WATCH OUT FOR
SHARON D. CLARKE, who is superb in director Dominic Cooke’s production of August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. At the electrifying first preview on Wednesday at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton stage, Clarke led a cast that included O-T Fagbenle (an absolute revelation), Lucian Msamati, Clint Dyer, Giles Terra, Finbar Lynch, Stuart McQuarrie, Tamara Lawrance and Tunji Lucas, along with John Paul Connolly. It’s set in jazz-age Chicago and concerns a jealous diva and the exploitation of black musicians. And it’s all pretty damn brilliant. MATT CORNER, who will portray Frankie Valli in the long-running hit Jersey Boys from March 15 — around about the time the show celebrates its eighth birthday. Simon Bailey, Declan Egan and Matt Hunt also star at the piccadilly theatre. DAVID HARE, who has written a new play called The Red Barn. It’s based on Simenon’s novel La Main. Award-winning Rober this year at the Nation
ADRIAN LESTER and Charlotte Lucas, who star in the West end debut of Lolita Chakrabarti’s vital play red Velvet, in which Lester portrays 19th-century actor Ira Aldridge. it explores how Aldridge was denigrated by critics when he took over from edmund Kean to play othello. Director Indhu rubasingham and Chakrabarti have delved deeper
into the text since the play ran at the tricycle theatre in north London and st Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. it’s now a rare exploration of race and culture and the most important piece of theatre in London. it’s running at the Garrick as part of the Kenneth Branagh season. GINA McKEE and William Postlethwaite, who star in Florian Zeller’s early play The Mother, which has transferred from the Theatre Royal, Bath, to the Tricycle, where it opened this week to tremendous notices (although my esteemed colleague Quentin Letts was unmoved). Tickets have been flying out the door. Now the play is extending by a week, until March 12. A new batch of tickets will be available from 10am this morning.
sAndy dunCAn who has been persuaded — i’m told by Gary Barlow — to join the cast of the musical Finding neverland, for which Gary has penned the score, along with eliot Kennedy. Finding neverland is running at the Lunt-Fontanne theatre on Broadway and, way back when, Ms duncan starred as Peter Pan at the same venue. Finding neverland is, of course based on J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan story. duncan will play Madame du Maurier in the show from February 9 until March 27 only.