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DAVID BENEDICT @eggsbened 'Who get will me my divorce? Thundered out by Henry VIII (Nathaniel Parker), that's the problem underpinning Hilary Mantel's huge novels 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up the [...]

Since soullessness is the essence of Patrick Bateman, the antihero of Bret Easton Ellis' notoriously savage fantasia on '80s greed, 'American Psycho' you could argue that an all-style-and-no-substance musical version [...]

Peter and Alice Noel Coward Theater, London; 946 seats; 57.50 £ ($87) top Playwright: John Logan; Director: Michael Grandage; Starring: Ben Whishaw, Judi Dench What is growing up precisely?' That's [...]

LEGIT: THE AUDIENCE (LONDON) Gielgud Theater; 984 seats; 59 £ ($89) top Playwright: Peter Moran; Director: Stephen Daldry; Cast: Helen Mirren Already armed with the Oscar for starring in Peter [...]

Behind-the-scenes changes are now under way to the Olivier Awards' judging system, Variety has learned, with the revisions prompting sources to worry that they threaten the credibility of the kudos [...]

No Quarter (Royal Court Theater Upstairs, London; 87 seats; 20 [pounds sterling] ($32) top) A Royal Court Theater presentation of a play in one act by Polly Stenham. Directed by [...]

LONDON Off West End legit venue the Young Vic emerged Tuesday as the big winner at the U.K.'s 24th annual Critics' Circle Awards, which marked a complete shut-out for commercial [...]

Dominated by tuners, the London legit scene nevertheless experienced a distinct shortage of new musical offerings in 2012--but that looks poised to change in 2013, with the season already filling [...]

My Fair Lady (Crucible Theater, Sheffield, U.K.; 980 seats: 30 £ ($49) top) A Sheffield Theaters presentation of a musical in two acts with music by Frederick Loewe, book and [...]

(Noel Coward Theater, London,' 946 seats; 57.50 [pounds sterling], ($92.50) top) A Michael Grandage Company presentation of a play in two acts by Peter Nichols, with lyrics by Nichols and [...]

Boy Meets Boy (Jermyn Street Theater, London; 70 seats; 20 £ ($32) top) A Jermyn Street Theater presentation of a musical in two acts, music and lyrics by Bill Solly, [...]

While the hotly anticipated first preview of comedy 'Privates on Parade,' starring the estimable Simon Russell Beale, makes its debut Dec. 1 in the West End, there's even bigger buzz [...]

Stephen Sondheim's 'Merrily We Roll Along' flopped on Broadway 31 years ago after 16 perfs--and hasn't been seen on the Great White Way since --but London's powerhouse Menier Chocolate Factory [...]

LONDON When popular U.K. standup Sarah Millican announced in September that her 2013 national tour would not play any theaters rtm by Ambassadors Theater Group, the U.K.'s largest theater owner, [...]

West End tuners have been in short supply since the triumphant opening of 'Matilda the Musical' in November 2011, but the new season offers some serious box office contenders. On [...]

LONDON After weeks of rain the clear blue skies over London reflect the city's distinctly upbeat mood as it prepares for today s Olympics Opening Ceremonies. On the streets media [...]

News of the tough West End financial climate in which most shows are struggling hasn't reached three that are bucking the trend: the double bill of plays by David Hare [...]

As the Tony cutoff approaches, legiters are keenly aware that more than 800 producers, out-of-town owners, reps of leading industry orgs, casting directors, press agents and critics are busily voting. [...]

LEGIT: THE KING'S SPEECH (ABROAD) Wyndham's Theater, London; 750 seats; 52.50 [pounds sterling] ($84) top Director: Adrian Noble; Cast: Charles Edwards, Jonathan Hyde, Emma Fielding On the face of it, [...]

Bloody good 'Sweeney' measures a cut above LEGIT: SWEENEY TODD (ABROAD) Adelphi Theater, London; 1,467 seats; 67.50 £ ($107) top Director: Jonathan Kent; Cast: Michael Ball, Imelda Staunton, James McCondlle [...]

London box office figures for individual shows remain unpublished, but those seeking a barometer of the current state of the West End need look no further than 'Absent Friends' and [...]

The massive summer influx of U.K. and foreign tourists traditionally spells bonanza at the London legit box office. But this summer all bets are off--thanks to the London Olympics. Of [...]

London box office hit a record high in 2011 for the eighth year in a row, according to the official figures newly published by the Society of London Theater (SOLT). [...]

Looking back, 2011 was the year of the helmer, as far as U.K. theater is concerned. In venues large and small, directors didn't so much revive shows as reinvent them. [...]

(Donmar Warehouse, London; 250 seats; 32.50 £ ($51) top) A Donmar Warehouse presentation of a play in two acts by John Osborne. Directed by Jamie Lloyd. Sets and costumes, Soutra [...]

Personal narratives are presented in which the authors reflect on why they collected particular items such as postcards, leaflets, and Victorian antiquities and on the sentimental value of their collections.

The National Theater, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House will all see their funding cut by 15% (including inflation) in the next four years in a swathe [...]

The Holy Rosenbergs (Cottesloe, London,' 313 seats; 32 £ ($51.39) top) A National Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Ryan Craig. Directed by Laurie Sansom. Sets and [...]

Flare Path (Theater Royal Haymarket, London; 895 seats; [pounds sterling]50 ($80.38) top) A Matthew Byam Shaw for Playful Productions, Theater Royal Haymarket Company, Act Productions and Tom McKitterick in association [...]

The National Theater converted its 17 noms into a seven-win sweep at the Society of London Theaters' 2011 Olivier awards, held at the Theater Royal Drury Lane. The National's triumph [...]

ABROAD THE WIZARD OF OZ London Palladium Directed by Jeremy Sams Starring: Michael Crawford, Danielle Hope, Edward Baker-Duly Were it not for Robert Jones' eye-popping sets and costumes, the star [...]

The Wizard of Oz (London Palladium, London; 2, 255 seats,' 62.50 £ ($101.73) top) A Bill Kenwright and Really Useful Group presentation of an Andrew Lloyd Webber production of a [...]

(Olivier, National Theater, London,' 1,127 seats; 45 [pounds sterling] ($73) top) A National Theater presentation of a play in one act by Nick Dear based on the novel by Mary [...]

(The Coliseum, London; 2,358 seats; 95 £ ($151) top) An English National Opera presentation of an opera two acts by Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Felice Romani. Directed by Mike Figgis. [...]

(National Theater, Cottesloe, London,' 308 seats; 32 [pounds sterling] ($51.05) top) A National Theater presentation of a play in two acts by William Shakespeare. Directed by Peter Hall. Sets and [...]

Thesps Jude Law, Douglas Hodge and Eddie Redmayne are returning to the Donmar Warehouse for artistic director Michael Grandage's farewell season. Grandage told Daily Variety the season would feature three [...]

(Duchess Theater, London; 476 seats; 55 £ ($86.45) top) A Michael Ball, Adam Spiegel and Stephen Waley-Cohen presentation of a musical in one act, music and additional lyrics by Howard [...]

Not-for-profit theaters seized all but one of the jewels in the crown of the 56th London Evening Standard Theater Awards held Sunday at the Savoy hotel. In an evening of [...]

LONDON With marvels and monsters including Andrew Lloyd Webber's revamp of 'The Wizard of Oz' and Danny Boyle's production of 'Frankenstein,' London's fall-winter 2010-11 season is already looking unusually ambitious. [...]

(SHAFTESBURY THEATER; 1,338 SEATS; 55 £ ($88) TOP) LONDON A Christopher Malcolm, David Ian Prods., Steven Baruch, Tom Viertel, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Transamerica, David Richenthal, with executive producer Tom [...]

The West End production of 'Love Never Dies,' Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to long-running smash 'The Phantom of the Opera,' will shut down for four performances Nov. 22-25 in order [...]

(Hampstead Theater, London: 325 seats; 29 [pounds sterling] ($46) top) A Hampstead Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Shelagh Stephenson. Directed by Edward Hall. Sets and costumes, [...]

(National Theater, Cottesloe London,' 324 seats; 32 £ ($51) top) A National Theater presentation of a play in one act by Nell Bartlett and Handspring Puppet Company. Directed by Nell [...]

(National Theater, Cottesloe, London; 276 seats; 32 £ ($50) top) A National Theater and Headlong Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Mike Bartlett. Directed by Rupert Goold. [...]

(Donmar Warehouse, London; 250 seats; 29 £ ($45) top) A Donmar Warehouse presentation of a play in two acts by Heinrich von Kleist in a new version by Dennis Kelly. [...]

(National Theater, Olivier, London; 1,127 seats; 30 £ ($46) top) A National Theater presentation of a play in one act by Georg Buchner in a new version by Howard Brenton. [...]