For the first time in 18 years, Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl will be re-introduced to the UK in a brand new production at London’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse. It will be directed by Adam Lenson (associate director on the Olivier Award-winning production of Merrily We Roll Along), with musical direction by Richard Bates (Broadway World Award nominee for Pacific Overtures) and produced by Szpiezak Productions. It will run for four weeks, starting previews on 4 February, with press night on 6 February.
The Goodbye Girl is a wry, warm-hearted musical comedy based on Neil Simon’s Academy Award and Golden Globe award-winning film, with a score by composer Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) and lyrics by David Zippel (City of Angels, Disney’s Hercules and Mulan). It features the same unique humour that has made Simon the most popular playwright in Broadway history, fused with a vibrant, cinematic score that stands among Hamlisch’s strongest work.
The show tells the story of Paula, an unemployed dancer who is reluctantly forced to co-habit in the same apartment with Elliot, a struggling Off-Broadway actor. Despite their differences, the pair – along with Paula’s precocious young daughter, Lucy – find a way to live together, and eventually, they fall in love. The original Broadway production was nominated for five Tony and three Drama Desk Awards and starred Bernadette Peters and Martin Short. This is the first London revival since 1997 and looks to reinvent this timeless classic for a new generation while keeping alive the very best of Simon, Hamlisch and Zippel’s musical theatre legacy.
Rebecca Bainbridge (Mamma Mia!, Cabaret) will star as Paula and Paul Keating (The Wizard of Oz, Tick Tick Boom, Little Shop of Horrors) will star as Elliot. The role of Lucy will be shared by Shannon Beach and Olivia Hallett.
Casting includes: Emily Dunn (Mamma Mia!), Rebecca Gilliland (Natalie Weiss in the West End), Alex Green (The Dreaming), Tim Phelps (Into the Woods), Denise Pitter (Guys and Dolls – West End), Emma Kayte Saunders (Beyond the Barricade, Parade), Mark Turnbull (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Billy, Les Misérables) and James Wolstenholme (Quasimodo – world premiere, Crazy For You).
The Goodbye Girl will be directed by Adam Lenson with musical direction by Richard Bates, costumes and set designed by Suzi Lombardelli and choreographed by Claira Vaughan. It is produced by Szpiezak Productions.
www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com
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