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Jailhouse Rock Confirms April Closure at Piccadilly

As previously tipped (See The Goss, 10 Feb 2005), the inter-West End transfer of Jailhouse Rock has been called off. The musical will now finish on 23 April 2005, four days after it marks it first anniversary at the Piccadilly Theatre.

After making way for the Ewan McGregor-headed revival of Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly, the stage musical adaptation of Elvis Presley’s seminal 1957 film was expected to take a short break and then reopen at the Albery (See News, 14 Dec 2004). However, with the Albery’s lease reverting to new management in May, it’s believed that a suitably lengthy run could not be guaranteed, making the transfer uneconomic.

The latest collaboration from Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson, best known for their long-running Buddy Holly bio-musical Buddy, Jailhouse Rock features 22 songs in total, amongst them Elvis Presley hits such as “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Burnin’ Love”, “Suspicious Minds”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and “Always on My Mind”.

Newcomer Mario Kombou plays Vince Everett in a cast that also currently features Lisa Peace, Roger Alborough and Popstars: The Rivals winner Daniel Pearce. The musical is directed by Bettinson, produced by Janes and Rene Sheridan, and co-produced by Jonathan Alver and Stephen Dee. The creative team includes designer Adrian Rees, musical supervisor David Mackay and choreographer Drew Anthony.

- by Terri Paddock

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