Following the arduous six-year journey to bring Boublil & Schonberg's Martin Guerre to the stage, the next Cameron Mackintosh musical will have made it to audiences in comparatively speedy time.

The Fix, a new musical by two American writers, Dana P. Rowe and John Dempsey, will premiere at London's Donmar Warehouse, running April 25 to June 14, with a May 12 press opening.

Described as "a tale of one man's meteoric rise and fall set against the backdrop of modern American politics", the show will be directed by Sam Mendes, artistic director of the non-profit Donmar. Mendes' previous musical credits at the Donmar include the recent London productions of Company and Assassins as well as a celebrated revival of Cabaret that Mendes was scheduled to restage in NY this season, but was ultimately postponed when a suitable venue could not be located. He also worked once directly for Mackintosh on the big-budget revival of Oliver! starring Jonathan Pryce.

Though officially a Donmar production, The Fix, like past Donmar/Mackintosh collaborations such as Assassins, is receiving co-financing from the megamusical producer, presumably in exchange for first dibs on a commercial transfer should the Donmar run prove successful.

Mendes, in a prepared statement, described The Fix as "a black cartoon set in a parallel 20th century, about the journey of an American politician created by those who back him." Until recently, the musical bore the intriguing title, Cal: A Musical Tale of Relative Insanity. The aborted title isn't all that unusual coming from the team who wrote the 50's sci-fi musical spoof Zombie Prom (music by Rowe, book and lyrics by Dempsey) which had a month-long run Off-Broadway. Rowe and Dempsey also collaborated on a children's operetta, The Reluctant Dragon, and have another musical, Julian Keyes, in development.

For tickets to The Fix, call 0171-369-1732. The show's logo features the a seated Abraham Lincoln (a la the Lincoln Memorial), smoking a pipe and winking.

-- By Andrew Ku and David Lefkowitz