West End Mack & Mabel--Starring Dee and Soul--Begins Performances April 5

Mack & Mabel--helmed by Sweeney Todd director John Doyle--will take its first pratfall on London's Criterion Theatre on April 5th. The Jerry Herman musical, which follows the real-life romance of silent comedy czar Mack Sennett and beautiful comedienne Mabel Normand, will officially open on April 10th and play for a limited 16-week engagement.

The West End transfer follows a U.K. tour and the hit production at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury. Starring David Soul as Mack and Janie Dee as Mabel, the show will also feature Richard Brightiff, Tomm Coles, Robert Cousins, Michelle Long, Robin Pirongs, John Trenchard, Simon Tuck, Sarah Whittuck and Matthew Woodytatt.

The show features a score by Herman and a book by Michael Stewart. "When 'hash-slinger' Mabel Normand turns up on the set of film-maker Mack Sennett, creator of the Keystone Cops, she catches his eye and soon captures his heart. Before long, Mabel is starring in Sennett's two-reelers and together they bring magic to the silver screen," state press notes. Sarah Travis (orchestrations and musical supervision), Mark Bailey (sets and costume design), Richard G. Jones (lighting) and Gary Dixon (sound) are among the creative team.

While short-lived in its original 1974 production (which starred Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters), the score was preserved on a cast recording that has become treasured by many musical theatre fans. Mack & Mabel's score includes "Time Heals Everything," "I Won't Send Roses," "Look What Happened to Mabel," "Movies Were Movies" and other songs. A 1995 London mounting of the show starred Howard McGillin and Caroline O'Connor; Mack and Mabel has yet to be revived on Broadway.

Soul, while best known for his work on the '70s TV hit "Starsky and Hutch," was previously seen on the West End in the title role of Jerry Springer--The Opera. His other film and TV credits include "Deadwood," Tides of War, "Salem's Lot" and The Stick-Up. He previously worked with Dee in a London production of Alan Ayckbourn's Comic Potential; the latter netted an Olivier Award for her performance. She has also been seen in The National Theatre's production of Carousel and in My One and Only.

Doyle's reconceptualized production of Sweeney Todd--featuring a cast doubling as actors and orchestra--was both a London success and is now a current Broadway hit. The director applies the same basic concept to his Cincinnati Playhouse production of Company, starring Raul Esparza. That show began performances on March 14th.

Mack & Mabel's performance schedule is: Monday-Saturday evenings at 7:45 PM and Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3 PM. Tickets, ranging from £15-£45, are available by calling 0870 060 2313.