Features

Just when will these Broadway hits finally reach the West End?

Ahead of the Tony Awards on Sunday, we take a look at some of the biggest hits from the Great White Way yet to arrive in London

Ben Hewis

Ben Hewis

| London | London's West End |

9 June 2017

Ben Platt plays the titular role in Dear Evan Hansen
Ben Platt plays the titular role in Dear Evan Hansen
© David Gordon

We might have Hansen, Waitress and Come From Away coming, but there's a bucketload of Broadway hits that seem to have got stuck at JFK airport on their way over and we'd like to know when we're going to get our chance to see them please. Ahead of this weekend's Tony Awards, we round up six of them below…

1. Something Rotten!

I mean, guys, this is about Shakespeare, so why it hasn't come over yet beggars belief – it's practically a British musical by default! This fun show, which opened on Broadway two years ago and closed in January, follows the Bottom brothers who struggle to compete with their contemporary, William Shakespeare. When one of them meets Nostradamus' less gifted nephew they learn the key to success is in musicals. It sounds bonkers, and it is bonkers, which is just what we need in town right now. Not even a squeak of a rumour on this one though.

Dream casting: Simon Lipkin as the Bard and Peter Polycarpou as Thomas Nostradamus.

2. Bright Star

Steve Martin – yes the Steve Martin – and Edie Brickell's musical won the Drama Desk Award for outstanding music last year and we think that it should shoot over the Atlantic for a run, even just so we can get a selfie with Martin. This show first saw light way back in 2013 and is inspired by their Grammy-winning bluegrass album Love Has Come for You, and tells a story of love and redemption in the American south during the 1920s and '40s.

Dream casting: Savannah Stevenson as editor Alice Murphy.

3. Newsies

Hey Disney… it's been five years since Newsies premiered on Broadway, FIVE years, what are you playing at? With music by Disney legend Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein, this show about the Newsboys Strike of 1899 won two Tony Awards in 2012. A recording of the stage show was broadcast to UK cinemas earlier this year, piquing the interest of Disney fangirls and boys nationwide. But there's still no sign of this show making front page news any time soon.

Dream casting: Well, it has to be Jeremy Jordan right?

4. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

Like Dear Evan Hansen it's perhaps a bit early to be screaming at producers for not bringing this over yet, considering it only opened at the Imperial Theatre six months ago. But unlike the former, Dave Malloy's show, a musical adaptation of Tolstoy's War and Peace, has been knocking around for five years so it's hardly a spring chicken. With 12 nominations, this could be the big surprise at this year's Tony Awards.

Dream casting: Josh Groban for his West End debut?

Related Articles

See all

Latest Reviews

See all

Theatre news & discounts

Get the best deals and latest updates on theatre and shows by signing up for WhatsOnStage newsletter today!