Alan Berry News

As the nominees and guests were arriving last night for the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards we managed to steal some of the nominees and presenters away for a quick chat. BroadwayWorld UK reporter Jamie Body discussed with them the importance of the audience to the theatre as well where they would keep their award if they won.

At a ceremony tonight at the Prince of Wales Theatre hosted by Jodie Prenger and Tom Read Wilson, the winners of the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards were announced. For the first time this year the event was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 hosted by Elaine Paige and Paddy O'Connell.

Come From Away is celebrating its first birthday in the West End! More tickets are going on sale, taking bookings through to 17 October 2020.

As the Olivier Award-winning a?oeBest New Musicala?? Come From Away enters its second year in the West End, it welcomes new cast members from Monday 10 February 2020. This joyous musical tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded air passengers during the wake of 9/11, and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed, and nerves ran high, but as uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

Tyrone Huntley today announced the nominations for the 20th annual WhatsOnStage Awards via WhatsOnStage's social channels, the only major theatre prize-giving decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves. The announcement of the nominations marks the opening of the final voting stage (until 27 January), with winners announced at the annual Awards Concert held on 1 March 2020 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

As hit musical Come From Away celebrates its 300th performance and 300,000th visitor in the UK, the Olivier Award-winning a?oeBest New Musicala?? announces that it will further extend its hugely successful run in the West End until 23 May 2020.

Cast, band members and fans of hit musical Come From Away in London celebrated Canada Day today, 1 July, by performing at Tottenham Court Road Station and sharing random acts of kindness with 500 passing commuters by handing out £5 travelcards. With this show of goodwill they hoped to honour the spirit of the musical and the residents of Newfoundland, Canada who welcomed stranded air passengers from around the world in the wake of 911.

Hit musical Come From Away will extend its run in the West End until 15 February 2020. Telling the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded air passengers during the wake of 9/11, and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them, the critically acclaimed production recently earned great success at the Olivier Awards, winning "Best New Musical", "Best Theatre Choreographer", "Best Sound Design" and "Outstanding Achievement in Music".

In producing 12 shows per season, sometimes Palm Canyon Theatre's productions become a blur, but their current offering, Grand Hotel, is one that will stay in viewers' memories for a long time. It is one of their most beautiful productions, combining top talent, design, direction, and choreography with a terrific show and score. It finishes its short run this weekend, and I suggest you run, not walk, to pick up tickets.

We'll be updating the list of nominees LIVE throughout this evening's Olivier Awards from London's Royal Albert Hall - winners are indicated IN BOLD!

Go behind the scenes at the nominations celebration, find out how some nominees found out, and how they feel about it.

Palm Canyon Theatre presents SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, a delightful adaptation of the 1998 film, for one weekend only. Not to be missed!

Today (Tuesday 5 March), actors Sheila Atim and Giles Terera announced the nominations for the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard, which takes place on Sunday 7 April at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Jason Manford.

Guys and Dolls is possibly the most frequently produced musical in the world. Since its Broadway debut in 1950, it has had numerous revivals on Broadway and the West End, and it has been tackled by just about every high school, college, and community theatre in the world. Fortunately, its popularity is justified, and it might become just a bit more popular in Palm Springs because of the production currently playing at the Palm Canyon Theatre. It has filled the house and been greeted with a standing ovation almost every performance in its first two weeks.

Fittingly, Palm Canyon Theatre has opened their 2018/2019 season with the classic Oklahoma!, deemed by many to be the foundation of the modern musical theatre. Originally appearing on Broadway in 1943, it is the first collaboration of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II, was a blockbuster hit in its original run, and has been filmed, revived, toured, and produced time and again in schools and theatres around the world. However, it's been quite a spell since it has been available to local theatregoers. PCT's production, under the direction of Derik Shopinski, is reverent to the original work, blessed with some amazing voices, boisterously staged, and absolutely delighted the audience on its opening weekend.

Sherlock star Amanda Abbington and Sunset Boulevard leading man Danny Mac are starring in the UK premiere of the musical A Little Princess by Tony-nominated composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa (Big Fish,The Addams Family, The Wild Party).

More star casting is announced for the UK premiere of the musical A Little Princess by Tony-nominated composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa (Big Fish,The Addams Family, The Wild Party).

DAMN YANKEES is one of those fun, classic musical comedies with no message and familiar tunes. The show is a bit too long, and many of the lyrics are dated. Still, in the hands of a company such as Palm Canyon Theatre, a community theatre with the expertise to present large-cast musicals, the feel-good, dance-intensive show will leave the audience smiling and humming. 

Matthew McKenna is unmasked today as the star and handsome hero of Bananaman the Musical.