LES MIS

Not sure why we're doing so many theatre & musical posts this week, but here goes another one: Tom Hooper, who directed the wildly successful The King's Speech, is currently working on a big-screen adaptation of the hit stage musical, Les Miserables. 

Word is Hugh Jackman is in talks to take on the role of Jean Valjean, who is the lead character in both Victor Hugo's 1862 novel and the stage version which came from it. 

TURN OFF THE DARK

After being plagued with numerous re-writes, cast injuries & technical difficulties since its previews in November, The Spider-Man musical, entitled Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, finally opened on Boadway last night.

Sadly the show was harshly received by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it a "bloated monster", The New York Times branding it "a bore", and Entertainment Weekly hammering the final nail by blasting the score (composed by U2's Bono & The Edge) as "a mostly lackluster collection of forgettable tunes that play like B-sides". Ouch.

THE BOOK OF MORMON

South Park creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone cleaned up at last night's Tony Awards at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, picking up a total of 9 gongs (out of 14 nominations) for their satirical musical, The Book of Mormon. 

The irreverent Broadway show won 'Best Musical', 'Best Orchestration' and 'Best Actress' for Nikki James. This is one we'll definitely catch when it comes to London. Congrats to all the winners, and here is a snippet from the ceremony.

FRANKENSTEIN

Danny Boyle's much-hyped stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic gothic tale has received so many mixed reviews that we'll let the pictures do the talking (until we go & see it that is).