Another reason to visit Regent's Park next summer. Not only will artistic director Timothy Sheader's Evening Standard Award-winning revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar return; the Open Air is also mounting its bigger-ever dance musical, Broadway classic ON THE TOWN, directed and choreographed by hotter-than-hot Drew McOnie...
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre have today announced details of Timothy Sheader’s 10th season as Artistic Director, which includes a Drew McOnie‘s major new production of Broadway classic On the Town, a new modern version of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and, as previously announced, the return of the Evening Standard Award-winning revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar.
The season opens on 19 May 2017 with the musical On The Town (19 May-1 July 2017) directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie. With music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, including the hit song “New York, New York”, On The Town will be the biggest dance musical ever staged at the Open Air Theatre.
McOnie scored a hit with his choreography for Jesus Christ Superstar in 2016 and, in addition to In The Heights for which he won the Olivier Award as Best Theatre Choreographer, he has also choreographed Jekyll and Hyde and The Lorax (Old Vic), Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith) and Hairspray and Chicago (Curve, Leicester). He is currently directing and choreographing the UK premiere of Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom, which runs at West Yorkshire Playhouse from 30 November 2016 to 21 January 2017.
As previously announced, following its overwhelming sell-out success in 2016, Jesus Christ Superstar returns for just 41 performances (11 August – 16 September), giving audiences one final chance to see the production in its original home. With direction by Timothy Sheader, design by Tom Scutt, choreography by Drew McOnie, musical supervision by Tom Deering, lighting design by Lee Curran and sound design by Nick Lidster for Autograph, the production won the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical in the Evening Standard Awards and has received 15 nominations in the BroadwayWorld Awards, including Theatrical Event of the Year. Casting information will be announced in due course.
