Andrew Ryan News

With panto season just around the corner, Birmingham Hippodrome has today announced details of a new fundraising campaign which aims to raise over £12,000 to help support its growing programme of Relaxed Performances for audiences with special access needs and complex learning disabilities in 2017.

With less than one month to go until the opening of Birmingham's favourite pantomime, Qdos Entertainment and Birmingham Hippodrome are delighted to announce that West End actress and singer DANIELLE HOPE will join JOHN BARROWMAN, STEVE MCFADDEN, THE KRANKIES, JODIE PRENGER and MATT SLACK in this year's magical, festive production of Dick Whittington from Mon 19 Dec 2016 - Sun 29 Jan 2017. 

Soap star royalty arrived in Birmingham this week as Britain's favourite soap baddie, Steve McFadden paid an exclusive visit to the city's premiere theatre in countdown to the arrival of Birmingham's biggest panto!

Following last year's record-breaking production of Aladdin attended by nearly 120,000 people, Birmingham Hippodrome is thrilled to play host to another unmissable pantomime production of the rags-to-riches tale, Dick Whittington, this Christmas season. Scroll down to meet the cast!

With only two weeks to go until the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2016 kicks off, here's a little reminder of the fantastic acts that are heading up to Edinburgh this August: 

We speak to comedian Andrew Ryan about his 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show Ruined.

?A young woman seeking redemption helps a weary Wisconsin town re-discover its value while finding the meaning of home in the Syracuse University Department of Drama's production of the 2001 Off-Broadway musical The Spitfire Grill. Based on Lee David Zlotoff's 1996 film of the same name, The Spitfire Grill won the Richard Rodgers Award for New American Musical and was nominated for Best Off-Broadway Musical by the New York Outer Critics Circle and the Drama League.

Birmingham Hippodrome's smash-hit pantomime Aladdin closes on 31 January following a spectacular six week run of 74 performances. With over 118,000 admissions, Aladdin becomes the theatre's best-selling pantomime in 14 years.

A who's-who of entertainers and personalities will join Mark Shunock, star of 'Rock of Ages' at The Venetian Las Vegas and creator/producer of Mondays Dark, for the Mondays Dark two-year anniversary celebration taking place on Monday, Dec. 14 (doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m.) at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Following last year's record-breaking production of Jack and the Beanstalk, Birmingham Hippodrome has announced another all-star cast for this year's action-packed pantomime Aladdin, which runs from Saturday 19 December 2015 until Sunday 31 January 2016.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company presents the first New York revival of John & Jen, the musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by Greenwald and Lippa. The show officially opened last night, February 26th at The Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). BroadwayWorld takes you inside opening night below!

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company today announced that Conor Ryan (most recently seen in the Broadway production of Cinderella) would join Kate Baldwin would star in a rare revival of John & Jen, the musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by Greenwald and Lippa. This production will include the premiere of a new song, 'Trouble with Men.'

The Geffen Playhouse production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, is extending for a third time, now through December 21, 2014. The production, in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, is written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time.

The Geffen Playhouse production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, is extending again, now through December 7. The production, in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, is written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time.

The Geffen Playhouse production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, is now performing at the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. Written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time, this whip-smart philosophical comedy features Larry Cedar (Deadwood, PBS's Square One TV), David Melville (Travel Channel Lawrence of America, film Ironclad) and Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Associate Artistic Director at The Antaeus Company) and will be again helmed by director, Matt August (Broadway How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Due to popular demand, the production has extended now through November 23.

The Geffen Playhouse announces its production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. Written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time, this whip-smart philosophical comedy features Larry Cedar (Deadwood, PBS's Square One TV), David Melville (Travel Channel Lawrence of America, film Ironclad) and Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Associate Artistic Director at The Antaeus Company) and will be again helmed by director, Matt August (Broadway How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Discord began previews on October 7 with the press opening tonight, October 15. The closing date is currently scheduled for November 16.

The Geffen Playhouse announces its production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. Written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time, this whip-smart philosophical comedy features Larry Cedar (Deadwood, PBS's Square One TV), David Melville (Travel Channel Lawrence of America, film Ironclad) and Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Associate Artistic Director at The Antaeus Company) and will be again helmed by director, Matt August (Broadway How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Discord begins previews tonight, October 7 with the press opening on October 15. The closing date is currently scheduled for November 16.

The Geffen Playhouse announces its production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. Written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time, this whip-smart philosophical comedy features Larry Cedar (Deadwood, PBS's Square One TV), David Melville (Travel Channel Lawrence of America, film Ironclad) and Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Associate Artistic Director at The Antaeus Company) and will be again helmed by director, Matt August (Broadway How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Discord begins previews on October 7 with the press opening on October 15. The closing date is currently scheduled for November 16.

Tonight, August 14th, cast members from Newsies will take part in Stop the Presses: Newsboys of New York Rally at 54 Below.

The concert is billed as 'an evening of song, dance, backstage anecdotes, and special surprises from everyone's favorite newsboys (and girls).' Directed by Yvette Kojic, music directed by Benjamin Rauhala, and produced by Shoshana Feinstein.