Look-ahead: London 2004

All the following are mainly speculations, few official announcements have been made.

Show: The Producers
Date: from 9th November 2004
Venue: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (currently home to the limited season of Anything Goes)
Cast: Lee Evans and Richard Dreyfuss confirmed but many names were linked to Max including Michael Crawford and British favourite Robert Lindsay
Creative: Mel Brooks, Susan Stroman and all the New York team expected to come over
Anything else: Theatregoers are split as to what the public will make of The Producers. Where in New York it was shockingly politically incorrect, in the UK we're used to incorrectness with shows featuring on-stage sex and, of course, the content in Jerry Springer. Also, our audiences are more swayed towards tribute shows as opposed to traditional musicals - though there's no denying the publicity for this will more than likely be b-i-g.

Show: The Woman in White
Date: Autumn 2004
Venue: Palace Theatre, newly vacated by Les Miserables
Cast: Unknown as yet, no celebrity names expected but instead musical theatre stars like Laura Michelle Kelly and Maria Friedman, who were linked in workshops
Creative: Andrew Lloyd Webber composes music to Charlotte Jones' book, based on the novel.
Anything else: Lloyd Webber's latest musical to hit Britain since his semi-flop The Beautiful Game in 2000. The theatre itself, the Palace, is perhaps London's most prime location for passing trade, plus it will be the first new show there for 18 years which may help sales as its refurbishment may attract the art critics! Critics and audiences are going to have to be wowed, many find it too easy to criticise his work.

Show: Billy Elliot The Musical
Date: Mid-late 2004
Venue: Newcastle tryouts then to the Old Vic Theatre, London, where it workshopped
Cast: Casting going on for Billy, no other speculations
Creative: Elton John on music/lyrics and Kevin Spacey producing with his new theatre company. Stephen Daldry, the film's director, will direct the stage version too.
Anything else: This is another show following the American trend of out of town tryouts, two more musicals are doing this - Jailhouse Rock tours before West End and Mary Poppins has a fixed house tryout before London. In America this is very common but much rarer in London where shows are given around 3 weeks of previews before facing critics. This is the first major project from the Old Vic Theatre Company, headed by Kevin Spacey.

Show: Mary Poppins
Date: September in Bristol, December in London - confirmed!
Venue: Bristol Hippodrome then Prince Edward Theatre (Mamma Mia's home)
Cast: Whoever plays Mary is in for the time of her life.. but expected to be Laura Michelle Kelly. No news on Dick Van Dyke's role but Janie Dee and Alex Jennings signed on for Mr and Mrs Banks.
Creative: A partnership between Disney and Cameron Mackintosh who produce Julian Fellowes' book to the classic songs plus new ones by Stiles and Drewe.
Anything else: I predict very big things for this show, mainly because everyone has said for years how good a stage show this will make. Unlike Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, where it was a very direct adaptation of the film, this has been completely rewritten and almost steered itself away from the film with new music and songs cut, etc. Matthew Bourne choreographs, Bob Crowley designs - need anymore be said?

Show: La Boheme (this was confirmed but may not happen at all)
Date: May - September
Venue: Prince Edward tipped in between Mamma Mia moving and Mary flying in
Cast: The world touring cast of La Boheme
Creative: Baz Lurhmann and the New York creative team
Anything else: As I said, dates were given a few months back by Playbill.com but nothing has really been heard of it since, perhaps due to its premature Broadway departure. A limited run may fair well over here, especially with Baz's Moulin Rouge attatchment, but tickets are said to be raked up to opera prices.

Show: Me and My Girl
Date: Previews April 29th, opens May 29th
Venue: New London Theatre (best known for the Cats 21 year run)
Cast: Nothing announced
Creative: Stephen Mear on choreography
Anything else: After a very successful run successful run ended in 1993 to make way for Sunset Boulevard, it seems that Me and My Girl is the Brit's favourite musical, it does well in the regions and at the box office. And why not??

Finally, happy holidays everyone! It's been great to be writing for Broadway/WestEndTheatreWorld these past couple of months, if you have any suggestions for London features then send me over a private-message. I'll be back with regular weekly news the first weekend of January, starting off with the buzz on Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

Until then - have a great New Year and a very Merry Christmas!