1st Night Photos: Donmar’s Passion for Sondheim

The Donmar Warehouse revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1994 musical Passion opened last night (21 September, previews from 10 September), with the show’s lyricist James Lapine among the guests.
Jamie Lloyd‘s production continues until 27 November as part of the theatre’s commemoration of Sondheim’s 80th birthday earlier this year.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF PASSION‘s 1ST NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE “NEXT >” LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

Passion premiered on Broadway in 1994, when it won three Tony Awards, for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. A revised version of the show had its West End premiere in 1996, starring Maria Friedman, Michael Ball and Helen Hobson. The Donmar cast is led by Scarlett Strallen, David Thaxton and Elena Roger.

Thaxton plays the young soldier Giorgio and Strallen his mistress Clara in the show, which is based on the Italian film Passione d’Amore and set amongst a military battalion in a bleak frontier town. Roger, who won an Olivier for playing the title role in Lloyd’s production of Piaf at the Donmar two years ago, plays Fosca, the lonely cousin of the Colonel whose obsessive passion threatens the happiness of the young lovers.

The Donmar has had a long association with the composer’s work since 1992, including acclaimed productions of Assassins, Company, Into the Woods and Pacific Overtures.