Firstly, great news for anyone who’s still eager to see the great Railway Children, featuring that real life steam train at Waterloo Station. The show’s run has been extended until January, making this a great alternative to the flurry of pantos that are sure to grace London’s stages in the festive season.

Casting news for this week features a spot of déjà vu: Cold Feet duo Robert Bathurst and Hermione Norris are pairing up as husband and wife again, this time in Blithe Spirit at the Apollo Theatre. They’re joining the ever-brilliant Alison Steadman in Noel Coward’s ghostly comedy, which opens next year.

And I’ve got details about two hit shows returning to London too: the Olivier Award-winning Blackwatch comes to the Barbican this November as part of a season which features a Polish Macbeth and that birthday Les Miserables. And Pam Ann, the comedy air hostess creation of Aussie Caroline Reid, brings her stand-up show Flying High to the Vaudeville Theatre in September.

Finally, and most excitingly, I’ve heard rumours this week of a brand new musical featuring Kylie’s greatest hits! According to Company, Kylie says:

“Yes, (stylist and creative director) William Baker and I are working on getting the story written. I’m comfortable because it’s not my life story; it’s about the interpretation of my music.”

We’ve already been thinking of possible plot lines and titles here at VL towers. Better The Devil You Know? Fever? Tears on My Pillow? There are so many top hits to choose from! Add any other ideas to the comments below!

There’s Anthony Head (from Buffy to Merlin to the Old Vic) leading the cast in Six Degrees of Separation from January next year; and a winning team in Kim Cattrall and Matthew MacFadyen, starring in Noel Coward’s Private Lives at the Vaudeville from February. It suddenly seems a long time until the start of 2010; we can’t wait!

Another West End show which has benefitted from its fab celeb casting has announced closing dates this week. The wonderfully camp La Cage Aux Folles has featured star turns from Graham Norton and John Barrowman, but it’ll be shaking its feather-boas for the last time at the Playhouse Theatre on 2 January. Book now, if you haven’t seen it yet! Fittingly, like a well-made transvestite’s glove, the actor who opened this revival in London back in 2007, Douglas Hodge will be back wearing the diamonds and dresses for the final curtain. It’s sad news for London, but we should be proud that this award-winning, sequin-filled show is headed to Broadway for 2010.

And we move from award-winners to awards season in Theatreland! The Evening Standard Theatre Awards shortlist was announced this week. Dominated by the Royal Court (well done Jerusalem, Enron, Mark Rylance, Samuel West, and my favourite, Rupert Goold), there’s also shows from the National (August: Osage County) and the Lyric (Punk Rock). The prize for best musical will be fought out between two revivals, A Little Night Music and Hello, Dolly!, and two new productions, Been So Long and Spring Awakening. Read the complete shortlist here.

The ES awards will be announced at the Royal Opera House on 23 November. After that, we’ve got the Theatregoers’ Choice Awards and the Critics’ Circle Awards. We’ll bring you news on those when we have it!

Do the Evening Standard Theatre Awards sound a bit too passive for you, waiting to find out who the critics have chosen to reward for their talents? Would you prefer to have your say in who wins what? Then you should sign up to be an Olivier Awards judge! The lucky panel get to see about 80 shows in a year, before helping pick the best of the bunch. Sound like a dream come true? Sign up here.

Finally for this week, we’re thrilled to hit your silliness buttons again with news about SILENCE! The Musical, an unauthorised parody of the cult classic, The Silence of the Lambs, coming to London next year. The show features Olivier award-winner Miles Western as Hannibal Lecter, and opens on 19 January at The Above the Stag Theatre in Victoria. Expect singing serial killers, songs with titles we just can’t publish here, and a chorus of tap dancing lambs…