Sweetening Lloyd Webber's 'Dreams'
Legiter to begin dance rehearsals March 25
Referring to Rahman, his 35-year-old Madras-born composer, Lloyd Webber was unstinting in his praise. "All I can say is, at the end of the day, I believe (Rahman) to be a great composer," Lloyd Webber told Variety at the Feb. 7 launch of "Bombay Dreams" (an event that itself cost in excess of $10,000).
"I believe he is a melodic genius, and a rhythmic genius, too," Lloyd Webber added.
Dance rehearsals start March 25 for two weeks, with director Steven Pimlott's entire company -- 42 in all, including six swings -- due to begin five weeks full rehearsal on April 8.
BRIT BITS
Waltzing in the West End
There's life in Strindberg's cantankerous army captain yet: Ian McKellen looks set to repeat his acclaimed Broadway perf as Edgar in "Dance of Death" on the West End, with director Sean Mathias reporting a London launch in November or early 2003, depending on skeds.
West End producer Bill Kenwright will import the Broadway production, says Mathias, but minus Helen Mirren, New York's distaff lead.
Mathias, of course, has plenty on his plate in the meantime. Rehearsals start Feb. 11 for his Broadway revival of "The Elephant Man," starring Billy Crudup. The director then turns to Stephen Sondheim's "Company" in Washington, D.C.: John Barrowman and Lynn Redgrave topline.
- Call it second time lucky for "Rent," which made its money back plus almost 50% during an eight-week Christmas season at the Prince of Wales that, says the show's lead West End producer Mark Goucher, has left the Jonathan Larson tuner poised for yet another London run -- "sooner rather than later," per Goucher.
Whereas London's first (and costly) "Rent" failed to recoup, director Paul Kerryson's (far cheaper) revival cost less than $225,000.
- From Buddy Holly to the boys of Yorkshire: Writer-director Peter Gill's "The York Realist" supplants long-runner "Buddy" at the Strand Theater, starting March 8 for a limited stand through April 20.
Play will be a Royal Court-Theater Royal, Haymarket Prods. co-venture of an English Touring Theater production. Gill's drama has been one of the sleeper successes of the year thus far, playing to nearly 90% capacity during an extended Court season that finished Feb. 9.
CHORUS OF APPROVAL
Applause!
The London Critics' Circle hosted its annual theater awards during a lunchtime ceremony Feb. 5, and a host of Broadway names, past and present, were among the winners.
"Kiss Me, Kate" continued its local sweep of prizes, scooping best musical production, with co-stars Brent Barrett and Marin Mazzie on hand to accept the award.
Lindsay Duncan, the Broadway-bound Amanda of "Private Lives," was named best actress for the Coward revival and for Kevin Elyot's "Mouth to Mouth"; her droll, elegant speech merited a trophy all its own.
A surprise choice for best actor was Ian McDiarmid as the irrepressible Teddy in the Almeida revival of Brian Friel's "Faith Healer," with Lyndsey Marshal named outstanding newcomer for two plays: "Redundant" and "Boston Marriage."
The play prize went to Charlotte Jones' "Humble Boy" on the very day the National Theater sellout reopened on the West End, while a second NT smash, "The Far Side of the Moon," won the director nod for its Quebecois creator, Robert Lepage.
Best set went for the second year running to Almeida semi-regular Paul Brown, this time for Chekhov's "Platonov," while a good year for the Scots (McDiarmid and Duncan among them) included most promising new playwright Gregory Burke for "Gagarin Way," which transfers Feb. 27 to the West End.
EXTENDED VISITS
Wunder-bound?
The Critics' Circle event revealed the following information regarding the four American leads in "Kiss Me, Kate" and their longevity in London.
Mazzie has extended six weeks through the end of May and will leave the show a week before her husband, Jason Danieley, exits London's imminent "Full Monty." Nancy Anderson has decided to stay on through the summer, while Barrett would like to do the same if competing offers to headline "The Pajama Game" and "A Little Night Music" Stateside don't lure him back first.
The Encores! "Pajama Game," Barrett said, could be squeezed in to a break from "Kate," since it's barely a two-week commitment. Not so "Night Music."
As for Michael Berresse? The show's fourth Olivier-nommed player wasn't there; perhaps he was off scaling a wall somewhere?
