Thomas Stanley Holland is an English actor most notable for his role as Spider-Man in the MCU. Holland’s career started as a dancer at age nine when he enrolled in a hip-hop dancing class at Nifty Feet Dance School in Wimbledon. Lynne Page, an associate of Peter Darling, choreographer of Billy Elliot the Musical, noticed him. Page arranged for him to audition for a role in the musical at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre. In 2008, after two years of training, Holland got a supporting role and was upgraded to the title role in the same year. He played that role...
- 11/13/2023
- by Nkem
- TVovermind.com
What children love about Roald Dahl’s books is the very thing other writers tend to dodge when adapting them: that icy, unapologetic streak of misanthropy, so exhilarating to kids who have been instructed to see the good in everyone, opening their eyes to the nastier, more ironic adult world that awaits them. Even the craftiest, classiest Dahl adaptations tend to mollify that cruelty somewhat: Nicolas Roeg’s “The Witches” is viciously frightening but tacks on an unmitigatedly happy ending, while Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” muffles the violent survivalism of its source tale with its director’s more gently quirky world-building. Already based on one of his kindlier stories, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” further softens matters by pruning the presence of its funniest adult grotesques to accommodate more child’s-eye exuberance. The long-late author probably would have grumbled; young viewers will be delighted nonetheless.
And yet,...
And yet,...
- 10/5/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Disney has tapped Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage to serve as the new director of the Broadway adaptation of Frozen, Variety reports.
Grandage will replace original director Alex Timbers, who left the production in August. While no specifics for the change were given at the time, Disney Theatrical Productions President and producer Thomas Schumacher said the decision "was especially painful" and "we have chosen to go in another direction with this role" (Timbers previously helmed Disney's Peter and the Starcatcher).
Joining Grandage on Frozen will be his longtime set and costume design collaborator,...
Grandage will replace original director Alex Timbers, who left the production in August. While no specifics for the change were given at the time, Disney Theatrical Productions President and producer Thomas Schumacher said the decision "was especially painful" and "we have chosen to go in another direction with this role" (Timbers previously helmed Disney's Peter and the Starcatcher).
Joining Grandage on Frozen will be his longtime set and costume design collaborator,...
- 9/28/2016
- Rollingstone.com
The cold never bothered Broadway anyway. Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and the rest of the “Frozen” gang are now officially slated to join its Disney brethren “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” on the Great White Way per Disney Theatrical Productions. The musical will play its out-of-town tryout beginning in summer of 2017 at a yet to be determined theater with a Broadway premiere scheduled for spring 2018. Two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (“Peter and the Starcatcher”) is directing, while Tony Award winner Peter Darling (“Billy Elliot”) will choreograph. Additionally, two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus (“The Book of Mormon”) is the music supervisor, and will create vocal and stage arrangements. “Frozen” features music and lyrics from the Oscar-winning creators of the film score, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Jennifer Lee, the film’s screenwriter and director (with Chris Buck), provides the musical’s book. “Frozen” grossed more than $1 billion at...
- 2/10/2016
- backstage.com
Disney's hit animated movie Frozen will arrive on Broadway as a musical in the spring of 2018, The New York Times reports.
Original Frozen screenwriter and co-director, Jennifer Lee, will pen the book, and music masterminds Robert Lopez (Book of Mormon) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez will compose the score and write the lyrics. All three earned Oscars for their work on the 2013 film: Lee for Best Animated Film with co-director Chris Buck and producer Peter Del Vecho, and Lopez and Anderson-Lopez Best Original Song for "Let It Go."
The Broadway adaptation will...
Original Frozen screenwriter and co-director, Jennifer Lee, will pen the book, and music masterminds Robert Lopez (Book of Mormon) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez will compose the score and write the lyrics. All three earned Oscars for their work on the 2013 film: Lee for Best Animated Film with co-director Chris Buck and producer Peter Del Vecho, and Lopez and Anderson-Lopez Best Original Song for "Let It Go."
The Broadway adaptation will...
- 2/10/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Do you have a kid yet? If not, better get to work on that — Disney announced Tuesday that the Frozen musical will make its way to Broadway in 2018, with a preview run in another city slated for next summer. The musical will feature music and lyrics from the Oscar-winning duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, with a book by Frozen co-director Jennifer Lee and choreography by Peter Darling (Billy Elliot). Rocky's Alex Timbers will serve as director. The theater is unknown, but, regardless, you and your future children are going to spend a lot of time waiting outside of it. Let's hope the cold doesn't bother them anyway.
- 2/9/2016
- by Nate Jones
- Vulture
After months of hype, Sam Mendes’ trumpeted return to the West End is finally open to the public. Tackling a much-loved children’s literary classic, fully ingrained in popular culture (it’s already been the subject of two big screen adaptations) must have been a challenging proposition for the Skyfall director. Unsurprisingly, he pulls it off with genuine aplomb, and like the great Wonka’s otherworldly display of confectionery delights, there’s more than enough here to entice, astonish and enchant those of all ages.
As to be expected from a Mendes production, this is a slick-looking affair. The integration of art direction and visual content is superb, and an intro extolling the beauty of chocolate is credited to one Quentin Blake – a nice nod to the Roald Dahl legacy. While the production sticks largely to the book, there are some obvious contemporary changes worked in, although that subversive Dahl edge is still intact.
As to be expected from a Mendes production, this is a slick-looking affair. The integration of art direction and visual content is superb, and an intro extolling the beauty of chocolate is credited to one Quentin Blake – a nice nod to the Roald Dahl legacy. While the production sticks largely to the book, there are some obvious contemporary changes worked in, although that subversive Dahl edge is still intact.
- 6/27/2013
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sam Mendes on making Bond, coming home and turning Charlie And The Chocolate Factory into a musical
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has taken five years to become a stage musical, for reasons logistical – Sam Mendes, the director, was out for three of them doing Skyfall – and practical: the book is a tricky one to adapt. There are the kids; the old folks in bed; the pyrotechnics of the chocolate factory. There is the ambiguous character of Willy Wonka himself. And there is the question that hangs over the entire production: what on earth to do about the Oompa-Loompas. "It's big," Mendes says of the task before him. "Christ, it's so big."
We are in a rehearsal space in south London, where the company is going through its paces before moving to Drury Lane. Anticipation for the show is feverish, thanks to the success of Matilda, another Dahl adaptation, and Mendes's post-Bond nuclear glow.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has taken five years to become a stage musical, for reasons logistical – Sam Mendes, the director, was out for three of them doing Skyfall – and practical: the book is a tricky one to adapt. There are the kids; the old folks in bed; the pyrotechnics of the chocolate factory. There is the ambiguous character of Willy Wonka himself. And there is the question that hangs over the entire production: what on earth to do about the Oompa-Loompas. "It's big," Mendes says of the task before him. "Christ, it's so big."
We are in a rehearsal space in south London, where the company is going through its paces before moving to Drury Lane. Anticipation for the show is feverish, thanks to the success of Matilda, another Dahl adaptation, and Mendes's post-Bond nuclear glow.
- 4/19/2013
- by Emma Brockes
- The Guardian - Film News
The 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Billy Elliot the Musical, will play its final performance on Broadway today at the Imperial Theatre 246 West 45th Street. The show that Time Magazine called the best musical of the decade, Billy Elliot will have played 40 preview and 1,304 regular performances. The production recouped its 18 million investment in only 14 months over 492 performances and on Broadway, the show has been seen by 1,659,867 theatergoers to date. Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreographed by Peter Darling and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot began previews Wednesday, October 1 and opened to critical acclaim on November 13, 2008.
- 1/8/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
London - There's a Hollywood cast for Britain's Whatsonstage theater awards, with James Earl Jones, Jude Law and Kevin Spacey competing for best actor in a play.
Jones is nominated for "Driving Miss Daisy," Law for "Anna Christie" and Spacey for "Richard III," alongside Benedict Cumberbatch for "Frankenstein," James Corden for "One Man, Two Guvnors" and David Tennant for "Much Ado About Nothing."
The prizes, run by theater website whatonstage.com, are decided by public vote.
Best actress contenders announced Friday include Vanessa Redgrave for "Driving Miss Daisy" and Kristin Scott Thomas for "Betrayal."
In the musical categories, there are multiple nominations for the movie-inspired romance "Ghost" and Roald Dahl-based "Matilda."
Winners will be announced Feb. 19. See below for the full list of nominees.
Watch previews of some of the nominated plays:
The Full List Of 2011/12 Nominations
Best Actress in a Play
Eve Best – Much Ado About Nothing at...
Jones is nominated for "Driving Miss Daisy," Law for "Anna Christie" and Spacey for "Richard III," alongside Benedict Cumberbatch for "Frankenstein," James Corden for "One Man, Two Guvnors" and David Tennant for "Much Ado About Nothing."
The prizes, run by theater website whatonstage.com, are decided by public vote.
Best actress contenders announced Friday include Vanessa Redgrave for "Driving Miss Daisy" and Kristin Scott Thomas for "Betrayal."
In the musical categories, there are multiple nominations for the movie-inspired romance "Ghost" and Roald Dahl-based "Matilda."
Winners will be announced Feb. 19. See below for the full list of nominees.
Watch previews of some of the nominated plays:
The Full List Of 2011/12 Nominations
Best Actress in a Play
Eve Best – Much Ado About Nothing at...
- 12/2/2011
- by AP/The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Billy Elliot, the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 after 1,304 regular performances. Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreographed by Peter Darling and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot opened to critical acclaim on Nov. 13, 2008 at the Imperial Theatre. “After three unforgettable years, we are announcing the final performance of Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway,” producer Eric Fellner said in a statement. “To see this story of a small boy from a small town in the North East of England achieve such enormous success and receive such...
- 10/3/2011
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW.com - PopWatch
Lily Allen is writing some of the songs for the new Bridget Jones stage musical, which has staged its first workshop reading. I’m told this was a rough assembly of Helen Fielding’s script and some songs with the Billy Elliot creative team -- director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and associate director Julian Webber. Producer Working Title plans to bring the show to London’s West End next year. They’ll be crossing fingers Bridget Jones replicates the success of Billy Elliot, which has been seen by 4.5 million people worldwide and won 10 Tony awards, including Best Musical. For those of you [...]...
- 6/30/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
Broadway In Chicago, with Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment, announced today that Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio and Cesar Corrales will star as ?Billy' in the Chicago production of the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical. Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, the production will begin an extended run on March 18, 2010 at Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.) before embarking on a multi-city tour.
- 9/10/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical, featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, will launch a U.S. national tour with an extended run in Chicago in the spring of 2010 before embarking on a multi-city tour. Performances will begin March 2010 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph, Chicago). Additional cities, dates and casting will be announced at a later date.
- 7/22/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
"Bridget Jones" is taking her diary on stage. Author Helen Fielding's novel and film creations are being adapted into a musical show.
The films' star Renee Zellweger and leading men Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are not expected to reprise their roles for the stage.
Working Title, the company behind the 2001 romantic comedy film and its sequel in 2004, will produce. They are still looking for a director, but it was said that Stephen Daldry and Peter Darling, director and choreographer of the musical "Billy Elliot," were present during a private reading.
Fielding has been working on the project for several months. She hopes to debut the stage show in the West End in 2011, according to the Daily Mail.
The films' star Renee Zellweger and leading men Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are not expected to reprise their roles for the stage.
Working Title, the company behind the 2001 romantic comedy film and its sequel in 2004, will produce. They are still looking for a director, but it was said that Stephen Daldry and Peter Darling, director and choreographer of the musical "Billy Elliot," were present during a private reading.
Fielding has been working on the project for several months. She hopes to debut the stage show in the West End in 2011, according to the Daily Mail.
- 5/15/2009
- icelebz.com
"9 to 5," the musical version of the 1980 hit movie comedy, received a generous stimulus package from the Drama Desk on Monday, netting a record 15 nominations from the organization of New York-based theater critics, reporters and editors for its annual awards.
Other top nominees included "Shrek the Musical" with 12, "Billy Elliot" with 10, "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" with six and the "Hair" revival with eight.
The previous record for the most noms was 14 shared by five shows -- "The Secret Garden" (1991), "Ragtime" (1998), "The Producers" (2001), "Hairspray" (2003) and "The Drowsy Chaperone" (2006).
"9 to 5" opened March 30 on the same night as Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of "Waiting for Godot," which received two nominations. Those are the last two productions of the 2007-08 Broadway season.
Unlike the Tony Awards, the DDs consider Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway equally in all of its categories. The noms were determined by a seven-member committee. The winners will be voted on by...
Other top nominees included "Shrek the Musical" with 12, "Billy Elliot" with 10, "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" with six and the "Hair" revival with eight.
The previous record for the most noms was 14 shared by five shows -- "The Secret Garden" (1991), "Ragtime" (1998), "The Producers" (2001), "Hairspray" (2003) and "The Drowsy Chaperone" (2006).
"9 to 5" opened March 30 on the same night as Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of "Waiting for Godot," which received two nominations. Those are the last two productions of the 2007-08 Broadway season.
Unlike the Tony Awards, the DDs consider Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway equally in all of its categories. The noms were determined by a seven-member committee. The winners will be voted on by...
- 4/27/2009
- by By David Sheward, Back Stage
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sir Elton John's Broadway musical Billy Elliot has taken its success from the London stage and opened to rave reviews on Broadway.
The show got off to a shaky start when a preview performance last month had to be cancelled just minutes before its start due to technical problems.
But that hasn't stopped critics from praising the cast, crew and John's own efforts to take on the New York stage with his dance show's Broadway debut on Thursday.
One critic for the New York Times calls the show "one of the freshest, most exciting uses of narrative dance I've seen in years".
While another from USA Today writes, "Director Stephen Daldry and his company infuse them with irresistible heart", adding: "Peter Darling's choreography makes the raw, restless exuberance of youth accessible to all."
But reports from the New York Daily News add that the show may need some tweaking and should rely less on the cheerfulness of its young actors David Alvarez, 14, Kiril Kulish, 14 and Trent Kowalik, 13 - who alternate in the role of Billy Elliot.
The critic adds, "Even a few stumbles can't spoil a show that's so sweet and exhilarating that at times you feel like leaping."...
The show got off to a shaky start when a preview performance last month had to be cancelled just minutes before its start due to technical problems.
But that hasn't stopped critics from praising the cast, crew and John's own efforts to take on the New York stage with his dance show's Broadway debut on Thursday.
One critic for the New York Times calls the show "one of the freshest, most exciting uses of narrative dance I've seen in years".
While another from USA Today writes, "Director Stephen Daldry and his company infuse them with irresistible heart", adding: "Peter Darling's choreography makes the raw, restless exuberance of youth accessible to all."
But reports from the New York Daily News add that the show may need some tweaking and should rely less on the cheerfulness of its young actors David Alvarez, 14, Kiril Kulish, 14 and Trent Kowalik, 13 - who alternate in the role of Billy Elliot.
The critic adds, "Even a few stumbles can't spoil a show that's so sweet and exhilarating that at times you feel like leaping."...
- 11/14/2008
- WENN
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