Openings: In Celebration, Joseph, Hothouse, LadyDate: 16 July 2007
Amongst the major openings in London this week are:
OPENING TONIGHT, Monday 16 July 2007 (previews from 5 July), Orlando Bloom’s makes his professional stage debut in Anna Mackmin’s revival of David Storey’s 1969 play In Celebration at the West End’s Duke of York’s theatre (See News, 25 May 2007). The story centres on three brothers – Andrew, Colin and Steven – who return home to their Northern roots for a family reunion. Although they’ve returned to celebrate, the complexities of family life and long-held grievances make a decent party unlikely. Bloom is joined in the cast by Paul Hilton, Gareth Farr, Tim Healy and Lynda Baron (See Show Pics, 12 Jul 2007).
** Our Whatsonstage.com Outing to IN CELEBRATION - including a top-price ticket, a FREE drink & access to our EXCLUSIVE post-show Q&A – is now SOLD OUT! - click here to join the waiting list! **
OPENING TUESDAY, 17 July 2007 (previews from 6 July), the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After two months of the BBC One reality TV casting programme Any Dream Will Do, 25-year-old Lee Mead won the title role (See News, 12 Jun 2007). The musical is based on the Biblical tale of Joseph and his 11 jealous brothers, and started life in 1968 as a 20-minute entertainment for an end-of-term school concert. Bombay Dreams star Preeya Kalidas returns to the West End to play the Narrator.
OPENING WEDNESDAY, 18 July 2007 (previews from 11 July), Ian Rickson directs Harold Pinter’s rarely-seen 1958 play The Hothouse at the National Theatre. Stephen Moore, Lia Williams, Finbar Lynch and Paul Ritter star in this blackly comic masterpiece of paranoia, subterfuge and office infighting. Mr Roote is struggling to manage a mysterious, faceless 'rest home', believing that his ever-smiling staff are supporting him. But when patients and a new staff member go missing, events are brought to a sinister head. The Hothouse continues in rep in the NT Lyttelton until 4 September 2007.
** Don’t miss the chance to see THE HOTHOUSE for only £25 (usually up to £39.50) – offer ends 31 July 2007 - click here for more details! **
OPENING THURSDAY, 19 July 2007 (previews from 17 July), George and Ira Gershwin’s 1920s Broadway musical comedy Lady Be Good continues the 75th anniversary season at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park. Ian Talbot, in his 20th – and final – season as artistic director (See News, 26 Jul 2006), bids farewell to the outdoor venue with this musical tale of penniless siblings evicted from their Rhode Island mansion. Dick is determined to marry a wealthy heiress in order to return to solvency, but his sister Susie is equally determined to save him from a loveless marriage by posing as a Spanish widow in order to claim a substantial inheritance. Lady Be Good runs in rep until 25 August 2007.
** Our Whatsonstage.com Outing to LADY BE GOOD! - including a FREE programme & access to our EXCLUSIVE post-show cast reception, all for just £25 – is selling out fast - click here to book now! **
- by Stuart Denison
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