American folk singer Anaïs Mitchell’s record-breaking Hadestown and the winner of the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, Follies, will be the musical theatre productions included in the National Theatre’s 2018/2019 programme.
Arriving in the UK following record-breaking runs at New York Theatre Workshop and Canada’s Citadel Theatre, Hadestown will arrive at the NT prior to a Broadway run in 2019.
Based on Mitchell’s original concept album, the singer-songwriter’s version of the Greek myth of Orpheus’ journey into the Underworld to rescue his love Eurydice will begin previewing at the National from 2 November 2018. With a press night on 13 November, the production will remain in repertoire until 26 January 2019.
A version of the show was first performed on stage in Mitchell’s home state of Vermont ahead of the concept album release. Mitchell added 15 new songs and dialogue before joining forces with the show’s director Rachel Chavkin to shape the project into a full stage show.
Mixing modern American folk music with vintage New Orleans jazz, the genre-defying musical will feature set design by Rachel Hauck, costume design by Michael Krass, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, choreography by David Neumann, musical direction by Liam Robinson, arrangements and orchestrations by Michael Chorney, and additional, co-arrangements and orchestrations by Todd Sickafoose.
Casting will be announced at a later date.
Janie Dee in Follies at the National Theatre. Picture: Johan Persson
Following on from its sold-out run last year, the National’s critically-acclaimed production of the 1970s Broadway smash Follies will return with previews beginning on 14 February 2019.
Tickets for the show’s encore run are currently on sale until 26 March 2019 with further performances to be announced.
Featuring the timeless music of Stephen Sondheim, the smash hit production is directed by NT associate director Dominic Cooke with choreography by Bill Deamer. Janie Dee and Peter Forbes will reprise their roles in the production with further casting to be announced.
The creative team includes: music supervisor Nicholas Skilbeck, music director Nigel Lilley, lighting designer Paule Constable, sound designer Paul Groothuis and associate choreographer Kylie Cruikshanks.
Written by Sondheim with a book by James Goldman, the show debuted on Broadway in 1971 in a production directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett who also provided the choreography. The musical won seven of the 11 Tony awards it was nominated for and includes the standards ‘Broadway Baby’, ‘I’m Still Here’, ‘Too Many Mornings’, ‘Could I Leave You?’, and ‘Losing My Mind’.
Follies debuted in the West End in 1987 and there have been a number of successful revival productions including two on Broadway in 2001 and 2011 and one in the West End in 2002
Angela Thomas
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