Atkinson Leads the Way for London's Theatres in 2013

    LONDON, ENGLAND, February 06, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- After years getting the giggles as Mr Bean and Blackadder, Rowan Atkinson has been praised by critics for his slightly more serious role as a school master in 'Quartermaine's Terms' at Wyndhams Theatre. The Daily Telegraph gave the tragi-comedy about teachers at an English language school a glowing five-star review, describing Atkinson's first appearance on stage since he played Fagin in Oliver! in 2009 as "magnificently funny and touching". 'Quartermaine's Terms' runs until mid-April and offers a taste of what's to come in London's Theatreland.

Atkinson is just one of a cluster of Hollywood A-Listers who are flocking to the stage in London, the likes of Dame Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Daniel Radcliffe and Jude Law also taking on juicy roles in 2013. But it is perhaps two musicals - Sam Mendes' take on 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and the eagerly awaited West End transfer of 'The Book of Mormon' - which promise to pull in the biggest crowds.

LondonTown.com has its finger on the capital's theatrical pulse with a new 244-page guide to London 2013 that includes previews to all the best plays and musicals, and an in-depth article covering the must-see highlights in the West End and beyond. Theatregoers arriving from outside London to watch any of these superb productions can conveniently book their accommodation on LondonTown.com, where there's a wide range of London hotels available to suit all budgets.

Described by the New York Times as "blasphemous, scurrilous and foul-mouthed", 'The Book of Mormon' is collaboration between the creators of TV show 'South Park' and the composer of 'Avenue Q'. "Boisterously outrageous" (Los Angeles Times), the controversial musical hits the West End in late February for a 10-week run after setting "the new gold standard for Broadway" (Rolling Stone). While 'The Book of Mormon' promises to be the Holy Grail for West End producers - the musical for people who don't even like musicals - it's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factor' which promises to be 2013's major attraction. With Mendes at the helm, fresh from breaking UK box office records with 'Skyfall', hopes will be as high as the potential sugar rush this June.

Beyond these fluffy musical gems there remains a lot more to be excited about - not least in the continued Michael Grandage season at the Noel Coward Theatre. 'Privates on Parade', with Simon Russell Beale as a cross-dressing captain, continues until March, to be succeeded by Dame Judi and Ben Whishaw in John Logan's 'Peter and Alice'. 'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe stars in 'The Cripple of Inishmaan' before Grandage rounds off his run with two Shakespeare classics: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', with David Walliams as Bottom and Sheridan Smith as Titania, and 'Henry V', with Jude Law in the title role.

Other Shakespeare productions in 2013 include 'Much Ado About Nothing' at the Old Vic, starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave, and 'Othello' at the National Theatre, with Adrian Lester in the lead. Inspired by Macbeth, Alfred Jarry's excoriating 'Ubi Roi' comes to the Barbican, while Antony Sher - famous for his villainous portrayal of Richard III back in the 80s - takes on the role of a minor German dictator in 'The Captain of Kopenick'.

Fans and admirers of Helen Mirren's portrayal of Elizabeth II will be able to see Mirren reprise her role of the Queen in 'The Audience', which examines the monarch's relationship with her different prime ministers and is directed by Stephen 'Billy Elliot' Daldry. Kristen Scott Thomas and Rufus Sewell come together in Harold Pinter's achingly erotic 'Old Times' while Rupert Everett reprises his role as Oscar Wilde in 'The Judas Kiss', both plays running from January through to April. Other highlights of the year Lee Evans and Shiela Hancock starring in gangster comedy 'Barking in Essex' and national treasure Felicity Kendall in Alan Ayckbourne's laugh-out-loud 'Relatively Speaking'.

All of London's best plays and musicals are previewed on LondonTown.com's London Events in 2013 page. This press release features extracts from London 2013: Major Theatre Highlights, an article in the new 244-page guide book to London in 2013, published by LondonTown.com. To purchase a copy of London 2013 - The Annual go to http://www.londontown.com/2013/

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