Willy Russell News

St Helens-born actor Michael Parr – best known for his role as an Emmerdale bad boy – came home to perform in his hometown last night in the raucous comedy Rita, Sue & Bob Too! receiving a rapturous welcome. Check out all new photos here!

St Helens-born actor Michael Parr – best known for his role as an Emmerdale bad boy – is returning to his hometown next week to star in raucous comedy Rita, Sue & Bob Too! 

Shirley Valentine is a celebration of women, freedom and what it means to find yourself again. We meet Shirley, a bored, middle-aged wife and mother, when she’s contemplating what has happened to her youth, feeling stagnant and in a rut. Her children are all grown up and she frequently talks to the wall in her kitchen while preparing her husband’s regular evening meal of egg and chips. When her best friend offers to pay for a trip for two to Greece, she packs her bags, leaves a note on the cupboard door in the kitchen, and heads off for a fortnight of rest and relaxation. In Greece, she meets Costas, rediscovers herself, finds happiness, and everything she has been missing. She realises that there is more to life than the dull, mundane existence she leads back home. So now, Shirley has a big decision to make.

Award winning Vertigo Theatre Productions have announced the lead cast for the world premiere stage adaptation of the acclaimed movie BOUND written by the legendary Wachowskis (The Matrix, V For Vendetta, Cloud Atlas, Sense8) and adapted to the stage by Craig Hepworth (Porno Chic, Exam, Noir).

Shakespeare’s most brilliant and bloody tragedy is returning to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre this autumn.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre is set to open its Autumn season with television and stage actor Sally Reid (Scot Squad, BBC Scotland) starring in a brand-new revival of the much-loved award-winning comedy Shirley Valentine, Willy Russell's (Blood Brothers and Educating Rita) heart-warming story about a middle-aged, working-class Liverpool housewife whose life is transformed after a holiday in Greece.

What did our critic think of BLOOD BROTHERS at Weathervane Theatre? Blood Brothers by Willy Russell is a one-of-a-kind musical theater production that is currently playing at the Weathervane Theatre in Whitefield, New Hampshire.

The Weathervane Theatre will present the international smash hit musical Blood Brothers - the story of twin boys separated at birth—only to be reunited by a twist of fate and a mother's haunting secret.

Bill Kenwright's legendary, award-winning production of the international smash hit musical, BLOOD BROTHERS returns to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre this autumn. The much-loved musical, performed to sell-out houses on its recent UK tour and returns with gusto from 13 – 17 September 2022.

Blood Brothers is returning to the stage for a 16-week tour which begins on 28 July at Theatre Royal Windsor. The tour will run 28 July – 03 December 2022.

After a successful run - Shirley Valentine returns to Theatre On the Bay Wed, 3 Aug 2022 - Sat, 13 Aug 2022.

St Helens-born actor Michael Parr – best known for his role as an Emmerdale bad boy – is returning to his hometown this Autumn to star in raucous comedy Rita, Sue & Bob Too! 

The new film adaption of Matilda features a completely transformed Emma Thompson in the role of the evil headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. Check out Thompson's musical theatre history, which includes Sweeney Todd and Beauty and the Best, and meet the rest of the cast of Netflix's Matilda!

“So, did you hear the story of the Johnstone twins? As like each other as two new pins. Of one womb born, on the self-same day, how one was kept and one given away?” These are the words spoken by the Narrator at the beginning of BLOOD BROTHERS, the long-running West End musical by Willy Russell which provides the perfect setup for the play that follows. BLOOD BROTHERS is not a show that gets produced that often, but that is likely exactly why the Florida Theatrical Association has opted to mount a production of the musical – to introduce it to new audiences and provide theatregoers the unique experience of seeing the show. I attended opening night and it was, in fact, the first time I have had the chance to see a live production even though I have been familiar with the piece due to its popularity in England and its not-as-successful run on Broadway in the early 1990’s. And though the piece itself has some challenges (more on that later) the FTA’s production is solid with outstanding and emotional performances by the cast and a creative vision true to the material

Florida Theatrical Association has announced the cast of the Tony-nominated musical Blood Brothers, coming to The Abbey in downtown Orlando June 10 to 19.  

In the world of musical theatre there are productions that come along that deliver the perfect storm of creative expression. This elusive synergy can be due to the topic or setting being extremely relevant to the time that it is performed or can come from the blending of top-notch talent, creative vision and execution. Even more rarely, an opportunity comes along to mount a production in an unexpected but perfect setting for a given show. And sometimes, just sometimes, you get all the above. That is the best way I can describe the Florida Theatrical Association’s current production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s musical, ASSASSINS – a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness this wonderful piece of musical theatre, delivered by a stellar cast in an unlikely location – the Cheyenne Saloon in downtown Orlando.

Returning to the venue after a sell-out run in 2019 is the phenomenal Les Misérables, the musical often regarded as the most popular in the world. Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed production arrives in Milton Keynes on Tue 26 Apr for four weeks.

Florida Theatrical Association (FTA) presents the Tony-nominated musical Blood Brothers, coming to The Abbey in downtown Orlando June 10 to 19.  

The village came together to raise a child, putting all of their skills to the stage to blow the audience away with a light-hearted, uplifting, and hilarious story that brought us all to the sunny shores of Greece; or, at least how we imagine that would feel.

The Drama Factory will stage Shirley Valentine, a drama written by Willy Russel. The show will star Natasha Sutherland and is directed by Gina Schmukler. The show runs for about two hours and will play from March 10th through the 13th.