This is London Magazine July Edition 2026 - Flipbook - Page 36
Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella – previous
Photo: Johan Persson
company.
MATTHEW BOURNE’S CINDERELLA
30TH ANNIVERSARY
Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is to
return for an extensive 2026-2027 UK
tour in celebration of its 30th
anniversary, ahead of the annual
Christmas season at Sadler’s Wells
(1 December – 17 January), marking
New Adventures’ 24th Christmas season
at the venue.
One of New Adventures’ most popular
productions, Cinderella is a thrilling and
evocative love story, set in London
during the Second World War. This epic
interpretation of the classic fairytale,
has, at its heart, a true war-time
romance. A chance meeting results in a
magical night for Cinderella and her
dashing young RAF pilot, together just
long enough to fall in love before being
parted by the horrors of the Blitz.
Matthew Bourne said: ‘Nearly thirty
years ago, our Cinderella became the first
(and only) ballet ever to premiere directly
in the West End of London, starring Adam
Cooper, Sarah Wildor, Will Kemp and
Lynn Seymour. Apart from a triumphant
run in Los Angeles in 1999, it did not go
on its first UK Tour until the production
was completely revised, with spectacular
new design, lighting and surround-sound
in 2010.
‘This story has always held a very
special place in my heart. My parents
were both children of the London Blitz,
living streets apart from each other in the
bomb-battered East End. It’s also a tribute
to the spirit and resilience of my
hometown but mostly it’s about love, the
power of love to transcend troubled times
and give hope for a better future. In fact,
this could be the show that we all need
right now. I look forward to welcoming
you all to the Ball later this year.’
With Lez Brotherston’s glorious
Olivier Award-winning designs, lighting
by Olivier Award-winning Neil Austin
and video and projection designs by
Duncan McLean, Cinderella features
sensational sound design by Paul
Groothuis which will take the audience
into the heart of Prokofiev’s magnificent
score, and the sights and sounds of wartorn London.
Cinderella is both a tribute and a
testament to the spirit of London during
a time when every second counted and
lives were changed forever. Bourne's
vivid storytelling has never been more
heart-stopping and touching, creating a
unique and unforgettable depiction of a
familiar but timeless fable.
www.new-adventures.net
LOVE NEVER DIES CONCERT AT
LONDON PALLADIUM
Producers Darren Bell and Cuffe &
Taylor for Live Nation are to present the
return of the award-winning concert
production of Love Never Dies, directed
by Shaun Kerrison, playing at the
London Palladium on 16 & 17 October.
Jamie Muscato will play Phantom
with Celinde Schoenmaker making her
return as Christine. The concert forms
part of the celebrations for the 40th
anniversary of Phantom of the Opera.
OLIVIER-NOMINATED SYLVIA
COMES TO ROYAL ALBERT HALL
The Olivier-nominated musical
production, Sylvia, returns for a limited
UK tour this autumn ahead of five
performances at the Royal Albert Hall
from 13-15 November, starring Beverley
Knight as Emmeline Pankhurst and
Naomi Katiyo as Sylvia Pankhurst.
The untold story of the rebellious
middle child of Emmeline Pankhurst
takes centre stage in this irresistible hip
hop, funk and soul musical that moves
your feet and fires your spirit. Whilst her
mother and sister battled for women's
suffrage, Sylvia ignited a revolution for
the forgotten: working women, the
impoverished, the silenced. Caught
between her family and her beliefs,
Sylvia risked it all to bring change to
millions.
For tickets, visit the website at
www.royalalberthall.com
Love Never Dies returns to the story
10 years after the Phantom’s
disappearance from the Paris Opera
House. Escaped to a new life in New
York, he has finally found a place for his
music to soar. All that is missing is
Christine Daaé – the young soprano
whose sensational talent enchanted the
Phantom and saw him fall deeply and
dangerously in love. In a final bid to win
her back, the Phantom lures Christine,
her husband, and their young son
Gustave to America to perform one final
time. As old wounds are reopened and
forgotten memories unlocked, the
Phantom sets out to prove that, indeed,
Love Never Dies.
This concert production comes as
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the
Opera celebrates its 40th year in
London’s West End, marking four
extraordinary decades at His Majesty’s
Theatre.
Jamie Muscato.
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