Wednesday 7th May 2014 by Will Langdale
Forthcoming West End action
Stuff to get excited about
As any dedicated fan knows, sometimes the anticipation is as sweet as the thing itself. Making a giant, intricately crafted effigy of Harry Styles is a whole of week of fun that only makes roaring wildly and wielding it by the ankle two rows from One Direction that much more awesome. With that in mind, we thought we’d turn on the hype machine and share some near-future West End happenings with a view to making you as giddy with excitement as we are, which is very giddy indeed.
Oh my god it’s Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon previews started on Saturday, with a full opening later in the month! It’s been a quarter-century since Cameron Mackintosh’s production smashed box office records at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and with 300 cities under its belt, it’s time to come home. Just as with the show’s original opening, a relatively unknown actress has been cast in the lead role of Kim. High school student Eva Noblezada makes her professional and West End debut – talk about nerve-wracking! The Prince Edward has been closed for weeks now preparing for the show, and we’re especially excited for the helicopter sequence!
Treachery, trials and Tudors
Another pair of shows that have just landed in the West End are Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, running in rep at the Aldwych. Adapted from Hilary Mantel’s double Booker-winning novels, we had the pleasure of seeing Wolf Hall during its Christmas run at the RST in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Nathanial Parker’s a cracking Henry VIII, and Ben Miles and Lydia Leonard are exceptional as Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn. Definitely one to see while tickets last, especially if you can do it in the right order (Wolf Hall first!).
Beverley Knight is here to stay
She may be waving goodbye to The Bodyguard, but she’s not waving goodbye to the West End! Beverley Knight’s signed up for the West End premier of Memphis, a Tony award-winning musical that took Broadway by storm just two years ago. Beverley was ludicrously well-received as soul diva Rachel Marron and we just know she’s going to be utterly spectacular in Memphis. It opens at the Shaftesbury in October: Can. Not. Wait!
What’s next?
Finally, rumour abounds as to what’s going to replace two recent closures of giant proportions. With We Will Rock You leaving the Dominion the Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye reckons Motown: The Musical will be trotting its way into London. Following I Can’t Sing’s hasty departure from the Palladium we’ve heard that the touring production of Lloyd-Webber classic Starlight Express might be on its way back. Both would be fantastic replacements, but we’ve also heard that there’s people keen to bring the Broadway show Newsies to London, and let’s not forget that Back to the Future has yet to announce a theatre!