The Bridges of Madison County

Sandy Wilson’s musical The Boy Friend will return to the London stage this Christmas in a revival by director Matthew White. White’s production is the first major revival of the musical in 10 years and sees the director return to the Menier following previous productions of She Loves Me, Candide and Sweet Charity. The Menier has had a string of hits with musicals over the last few years including the current production of The Bridges of Madison County starring Jenna Russell, Trevor Nunn's revival of Fiddler on the Roof which is now playing in the West End and a production of Funny Girl starring Sheridan Smith. Set in the carefree world of the French Riviera in the Roaring Twenties, The Boy Friend is a comic pastiche of 1920s shows. The musical premiered in 1953 in the West End where it ran for over 2,000 performances before transferring to Broadway with a young ingénue called Julie Andrews, who subsequently went on to land the lead role in the Broadway production of My Fair Lady. The show will have choreography by Bill Deamer, set & costume design by Paul Farnsworth, lighting design by Paul Anderson, sound design by Gregory Clarke, hair & wig design by Richard Mawbey, musical supervision/direction by Simon Beck and orchestrations by David Cullen. Casting to be announced in due course. The Boy Friend runs from 22 November 2019 until 7 March 2020 at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London.

Trevor Nunn will direct the UK premiere of The Bridges of Madison County at the Off-West End Menier Chocolate Factory. West End and Broadway actress Jenna Russell will play the role of Francesca, an Italian war bride who lives with her husband and two children on a farm in Iowa. The musical follows her chance encounter with a photographer and their ensuing four-day affair which leaves them changed forever. Russell’s numerous theatre credits include her Tony nominated role in Sunday in the Park with George; Fun Home (Young Vic); Urine Town: The Musical (Apollo Theatre/St James Theatre); Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse); Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along (Harold Pinter) and Into The Woods (Donmar/Regents Park); Guys and Dolls (West End); and Les Miserables (West End). She was recently seen playing Michelle Fowler in BBC soap EastEnders and has appeared in tv shows Doctor Who, On The Up, Born and Bred and Home to Roost. Further casting is to be announced. The musical is adapted from Robert James Waller’s best-selling novel of the same name with book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The production will have set and costume design by Jon Bausor, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, sound design by Gregory Clarke and the musical supervisor and director is Tom Murray. The novel was previously adapted into a romantic film starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. The Bridges of Madison County is booking from 12 July 2019 until 14 September 2019 at Menier Chocolate Factory, London