The new play by Alan Bennett, which is due to premiere at the National Theatre later this year, may well be the biggest London show of 2009. It has certainly been receiving a lot of attention and now that the two stars of the show have been named that looks set to continue.

The provisional title for the play is ‘The Habit of Art’ and it will deal with the relationship of the poet W H Auden and the composer Benjamin Britten. Michael Gambon is set to play Auden whilst Alex Jennings will play Britten. Frances de la Tour and Adrian Scarborough are also attached to the production which is due to open in the Lyttleton Theatre in November. It will be directed by the National’s Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner.

The play tells the story of an imagined meeting as Auden and Britten meet in the 1960s towards the end of their lives. The two had worked together on the documentary ‘Night Mail’ and the operetta ‘Paul Bunyan’ but fell out with each other in the 1940s.

This play is expected to emulate the huge success of past Bennett premieres at the National such as ‘The History Boys’ and ‘The Madness of George III’. Another Bennett play, ‘Enjoy’ is currently in the West End and breaking box office records.

Roald Dahl is, of course, a national treasure. Many of his books have been made into films, stage shows and, often, both. The BFG, which stands for Big Friendly Giant is one of his most loved. It tells the story of Sophie who is snatched out of her bed by the BFG. She naturally fears the worst as his neighbours, the wonderfully named Bloodbottler and Fleshlumpeater love swallowing humans, especially children or, as they refer to them, chiddlers.

The stage show which is touring the country for most of 2009 has been adapted by David Wood. Phil Clark directs a stellar cast which includes Anthony Pedley who recently celebrated his 1,500th performance. He is joined by Becky John, Heather Phoenix, Naomi Lee Schulke, Louise Shuttleworth, Darrell Brockis, Adam Baxter, Iwan Tudor, Lucy Abbs and Sam Pay.

The show has been receiving rave reviews everywhere it goes. This latest version makes particularly effective use of puppets and actor musicians amongst the cast who provide a wonderful soundtrack for the show.

Forthcoming venues include Watford, Hackney, Bristol, Cambridge, Eastbourne, Woking and Derry. Wherever you’re planning to see the show you would be well advised to book your theatre tickets sooner rather than later.

A new comedy is coming to the Hampstead Theatre. It boasts a West End quality cast and no doubt the producers will be hoping to sell sufficient theatre tickets to justify a transfer in due course.

The new play is ‘Amongst Friends’ by April De Angelis. It will star Helen Baxendale, James Dreyfus, Emma Cunniffe, Vicki Pepperdine and Aden Gillett. It will be directed by Anthony Clark. It will run from the 26th of May until the 13th of June with previews from the 21st of May.

The play tells the story of a journalist and her crime writer husband who live in a gated community. They invite their former neighbours to dinner but a failure in the security system means they also have an uninvited guest.

Baxendale is best known for her television roles in shows such as ‘Cold Feet’ and ‘Friends’. Her last stage appearance was in the West End with Christian Slater in ‘Swimming with Sharks’. She has previously appeared at Hampstead in ‘Morning and Evening’ and ‘Bearing Fruit’.

James Dreyfus also has a television pedigree, starring in TV series such as ‘The Thin Blue Line’ and ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’. He has also worked extensively on stage including the 2006 production of ‘Donkeys’ Years’ in the West End.

The musical ‘Chicago’ has announced a change to its cast. Gary Wilmot is to take over from Jimmy Osmond in the role of Billy Flynn. Eastenders star Emma Barton will star opposite him as Roxie Hart. They start performing on the 15th of June when the show launches a new 16 venue tour over 5 months. The tour will start at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe and end in Aberdeen in November.

This tour is produced by David Ian Productions in association with Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.

There will also be changes to a London show which is currently one of the hottest tickets, ‘Hairspray’. The show continues at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End. It has already been announced that Brian Conley is taking over from Michael Ball in the role of Edna Turnblad. He will be joined by Chloe Hart who has just graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She will play Tracy Turnblad. Liam Tamne will take over as Link Larkin. He has previously been seen in ‘Wicked’

They will give their first performance on the 27th of July. Nigel Planer and Verity Rushforth will continue in the roles of Wilbur Turnblad and Penny Pingleton respectively.