Hannah Waddingham, Harriet Thorpe and Janie Dee at One Night Only at The Ivy

London Theatre News Today: Friday 6 December

By Hira Desai First Published 6 December 2019, Last Updated 9 December 2019

We are super excited to announce that Aaron Sorkin’s Tony Award-nominated production, To Kill A Mockingbird, is set to land in the West End at the Gielguld Theatre from 21 May 2020. Based on the hit 1960 Harper Lee novel, which sold 45 million copies worldwide, this much-awaited stage adaption is slated for a huge success after its Broadway production was a critical sensation with no production playing to an empty seat. Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the publication and we can’t wait to see it come alive on stage. If you want to know more, click below. But don’t wait around too long as tickets are flying off the shelves! 

Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill A Mocking Bird is landing in the West End in 2020

Shakespeare’s Globe announced further details of Notes To The Forgotten She-Wolves, and Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men; one-off performances coming to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in January and February 2020.

Featuring five different performances, Notes To The Forgotten She-Wolves, directed by Athena Stevens will see 20 writers spotlight the lives and work of women from recent, distant and ancient past whose stories have been neglected or wrongly remembered. Jasmine Lee-Jones, Catherine Mayer, Sandi Toksvig, Eve Leigh, Sabrina Mahfouz and Winsome Pinnock will contribute to this anthology of new writing, with several writers performing their own work.

Women whose lives will be showcased include American aviator Bessie Coleman, Restoration playwright and poet Aphra Behn, paleontologist Mary Anning and writer and television presenter Paula Yates.

On 20 February, the Playhouse will host Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men, a new black comedy by actor and writer Lorien Haynes, directed by Tara Fitzgerald (Brassed Off, Game Of Thrones), which tells a woman’s relationship history backwards and explores the impact of sexual assault, addiction and teen pregnancy on her adult relationships. Presented in association with Rise and The Circle, all profits from this event will go towards supporting survivors of sexual violence.

The cast will include: Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The OA), Lorien Haynes (Egerton) Jonathan Firth (Victoria and Albert, Far From the Madding Crowd), Joe Sims (Britannia, Broadchurch) and Charlie Field (Poldark). Nobel-Prize nominee and founder of Rise, Amanda Nguyen, will introduce the evening.

Notes To The Forgotten She-Wolves playing at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2020. Credit: Shakespeare’s Globe

Theatrical charity, Acting for Others today announced that over £90,000 has been raised at this year’s One Night Only at The Ivy.

The event was held on 1 December and saw stars of the stage and screen swap their costumes for aprons, serving diners for a one-off sitting at The Ivy. Hostesses included Tracie Bennett, David Mitchell and Shelia Hancock, whilst husband and wife duos Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter, and Dame Emma Thompson and Greg Wise were maître d’s for the evening. Shaking up cocktails and serving drinks behind the bar was Phyllis Logan, Harriet Thorpe, Ginny Holder and Jodie Prenger, whilst top notch service was executed by wait staff including Annette Badland, Laura Carmichael, Janie Dee, Michael C. Fox, Cassidy Janson, George Layton, Caroline Quentin, Jemma Redgrave and Hannah Waddingham.

Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Penelope Wilton were also in attendance at the Dame and Knights table.

After dinner, an auction led by Carl Mullaney took place with various prizes. A walk on part in The Phantom of the Opera went for the highest amount at £13,000.

Sir Stephen Walley, co-chairman of Acting for Others said, “What a brilliant year, once again we must thank all the actors who turned their hands to service at The Ivy on Sunday evening, as well as those who donated auction prizes and those who won them and gave so generously. Together they were able to raise over £90,000 for Acting for Others to help us continue to support all theatre-workers in need.”

Director of The Ivy, Fernando Peire added, “Acting for Others once more pulled out all the stops on Sunday night. The Ivy in Theatreland hosted another memorable evening filled with famous faces from stage and screen, much laughter and merriment and, most importantly, abundant generosity from The Ivy’s patrons.”

Ian McKellen and Sheila Hancock at One Night Only at The Ivy

Annette Badland and Imelda Staunton at One Night Only at The Ivy

Hannah Waddingham, Harriet Thorpe and Janie Dee at One Night Only at The Ivy

David Mitchell, Emma Thompson and Victoria Coren Mitchell at One Night Only at The Ivy

The Young Vic today announced that due to public demand, the currently sold out production of Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fairview will extend until Thursday 23 January 2020 for six additional performances. 

Directed by Nadia Latif, the show follows the story of the Frasier family as they gather to celebrate Grandma’s birthday. Tyrone has missed his flight, Keisha is freaking out about college and Grandma has locked herself in the bathroom. Following a ground-breaking, sell-out run in New York, this hard-hitting drama examines race in a layered structure, bringing audiences into the the actors’ community to face deep-seated prejudices.

Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Rhashan Stone and Nicola Hughes in Fairview playing at The Young Vic. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Tagged:
acting for others cassidy janson david mitchell emma thompson gielgud theatre harriet thorpe imelda staunton jim carter nadia latif phyllis logan Sam Wanamaker Playhouse Shakespeare's Globe sheila hancock the young vic to kill a mockingbird tracie bennett

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