Tina Sinatra and the stars of Sinatra The Musical on bringing Frank’s complex legacy and timeless tunes to the West End stage

Last night, the West End celebrated the official opening of Sinatra The Musical and WhatsOnStage was on hand to swoon and croon with VIPs such as Marisa Tomei and Simon Cowell in attendance.

Prior to the show, we caught up with producer Tina Sinatra as well as leading man Joel Harper-Jackson and his co-stars Phoebe Panaretos (who plays Nancy Sinatra) and Ana Villafañe (Ava Gardner) to chat about the pressures of staging Frank Sinatra’s complicated life story, the evolution of the production since its world premiere in Birmingham, and which songs in particular have gotten under their skin.

Watch all the highlights in our opening night video below:

Sinatra The Musical charts the life of Frank Sinatra, tracing his early rise in the 1940s, his personal relationships and the challenges that shaped his career. The score includes more than 20 Sinatra songs such as “That’s Life”, “One for My Baby”, “The Best Is Yet To Come” and “Come Fly With Me”.

The West End cast also includes Nancy Sinatra and Jenna Russell as Dolly, Frank Sinatra’s mother, alongside Oliver Adam-Reynolds (Nat King Cole/ensemble), Becky Anderson (Lana Turner/ensemble), Carl Au (Lee Mortimer/ensemble), Sam Brown (Tommy Dorsey/ensemble), Helen Colby (Hedda Hopper/ensemble), Emma Crossley (swing), Adam Davidson (Gene Kelly/ensemble), Alexander Day (swing and dance captain), Christopher GoPaul (swing), Stuart Hickey (swing), Jenna Innes (Judy Garland/ensemble), Marty Maguire (Marty Sinatra), Mia Musakembeva (ensemble), Melissa Nettleford (Billie Holiday/ensemble), Samuel Nicholas (ensemble), Nardia Ruth (swing), Christina Shand (swing and assistant dance captain), John Stacey (Mitch Miller/Harry Cohn/ensemble), Allana Taylor (Marlene Dietrich/ensemble) and Lee Zarrett (George Evans).

Sylvie Regan, Mia Savident and Felicity Walton share the role of Little Nancy.

The creative team includes director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall, with set design by Peter McKintosh. Gareth Valentine will supervise an orchestra of seventeen musicians, joined by Jon Morrell on costumes, Bruno Poet on lighting, Jonathan Deans on sound and Akhila Krishnan on video. Hair, wigs and make‑up are by Campbell Young, with orchestrations by Larry Blank and John Clayton, arrangements by Ian Eisendrath and dance arrangements by David Chase. Casting is by David Grindrod for Grindrod Burton Casting, with Jim Carnahan and Jason Thinger handling US casting. Carol Lee Meadows serves as associate choreographer.

The show is produced by Michele Anthony and Bruce Resnikoff for Universal Music Group Theatrical, alongside Tina Sinatra and Charles Pignone for Frank Sinatra Enterprises. Executive producers are Scott Landis and Chris Harper, with UK general management by Short Street Productions Ltd and a wide co‑producing team.

Sinatra The Musical marks the first in a new series of projects from Frank Sinatra Enterprises and Universal Music Group aimed at introducing the artist’s work to new audiences.

Tickets for performances through to 10 April 2027 are on sale now.