoenix Theatre. Grant is taking the role of bar owner Carlos, whose downtown Buenos Aires-establishment becomes the setting for the explosive story.

London Theatre Cast News:

• Haydn Gwynne will star as Margaret Thatcher opposite Helen Mirren’s Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan’s The Audience at the Gielgud Theatre from February; Robert Hardy and Paul Ritter will play Winston Churchill and John Major in the fascinating-sounding new play
• Gavin Lee is taking over from Tom Chambers as lead Jerry Travers in Top Hat from February; with Charlotte Gooch replacing Summer Strallen as Dale Tremont from 27 November
• Sophiya Haque, Harry Hepple, Mark Lewis Jones and John Marquez join Simon Russell Beale in Privates On Parade, which kicks off the newly formed Michael Grandage Company’s first season next month
• Tamsin Greig and Roger Lloyd Pack will appear in the forthcoming production of The Trojan Women, which opens at the Gate Theatre later this month

Second, there’s a new musical on the horizon. A Chorus Line opens at the London Palladium next year: the first London revival of the show ever. Featuring the iconic songs One (Singular Sensations), What I Did For Love, I Can Do That and Hope I Get It, the Olivier Award-winning musical is the story of 17 dancers auditioning for a Broadway show. It’ll play a limited season from 2 February (press night 19 February) to 29 June.

London Cast News

• Janie Dee will lead the cast of NSFW at the Royal Court, Lucy Kirkwood’s debut play opening in late October
• Tricycle season regular Simon Chandler and Charlotte Lucas (last seen in Posh) are among the cast joining Adrian Lester in Red Velvet at the Tricycle theatre
• West End star Oliver Tompsett is swapping one rocking West End musical for another as he’s leaving Rock Of Ages to join We Will Rock You in October
• Conleth Hill, Will Keen, Felicity Montagu and Malcolm Sinclair will join the previously announced Rowan Atkinson in Quartermaine’s Terms at Wyndham’s Theatre
• Damian Humbley, Jenna Russell and Mark Umbers return to the Menier Chocolate Factory this winter to star in Maria Friedman’s forthcoming production of Merrily We Roll Along

London Shows Extending

• Chariots of Fire has extended its West End run at the Gielgud Theatre until 2 February 2013
• Top Hat has extended its booking period at the Aldwych Theatre until 28 September 2013
• Matilda is now booking at the Cambridge theatre until 22 December 2013

Let It Be Rootfop Launch

One London rooftop echoed with the sounds of 1969 earlier today as the boys from the new Beatles musical, Let It Be, copied their heroes with a gig at Vista bar on top of the Trafalgar Hotel. In a nod to the famous 1969 concert on top of the Apple Corp building on Savile Row, Emanuelle Angeletti, Gordon Elsmore, Reuven Gershon and Stephen Hill, (who play Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison) entertained an audience of journalists and guests. I was lucky enough to get to the front of the busy scrum of people to hear songs including Hard Day’s Night, Twist And Shout and, of course, Let It Be.

A Sneak Preview of the St James Theatre
Yesterday I had a sneak preview of the new St James Theatre in Victoria. The new complex includes a state-of-the-art 312-seat theatre and an intimate 100-seat studio, perfect for comedy, cabaret and jazz nights. There’s also a swanky foyer bar and a lovely first-floor restaurant with space for 60 covers. Some of the space reminded me a little of the Trafalgar Studios, but with more luxurious touch (fitting for a venue so close to Buckingham Palace!). The first show, Bully Boy, opens on 18 September. Check out some more photos of the venue here.

Top Hat Cast Release Album
Great news for any fans of the lovely Top Hat musical, currently running at the Aldwych Theatre: they’re releasing a cast album recording of the acclaimed show. If you want a sneak preview, you can listen to some teaser clips on the production’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tophatonstage

Loserville Comes to London’s West End
Loserville, the new musical from Busted star James Bourne, is coming to London’s Garrick Theatre this October, following a successful regional run. The 1970s-based musical tells the story of a computer geek and his misfit friends, who are all set to change the course of history… but don’t know it yet! The good news? There will be 25,000 tickets available for £25 or less during the first booking period. Find out more here.

Mamma Mia Charity Show for Children in Need
Following last week’s news about the West End supporting Children in Need, there’s another gala performance taking place in aid of the charity, this time of Mamma Mia! on 12 September. Celebrating the musical’s move to the Novello Theatre, this special show will feature appearances by BBC Radio 2 presenters Vanessa Feltz, Anneka Rice and Penny Smith, alongside a celebrity-packed audience.

London Theatre Casting News:
Just one piece of casting news this week: The Royal Court’s much-anticipated new show, The River will star Dominic West, Laura Donnelly and Miranda Raison. The reason this new play is such a hot ticket? It’s by the same team as the Royal Court’s previous smash: Jerusalem. That’s writer Jez Butterworth, director Ian Rickson and designer Ultz. All I know about the story is that it’s about a man, a woman, and a remote cabin on some cliffs. It runs from 18 October to 17 November, and (unusually) there are no tickets available for advanced purchase – instead you can buy tickets on the day of the performance.

Check out London’s top theatre shows, musicals, watch videos, and book tickets here

This does mean there’s space for the excellent Abigail’s Party to transfer from the Menier Chocolate Factory, where it had a sold out run, to the larger Wyndham’s Theatre. Starring Jill Halfpenny, Joe Absolom and Natalie Casey (who’s hilarious), this is a brilliant new version of Mike Leigh’s classic comedy and should continue to make audiences cringe and chortle in equal measure now it’s in the West End.

Other new shows heading to London in the coming weeks are Six Actors In Search Of A Director, a new comedy written and directed by Steven Berkoff at the Charing Cross Theatre from 16 May; and Democracy, Sheffield Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Michael Frayn’s 2003 hit, at the Old Vic from 15 June.

Finally, have you ever fancied yourself as one of The Beatles? New West End theatrical concert, Let It Be, is running open auditions to find actor-musicians to play the fab four. Head to the Gielgud Theatre on 8 May to show off your talents; successful applicants will join the cast of Let It Be when it opens at the Prince of Wales Theatre in September this year.

London Cast News:

Star of American hit series Smash, Raza Jaffrey is to play the sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago from 16 May to 14 July this summer. He’ll then be replaced by Olympic gold medallist and Dancing On Ice judge Robin Cousins.

Lisa Dillon will star alongside Stephen Mangan in the Royal Court’s forthcoming production of Birthday, from 22 June. Joe Penhall’s tense new comedy is about a couple waiting for the arrival of their new baby.

You can find out all you need to know about London theatre, book tickets and read about all the shows on offer on our main website: visitlondon.com/events/theatre

Second, following his Olivier Award nomination last week, Derren Brown is returning to the West End. His hit 2011 show, Svengali will play at the Novello Theatre from 12 July to 11 August only. Little is known, or talked about with this secretive show: I can tell you to expect psychological tricks, mind control, incredible stunts, and of course, lots of audience participation.

Finally, congratulations to Gregory Doran who, it’s been announced today, will succeed Michael Boyd as Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2014.

London Casting News

• Adam Levy is joining Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths in Neil Simon’s comedy The Sunshine Boys at the Savoy Theatre from 27 April
• Samantha Bond, Tim McInnerny and Georgia Moffett will be playing alongside Omid Djalili in this summer’s production of Joe Orton’s What The Butler Saw at the Vaudeville Theatre from May
• Claire Foy, who you’ll recognise from BBC dramas White Heat and Upstairs Downstairs is appearing in Mike Bartlett’s Love, Love, Love at the Royal Court from April

What an exciting week for theatre fans!

First there’s the news that former Doctor Who co-stars, David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be reunited in London this summer, when they lead the cast of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at Wyndham’s Theatre.

Plus the announcement that Cranford and Harry Potter star Imelda Staunton will join Penelope Wilton in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance at the Almeida Theatre in May.

Then I learn that another TV star makes his debut at the Royal Court Theatre next month. Colin Morgan, who you’ll know from the BBC series Merlin, is appearing in Our Private Life, a “black comedy of twisted morality”, set in a Columbian village.

Anyone around my age will be interested to learn that former Blue Peter presenter Mark Curry will be starring in Company at the Southwark Playhouse from 2 February. This’ll be the Southwark Playhouse’s first musical since it opened in 1993: break a leg everyone!

And finally, Oliver Ford Davies (that’s Sio from the Star Wars prequels to me and you) will be playing Tom in a new adaptation of Goodnight Mister Tom. Just thinking about what was one of my favourite books as a kid makes me want to cry! Happily, this classic is in good hands: it’s being adapted by David Wood, the playwright renowned for his popular adaptations of Roald Dahl stories, including George’s Marvellous Medicine (currently getting great reviews at the Bloomsbury Theatre).

In other news, extensions have been announced for the following shows:

• End of the Rainbow – now playing until 16 April
• The Children’s Hour – now playing until 30 April

And I’d like to say congratulations to the Finborough Theatre in West London: they’ve won The Stage 100′s Fringe Theatre of the Year Award.

This tiny, 50-seat venue above a wine bar in Earl’s Court presents new writing and musical theatre, and has been gaining momentum in the last few years under the expert guidance of Artistic Director, Neil McPherson. If you’re in the area, be sure to check it out.

Something a little different for September: Theatre Souk is going to make you think about money: how you get it, how you spend it, what it means, and how a new artistic economy might work.

Located in the former offices of the Uzbekistan Airways, just off Oxford Street, Theatre Souk offers interactive theatre performances to challenge and entertain you: some are one-to-one shows, others feature puppets, and there are 20 in all. Or you can just relax in the cabaret bar. Theatre Souk is presented by the fabulous TheatreDelicatessen, well known for exploring text-based theatre, and creating interesting immersive performances with ensemble casts.

So, on to this week’s cast news. Rising star Harry Treadaway returns to the Royal Court in October, in Nina Raine’s second play Tribes. Harry plays Daniel, a boy suffering in an argumentative, unconventional family, with a deaf brother. Last seen in the West End winning critical acclaim for his performance in Ibsen’s Ghosts, Harry has been at the Royal Court before too: starring opposite his twin brother Luke in Mark Ravenhill’s Over There.

From rising stars to big hitters: Sir Antony Sher’s returning to the London stage next month in Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn. Sir Antony will play Philip Gellburg in Miller’s story of a Jewish couple living in 1938 New York;  the same time Kristallnacht occurs in Nazi Germany. The events in Germany have a profound effect on the couple…  Antony stars alongside Nigel Lindsay and Lucy Cohu.

And finally, Kevin Spacey is reuniting with American Beauty director Sam Mendes to play Richard III at the Old Vic in 2012. It’ll be the third and final instalment of The Bridge Project, so will also be performed in New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music. Let’s not forget last time these two worked together they both won academy awards… Never mind the Olympics Opening Ceremony, here’s a really hot ticket for 2012!

Sam Mendes, who used to be Artistic Director at the Donmar, and whose film work includes Revolutionary Road and Road To Perdition, said, “I am absolutely delighted to be working with Kevin again for the first time since American Beauty, and I am doubly thrilled that he will be leading year three of The Bridge Project. Richard III is a play I love, and a role I think Kevin is born to play.”

Exciting stuff.

Election fever is all over the papers, the radio, and TV at the moment. If you’re looking for a different angle to all the journalistic analysis being thrust at you, you might like to see one of the following political plays currently running in London.

Addressing politics through theatre is nothing new. To my knowledge it’s certainly been done since at least Shakespeare’s time (Elizabeth I saw herself reflected in Henry II; no surprise that Macbeth “premiered” two years after James I came to the throne); someone with more knowledge of Greek theatre can probably tell me about the contemporary politics shining though those plays.

But here we are in 2010, looking forward to being able to have our say on 6 May. If you love politics and plays, there’s certainly a lot on offer in London to entertain you over the next few weeks. Take your pick from the following:

Counted at the Debating Chamber, County Hall, until 22 May
Currently in previews, Counted takes real people’s stories and reproduces them, verbatim, in a kind of theatrical documentary. The Look Left Look Right and Roundhouse production asks: in a country where people are more likely to vote for X-Factor than for the Prime Minister, why – considering the current wars over democracy and the economic meltdown – so many people don’t vote.

Posh at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, until 22 May 
Laura Wade’s latest play opened just last night, as the three leaders were engaged in their first televised Prime Ministerial debate. Posh is a scathing critique of the supposedly taboo issue of class warfare. In an exclusive club at Oxford University, 10 over-priviledged students, the “Riot Club” are planning a take-over. Any relevance to the Bullingdon Club is, of course, purely coincidental. Michael Coveney at WhatsOnStage thinks it’s “the play of the year so far.”

Moonfleece at Greenwich Theatre until 17 Apr
Controversially banned in Dudley, Philip Ridley’s play links far-beliefs like racism and homophobia with personal trauma. As well as referencing the rise of the BNP, it’s magical, poetic and intense: a study on brotherhood and memory as well as the political. Catch it while you can: this show only runs until Saturday night.

Stiffed!, Tabard Theatre, until 9 May
Written by the Metro’s Political Editor John Higginson and The Sun’s Whitehall Editor Clodagh Hartley, Stiffed! presents a front row seat on the expenses scandal alongside the inner workings of parliament, press, and politicians.

Newsrevue, Canal Cafe Theatre, every Thurs-Sat
Newsrevue is a fast-paced, bang-on-the-news sketch show, which has been running in London for years. It even helped the careers of Rory Bremner, Michelle Collins, Josie Lawrence and Bill Bailey. What’s less clear is whether it’ll help the careers of Brown, Cameron or Clegg in the coming weeks. Probably not, to be honest. It’ll definitely make you laugh, though.

Seen any other political theatre in London recently? Let us know in the comments below.