The Donmar's City of Angels transfers to the West End
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
JOSIE Rourke’s critically acclaimed and Olivier Award-winning production of City of Angels is transferring to the West End five years after it opened at the Donmar Warehouse in 2014.
The musical, which will reunite the production’s entire creative team, will play at the Garrick Theatre for a limited season – from Thursday, March 5 to Saturday, September 5, 2020.
Rosalie Craig (Company) as Gabby/Bobbi, Hadley Fraser (Les Misérables, Young Frankenstein) as Stine and Rebecca Trehearn (Showboat) as Donna/Oolie will reprise their roles in the West End.
And making her West End debut will be Vanessa Williams in the role of Carla/Alaura.
Also reprising their roles will be Marc Elliott as Panchos/Munoz, Nick Cavaliere as Sonny, Adam Fogarty as Big Six and Mark Penfold as Luther Kingsley. They will be joined by Rob Houchen as Jimmy/Dr Mandril, Joshua St Clair as Peter Kingsley and Cindy Bellot, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Manuel Pacific and Ryan Reid as the Angel City 4, with further casting to be announced.
A screenwriter with a movie to finish. A private eye with a case to crack. But nothing’s black and white when a dame is involved. And does anyone stick to the script in this city? This is Tinseltown. You gotta ask yourself: what’s real…and what’s reel…
City of Angels has a book by Larry Gelbart, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by David Zippel.
Josie Rourke, Director of City of Angels said: “City of Angels was a landmark experience for me at the Donmar. We all longed to hear Cy Coleman’s classic score, and see this incredible design on a bigger stage. Nica’s passion for the show has brought about this reunion, and I’m very grateful that through her championing, audiences will have the chance to see this classic production in the West End.
“In the five years since I directed the show, I’ve experienced making movies first-hand, and I will return to this Hollywood story with a little more insight! It is a joy to reunite with Rosalie, Hadley, and Rebecca (who made these characters their own), and to have the icon Vanessa Williams make her West End debut as femme fatale, Alaura, in the production.”
Nica Burns, Producer of City of Angels said: “Only 17,500 people had the opportunity to see Josie Rourke’s outstandingly brilliant production of this terrific, multi-award-winning musical – the equivalent of only a month in a West End playhouse. It has taken five years to reunite the original creative team and finally give a wider audience the chance to see this sensationally sexy, musical masterpiece. A strictly limited season so don’t miss out a second time. Book your tickets now!”
City of Angels has choreography by Stephen Mear and is designed by Robert Jones, with musical supervision by Gareth Valentine, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster for Autograph, video design by Duncan McLean and casting by Alastair Coomer and Jacob Sparrow.
Tickets: £20, £35, £45, £55, £75 with a limited number of premium seats available. Preview tickets (March 5 to March 23) – £10 off prices (except £20). To book, call the box office on 0330 333 4811 or visit www.nimaxtheatres.com/.
Times: Monday to Saturday at 7:30pm, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2:30pm.
Image (top): L-R: Rebecca Trehearn (Donna, Oolie) and Rosalie Craig (Gabby, Bobbi) in the original Donmar Warehouse Production of City of Angels. Photo by Johan Persson.
Image (lower): Hadley Fraser (Stine) in the original Donmar Warehouse Production of City of Angels. Photo by Johan Persson.