The prizes formerly known as the TMA Theatre awards announced their nominees this week. Now rebranded with the slightly more user-friendly Theatre awards UK, the regional version of the Oliviers will be held next month in a new, 'more glitzy' ceremony. Those in the running include David Haig for his performance in The Madness of George III, Clarke Peters for Five Guys Named Moe and Derek Jacobi for King Lear. The RSC’s West End-bound Matilda the Musical receives two nominations, while Sheffield Theatres also feature prominently Photograph: Robert Day
Wicked may not have won any awards this week, but it was still celebrating after five years in the West End. The musical opened in September 2006 at the same time as a string of other (much better-reviewed) shows, including Avenue Q, Cabaret and The Sound of Music. It has now outlasted them all, grossing £145m in the process. To find out what made the other producers (ahem) green with envy, have a listen to the Guardian’s audio slideshow
Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian
It looks unlikely that the West End’s latest musical opening, Rock of Ages, will reach the ripe old age of five, after critics greeted it with a barrage of abuse worthy of the most petulant rock star. The jukebox musical, which boasts a soundtrack of 80s soft-rock hits and features former X Factor-winner Shayne Ward and TV presenter Justin Lee Collins, was branded 'as unpleasant a pile of theatrical poo as it has ever been my misfortune to tread in' by the Daily Telegraph’s Charles Spencer. Ward hit back on Twitter, branding Spencer a … well, you can guess the rest
Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian
Rock of Ages – what with its poledancing strippers and llama-shagging rock stars – would probably be a bit too much for the good denizens of Leamington Spa. It’s not the only show. This week they were getting hot under the collar at the Royal Spa Centre’s decision to stage the touring comedy show Puppetry of the Penis. The production features full-frontal nudity and what its creators term 'genital origami'. Local Liberal Democrat councillor Roger Copping isn’t a fan, complaining to the local paper: 'This is Royal Leamington Spa. This sort of show is more suitable for a place like Blackpool.' Touché Photograph: Joe Kohen/WireImage
While Puppetry of the Penis did originate in Australia, you won’t find it in the 2012 season at the Sydney Theatre Company, announced this week. Instead the theatre, which is run by Andrew Upton and Cate Blanchett, has announced a programme of predominantly new Australian work with performances from Hugo Weaving, Kerry Fox and Greta Scacchi, among others. There are also transfers for a number of UK productions, including Midsummer (David Greig’s play with songs), Filter’s Water (pictured) and the Union Theatre’s all-male Pirates of Penzance Photograph: Simon Kane
Here, on the other side of the world, Shakespeare’s Globe is going genuinely global, announcing the lineup for their Globe to Globe season in 2012, which will see each of Shakespeare’s plays performed in a different language. This will mean visits from companies including Afghan troupe Roy-e-Sabs, who will be leaving Kabul for the first time, performances from the national theatre companies of China, Israel, Bitola and Armenia, and even a production of Love’s Labour’s Lost using British Sign Language. It all kicks off next April as part of the London 2012 festival
Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian
The Royal Opera House is also in world-dominating mode, announcing that it will be the latest performing arts producer to beam its productions into cinemas worldwide. The 2011/12 lineup, which will be shown in 700 venues across 22 countries, includes a 3D version of Madam Butterfly, while three other operas (Tosca, Faust and Adriana Lecouvreur) star world-famous Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu. It all marks the latest step in the Covent Garden venue’s attempts to reach new audiences, and follows a similar initiative by the National Theatre – NT Live Photograph: ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
