Sheridan Smith to star in new West End musical Opening Night, directed by Ivo van Hove

Sheridan Smith is to return to the West End in new musical Opening Night. 

The musical is based on John Cassavetes’ 1977 film Opening Night, which follows an alcoholic actress who is concerned about aging and haunted by the ghost of one of her deceased fans. The film was initially panned when released but, like so many works, it later came to hold a strong reputation amongst film aficionados.

Ivo van Hove (A Little Life), who directed a non-musical version of the show for Dutch theatre company Toneelgroep Amsterdam in 2006, returns to the director’s chair for this production.

Songwriter Rufus Wainwright will pen new tunes for the show, which is set to be led by Smith. The Shirley Valentine star has credits including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Funny Girl. 

Smith said today: “The chance to work with the musical genius that is Rufus Wainwright and one of the world’s greatest stage directors Ivo van Hove was a once in a life time opportunity, and quite frankly if they’d asked me to read out the back of a cereal packet I’d have been there! But, I couldn’t be more thrilled to be cast in this fantastic original musical and to play the complex and challenging character of Myrtle”.

Ivo van Hove said today “After the success of A Little Life I am thrilled to return to the West End together with Wessex Grove to create a new musical. It is a dream come true to collaborate with the wonderful Rufus Wainwright, whose work I have been a fan of for so many years.

“We connected over our shared love of the incredible John Casavettes film Opening Night and it has long been an ambition of ours to bring a musical version to the stage. Opening Night not only gives us an insight into the trials and tribulations behind the scenes of the theatre, but it is also the heartbreaking story of a woman fighting for hope and self-determination in a world that doesn’t want to listen”.

Further casting is to be revealed, while the show will run at the Gielgud Theatre from 6 March until 27 July 2024. Tickets go on sale from 10am.

Wainwright said today, “For me John Cassavetes’s movie Opening Night has long been a shining beacon representing both excellence in cinema and the might of live theatre. An intense marriage of film and stage it is about a very personal mental and creative survival that I think we can all relate to on a very deep human level. I’ve been waiting for ages to write my first musical and with this fantastic story plus the incomparable Sheridan Smith, not to mention the incredible Ivo van Hove, I don’t think I could have aimed any higher”. 

Producers Benjamin Lowy and Emily Vaughan-Barratt said today: “Deep in the early lockdowns of 2020, just after forming our company, we zoomed with Ivo and Rufus about turning Opening Night into a musical. It was a thrilling idea they had, and that conversation turned into the first commission Wessex Grove made.

“Rufus has written the most extraordinary original music and it is a joy for us to be reuniting with Ivo after the success of A Little Life earlier this year. Opening Night is a show about making theatre in all its forms; the heartbreaks, the turmoil, and the pure joy of it. We couldn’t be luckier to have one of our great theatrical stars, Sheridan Smith, leading the cast of this new musical”.

The show has a book by Ivo van Hove with music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright. It is directed and conceived by Ivo van Hove, has set, lighting and video design by Jan Versweyveld, costume design by An D’Huys and sound design by Tom Gibbons and Alex Twiselton.

Orchestrations are by Wainwright, with musical supervision and musical direction by Nigel Lilley. Movement and choreography is by Polly Bennett, casting by Julia Horan CDG and the associate director is Daniel Raggett.