The big opening of the week was Ghost the Musical – a new stage version of the 90s tear-jerking film. The West End show boasts new music from former Eurythmic Dave Stewart, a live potter’s wheel scene and multiple renditions of Unchained Melody. Critics haven’t always been kind to musical adaptations of films, but on this occasion they’ve been at least partially receptive to the show’s psychic vibrations. (Although perhaps they were getting a little much for Quentin Letts on the Daily Mail, who wanted them to turn the volume down) Photograph: PR
But if Ghost’s backers were hoping for a New York transfer post-West End, they might want to think again. According to leading producer Sonia Friedman, it is getting harder and harder to turn a buck on Broadway. She warned that escalating costs were putting her off taking shows to the US theatre capital. Friedman claims it costs more than four times as much to produce a play on Broadway as in the West End. Even hit show Jerusalem – with its Tony award-winning star Mark Rylance – doesn’t look like it will make all its money back Photograph: Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images
At the other end of the theatrical scale, a small pop-up space launches in Hackney Wick, east London, this weekend. The Yard theatre is a converted warehouse and has been created using reclaimed building materials from the Olympic park, which is just across the road. The 120-seat theatre won’t be around for long though, as its inaugural season, which runs from 22 July to 29 October, will also be its last. Tickets are all below £10, and there’s a range of work from emerging artists to a few more established names Photograph: Andy Matthews
You wait years for a stage musical version of Anthony Burgess’s cult 60s novel A Clockwork Orange and then two come along at once. Those of you with long memories – and a fondness for theatrical turkeys – may recall an ill-fated attempt by the RSC (with Bono and the Edge) to transform the book into a musical stage show in the early 90s; it was christened ‘A Clockwork Lemon’. Let’s hope the new versions – one planned at Theatre Royal Stratford East and the other at the Royal Northern College of Music – fare somewhat better Photograph: Everett Collection / Rex
Speaking of the RSC, there are some truly intriguing offerings in its Open Stages project – the company’s amateur Shakespeare festival, the details of which have just been announced. How do you fancy The Tempest performed in Tesco? Or perhaps you’d rather see a Maori Coriolanus, or Much Ado About Nothing staged by members of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth harbour. In total, there are more than 6,400 participants aged from six to 90 years old. The full lineup of productions across the country was unveiled this week, and a selection will be invited to perform as part of next year’s World Shakespeare festival Photograph: Elaine Thompson / AP
As times get tougher for theatres across the UK, some are sharing the same actors across different plays in a bid (at least in part) to make their finances stack up. The Theatre Royal York (whose production of Parlour Song is pictured) has just launched a repertory season, while the Kingston Rose – one of the unsuccessful applicants during the Arts Council funding process – has announced it will be doubling actors for its productions of The Importance of Being Earnest and Farewell to the Theatre Photograph: Karl Andre Smit
Strangely, though, this week’s most dramatic event happened without a theatre in sight. The appearances of Murdoch père et fils before the House of Commons’ culture select committee had all the ingredients of a great Shakespearean drama – political intrigues, family quarrels and, of course, even a clown. As playwright Alistair Beaton remarked: 'There is no doubt that the performances are finely judged. Indeed, there is acting of the highest quality here. The problem lies in the plot, which frankly leaves a lot to be desired' Photograph: PA
