Joseph Houston, Katy Lipson and Will Whelton. Picture: Nikki Cotter
British musical The Return of the Soldier and the UK premiere of Broadway hit A Christmas Story The Musical will be the final two in-house productions in 2018 from the highly successful partnership between Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre and London arts producer Aria Entertainment.
Charles Miller and Tim Sanders’ musical adaptation of Rebecca West’s novella written at the end of the First World War, The Return of the Soldier will play the Manchester venue from Thursday 6 to Saturday 29 September.
Previously seen in a limited run at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre in the autumn of 2014, the musical version of West’s much-admired story will be directed by Charlotte Westenra. The production will be produced by Aria Entertainment and Hope Mill Theatre with Guy James, marking the second collaboration between the trio after the successful Pippin.
The closing in-house production of the season will be the UK premiere of A Christmas Story The Musical which features music and lyrics by the already multi award-winning new team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, The Greatest Showman).
Based on the much-loved 1983 movie and set in 1940s America, A Christmas Story The Musical features a book by Joseph Robinette and music and lyrics by Pasek and Paul. The critically-acclaimed musical’s Broadway debut run in 2012 was nominated for three Tony Awards and five Drama Desk Awards.
US TV network Fox Broadcasting Company produced a live version of the show last Christmas which starred Matthew Broderick, Jane Krakowski and Maya Rudolph and featured new songs composed by Pasek and Paul.
The Hope Mill production will be directed by Bronagh Lagan and choreographed by the venue’s co-founder William Whelton. Produced by Aria Entertainment and Hope Mill Theatre, A Christmas Story The Musical will run from Friday 26 October until Saturday 1 December.
Announcing details of the new shows, Hope Mill’s Whelton and Joseph Houston said: “This is Hope Mill Theatre’s third year in operation and this season has been a truly ambitious one for our collaboration with Aria Entertainment. Once again we are bringing our audiences new and exciting work including a new British musical and European premiere of a Broadway show – Both of those shows will be closing what has already been an incredible year.”
Aria Entertainment’s Katy Lipson added: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be playing host to such important writers of contemporary musical theatre like Miller and Sanders, and Pasek and Paul and look forward to bringing their work to our wonderful Manchester audiences.”
The 2018 season began with world premiere of new British musical The Toyboy Diaries, followed by the current production the Broadway hit Spring Awakening (running until 3 May) and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s romantic Aspects of Love (5 July to 9 August).
Angela Thomas
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