Almeida's Kent Sees a Man about a Musical???

Outgoing Almeida artistic director Jonathan Kent has revealed details of his first project once his 12-year reign (alongside Ian McDiarmid) at the renowned London theatre comes to an end this July. And it's something completely different indeed. The director - best known for his acclaimed off-West End reinventions of classic dramas by Shakespeare, Racine, Moliere, Brecht and the like - will now turn his hand to big-budget Broadway musical theatre. Marking his first foray into musicals, Kent will direct a major revival of the 1965 multi award-winning Man of La Mancha, with Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (from Broadway's Kiss Me Kate) in the lead. While in New York, Kent shouldn't be too lonely for home as La Mancha designs will be provided care of his Almeida mate Paul Brown with whom he's collaborated on The Tempest, Platonov and the current King Lear. Man of La Mancha is due to open on Broadway in December (venue to be confirmed). Could it eventually make its way to London too? It's far too early to tell but many fans of both Kent and the musical would like to hope so.

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