Johannes Radebe is set to make his West End debut next year in the hit musical Kinky Boots! He plays the iconic lead role of Lola in the production which is currently on tour.
Born and raised in Zamdela Sasolburg, Johannes Radebe started dancing at just 7 years old! By 21, Johannes left South Africa to work on cruise ships. Shortly after, Dancing With The Stars invited him to join the debut season of their international hit show in South Africa. Following this, Strictly Come Dancing head-hunted him which saw his dance career flourish and him becoming a breakout star.
Johannes Radebe gave this statement followng this announcement of Kinky Boots strutting into the London Coliseum:
I left my township in Zamdela at the age of 21 to dance in the ensemble on a cruise ship. Every night we did ABBA. That was my dream come true. Never then, nor since then, was it in my wildest dreams that I would have the opportunity to star in a musical in London’s West End. And not just any musical – my favourite musical. Kinky Boots. My involvement in Kinky Boots has been six years in the making, and Lola was the only role I ever wanted to play… I’ll be walking in the footsteps of theatre and entertainment giants who have performed on that stage, and I’ll be doing it in my own sequined pair of red leather Kinky Boots. I cannot wait! Thank you and see you next year.
Kinky Boots is based on a true story and also, a movie of the same name released in 2005. It follows Charlie Price who inherits his family’s failing shoe factory, saving the company – as well as his love life – feels like an impossibly tall order. Until, that is, he meets Lola (played by Johannes Radebe) the sparkling, larger-than-life drag queen with the unlikeliest of answers. In creating specialist shoes for Drag Artistes. The show is a glorious celebration of friendship and individuality.
Pop Star Cyndri Lauper wrote the original songs for this award-winning musical. In response to the news about the show returning to the West End, she said the folowing:
I’m so thrilled that Kinky Boots is returning home to London! When audiences leave the show, they feel happy and uplifted, and that’s something the world could really use right now. It’s so wonderful that this musical keeps bringing joy and acceptance to people around the world.
Catch Johaness Radebe in Kinky Boots stunning return to the West End at The London Coliseum from 3rd March 2026 – 11th July 2026. Tickets go on sale 15th July 2025.
Booking a show at one of the Oldest West End Theatres is a great way to tick off multiple things on your trip to London. See a great show? Tick. Visit a historic venue? Tick. Take in beautiful classic theatrical architecture? Tick! London is a city with rich history and culture, so embrace it all. Here’s the run down on the oldest theatre venues and the current productions playing there.
There has been a theatre on this site since 1663. It was built during the Restoration period under the commission of King Charles II. This venue takes the top spot in our list of the oldest West End theatres. Many famous faces have trod the boards here from Nell Gwyn in the 1600s to Rex Harrison in the 1960s and most recently Tom Hiddleston in Much Ado About Nothing.
The venue first started operating under its current name after its rebuild in 1678. The building as you see it today is the 3rd physical building on this site of the same name. The current design is by Benjamin Wyatt from the reconstruction in 1812. Although restoration work took place in 2013, most of the features are as they would have been when they reopened their doors more than 200 years ago.
The current production at the oldest theatre in the West End is Hercules. It is a brand new production at this historic venue. In fact it officially opened just 2 weeks ago! It is an adaptation of the classic Disney musical about the Greek demigod Hercules.
The Theatre Royal Haymarket is the 2nd place for the oldest west end theatres. Although the venue was built in 1720, the theatre as you see it today is from a redesign in 1821. Back in the 1720’s you couldn’t legally sell tickets to put on a show without the permission of the Royal Family which hadn’t been granted to this venue. As such, it was often closed by the Constabulary. The theatre was shut down in 1737 due to its highly popular yet political plays. This was due to new censorship laws that came into place. It reopened 8 years later. It wasn’t until 1754 that the venue finally received The Royal Patent which allowed it to legally put on shows.
Interestingly, The Theatre Royal Haymarket only received the royal patent due to a prank gone wrong! The owner Samuel Foote was a close friend of the Duke Of York. On a hunting trip the Royal Hunting Party gave Foote a known difficult horse. Unfortunately, the horse threw Foote off the saddle which resulted in a nasty leg break and a following amputation! Foote used this to his advantage to secure the Royal Patent for the venue which is still a royal venue to this day.
The theatre was a favorite of Queen Victoria however, the building as you see it today is mainly from its renovation in 1930. They’ve built a reputation for having stars on stage. Stars such as Derek Jacobi, Maggie Smith and Dame Judi Dench to name a few.
Currently, the venue is showing Till The Stars Come Down until 27th September 2025. The Production after that welcomes other famous face to tread the boards. From 26th October, Othello will play at this historic venue with celebrities David Harewood, Toby Jones and Caitlin FitzGerald following in many a famous footstep.
Coming in at 3rd place of London’s oldest West End Theatres is The Adelphi Theatre. It was founded in 1806 by a merchant and his daughter Jane Scott and was originally named Sans Pareil.
Jane Scott retired in 1819 after writing more than 50 stage pieces and even translations! Following this, the theatre reopened under its current name. The venue was renowned during this period for it’s melodramas before turning to more serious dramas when it changed hands in 1844.
Throughout the late 1800s renovations took place which included knocking through the two buildings adjacent to it. This is how the venue now has the capacity to seat 1500 people as it does today.
Althought this old theatre is rich with history, the venue as you see it today is in an art deco style from it’s redesign in 1930.
The Vaudeville Theatre is the 4th out of our oldest West End theatres. It opened in 1870, mainly showing Vaudeville shows, hence its name. Interestingly, in it’s inaugural year, the great Henry Irving had his first success in a play that held 300 performances at the theatre!
The Vaudeville Theatre was very successful for its first 50 years, particularly and was the first theatre to surpass 1000 performances of a production of Our Boys. Even local bus drivers called the Theatre Our Boys instead of its name because it was so well known for this.
As the venue struggled for backstage space in its original construction and so a redesign in 1925 tackled this by reducing the audience capacity to 690. However, despite this redesign the ceiling still has the beautiful fan design from 1870.
This historical theatre is in fact, celebrating herstory with the hit musical Six. The show has reigned at The Vaudeville Theatre for 4 years.
The Savoy Theatre is the 5th and final one on our list of the Oldest West End Theatres. It was opened in 1881 with the intention of putting on Gilbert and Sullivan Shows. They used proceeds of the successful shows to fund the famous adjacent Savoy hotel which opened just 5 years after the theatre.
The Savoy Theatre made history when it opened as it was the first ever building to be entirely lit by electricity.
Although it is one of the newer venues, The Savoy is striking when you step inside. In 1929, management closed the venue to redecorate in an art deco style. The Theatre is such a good example of art deco design due to a fire that broke out in 1990. The fire left only the stage and backstage untouched. Due to the building’s history and being registered as a listed building, the management had to restore the building as it was.
Currently, the theatre is dark but just this week, Burlesque the musical will open at this beautiful and historic theatre.
The festive favourite Elf The Musical is returning to the London this Christmas! This time the show will run at the West End’s Aldwych Theatre.
The Aldwych Theatre is the current home to TINA: The Tina Turner Musical. However TINA is set to close on 13 September 2025 after a very successful 7 years in the West End.
Based on the much loved film of the same name starring Will Ferrell Elf The Musical premiered in the West End back in 2015. The smash hit comedy musical has played many a sold-out season at the West End’s Dominion Theatre since 2022 and this year finds a new home.
Elf The Musical tells the story of Buddy, a young child who accidentally hops into Santa’s sack and finds himself in the North Pole. He is then raised as an elf but never feels like he quite fits in. After finding out the truth Buddy heads to New York in search of his birth father and chaos ensues.
Elf features a book by Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone). With songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer). This production will once again be directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, with choreography by Liam Steel. Casting for the show will be announced in due course.
Elf The Musical will run at the Aldwych Theatre in London for a strictly limited 10 week season from 28 October 2025 to 3 January 2026.
Keep up to date with all things London Theatre with LSBO News. Here you can find everything you need to know about the West End including new shows and casting updates. In addition you can book your London theatre tickets here on the LSBO website.
Take a look at these brand new production photos of Rachel Zegler and the cast of Evita!
Evita opened at the London Palladium on 14 June 2025. The musical is running for a strictly limited season and is set to close on 6 September 2025.
The new production is directed by Jamie Lloyd. Evita stars Golden Globe winner Rachel Zegler (Snow White, West Side Story) as Eva Perón. Also starring alongside her in his West End debut is Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che. They are then joined by James Olivas (American Idiot) as Juan Perón. Furthermore the cast includes Aaron Lee Lambert (Hamilton) as Agustín Magaldi with Bella Brown (Hadestown) as The Mistress / Alternate Eva.
In addition, the Evita cast is completed by Carl Au, Gabriela Benedetti, Shakara Brown, Damian Buhagiar, Kyeirah D’Marni, Sally Frith, DeAngelo Jones, Lucas Koch, Natasha Leaver, Michael Lin, Dianté Lodge, Louis Mackrodt, Mireia Mambo, Mia Mullarkey, Perry O’Dea, Alysha Sontae, Monica Swayne, Jon Tsouras and Harrison Wilde, with Myla Carmen, Barney Hudson, Nathan Louis-Fernand, Kirsty Anne Shaw, Ricardo Spriggs and Regan Bailey Walker as Swings. Auora Breslin, Lois Haidar, Siena Merilind-Wu and Ffion Rosalie Williams share the role of The Child.
Below are the incredible new production photos of Evita – photographs by Marc Brenner.
Keep up to date with all the latest theatre news and check out more production shots like these with LSBO News.
London Pride Parade 2025 is taking place on 5th July 2025. Whether you’re coming down to the West End to take part in the parade or supporting as a spectator, why not finish the day off with one of the many London shows which also represent the LGBTQIA+ community!
What is London Pride?
The event is also officially known as Pride in London. It is an annual event which initially started as a protest to fight for the rights for the LGBTQIA+ community. As the years have passed, the event has become both a rally for the community but also a celebration of it! Pride in London is now a non-for-profit organisation run by a volunteer-powered LGBTQ+ force which aims to “unite our voices, amplify our diversity and protest against inequality.” This year’s route runs from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall. There are also many stages along the route and in the West End which will have performances from music acts and speeches from activists throughout the day.
Reviewed by many as “a celebration of queer culture” and “a camp musical parody of Titanic”, Titanique is a really fun choice of musical to celebrate London Pride. Not only is it a beloved, Olivier-award-winning musical but it also plays on Sundays! That means you don’t have to cut your pride celebrations short and can catch a matinee or evening performance the day after the big event.
The musical features all Celine Dion music and is written by RuPaul’s Drag Race casting director, Tye Blue. It runs for an hour and a half with no interval and is part improvised. It uses many pop culture references which has the audiences loving every moment.
Titanique have just welcomed a new cast including Luke Bayer, Hiba Elchikhe, Richard Carson, Carl Mullaney and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. They joined existing cast members, Lauren Drew who plays diva, Celine Dion. Darren Bennett and Charlotte Wakefield also remain in the cast.
This musical celebrates the queer community throughout history. It also is based on a book by Christopher Isherwood and his real experiences as a gay man around cabaret clubs in Germany at the rise of the Nazi party.
The musical is hugely popular in London and it’s also very close to the end of the London Pride parade on Embankment. With hit music written by Kander and Ebb, the musical tells the story of cabaret artists in a club in Berlin in the late 1920’s. This particular revival won 7 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival when it opened.
The current cast of Cabaret is lead by Bridgerton star Hannah Dodd as Sally Bowles and TikTok sensation Rob Madge as the MC. They will lead the show until 20th September. You can read more details of the current cast here.
The Devil Wears Prada has music by the iconic, Elton John. It is based on the hit film starring Meryll Streep. It is about a girl who secures a job as a PA to the editor of a high end fashion magazine. The show follows her journey to survive and thrive in the cut throat fashion industry.
This fun movie musical has choreography full of catwalks and vogueing. It stars Vanessa Williams as the “devil”, Miranda Priestly. She will be appearing in this high fashion musical until October this year. Not only are the creative team on this show members of the LGBTQ+ community, but the storylines celebrate that community also. Particularly in a touching number sung by Matt Henry as Nigel in the shows 2nd act.
This musical is celebrating all Queens this London Pride! Six the Musical is in a handy location for all pride-goers this year as it is on the Strand, close to the Trafalgar Stage and the Victoria Garden Stage. It also plays twice on both Saturdays and Sundays. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, this fringe show has turn into a global sensation!
Six The Musical tells the story of the women who married the infamous King Henry VIII. It gives a voice to the women whose voices have been lost in history. The 90 minute musical rewrites herstory! Each queen is a nod to an iconic pop star and follows a concert format.
Your current Queens in Six the Musical are Jaz Robinson as Catherine of Aragon Thao Therese Nguyen as Anne Boleyn, Hana Stewart as Jane Seymour, Dionne Ward-Anderson as Anna of Cleves, Caitlin De Kuyper as Katherine Howard and Amelia Kinu Muus as Catherine Parr.
London Pride is also a celebration of love and this musical does that! The movie famously has the quote “The greatest thing you can ever learn is to love and to be loved in return.” The story certainly embraces this ideal.
Based on the hit Baz Luhrmann film, this musical follows a doomed love story between a writer and a worker at the Moulin Rouge. The characters in Moulin Rouge have their own found family there and it also celebrates LGBTQ+ characters in the story’s subplots. It is a jukebox musical so it features some of your favourite pop songs. Not only that, it is a feast for the eyes! The attention to detail in the production transforms The Piccadilly Theatre into the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
The current cast includes Natalie Kassanga as Satine, Dom Simpson as Christian, Craig Ryder as Harold Zidler. Also there’s Dex Lee as Toulouse-Lautrec, Ben Richards as The Duke, Ivan De Freitas as Santiago and Charlotte Gooch as Nini Hannah. Lastly, Jay-Allan as Arabia Matteo Johnson as Baby Doll Bernadette Bangura as La Chocolat.
Celebrate this year’s London Pride in the pride lands! This is the second musical you can catch this pride weekend written by pop legend Elton John.
The Lion King is based on the hit Disney animated movie. It follows the story of lion cub, Simba in his journey to reclaim his throne. It uses beautiful puppetry to bring the pridelands and its animals to life. The show is now in its 26th year in the West End. Also, it plays on a Sunday afternoon so is another great choice if you don’t want to cut your pride celebration short on Saturday.
Leading the pack of this production are George Asprey as Scar, Shaun Escoffery as Mufasa, Thenjiwe Nofemele as Rafiki, Gary Jordan as Zazu, Alan McHale as Timon, Mark Roper as Pumbaa, Owen Chaponda as Simba and Merryl Ansah as Nala.
There are only 2 weeks left to catch My Master Builder starring Ewan McGregor. The show is playing for a limited run at The Wyndhams Theatre and must close on 12th July.
This new take on the classic Henrik Ibsen play is Ewan McGregor’s return to the West End after 17 years. My Master Builder is a play which takes place over the course of an evening. Ewan McGregor plays Henry Solness whose wife, Elena (played by Kate Fleetwood) throws a party for him to celebrate his new architectrual triumph. Elena extends the invite to Mathilde, played by Elizabeth Debicki. Mathilde is an old student of Henry’s with whom he shared an intimate connection with. The evening unfolds as well as the characters lives along the way.
The cast of My Master Builder also includes David Ajala as Ragnar and Mirren Mack as Kaia. Lastly, completing the cast are Kai Antoine, Richard Ede, Elizabeth Healy and Jane Mahady as the understudies.
This adaptation has been rewritten by Lila Raicek. Michael Grandage is the director for this production. The remaining creative team are Richard Kent (Set and Costume Designer), Paule Constable (Lighting Designer) and Adam Cork (Sound Designer and Composer). This is as well as Bethany West (Associate Director), Kate West (Production Manager), Lisa Aitken (Costume Supervisor), and Kate Margretts (Prop Supervisor).
Critics felt that this production of My Master Builder is “robustly elegant”. They also gave lots of praise to power-house Kate Fleetwood for her “magnetic” performance as Elena Solness.
There are only 2 weeks left for you to catch Ewan McGregor’s return to the West End, so book your cheap tickets to My Master Builder now before it’s too late!
Jeevan Braich saved the day last night by returning to Starlight Express, West End. He resumed performances last night as the lead role of Rusty. This is due to Gavin Adams recently sustaining a shoulder injury in the show.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Starlight Express is about a childrens train set that comes to life. The production released this statement announcing Jeevan Braich rejoining the show:
“Jeevan returns to the role in place of Gavin Adams, who is taking some time off from the show due to a recent shoulder injury. To allow Gavin the time he needs, the production is delighted to welcome Jeevan back to Starlight Express and looks forward to Gavin’s return once he has fully recovered.”
Jeevan Braich made his debut in this production. In fact, he won the What’s On Stage Award for Best Professional Debut Performance for this.
He is joining the already complete cast which includes Sophie Naglik as Pearl, Olivia Ringrose as Greaseball, Asher Forth as Electra and Georgia Pemberton as Dinah. Also in the cast is Jade Marvin as Momma McCoy and Jaydon Vijn as Hydra. The remaining cast are Jamie Addison, Jessie Angell, Ollie Augustin, Evan Taylor Benyacar, Charles Butcher, Cletus Chan, Tamara Verhoven Clyde, Jamie Cruttenden, Kelly Downing, Isaac Edwards, Maddy Erzan-Essien, Sam Gallacher, Lucy Glover, Scott Hayward, Dante Hutchinson, Iwan James, Lewis Kidd, Hannah Kiss and Nicole Louise-Lewis. Lastly there’s Bethany Rose Lythgoe, Jessica Niles, Temi Olawole, Harrison Peterkin, RED, Ashley Rowe, Nicky Wong Rush, Charlie Russell, Gary Sheridan, Lara Vina Uzcatia and Amber Weston.
The musical is based on a novel about a man who lives in the Paris Opera House. He is a musical genius who falls in love with his musical protegee Christine Daee. He will do anything to make her the star that she is.
Staying on to lead the cast of The Phantom of the Opera are Dean Chisnall as The Phantom and Lily Kerhoas as Christine Daaé. Joining them as new cast members are Adam Rhys-Charles as Raoul and Bradyn Debysingh as Ubaldo Piangi who is making his West End debut in this production.
Also remaining in this new cast of The Phantom of the Opera are Joanna Ampil as Carlotta Giudicelli and Adam Linstead as Monsieur André. As well as Martin Ball as Monsieur Firmin, Helen Hobson as Madame Giry and Millie Lyon as Meg Giry. Colleen Rose Curran plays the role of Christine Daee at certain performances.
Other new additions to the cast include Michael Baxter, Polly Clarke, Ashley Gilmour and Matt Hayden. Also, Verity Marlow, Inguna Morozova, Skye November, Taylor Pardell and Rachel Spurrell.
Completing the new cast of The Phantom of the Opera are George Arvidson, Embla Bishop, David Burilin, and Leonard Cook. With Hywel Dowsell, Connor Ewing, Florence Fowler, James Gant, Emily George, Melanie Gowie, Molly Hall, Eilish Harmon-Beglan and Will Hawksworth. Lastly, Nicholas Hepher, Mandy Kwan, Tim Morgan, Johnny Randall, Zoë Soleil Vallée, Jasmine Wallis and Victoria Ward.
Here’s a handy list of London Musicals that are based on books. This can be a handy resource if you’re an educator wanting to tie in watching musicals with literature. Or perhaps you’re just like me: Equal parts book worm and musical lover!
This is the first of 2 London musicals currently running on the West End that are based on a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald was an American writer, mostly known for his depictions of the Jazz Age. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a short story that Fitzgerald released in 1922. It tells the story of a man who ages backwards.
The musical adaptation takes this story and sets it in a Cornish Fishing Village. It has an original score and the cast is made up of actor musicians who play their instruments live on stage. The production is much loved here in London. So much so in fact, that it won 3 Olivier Awards this year.
Wicked is a staple when it comes to London musicals and has been running at The Apollo Victoria for almost 19 years. Many people don’t realise however, that this popular musical is based on a book series written by Gregory Maguire. Maguire has written many adult fantasy and children’s literature books, with the first Wicked book being published in 1995.
Wicked tells the untold story of the witches of Oz. It tells us how exactly the wicked witch became wicked. It has also been adapted into a movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Arianna Grande. The music is written by Stephan Schwartz who actually had to convince Maguire to release the theatrical rights to him.
Matilda is perhaps the show that most people will know already is based on a book as it is one of the most popular London musicals. The book was published in 1988 and has been loved by generations of children since its publication. The book was already adapted into a film in 1996 starring Danny DeVito as well as various other media.
Matilda the Musical was written by comedian Tim Minchin and debuted on the West End in 2011. It tells the story from the book of Matilda, a gifted girl with neglectful parents. Her powers and intelligence help her cope at school and home to help her reclaim her life.
Most people know this show as one of the many London musicals that are based on films. However, what people don’t know is that the book came first! The book is written by Lauren Weisberger and was published in 2003.
The story is about a naive aspiring journalist who gets a job as a personal assistant to the editor of a high fashion magazine. The book became a very popular Chick Lit book and gained traction after people discovered the author has actually worked as a personal assistant to Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue.
The West End adaptation features celebrity Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly, the “devil” editor of the magazine. It also has music written by legend Elton John.
This classic musical is based on the novel Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens. It was originally published in monthly installments with the full book released in 1838. Oliver Twist is a classic piece of literature which tells the story of an orphan boy in Victorian England who escapes a work house and falls in with a bunch of pickpockets to survive the East End.
Lionel Bart’s musical adaptation of the Dickens tale opened in the West End for the first time in 1960 making it one of the oldest London musicals based on a book. The musical was famously adapated on screen in 1968 and won 6 academy awards including best picture! It features songs which are now classics just as Food Glorious Food and As Long As He Needs Me.
Originally published in French in 1910, The Phantom Of The Opera is the 2nd longest running musical currently on the West End. Gaston Leroux was a renowned journalist turned author. He was particularly well known for writing mysteries however the Gothic Romance, The Phantom of The Opera is his most famous work. Leroux was inspired both by the Paris Opera house and the ghosts believed to inhabit the opera house at the time. It tells the story of “The Phantom”, a man who lives in the opera house. He is a musical genius and falls in love with his protegee Christine Daae.
The novel was adapted into a musical in 1986 by Andrew Llyod Webber. Webber has written many hit London musicals including Evita and Sunset Boulevard. The musical has beautiful, sweeping songs in an operatic style and sells out nearly every night
Cabaret – Goodbye To Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
Cabaret is based on the novel “Goodbye Berlin” written by Anglo-American Christopher Isherwood. He was inspired by his own 3 year stay there. He enjoyed cabaret clubs and witnessed the extreme political climate that led to the establishment of the Nazi party. Following the enabling act Isherwood fled to England and shortly after, cabaret clubs were shut down and many of his friends – some of who, the characters are based on – also fled or were sent to concentration camps.
It was first adapted into a play called “I Am A Camera” before that was, in turn, adapted into a musical. The writers of Chicago, Kander and Ebb wrote the music for this powerful musical adaptation with Joe Masteroff writing the book.
It is a wonder they managed to get this novel adapted into a musical. The novel is made up of 5 volumes and is in fact 1,462 pages long! Hugo was already an established author following his novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and it was highly anticipated when it was released in 1862. He was inspired by events he witnessed on the streets of Paris and living through the French Revolution.
The story follows many characters during this tumultuous time in Paris however, the main through line follows Valjean, a man imprisoned and later on the run for stealing a loaf of bread. Over 100 years later French composers Claude Michel Schoenberg and Alain Boubill adapted the novel to an entirely sung through musical. Following its French premiere in 1980, it was later translated into English in 1985. It has played in the West End ever since and is currently the longest running show out of all the London musicals.
Clueless is another one of the current London musicals that is well known for being based on a film. What many people don’t realise however, is that the iconic movie was based on Jane Austen’s “Emma”. Written in 1816, this is the oldest book that has inspired a musical currently playing on the West End.
In the classic romance novel, Emma fancies herself a matchmaker and constantly begins to meddle in people’s love lives. Similarly, Cher in Clueless takes on this story line and the same character traits as a wealthy girl in an American highschool in the 90’s.
From our list of London Musicals based on books today, Hamilton is the only one based on non-fiction! Lin Manuel Miranda took inspiration from Ron Chernow’s biography on Alexander Hamilton. Chernow is a Pulitzer prize winning writer and biographer. Alexander Hamilton is the biography of the lesser known American founding father.
The musical adaptation received global acclaim and recognition. It transferred to the West End in 2017 and has been a hit ever since. Miranda uses rap, RnB and soul music styles in this musical that is almost entirely sung through. He is quoted to say he tells “the story of America then through the voices of America now”.
F. Scott Fitzgerald has already been mentioned once. This means the author has inspired not one but two London musicals currently playing in the West End.
True to Fitzgerald’s style, this novel is set in America in the roaring 20’s. It offers an insight into the mysterious and glamorous Jay Gatsby who throws parties to die for. The novel is often studied in schools due to it’s themes and symbolism throughout the book. It was also an award winning film produced by Baz Luhrmann in 2013.
The musical adaptation originated on Broadway and opened in London earlier this year.
Here’s the first look of Hercules on the West End! Today is the last preview performance of this new musical which is taking the West End by storm.
It is based on the 1997 animated classic, Hercules. Hercules is a hero from greek mythology and it tells his story to go from ‘Zero to Hero‘. It features songs from the original film with music by Alan Menken and Lyrics by David Zippel who also wrote the songs for Beauty and the Beast and Mulan respectively.
Firsly, here’s a little more about the cast before we get to the first look of Hercules in the West End:
Leading the show as the title is Luke Brady (The Prince of Egypt). Starring alongside him as Meg is Mae Ann Jorolan (Hamilton, Germany) who is making her West End debut following originating the role in Germany.
The iconic and vocal powerhouses of the muses are played by Candace Furbert (The Book of Mormon), Sharlene Hector (Dreamgirls), Brianna Ogunbawo (The Lion King), Malinda Parris (Matilda), and Robyn Rose-Li (Hairspray), and lastly, Kamilla Fernandes (Grease) as Standby Muse.
Trevor Dion Nicholas plays Phil with Stephen Carlile as Hades, Craig Gallivan as Bob and Lee Zarrett as Charles. For more information on the full cast, click here.
The hype for this show ahead of the First Look of Hercules is huge! General excitement for this beloved animation becoming a musical as well as performances on Britain’s Got Talent has lead to completely sold out previews! The opening night is tonight and the show’s currently booking until 28th March 2026 at The Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Without further ado, here are the first look of Hercules images on the West End:
