Breaking news
Sometimes, dreams do come true. Nicole Raquel Dennis was just ten years old when she knew she had to be a Dreamgirl. And yesterday, producer Sonia Friedman revealed that North London’s Dennis, who just turned 26, will play the lead role of Effie Melody White, backbone of The Dreams (a girl group loosely based on … Read more
Sitting at the table, watching old sitcoms out of the corner of her eye while having tea with her family, helped Esther Smith develop her comic chops. ‘I was a fan of The Good Life and Dad’s Army when I was growing up,’ the 33-year-old West Midlands-born actress told me. ‘When I got older, it … Read more
The big screen version of Take That musical The Band is being actively developed during the lockdown, with ‘high calibre’ film stars being sought to appear in it. ‘We’re putting it together, and once all the serious things settle down, we can get on with making it,’ Danny Perkins, chief executive of the Elysian Film … Read more
Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge are going to help Britain find its funny bone again by taking Noel Coward’s comic classic Private Lives on the road in October. David Pugh, who is producing with the newly formed Nigel Havers Theatre Company, said ticket prices would be kept low: under £10, with a top price under … Read more
At school Joe Cole learned lessons he’s put to good use in a scorching new television action thriller. The 31-year-old is the star of Sky’s ten-part Gangs Of London, in which he plays Sean Wallace, a public school-educated, cold-eyed scion of a crime family who takes over the business when his father (Colm Meaney) is … Read more
Sheridan Smith, who is expecting the arrival of her first baby in five weeks, told me that the ‘little fella’ loves a song and dance Sheridan Smith, who is expecting the arrival of her first baby in five weeks, told me that the ‘little fella’ loves a song and dance. The BAFTA and Olivier award-winning … Read more
Anyone still harbouring hopes of playing Princess Anna in the new West End production of Frozen might want to let it go, because I can reveal that Irish actress Stephanie McKeon has been chosen to play the klutzy but kind-hearted redhead who comes to the aid of her big sister Elsa in the musical. Samantha … Read more
Helen McCrory and Damian Lewis have been toying with the idea of making their first West End appearance together — hopefully next year, if their respective upended commitments will permit. The couple fell in love when both were cast in the play Five Gold Rings at the off-West End Almeida Theatre back in 2003. ‘Damian … Read more
Michael Ball will be boasting a scene-stealing, 54EEE treasure chest in the hit musical Hairspray when it moves to a brand new date in the autumn. Ball won awards and accolades during the original run 13 years ago for his turn as larger-than-life laundress Edna Turnblad. In addition to that awe-inspiring bust, Edna is also … Read more
Award-winning star Kristin Scott Thomas is delighted that people will still get to hear her sing in the Military Wives feature film, even though its cinema release was cut short by the coronavirus outbreak. Scott Thomas plays Kate, the colonel’s lady who, with other wives on an army base — including fellow star Sharon Horgan … Read more