BACK FOR GOOD: From BONNIE AND CLYDE To RAGTIME

In our new series, BroadwayWorld UK writers nominate the shows they'd love to see revived!

With so many great musical revivals coming up (like Chess, The King and I, and Company), I've been thinking about other musicals that need to be revived here in the West End.

From timeless classics to shows that are increasingly relevant in our current political climate, as much as I love supporting original work, there's always room for an amazing revival or two.

1. Bonnie and Clyde

This isn't technically a revival, because it never had a full production here in London, but it did have a short run at The Other Palace last summer. This show, based on the lives of American outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, was first seen on Broadway in 2011, but despite garnering two Tony nominations closed after just 36 regular performances.

However, the show has a brilliant cast album that's made it a fan favourite. I'm one of many people who think that this lovely music and plot deserve a second chance, despite not connecting with the critics the first time. And where better to give it that second life than here in London?

2. Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein)

Cinderella premiered in 1958 at the London Coliseum, but only made its Broadway debut in 2013.

The recent Broadway production, which is currently on a US tour, features a new book written by Douglas Carter Beane in which Ella shows Prince Topher how his kingdom is full of corruption and injustice. The musical made headlines when it cast African-American Keke Palmer as a replacement for the original Ella, Laura Osnes.

This classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is definitely due a London revival in its new, updated form. Speaking out against corruption in the government in definitely a theme that resonates with all ages in our current political climate of protests and petitions, and it provides a beautiful example to young girls of a princess who is kind and strong.

3. Parade

Parade premiered on Broadway in 1998 and then made its London debut at The Donmar Warehouse in 2007. An innovative production of it was staged in the autumn of 2017 in an actual paper mill in Hertfordshire.

This Jason Robert Brown musical tells the story of the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish man in the Southern United States, and his subsequent lynching. Not only is it a beautiful musical, but it's a harrowing reminder about the power of the mob, the nature of discrimination and the ugly depths humanity can sink to.

In a world that sometimes feels full of xenophobia, and even still anti-Semitism, this musical reminds us just how important it is to be accepting of other religions, ethnicities and peoples.

4. Gigi

Gigi, based on the classic 1958 film, hasn't been seen in the West End since it first premiered here in 1958. However, much as with Cinderella, a 2015 Broadway revival provided an updated version of the show to make it more suitable to modern audiences (such as shrinking the age gap between the two romantic leads).

Gigi features beautiful music by Lerner and Loewe and is an amazing opportunity for a designer to build sets and costumes for turn of the 20th century Paris. It's the sort of fun, light-hearted musical that it sometimes feels like the West End doesn't get enough of.

5. Ragtime

Ragtime first opened in the West End in 2003, before playing at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2012 and at the Charing Cross Theatre in late 2016. However, a proper West End revival of this beautiful show is long overdue.

The story's themes of feminism, fighting discrimination, immigration, and the hope of building a better life for one's children all definitely resonate with today's audiences in our post-Brexit and President Trump world. (Arguably, the show shares many themes with the ever-popular Hamilton.)

It's also a beautiful piece and calls for a large cast of diverse actors, which is always an amazing thing to see in the West End.

Fingers crossed that we'll see an announcement for one of these shows any day now...

Which shows do YOU want to see revived? Let us know!

Photo credit: Scott Rylander

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