Firstly, happy 14th birthday to Mamma Mia! The show has celebrated another successful year by extending their booking period to 5 April 2014. If you haven’t seen this musical yet, you really must: it’s such a fantastic feel-good show and has been seen by more than 50 million people in 37 productions worldwide.
This week, there’s news of another extension: My Perfect Mind is actor Edward Petherbridge’s tale about suffering a stroke, and will now run at the Young Vic until 4 May. The Told By An Idiot show features Petherbridge playing himself and Paul Hunter playing all the other characters. The play was inspired by Petherbridge who suffered a stroke as he was rehearsing to play King Lear. At the start of his recovery, he could hardly move his thumb and index finger together, but he could still remember every word of Shakespeare’s complex role.
Derren Brown fans will be pleased to hear the illusionist is returning to the West End in June, bringing a new one-man show called Infamous to the Palace Theatre. Infamous is described as one of Brown’s most personal works and sees the master of mind control reunite with his close collaborator, actor, director and magician Andy Nyman.
More Oliviers news this week: an influx of American stars are bringing a touch of US glamour to the Royal Albert Hall ceremony, with Broadway stars and Glee co-actors Matthew Morrison and Idina Menzel both performing solo. Other stars whose attendance is confirmed include Kim Cattrall, Daniel Radcliffe, Damian Lewis, Petula Clark, Will Young and Heather Headley.
If you’re able to get to the free public Oliviers event stage in Covent Garden, you’ll be treated to special live performances from shows including Billy Elliot, Matilda, The Phantom Of The Opera, Wicked, Burn The Floor, Potted Potter and Some Like It Hip Hop, before seeing the ceremony on the live big screen relay.
London Theatre Cast News
- One of my favourite actors, Stephen Campbell Moore is to lead the cast in Lucy Kirkwood’s Chimerica at the Almeida Theatre from 20 May. He’ll be joined by Sean Gilder, Trevor Cooper and Claudie Blakley
- Game of Thrones star Joe Dempsie will appear in the upcoming production of Even Stillness Breathes Softly Against A Brick Wall at the Soho Theatre from 28 May
- Good news for Bonnie Langford fans! She’s returning to the role of the Lady of the Lake in Monty Python’s Spamalot from 6 May
- The ever-brilliant Clive Rowe and John Heffernan are to join the previously announced Simon Russell Beale and John Simm in Jamie Lloyd’s production of The Hothouse at the Trafalgar Studios from 4 May
