Rebecca Thornhill will take on the role of the ultimate domineering stage mother, Mama Rose alongside Evelyn Hoskins as her daughter Louise in The Mill at Sonning’s new production of the classic musical Gypsy in the summer.
Best known for her work in musical theatre, Thornhill (Matilda, From Here to Eternity, Mary Poppins, The Witches of Eastwick) will take to the stage as one of the genre’s most formidable females with Hoskins (Waitress, Spring Awakening, Bonnie & Clyde, Carrie) as the neglected daughter who becomes a burlesque sensation from 24 May until 15 July 2023.
Based on the 1957 memoir of American burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee, and widely regarded as one of the great Broadway musicals, Gypsy has a book by Arthur Laurents with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
The original production, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by David Merrick and Leland Hayward, debuted on Broadway in 1959 with the legendary Ethel Merman starring as the indomitable Rose, the showbiz-addicted mother who drags her daughters around the US in search of stardom.
The Mill At Sonning’s version will be created by director Joseph Pitcher, musical arranger and musical director Francis Goodhand, with design by Jason Denvir, costume design by Natalie Titchener, lighting design by Nic Farman, and casting by Pearson Casting.
Pitcher will also direct the final production of 2023 at the distinctive Thameside venue, a new production of Cole Porter’s much-loved High Society. Running from 29 November 2023 until 20 January 2024, the production will also reunite Pitcher with Gypsy’s musical arranger and musical director Goodhand.
The 2023 season will also include the world premiere of It’s Her Turn Now, a new adaptation of Ray Cooney’s hit West End farce Out of Order, re-written by Michael Barfoot to focus on a female MP. Commenting on the comedy which will be directed by David Warwick, The Mill’s artistic director Sally Hughes said: “I was invited to the read through of this play as we were coming out of lockdown. It was a late summer’s afternoon in Ray Cooney’s garden with a few invited producers and a wonderful cast. We all knew and loved the original version of the play Out of Order and didn’t know what to expect. Well it was a riot. We laughed until tears ran down our faces.”
Music-flavoured highlights of the season will also include an hour-long adaptation of Twelfth Night set in the 1930s and featuring the music of that era. Directed by Tam Williams, the production will be performed in the theatre’s restaurant following the lunch-time and dinner-time services from 1-5 August. The season will also feature a celebration of seven of music’s most influential artists, Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe, Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Mama Cass, Karen Carpenter and Dusty Springfield. written and performed by Issy van Randwyck, and directed by Edward Hall, Dazzling Divas will run from 19-29 July.
Angela Thomas
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