The Bridge House Theatre in London will present the U.K. premiere of "Another Night Before Christmas," the two-person holiday musical by American writers Sean Grennan (book and lyrics) and Leah Okimoto (music), Nov. 28-Dec. 23.
Olivier Award-winning actor George Maguire ("Sunny Afternoon," "Godspell" and "Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story") and "Britain's Got Talent 2016" favorite Rachael Wooding ("We Will Rock You," "Evita," "Jersey Boys") will star.
Extra West End Christmas magic is provided with voiceovers by the Bridge House's own Rachel Tucker (Elphaba in "Wicked," "The Last Ship," "Communicating Doors") and Oliver Tompsett ("Wicked," "Rock of Ages," "Mamma Mia").
Rob Harris produces the one-piano, one-set musical with Guy Retallack helming the production as director.
"Another Night Before Christmas" had its world premiere by American Heartland Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. For the Bridge House run, and for future U.K. productions, the show's references have been reset to reflect England. The role of "The Guy" (to be played by Maguire) has been altered from a homeless, portly, middle-aged man to a homeless younger man on Christmas Eve. The U.S. and U.K. versions are licensed by Playscripts, Inc. The musical has had 19 productions in the U.S. including multi-year runs at Chanhassen Theatre in Minneapolis and the Barter Theatre in Virginia.
In "Another Night Before Christmas," it's Christmas Eve and for Carole - a 30-something, overworked and underpaid social worker - the Festive Season can't be over soon enough! To her, this time of year is full of over-indulgence, overpriced everything and unfulfilled hopes and wishes. Walking home from her office party she meets a scraggly-bearded, apparently homeless man to whom she gives her bag of leftover office party food. Thinking nothing more of it, she settles in for her "non" Christmas Eve, wanting a truly silent night. When the man from earlier appears in her flat, questions arise - like, could Santa Claus really have come to town?
Bridge House Theatre is located at 2 High Street, Penge, London, SE20 8RZ. For tickets to the Bridge House production, visit www.bhtheatre.com/index.php.
For more about "Another Night Before Christmas," go to www.anothernightbeforechristmas.com. For more about playwright-lyricist-librettist Sean Grennan, visit www.seangrennan.net.
**In addition to the London run of "Another Night Before Christmas," there are two U.S. productions in 2016: at The Broadway Palm Theatre in Fort Myers, Florida, and Act 1 Theatre Productions in Puyallup, Washington. Sierra Repertory in California will present the show in 2017.
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