Opening: Zorro, Species, Street Scene & Nocturne

Amongst the major openings in London this week are:

OPENING TUESDAY, 15 July 2008 (previews from 2 July), Zorro – The Musical, based on the 2005 bestseller by Chilean novelist Isabel Allende and with original music by the Gipsy Kings, opens at the West End’s Garrick Theatre. The production, which cancelled its first two London previews (See News, 1 Jul 2008), arrives in the West End after a national tour. Leading the 30-strong cast, Matt Rawle reprises his performance in the title role, alongside new West End company members Emma Williams and Adam Levy. It’s currently booking until January 2009.

** DON’T MISS the chance to see ZORRO for only £30 – offer ends 17 July 2008 – click here for more info! **

OPENING WEDNESDAY, 16 July 2008 (previews from 10 July), Eileen Atkins leads a cast including Anna Maxwell Martin, Sophie Thompson, Con O’Neill and Sam Kelly in Joanna Murray-Smith’s new comedy The Female of the Species at the West End’s Vaudeville Theatre (See News, 3 Jun 2008). The play was inspired by an incident in 2000 when popular feminist Germaine Greer was held captive in her Essex country house. It runs until 4 October 2008. Roger Michell directs.

OPENING THURSDAY, 17 July 2008, the Young Vic stages the first UK production in 20 years of the Kurt Weill musical Street Scene (See News, 3 Jun 2008). A co-production with the Opera Group and Watford Palace, the latest in the Young Vic’s community operas is performed by a mass ensemble, comprising 15 professional musical theatre and opera performers, a chorus of 50, a chamber orchestra of 30 and a dog. It runs for a strictly limited season until 22 July 2008.

OPENING FRIDAY, 18 July 2008 (previews from 16 July), Adam Rapp’s Nocturne receives its European premiere at the Almeida Theatre, exploring the ramifications of the accidental killing of a little girl by her teenage brother. It runs until 26 July 2008, as part of the Almeida summer festival (See News, 8 Apr 2008).

– by Theo Bosanquet