The UK premiere of the new stage musical version of Nicholas Sparks’ much-loved debut novel The Notebook will be the first production to open at the newly renamed Judi Dench Theatre (currently the Shaftesbury Theatre) next spring.
Featuring music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson (Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812) and book by Bekah Brunstetter (The Cake), The Notebook: A New Musical will begin preview performances on 10 March 2027 ahead of an opening night on 13 April 2027. Directed by five-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Next To Normal) and Schele Williams (The Wiz, Aida) with choreography by Katie Spelman (Moulin Rouge!), the production is initially booking up to 11 December 2027.
Commenting on the musical’s West End premiere, Sparks said today: “I couldn’t have predicted when I published The Notebook 30 years ago that this story would have such a lasting impact around the globe. The worldwide response has been incredible, and I’m thrilled to share this latest evolution of the story with audiences in London.”
Michaelson who made her Broadway debut with The Notebook and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album for her work on the show said: “The thing that makes a musical so special for me is the collaborative nature of it, and I can’t imagine a better team of people to have built The Notebook. Getting to revisit and revitalise the piece with Bekah, Michael, Schele and the rest of the team for this new production in London is such an honour, and for our musical to be the first at the newly named Judi Dench Theatre is beyond thrilling.”
Brunstetter added: “It’s been such a joy to adapt The Notebook for the stage – it’s such a timeless, universal love story that speaks to so many aspects of life. Ingrid and I have loved expanding the story so that it truly sings and reaches even more people. We can’t wait to get back in the room with our brilliant creative team and discover this musical all over again for the London audience.”
Presented by Kevin McCollum, Kurt Deutsch and Jamie Wilson Productions, The Notebook: A New Musical features music supervision and arrangements by Carmel Dean, scenic design by David Zinn and Brett J Banakis, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Mia Neal, orchestrations by John Clancy and Carmel Dean, co-vocal arrangements by Ingrid Michaelson and Carmel Dean, music direction by Jim Henson and casting by Jill Green Casting.
Published in 1996, Sparks’ love story made it to the big screen in 2004 in a Nick Cassavetes-directed film starring Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner and Cassavetes’ mother Gena Rowlands. The musical adaptation of the novel received its world premiere in Chicago in 2022 and had a short run on Broadway in 2024.
Angela Thomas
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