Wonderful Town at Opera Holland Park: first look

Wonderful Town, the classic Leonard Bernstein musical, is being revived at Opera Holland Park this summer, running for a strictly limited season to 4 July 2021.

The show centres on sisters Ruth and Eileen Sherwood as they arrive in 1930s New York and are thrown into a world of madcap adventures, zany characters and endless possibilities.

Wonderful Town first premiered in New York in 1953 where it won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. It has a book by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

Leading the piece are Louise Dearman (Ruth) and Siubhan Harrison (Eileen), joined by Ashley Daniels (Appopolous), Roger Dipper (Frank Lippencott), Tamsin Dowsett (Mrs Wade), Gregory Haney (Speedy Valentine), Emma Harrold (Helen), Jason Kajdi (Officer Lonigan), Alex Lodge (Chick Clark), Ako Mitchell (Bob Baker), Billy Nevers (The Wreck), Jade Albertsen, Natasha Leaver and Robson Broad.

The production is directed by Alastair Knights, with choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, musical direction by Alex Parker and orchestrations by Jason Carr, with Guy Salim as assistant choreographer and Alex Stenhouse as assistant director.