- Venue Gielgud Theatre, London
- Performance dates Booking to 18 May 2024
- Running time To be confirmed
- Age guidelines 14+. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to a ticketholder who is at least 18 years old. Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted.
★★★★ “Sheridan Smith is superb” – TimeOut
Strictly limited season – Must end 18 May
Stage and screen star Sheridan Smith returns to the West End in Ivo van Hove and Rufus Wainwright’s new musical Opening Night.
The extraordinary Sheridan Smith (Shirley Valentine, Legally Blonde, Cilla, Mrs Biggs) returns to musical theatre in the world premiere of Opening Night from the creative minds of acclaimed songwriter and performer Rufus Wainwright, and celebrated, multi-award winning director Ivo van Hove (A Little Life).
Based on John Cassavetes’ legendary film, Opening Night is centred on the leading lady of a new Broadway play who is rocked by tragedy.
A multi award-winning cast joins Sheridan Smith in the company, including Hadley Fraser (The Lehman Trilogy, City of Angels), Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Nicola Hughes (Fosse, Porgy & Bess), Amy Lennox (Cabaret, Kinky Boots), John Marquez (Pygmalion, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Benjamin Walker (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), and Rebecca Thornhill (Matilda, Hairspray).
This beautifully rich new musical is now playing at London’s Gielgud Theatre for a strictly limited run until 27 July 2024.
Opening Night follows a theatre company’s preparations to stage a major new play on Broadway. But drama ignites behind the scenes when their leading lady Myrtle (Sheridan Smith) is rocked by tragedy, and her personal turmoil forces everybody to deliver the performance of their lives. 
Videos & Photos
Performance Information
Check booking calendar for full details
- Evenings
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Matinees
- Wednesday
- Saturday
- Group Bookings For groups of 10+ enquire here
Stars and Creatives
Who is in the cast of Opening Night: A New Musical?
Starring Sheridan Smith as Myrtle, Hadley Fraser as Manny, Shira Haas as Nancy, Nicola Hughes as Sarah, Amy Lennox as Dorothy, John Marquez as David, Benjamin Walker as Maurice, Rebecca Thornhill as Kelly, Cilla Silvia as Carla, Ian McLarnon as Leo and Jos Slovick as Gus.
The cast also includes Robert Finlayson, Daniel Forrester, Jennifer Hepburn, Issy Khogali and Chrissie Perkins.
Who are the creative team of Opening Night: A New Musical?
Music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright, book by Ivo van Hove.
Conceived and directed by Ivo van Hove, based on the film by John Cassavetes.
Set, lighting and video design by Jan Versweyveld, Costume Design by An D’Huys and Sound Design by Tom Gibbons and Alex Twiselton. Orchestrations are by Rufus Wainwright, with Musical Supervision and Musical Direction by Nigel Lilley. Movement and Choreography is by Polly Bennett, Casting by Julia Horan CDG and the Associate Director is Daniel Raggett.
Important Notes
Everyone, regardless of age, must have their own ticket to enter the theatre. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to a ticketholder who is at least 18 years old. Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted.
Access performances:
Signed performance 20 April 2024 at 2:30pm; Audi described performance 27 April 2024 at 2:30pm; Captioned performance 4 May 2024 at 2.30pm
Venue Information
Gielgud Theatre , 35-37 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6AR
Nearest Tube or Train: Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly line, Bakerloo line)
Nearest Buses: 14, 19, 38
Google
AppleCritics' reviews of Opening Night: A New Musical
★★★★ "Glittering and extravagantly original musical... captivating" - Guardian
★★★★ "Sheridan Smith is superb" - TimeOut
★★★★ "As dangerous as it is riveting... What an extraordinary theatrical mash-up" - Daily Mail
★★★★ "Sheridan Smith captivates... Opening Night is tantalising. It bewilders, beguiles" - The Observer
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