City of Angels musical to run in the West End with Rosalie Craig, Hadley Fraser, Rebecca Trehearn and Vanessa Williams
(© three left: Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage, far right: David Gordon for TheaterMania)
The Donmar Warehouse production of City of Angels will run in the West End in 2020, it has been announced.
Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart's musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1989, follows both the tale of a writer trying to get his novel turned into a screenplay and the fictional story of the movie itself.
Josie Rourke's production was nominated for five Olivier Awards in 2015 – winning Best Musical Revival and Best Lighting Design. It has choreography by Olivier Award-winner Stephen Mear, with lighting by Howard Harrison, set and costumes by Rob Jones, sound by Nick Lidster and Terry Jardine for Autograph, orchestrations by Larry Blank, musical supervision by Gareth Valentine, video by Duncan McLean and casting by Alastair Coomer and Jacob Sparrow.
The West End run will star returning performers Hadley Fraser (Young Frankenstein) as Stine, Rebecca Trehearn (Showboat) as Donna/Oolie and Rosalie Craig (Company) as Gabby/Bobbi, alongside Tony Award-nominee Vanessa Williams as Carla/Alaura. Williams makes her West End debut.
Also appearing will be Marc Elliott as Panchos/Munoz, Nick Cavaliere as Sonny, Adam Fogarty as Big Six and Mark Penfold as Luther Kingsley, each returning to the production, alongside Rob Houchen as Jimmy/Dr Mandril, Joshua St Clair as Peter Kingsley and Cindy Bellot, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Manuel Pacific and Ryan Reid as the Angel City 4. Further casting is to be announced.
Director Rourke said: "City of Angels was a landmark experience for me at the Donmar. We all longed to hear Cy Coleman's classic score, and see this incredible design on a bigger stage. Nica's passion for the show has brought about this reunion, and I'm very grateful that through her championing, audiences will have the chance to see this classic production in the West End.
"In the five years since I directed the show, I've experienced making movies first-hand, and I will return to this Hollywood story with a little more insight!"
City of Angels will begin performances at the Garrick Theatre from 5 March 2020.
