For the past few year the massive Coliseum Theatre on St Martin’s Lane has been the home to a major revival of a popular classic musical with a starry cast. They’re advertised as "semi-staged" but really this has let the producers off the hook with regards to paying for spectacle. However these shows have always been staged with an elegant economy which demonstrates that you don’t need mega-bucks to make effective musical theatre.
The simplicity of the staging also means the productions can be sustained by the box office takings of a short run.
This year’s production sounds very enticing. Kelsey Grammer and Danielle de Niese will star in MAN OF LA MANCHA. Originally produced in 1965, the musical, we’re reminded, is inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' 17th-century novel DON QUIXOTE, and has a book by Dale Wasserman with lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh.
The show has a rather muddled structure that unfolds through flashbacks but Don Quixote is a decrepit old knight who kids himself that he’s still a hero, most famously, attacking windmills in the belief that they’re giants. If you want to know more of the original plot the Royal Shakespeare Company are currently performing a hilarious adaptation at the Garrick Theatre.
The musical features the iconic number "The Impossible Dream". A brilliant ballad that’s guaranteed to stir the heart and bring a tear to the eye. It’s a big sing though with soaring high notes so let’s hope American TV star Kelsey Grammer is up to the job.
Grammer, best known for playing the psychologist, Frasier Craine in U.S. sit-coms CHEERS and FRASIER has been in London relatively recently appearing in the gloopy, unlovable musical BIG FISH at the Other Palace. I really enjoyed his performance in FINDING NEVERLAND on Broadway and can testify to how strong a stage performer he is. His comic timing, as you’d expect, is immaculate and unlike some TV stars who appear on stage, he definitely has the charisma and presence to wow in a big theatre. His previous credits also include a Tony Award-nominated performance in La Cage aux Folles on Broadway.
I’ve never heard of Danielle de Niese, who’ll play Aldonza and Dulcinea for some of the performances. Apparently she “made her Covent Garden debut at the Royal Opera House in 2009, and has performed across the world.”
De Niese will be performing in 33 performances of the show, with further casting for her role and the rest of the company to be announced.
MAN OF LA MANCHA will be directed by Lonny Price who made such a brilliant job of staging a stripped-back revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's SUNSET BOULEVARD starring Glenn Close at the same address which was so good it transferred to Broadway.
ASPECTS OF LOVE, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1980's musical based on a gentle novel by David Garnett is transferring to the Southwark Playhouse from the 7 January 2019, after a critically acclaimed run at a fringe venue in Manchester.