GWB Entertainment To Co-Produce THE KING AND I in London

Australian based theatre producers take London's West End by storm and transfer The King & I to London from Broadway.

GWB Entertainment is thrilled to announce that the company will be coproducing the West End transfer of the multi Tony Award-winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I. The production will transfer from Broadway to London in June 2018 following a critically acclaimed 16 month run at New York's Lincoln Center Theater and an unprecedented record-breaking USA tour.

Opening at the world famous London Palladium in June 2018, the show will star the two original Lincoln Center Theater lead actors: Broadway Musical Royalty Kelli O'Hara, who will reprise her Tony Award-winningrole ofAnna Leonowens, together with film star,Oscar andTony nominee(for hisrole on The King and I) Ken Watanabe, who will star in the title role of The King of Siam. Both will be making their West End debuts, following their acclaimed performances onBroadway.

"We are thrilled to be coproducing The King and I on the West End and are excited to see Tony Award winning performers Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe share the London Palladium stage." said Torben Brookman from GWB's Australian office in Adelaide.

Over the past decade, operating out of offices in Australia and London, directors Torben Brookman, Richelle Brookman, Paul Warwick Griffin and Gareth Hewitt Williams, have been at the forefront of the development of the musical theatre market in China as well as significant touring to other major Asian markets such as South Korea and Taiwan.

"The growth of the musical theatre market in China over the last five years has been incredible", said Richelle Brookman ''Where only a decade ago there were just two or three cities where international productions could tour, there are now over twenty".

In Australia GWB coproduced the Australian premiere and national tour of Ghost The Musical in 2016 and in 2017 coproduced the Australian national tour of the hugely successful West End production of 1984 which will also enjoy a season at the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2018. GWB also produced a sell-out concert of Broadway and film star Kristin Chenoweth at the Sydney Opera House.

"It was a thrill to produce the Australian national tour of 1984, a piece that is truly relevant to our times. We are delighted that the production will continue on to Auckland Arts Festival in March 2018".

GWB has opened new markets in China with tours of Disney's High School Musical which also toured to Hong Kong and Taiwan and Ghost The Musical which toured to 14 different cities across China between 2015 to 2017 along with seasons in Taiwan and Singapore and Ultimate Broadway which GWB was commissioned to produce for the Opening of the Shanghai Culture Square Theatre in 2011 and subsequent seasons in 2012 and 2015. In Korea, GWB has produced an arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar and Avenue Q. On Friday 24 November, GWB will open West Side Story at the Shanghai Culture Square Theatre for a limited run.

In the UK, GWB has produced Britney Spears the Cabaret at The Other Palace in London and is an associate producer on the upcoming production of The Woman in White a tempestuous tale of love, betrayal and greed, adapted from Wilkie Collins' haunting Victorian thriller at the Charing Cross Theatre. This production premieres Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel's revised score and opens in London this week.

"We are delighted to extend our Australian connection working with Australian producer, Patrick Gracey on Woman in White which features the London return of Australian actress Anna O'Byrne after her award winning performance in the Australian tour of Julie Andrews production of 'M. Fair Lady", said Paul Warwick Griffin from London.

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