Sasha Regan will direct and produce a new production of 1940s Broadway hit Gentleman Prefer Blondes at London’s Union Theatre this autumn.
The musical which marked Carol Channing’s Broadway debut in 1949 will bring a little Hollywood-style glamour to South London from 2 to 26 October 2019, with a press night on 8 October.
Zak Nemorin will choreograph with musical direction by Henry Brennan, design by Justin Williams, costumes by Penn O’Gara and casting by Adam Braham. Maison Kelley will be the show’s associate producer.
Featuring a book by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields, adapted from Loos’ own bestselling 1920s comic novel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes boasts music by Gypsy and Funny Girl’s Jule Styne and lyrics by Leo Robin.
The musical debuted on Broadway in 1949 with Channing giving a star-making performance in the role of Lorelei Lee, a character she would return to in the 1970s in the spin-off show Lorelei.
Channing was the first of a number of ‘blonde bombshell’ actresses to take on the role on stage across the US including Betty Hutton, Jayne Mansfield and Barbara Eden. The show’s West End debut in 1962 featured British stage and screen star Dora Bryan as Lorelei.
Howard Hawks’ 1953 version of the show famously provided a showcase for the talents of Hollywood’s most legendary blonde Marilyn Monroe who starred alongside another of the era’s biggest female stars, Jane Russell.
Angela Thomas
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