Watch out for...

JEZ Butterworth, whose latest play The Ferryman sold every seat — in one day — for its run at the Royal Court from April 24. The play, to be directed by Sam Mendes, can’t extend beyond its five-week run at the Court. But I’m hearing pretty solid whispers that it will transfer to the Gielgud Theatre not too long after it closes on May 20. No deals can be confirmed yet, because the National Theatre hasn’t determined what’s happening with its long running, prize-winning play The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The NightTime: the Gielgud’s current occupant. (Curiously, the Curious Incident company were told yesterday that this page would be running a speculative item on their show’s future.) Anyway, rowing back to The Ferryman, the play by Butterworth (pictured) is set in rural Ireland against the backdrop of ‘The Troubles’, and is about how a Catholic family deals with matters close to home. Butterworth’s recent big hits include

Jerusalem and The River. ANDREW Lloyd Webber, who has extended the run of his new musical School Of Rock at the New London Theatre through to April 9. A new block of seats will go on sale today. The show garnered terrific reviews when it opened this week, and reminded people of the composer’s love of rock ’n’ roll. It is based on Richard Linklater’s movie about a lazy rock nerd who pretends to be a supply teacher at an elite American school. He teaches the kids how rock relates to life and, in the process, he learns things, too. Such as how to get up in the morning. The children who play the schoolkids are beyond all right. They’re brilliant — and provide just as much energy as David Fynn and Gary Trainor (who alternate the role of fake teacher Dewey Finn). The kids played their instruments; and I liked that they had a bit of backbone, and weren’t too cutesy. Florence Andrews, as the snooty headmistress who lets her hair down, is great, too. So rock on down to the New London and have yourself some fun. ALED JONES, who will serenade his younger self in The Snowman Show, which opens at the Peacock Theatre, London, on Wednesday. Jones asked Howard Blake, who wrote the spinetingling Walking In The Air for the Raymond Briggs animated Snowman film, to create a new arrangement for the Peacock — while a version of him singing the song when he was younger is shown on a screen. Jones also duets with himself on his recent album One Voice, which came out in the spring.