Curtain Call: Tributes Paid To UK Jazz Star Cleo Laine, Ncuti Gatwa To Play Christopher Marlowe With The Royal Shakespeare Company
Ana Villafañe - Dimitrios Kambouris
Broadway: Casting has been announced for the latest revival of Damn Yankees, in the musical’s first major revival for the 21st century. Running from Tuesday, September 9, 2025, until Sunday, November 9, 2025, the production is to star Ana Villafañe, Rob McClure, and Jordan Donica. Also appearing will be Quentin Earl Darrington, Bryonha Marie, Nehal Joshi, Keenan McCarter, Rayanne Gonzales, and Sarah Anne Sillers.
Renée Elise Goldsberry and Carl Clemons-Hopkins are to star alongside Richard Thomas in the upcoming world premiere of The Balusters, the new play from David Lindsay-Abaire. This will mark Goldsberry’s return to Broadway after having previously appeared in Hamilton. Meanwhile, Clemons-Hopkins makes his Broadway debut after appearing in TV shows, such as Hacks, as well as numerous Off-Broadway productions. The production is set to open in spring 2026 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
John Leguizamo - JC Olivera/Stringer
Off-Broadway: Casting has been confirmed for the upcoming production of This World of Tomorrow, by Tom Hanks and James Glossman. Being brought to the stage by Tony Award winning television and Broadway director Kenny Leon, the play will be based on short stories from Hanks. The celebrated Hollywood star will be starring in the lead role in the play. Appearing alongside him will be Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jamie Ann Romero, and Donald Webber Jr., among others. The play will be showing at the Griffin Theater in The Shed, based in Manhattan. It is to be running from Thursday, October 30, 2025, through Sunday, December 21, 2025.
Casting has been announced for the upcoming production of The Other Americans, the new play from Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo, which tackles themes of race and identity. Leguizamo is to be playing the lead role of Nelson Castro, a Colombian American laundromat owner living in Queens, New York. Starring alongside him will be Rosa Evangelina Arredondo, Sarah Nina Hayon, Rebecca Jimenez, Trey Santiago-Hudson, Bradley James Tejeda, and Luna Lauren Velez. Written by Leguizamo and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the play will be running from Thursday, September 11, 2025, until Sunday, October 12, 2025, with its official opening set for Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Public’s Anspacher Theater.
York Theatre Company will be presenting the world premiere of This Is Not A Drill, a new musical about the false alarm for a missile attack that took place in Hawaii in 2018. The musical is co-written by Holly Doubet, who had been present in Hawaii at the time, and will be playing at the Theatre at St. Jean’s from Tuesday, September 9, 2025, until Saturday, October 11, 2025. The cast includes Matthew Curiano, Kelvin Moon Loh, Sam Poon, and Aurelia Williams.
The world premiere has been announced for The Essentialisn’t, a new play from Eisa Davis which reflects on performance and race. The premiere will form part of the HERE’s upcoming 2025-26 season, alongside two other world premiere performances. The play will be running from Wednesday, September 10, 2025, until Sunday, September 28, 2025, at the HERE Mainstage Theatre on 145 Sixth Avenue, New York.
Benji Santiago
Regional: Hamilton actor Christopher Jackson is to star in The Crossover, a musical adaptation of the novel by Kwame Alexander. Written for the stage by Alexander and Candrice Jones, and directed by Jade King Carroll, the play has been commissioned by the Chautauqua Theater Company, a company based in Chautauqua, New York, and is to be staged in both Chautauqua and Manhattan, with a date for the premiere still to be announced.
Casting has been finalized for the upcoming production of Tony-nominated musical She Loves Me, showing at Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Playhouse from Friday, August 15, 2025, until Sunday, September 14, 2025. Included in the cast are Clyde Voce, known for roles in Floyd Collins and Dating in Retrograde, and Kennedy Kanagawa, seen in Into the Woods and The Time of Their Lives. Also appearing in the production will be Candice Hatakeyama and Nigel Jamal Hall. “We are absolutely delighted to bring the jewel-box musical She Loves Me to the Playhouse stage,” stated Alexander Fraser, producing director of Bucks County Playhouse. “It’s a show filled with charm, wit, and heart.” The show will have its official opening on Thursday, August 16, 2025.
Jasmine Forsberg and Benji Santiago are to star in the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson and Ari Afsar’s new musical, I & You. The production, based on Gunderson’s 2013 play, tells the story of a housebound student being visited by one of their classmates. Directed by Sarah Rasmussen, the musical will be running from Saturday, September 13, 2025, until Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the McCarter Theatre Center in New Jersey.
Ben Onwukwe - Dave Benett
International: New promotional material has been released by the Royal Shakespeare Company for its upcoming play, Born With Teeth, which tells the story of Shakespeare’s relationship with contemporary playwright and possible collaborator Christopher Marlowe. Ncuti Gatwa, star of Doctor Who and Sex Education, is to star as Marlowe, appearing alongside Edward Bluemel as Shakespeare. The production will be running for 11 weeks, from Wednesday, August 13, 2025, until Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Wyndham’s Theatre in London.
Ben Onwukwe is to star in a new production of Stephen King’s The Shawshank Redemption, leading alongside Joe McFadden and Bill Ward. Onwukwe will be reprising the role of inmate Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding, having previously played the character back in 2016 and then again in 2022. Also appearing in the cast will be Ashley D. Gayle, Fernando Mariano, and Aein Nasseri. The production will open at Theatre Royal Windsor on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, before embarking on a full UK tour.
Musician Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks is to make his stage debut in Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr. Sloane, in a new production running at the Young Vic in London from Monday, September 15, 2025, until Saturday, November 8, 2025. “I love the Young Vic and feel incredibly grateful to have this opportunity,” Stephens stated. “I’m terrified and excited. I couldn’t have imagined my stage debut arriving in this way. What an honor.” Director Nadia Fall added that “Jordan Stephens is an artistic polymath, from writing and screen to music and his campaigning. He has the ear of a new generation who will be discovering Orton for the first time through Jordan’s Sloane; the thought of that is simply thrilling.”
Kit Young is to star as George Knightley in a new production of Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma, reimagined to be set in the present day. Young will be appearing alongside Amelia Kenworthy in the title role and with Adrian Richards as John Knightley. The production, which is being held at Rose Theatre in Kingston, London, will be running from Wednesday, September 17, 2025, until Saturday, October 11, 2025, and will mark the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth.
Tosh Wanogho-Maud has joined the cast for the ongoing revival of Kinky Boots, the Tony, Olivier, and Grammy Award-winning musical based on the 2005 film. Wanogho-Maud is to take over from Johannes Radebe in the role of Lola for tours across the UK and Europe. Also joining the cast will be Annell Odartey, alongside continuing performers Courtney Bowman, Kofi Dennis, Kaya Farrugia, and Ashley-Jordon Packer.
Casting has been finalized for the upcoming play Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, the first-ever original stage adaptation of the iconic detective series from ITV. The titular role of Inspector Morse will be played by Tom Chambers, whilst his partner, Lewis, is to be played by the rapper and star of Waterloo Road, Tachia Newall. Also appearing in the cast are the recent RADA graduates Josh Katembela, Robert Mountford, and Olivia Onyehara. The play will open in Birmingham on Thursday, August 28, 2025, before touring the rest of the UK. Director Andrew Banks stated that “I’m very excited to start working with this fantastic cast who will bring these much-loved characters to life and make them their own.”
Gabrielle Brooks is to star in Coven, a new musical based around the Pendle witch trials, which took place in rural Lancashire, England, during the 1600s. Brooks will be starring as Jennet, who is accused of witchcraft after having previously accused her own family of the same crime. Also appearing in the cast will be Allyson Ava-Brown and Shiloh Coke, with production confirmed for an extended run from Friday, October 31, 2025, until Saturday, December 20, 2025.
Almeida Theatre in London has confirmed the details of the cast for its world premiere of Alice Birch’s play Romans: A Novel, in which Kyle Soller of Andor will be starring. Appearing alongside him will be Adelle Leonce, best known for her roles in Black Mirror and A Discovery of Witches; the actress and ballet dancer Yanexi Enriquez; and the actor and musician Olivier Huband. Romans, which examines notions of masculinity across time, will be running at the Almeida from Tuesday, September 9, 2025, until Saturday, October 11, 2025.
Casting has been confirmed for the upcoming production of Bacchae. Named after the ancient Greek tragedy, the play by Nima Taleghani will be the first debut production to be shown on the National Theatre’s new Olivier stage. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham as part of her inaugural season at the National, the play’s latest casting announcements include Amanda Wilkin, Elèna Gyasi, Tyreke Leslie, and Natasha Magigi. “Nima’s energetic retelling of Euripides’ ancient tragedy is an exhilarating debut play,” stated Rubasingham. “Bacchae will be a riot of words, music, and movement. I am proud to be directing such a wonderful company. This spirit of reinvention and telling ancient stories with a modern voice has long been a part of the National Theatre, and we look forward to welcoming audiences both old and new.” The play will be showing at the Olivier Theatre from Saturday, September 13, 2025, until Saturday, November 1, 2025, as well as being set to show in schools and colleges throughout the UK and on the National Theatre’s streaming service.
The cast and crew have been announced for the upcoming pantomime Mama Goose, playing at the Stratford East Theatre in London, England, from Friday, November 21, 2025, until Saturday, January 3, 2026. The play is the latest from Stratford East to rework classic tales for local audiences. Appearing in the cast will be Duane Gooden, Mya Fox-Scott, Jerome Lincoln, Ellie Seaton, Grace Venus, and Marcellus Whyte. The play will be written and directed by Vikki Stone and Tonderai Munyevu.
Stratford East has also confirmed the full cast and crew for the upcoming UK premiere of The Harder They Come, a reggae musical based on the Jamaican film of the same name. Adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks, the musical had originally opened at Stratford East back in 2006. The new production will star Natey Jones in the lead role of aspiring singer Ivan, alongside Danny Bailey, Josie Benson, Craig Blake, Madeline Charlemagne, Jason Pennycooke, Simon-Anthony Rhoden, and Thomas Vernal. The play will be directed by Matthew Xia and will be running from Saturday, September 13, 2025, until Saturday, October 25, 2025.
Cleo laine - David Redfern
Industry: Cleo Laine, one of the UK’s preeminent jazz singers and musicians, has died at the age of 97. Laine was also an accomplished theater actress, having been nominated for the Tony Awards for her role in a Broadway production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. She also found success at the Grammys, receiving nominations within the jazz, pop, and classical music genres. A recipient of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Laine was described by the BBC after her passing as “the most recognizable British jazz singer in history.” She passed away on Thursday, July 24, 2025, and is survived by her two children, Alec and Jacqueline.
The renowned Indian theater maestro, Ratan Thiyam, has passed away at the age of 77. One of modern Indian theater’s most influential directors and the founder of Chorus Repertory Theatre in Manipur, Thiyam, received a flow of tributes from across the state of Manipur in India in recognition of his significant contributions to India’s cultural landscape. The Manipur government released a statement saying, “With profound grief and deep sorrow, we mourn the passing of Padma Shri recipient and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Ratan Thiyam—a towering figure in Indian theatre and a cultural icon of Manipur. We join the artistic fraternity and the nation in remembering his extraordinary legacy.”
