"No Day But Today": London Rent Revival Begins Previews Oct. 2
By John Nathan
02 Oct 2007
 |
 |
Denise Van Outen plays Maureen in the London revival of Rent.
|
| photo by NBC | The new London revival of Rent begins previews at the West End's Duke of York's Theatre Oct. 2. Jonathan Larson's La Bohème-based rock musical, starring Denise Van Outen and Siobhan Donaghy, will officially open Oct. 15.
The re-orchestrated, reworked and redesigned production is being given a contemporary, digital makeover by director William Baker and music supervisor Steve Anderson, the creative team behind pop diva Kylie Minogue.
Produced by Ambassador Theater Group, Tulbart Prods. and Michael Brenn, the London revival marks the first time that a professional staging of the show has diverted from the original version produced by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theater Workshop.
Van Outen, who plays the role of Maureen, made her West End stage breakthrough as Roxie Hart in Chicago and was last seen on the London stage in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tell Me On a Sunday. She was also a panelist in the BBC's latest West End casting reality show "Any Dream Will Do" and co-hosted the U.S. reality casting show "Grease: You're The One That I Want."
The cast also features Donaghy, a founding member of Sugababes, as Mimi with Luke Evans as Roger, Oliver Thornton as Mark, Leon Lopez as Collins, Jay Webb as Angel, Francesca Jackson as Joanne and Craig Stein as Benny.
The creative team includes Steve Anderson (music supervision), Mark Bailey (design), David Howe (lighting design) and Sebastian Frost (sound design).
After an acclaimed run Off-Broadway, Rent opened on April 29, 1996, at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, where the show continues to run.
With book, music and lyrics by the late Jonathan Larson, the original cast included Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Jesse L. Martin. Michael Greif directed with choreography by Marlies Yearby. Larson's score features such songs as "Rent," "I'll Cover You," "Seasons of Love," "One Song Glory."
In another West End first, tickets for Rent will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, similar to that used for concerts and priced £30.
In a recent statement, Howard Panter, Joint Chief Executive of The Ambassador Theatre Group, said, "I am delighted to be producing Rent. This is a musical about young people and for young people. We have therefore chosen what we believe to be an appropriate new ticket policy which young people are using and understand."
For more on Rent call (0)870 060 6623.
Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy
Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2009 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|