As was always expected, Bat Boy will migrate from up North to down South in London/>'s West End/>, initially playing a limited season from August 18th – October 30th, though if proves successful may extend. At the West Yorkshire Playhouse, where it is currently playing with original American cast member Deven May and rising English star Emma Williams, The Guardian newspaper called it "a cult hit in the making". Appealing to a younger audience may prove their toughest challenge yet, but keeping tickets priced lower will help them in their quest. Keep watching BatBoy.co.uk for more information.
If stunt casting doesn't appeal to you, avert your eyes now. Baywatch star David Hasselhof, who famously took the lead in Jekyll and Hyde (and then later on DVD), will play Billy Flynn in Chicago/> at the Adelphi Theatre in London/>/>. The actor has managed to successfully negotiate his visa and will start performances on July 19th for a limited season until September 4th. The musical is infamous for its star casting, and in recent times has seen celebrities such as Claire Sweeney, Gaby Roslin, Michael Greco and Kevin Kennedy take leading roles. It is currently on a UK/>/> tour too.
With plays doing bad business in London/>/> at the moment, the producers of Journey's End must be having the last laugh. Why? Because it's about to launch a UK/> tour to run concurrently with the West End/> production. Like the long-running hit The Woman in Black, which is also on tour, Journey's End is gaining a good following amongst students - not out of choice necessarily, but because it's an exam text on their curriculum. Plays and novels which are studied by students usually do a roaring trade, and these are no different. There is, however, another valid reason for why these productions are still going - they are good productions done well.
I am reminded this week of so-called lost musicals, or to be defined exactly, musicals which played London/>/> runs and then as near as disappeared. Take The Witches of Eastwick - a run of around a year and a half, plagued by September 11th - disappeared from the West End/> in 2001 and hasn't seen the light of day in this country since, or transferred to Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Webber's relatively popular Whistle Down the Wind, which again was a decent show with fixable problems, failed to make it to Broadway but enjoyed a successful UK/>/> tour. And finally Martin Guerre, which Cameron Mackintosh reworked (as he did with The Witches of Eastwick, though far more extensively) and toured, has it has never been seen since on either side of the Atlantic/>. It's a great shame America has never had the chance to experience three wonderfully different shows, perhaps in some time a new producer may find the courage to take a gamble.
Of course, it does go the other way too. Urinetown was said to be in London/>/> planning stages, and casting agencies were sent character breakdowns for prospective auditions. Now, however, it's all gone quiet. I guess they thought not enough people would pay for the privilege to 'see'.
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