Opening: Dreamboats, Donmar Streetcar & Dance

Amongst the major London openings – in the West End and further afield – this week are:

OPENING TONIGHT, Monday 27 July 2009 (previews from 22 July), Dreamboats and Petticoats, the rock ‘n’ roll musical based around the Fifties and Sixties hits from the two recently released compilation albums of the same name, opens at the Savoy Theatre (See News, 15 Jun 2009). The book is written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, best known for TV sitcoms Birds of a Feather and Shine on Harvey Moon, and the cast includes former X Factor finalist Scott Bruton. It runs for a limited season to 12 September 2009.

OPENING TUESDAY, 28 July 2009 (previews from 23 July), Rachel Weisz and Elliot Cowan lead the cast in the Donmar Warehouse’s revival of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire (See News, 17 April 2009). The play centres on fading southern belle Blanche DuBois (Weisz), whose arrival at the home of her sister Stella and her brutish husband Stanley Kowalski (Cowan) upsets their marital dynamic and sets Blanche and Stanley on a violent collision course. Choreographer-turned-director Rob Ashford (Parade) directs, and it continues to 3 October.

ALSO ON TUESDAY (previews from 23 July), Adam Cooper directs, choreographs and stars in Shall We Dance, a tribute to the work of Richard Rodgers, at Sadler’s Wells. Set to a score comprised entirely of melodies by the late-great American musical theatre composer, Shall We Dance tells the story of one man’s quest to find true love. His panoramic voyage transports the audience from the Orient to the Wild West by way of Russian folk dance, New York jazz and the waltzes of a Viennese ballroom. Until 30 August 2009.

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OPENING WEDNESDAY, 29 July 2009 (previews from 24 July), Alecky Blythe’s brothel-set verbatim drama The Girlfriend Experience opens at the Young Vic, following its debut at the Royal Court Upstairs last year. The cast is led by Debbie Chazen and Beatie Edney (who reprise their roles), and it continues to 15 August 2009.

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OPENING THURSDAY, 30 July 2009 (previews from 27 July), Christopher Domig performs Robert Schneider’s one-man show Dirt, about an illegal Iraqi immigrant trying to adapt to his new life, at the Arcola Theatre, following runs in New York, Vienna and Edinburgh. Until 15 August.

OPENING FRIDAY, 31 July 2009 (previews from 20 July), The Scoop’s six-week season of free theatre commences on the south bank with Medea, in a new translation by Stella Duffy (See News, 6 May 2009). This year marks the seventh season for The Scoop, which is presented annually by The Steam Industry in an 850-seat open-air amphitheatre situated at More London next to City Hall. Medea continues to 6 September, and is joined in rep from 7 August by a new family musical version of The Adventures of Jason and the Argonauts.