The first major London revival of Lerner & Loewe’s Brigadoon in 35 years and the eagerly-awaited UK premiere of Broadway hit Shucked will feature in director and choreographer Drew McOnie’s inaugural season as artistic director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
Directed and choreographed by McOnie and featuring a new adaptation by acclaimed Scottish playwright Rona Munroe, the new production of Brigadoon will transform Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s magical outdoor London location into the mist-shrouded Scottish Highlands.
Running from 2 August until 20 September, the production will star Louis Gaunt (Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre, Piaf, Nottingham Playhouse) as Tommy and Danielle Fiamanya (& Juliet, West End, The Color Purple, Curve Theatre, Leicester/Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre) as Fiona.
The creative team will also include Laura Bangay (musical director), Basia Bińkowska (set designer), Will Burton (casting director), Sami Fendall (costume designer), Carol Hancock (associate wigs, hair and make-up designer and supervisor), Cory Hippolyte (associate director), Hazel Holder (voice coach), Jessica Hung Han Yun (lighting designer), Nick Lidster for Autograph (sound designer), Ingrid Mackinnon (intimacy director), Ebony Molina (associate choreographer), Morag Stark (dialect coach) and Sarah Travis (music supervisor and orchestrator).
Described as a ‘hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical’, Shucked has a book by 2023 Tony Award nominee and Tony Award winner Robert Horn and music and lyrics by 2023 Tony Award nominees and Drama Desk Award winners Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally.
Directed by 2023 Tony Award nominee and triple Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, the Broadway production which opened at the Nederlander Theatre in April 2023 will make its UK debut for five weeks only from 10 May until 14 June.
The cast will include Monique Ashe-Palmer (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Gillian Lynne Theatre, Waitress, Adelphi Theatre/UK tour) as Storyteller 1, Ben Joyce (Back to the Future, Adelphi Theatre, Jersey Boys, Trafalgar Theatre) as Beau, Sophie McShera (The Entertainer, Garrick Theatre, Jerusalem, Apollo Theatre) as Maizy, Georgina Onuorah (Little Shop of Horrors, Sheffield Crucible, Cinderella, Gillian Lynne Theatre) as Lulu, Keith Ramsay (The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre, Preludes, Southwark Theatre) as Peanut, Matthew Seadon-Young (The Baker’s Wife, Menier Chocolate Factory, Company, Gielgud Theatre) as Gordy and Steven Webb (Here You Come Again, UK tour/Riverside Studios, Book of Mormon, Prince of Wales Theatre) as Storyteller 2.
The creative team will include Lucy Adams (associate lighting designer), Myles Brown (associate choreographer), Nathanael Campbell (associate director), Ben Davies (associate set designer), Aundrea Fudge (voice and dialect coach), Jill Green (casting director), Tilly Grimes (costume designer), Carol Hancock (UK wigs, hair and make-up designer & supervisor), Jason Howland (music supervisor, orchestrations and arrangements), Olivia Laydon (casting associate), Ingrid Mackinnon (intimacy support), Caity Mulkearn (associate costume designer), Mia M Neal (original US hair and wig designer), Sarah O’Gleby (choreographer), Scott Pask (set designer), Michael J Passaro (US production supervisor), Greg Pink (associate sound designer), Katy Richardson (musical director), Tom Shiels (casting associate), John Shivers (sound designer) and Japhy Weideman (lighting designer).
Announcing his first season at the prestigious venue, McOnie said: “After what has without doubt been one of the most thrilling incubation periods of my creative career, I am so proud of the season we are now able to announce. Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre offers its own unique opportunity to engage with stories under a shared sky and my ambition is to honour that legacy as we move into this new artistic chapter.
“Every member of the Regent’s Park team and the many artists that are coming together to share their imaginations with us, will put our audiences, both new and returning, at the centre of their process and it’s an honour to work alongside them in delivering my debut season for this much-loved venue.”
Executive director James Pidgeon added: “Following the huge success of our 2024 season, which saw record-breaking audience figures of over 180,000 people, we are delighted to now be launching our 2025 season of exhilarating live performance. I am particularly thrilled that we have been able to continue our commitment to £15 tickets (36,000 of which will be available throughout the season), and that our productions continue to reach audiences across the world as we tour more of our work than ever before. Heartfelt thanks, as ever, to our staff, stakeholders, producing partners and funders for their valuable support.”
Angela Thomas
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