In a statement producer Sonia Friedman said, “I am very proud to have produced The Woman in White. A completely new musical is a rarity these days and, as is so often the case with Andrew Lloyd Webber's work, The Woman in White was a groundbreaking piece of musical storytelling and was also at the forefront of pioneering new technology with its innovative design.

“The musical has given enormous pleasure to hundreds of thousands of people during its tenure at the Palace and Andrew Lloyd Webber's glorious score — without doubt one of his greatest and most romantic — has been hailed by critics and audiences across the world as his best since Phantom.

“It is soon to be the end of the road for the show at the Palace Theatre, however, it is certainly not the end of the road for The Woman in White. The Broadway production continues its successful run and I look forward to announcing plans for the re-conceived show in another London theatre and our full U.K. touring dates in due course.”

The U.K. tour, according to the statement, is scheduled to begin in January 2007 in Milton Keynes. No casting has been announced for the touring production. The London company, however, will welcome a new Marian on Feb. 6 when Yvette Robinson replaces Ruthie Henshall.

The New York production of Woman in White continues to play the Marquis Theatre. The Woman in White features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by David Zippel and a book by Charlotte Jones. The remainder of the creative team comprises Trevor Nunn (direction), William Dudley (set and costume design), Paul Pyant (lighting design), Mick Potter (sound design), Wayne McGregor (dance and movement) and Simon Lee (musical supervisor).

According to production notes, The Woman in White concerns "a dashing young man, employed as the art tutor to two devoted sisters, [who] is stranded at a remote railway cutting. Out of the darkness looms a woman, a mysterious figure dressed in white, desperate to share a chilling secret. He and the sisters soon find themselves trapped in a web of betrayal and greed, the victims of a seemingly flawless crime. Together they will need all their resourcefulness and courage to outwit a hugely charismatic and ingenious villain. As the compelling plot twists and turns, low villainy vies with high romance in a world where nothing is as it first appears and where it is impossible to know who to trust."