London Odds & Ends: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Announces New West End Stars & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed this week.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Announces New West End Stars
As Broadway kicks off its highly anticipated transfer of the hit two-part play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the London production has announced an incoming new slate of cast members. Joining the company at the Palace Theatre on May 23 will be Jamie Ballard as Harry Potter, Susie Trayling as Ginny Potter, Joe Idris-Roberts as Albus Potter and Jonathan Case as Scorpius Malfoy. They will appear alongside current cast members Thomas Aldridge as Ron Weasley, Rakie Ayola as Hermione Granger, Helen Aluko as Rose Granger-Weasley and James Howard as Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the winner of a record-breaking nine Olivier Awards.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Names West End Theater for Gillian Lynne
Stage icon Andrew Lloyd Webber announced this week that the New London Theatre, the original home of Cats, would be renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre, making it the first venue in London's West End to be named for a woman, according to The Telegraph. Gillian Lynne is the legendary choreographer whose work includes Lloyd Webber's Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. "Gillian has been a pioneer of British musical theater and dance," said Lloyd Webber. "Gillie’s groundbreaking work on Cats inspired and launched countless careers in dance. It is only fitting that the theater in which she created Cats is named in her honor."

Shuler Hensley to Reprise Award-Winning Turn in The Whale with Theatre Royal Bath
Tony and Olivier Award winner Shuler Hensley will return to the central role of Charlie in the U.K. premiere of Samuel D. Hunter's drama The Whale. Hensley was the recipient of Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards for his performance in the play's 2012 off-Broadway production at Playwrights Horizons. Laurence Boswell will direct The Whale, scheduled to play Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Studio beginning on April 26 with an opening set for May 3. The play centers on Charlie (Hensley), a reclusive online writing instructor who lives marooned on a couch. Weighing in at 600 pounds, he is slowly eating himself to death. But redemption may be within reach as he tries to reconnect with his estranged, sharp-tongued daughter as a conveyor belt of visitors—welcome and otherwise—move through his living room. Can any of them help him to see a future? The Whale will play a limited engagement through June 2.

Costume Supervisor Stephanie Arditti Dies at 61
Stephanie Arditti, a multi-talented costume supervisor whose contributions netted Tony and Olivier Awards, died on February 21 at age 61 following a long illness, according to The Guardian. Arditti's extensive résumé included Tony- and Olivier-winning work with designer Christopher Oram on Wolf Hall, as well as Olivier-winning efforts with Deirdre Clancy on All’s Well That Ends Well. Arditti's additional credits included Power, The White Guard and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She is survived by her daughter, Lucy, and her sister, Mel.