Woman in White Cancels Chicago Tryout, to Open on Broadway in November

Today's Chicago Tribune reports that The Woman in White, which was to have an out of town tryout this fall at Chicago's Shubert Theatre before heading to New York in early '06 has cancelled their run to instead head straight to Broadway. Reported as the cause for the decision were 'casting issues,' which is believed to be currently under way. No casting has been announced as of yet, but reports from London indicate that at minimum Maria Friedman will be making her way over with the production. Stay tuned for further production news as it becomes available.

"THE WOMAN IN WHITE" opened at the Palace Theatre on September 15. Freely adapted from Wilkie Collins's Victorian thriller, "THE WOMAN IN WHITE" brings to the stage a musical of startling brilliance. A dashing young man, employed as the art tutor to two devoted sisters, 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, 'Count Fosco'. 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.

This new musical has been adapted for the stage by Charlotte Jones, whose award-winning plays include "Humble Boy", with lyrics by David Zippel, whose credits include "City of Angels" and the Disney classics "Mulan" and "Hercules". Andrew Lloyd Webber has composed the captivating and romantic score. Internationally renowned director Trevor Nunn, responsible for, amongst others, "Cats", "Starlight Express", "Les Misérables" and, most recently, "Anything Goes", will direct the production.