It’s that time again! We’re back with our top 10 theatre news stories from 19 to 25 May, brought to you by Theatre and Tonic. This week’s roundup includes some exciting news on the principal cast for Here & Now, as well as UK debuts announced for Love Quirks: A New Musical and Ride The Cyclone planned for later this year. From major West End debuts to standout regional gems, our bite-sized bulletin has something for every theatre fan. Stay tuned—another round of the week’s hottest headlines is coming your way next week!

The Talented Mr Ripley to tour the UK this Autumn

The first ever UK tour of the stage adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s iconic, gripping novel and source material for the 2000 Oscar-nominated film, The Talented Mr Ripley will tour the UK for the first time this Autumn. Adapted and directed by Mark Leipacher, The Talented Mr. Ripley follows Tom Ripley, a charming but morally ambiguous young man who is sent to Europe to retrieve a wealthy man's son, Dickie Greenleaf. As Tom becomes obsessed with Dickie's luxurious lifestyle, he resorts to deception, identity theft, and murder to claim it for himself. The production will open its tour at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, on 4 September.

Major new revival of Little Shop of Horrors coming to Manchester

Little Shop of Horrors will be revived in Manchester in Autumn 2026. Brought to the stage by Thomas Hopkins Productions and the Hope Mill Theatre, Little Shop of Horrors is a darkly comedic musical about Seymour, a meek flower shop assistant who discovers a mysterious, talking plant that feeds on human blood. As the plant grows, so does Seymour’s fame and moral dilemma, leading to deadly consequences. The production is embarking on a full UK tour in 2026.

Full cast announced for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill

The full cast of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill has been announced ahead of its run at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Brought to the stage by award-winning musical theatre choreographers Julia Cheng, Shelley Maxwell and Kate Prince, re-imagining the dream ballets from Allegro, Oklahoma! and Carousel. For Allegro, choreographed by Julia Cheng, the dancers are Asmara Cammock, Jonadette Carpio, Paris Crossley, Jevan Howard-Jones, Hannah Joseph and Stuart Thomas. For Oklahoma!, choreographed by Shelley Maxwell, the dancers are Tanisha Addicott, Chris Akrill, José Alves Tania Dimbelo, Nahum McLean and Vanessa Vince-Pang. For Carousel, choreographed by Kate Prince, the dancers are Deavion Brown, Tommy Franzen, Nethra Menon, Hannah Sandilands, Elijah Smith and Malachi Welch. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill will play from 19 - 22 June 2025.

First look at Evita in rehearsals

Evita. Rachel Zegler (Eva Perón). Credit - Marc Brenner. 02152.jpg

Evita. Aaron Lee Lambert (Agustín Magaldi). Credit - Marc Brenner. 01206.jpg

Ahead of its run at the London Palladium this summer, rehearsal images have been released for Evita starring Rachel Zegler. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s legendary musical returns to the West End, reimagined by the award-winning director Jamie Lloyd. The show follows Eva Perón rise from poverty to become the most powerful woman in Latin America. Evita plays at the London Palladium from 14 June - 6 September 2025.

Full cast announced for RSC’s The Constant Wife

The full cast has been announced for Laura Wade’s new version of The Constant Wife, based o the 1926 play by W. Somerset Maugham. The cast comprises of Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy), Raj Bajaj (The Buddha of Suburbia), Emma McDonald (Foreverland), Mark Meadows (The Magician’s Elephant), Daniel Millar (The Pillowman), Amy Morgan (Dear Octopus) and Luke Norris (Hamlet). They are joined by off-stage understudies Connor Going and Jess Nesling. The play follows Constance Middleton, a seemingly dutiful wife who surprises everyone by taking control of her life when she discovers her husband's affair. The Constant Wife will play at the Swan Theatre from 20 June to 2 August.

Principal cast announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Here & Now

Ahead of the tour, which kicks off this summer, the principal cast has been announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Here & Now, the new musical which features some of the biggest hits by the UK pop sensation Steps. Rebecca Lock (School of Rock, UK Tour), Finty Williams (The Baker’s Wife), Blake Patrick Anderson (RENT), River Medway (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, BBC), Edward Baker Duly (The King and I) and John Stacey (Kiss Me, Kate) return to the production which premiered in Birmingham last year (read our review here!). They will be joined by Jacqui Dubois (Ghost The Musical) as Vel, Chris Grahamson (NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, UK and Ireland tour) as Gareth and Rosie Singha (& Juliet, UK and Ireland tour) as Neeta. Further casting is to be announced. Here & Now kicks off its UK tour at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on 29 August!

Full cast announced for The Estate at the National Theatre

The Estate is a remarkable debut play by Shaan Sahota which will take audiences through a razor-sharp exploration of family, power and the lies we tell about ourselves. Directed by Daniel Raggett (Accidental Death of an Anarchist), the cast will be led by BAFTA winning actor Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once). He will be joined by Shelley Conn (Bridgerton) as Malicka, Dinita Gohil (The Father and the Assassin) as Sangeeta, Thusitha Jayasundera (The House of Bernarda Alba) as Gyan, Humphrey Ker (Welcome to Wrexham) as Ralph Hughes, Fode Simbo (Samuel Takes a Break...) as Isaac and Helena Wilson (The Hills of California) as Petra. The Estate will play at the Dorfman Theatre from 9 July to 23 August 2025.

UK debut announced for Love Quirks: A New Musical

Following on from a critically acclaimed run Off-Broadway, Love Quirks: A New Musical will make its long-awaited UK debut at The Other Palace Studio this Autumn. With a captivating script by Mark Childers and music by Seth Bisen-Hersh, Love Quirks follows four New York roommates navigating the awkward, beautiful chaos of dating, heartbreak and everything in between. Love Quirks: A New Musical will play at The Other Palace Studio from 18 September - 12 October 2025.

Ride the Cyclone to have UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant this year

Written by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, Ride the Cyclone will make its UK premiere at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant for a limited run later this year. The musical follows six teens when a freak accident on a rollercoaster claims their lives, and as they find themselves trapped in limbo, they are offered one last shot at life. The international musical phenomenon, which opened in Canada in 2008, will run at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 14 November to 10 January 2026.

Before you leave us, why don’t you read one of this week’s reviews? Highlights this week include Pop Off, Michelangelo! at Underbelly Boulevard Soho, ALiCE - Jasmine Vardimon Company at Sadlers Wells, After The Act at Royal Court Theatre and Mrs Warren’s Profession at Garrick Theatre. We’ll see you next week for more exciting news!