Michel Legrand’s musical Amour to receive its UK premiere at London’s Charing Cross Theatre
Posted on 7 February 2019
Michel Legrand’s Tony Award-nominated fantasy musical Amour is set to make its highly anticipated UK premiere at the Charing Cross Theatre come May. The show’s original French libretto was penned by Didier Van Cauwelaert and was translated into English by British theatre director Jeremy Sams for the original 2002 Broadway production.
Broadway’s Amour transfers to the Off-West End Charing Cross Theatre
Tony-nominated musical Amour by the legendary Michel Legrand, who sadly passed away at the age of 86 on 26 January this year, will receive its UK premiere on 2 May 2019 at the Charing Cross Theatre, where it will run until 20 July 2019. Press night is scheduled for 8 May. The show will serve as an unofficial tribute to Michel Legrand, who unfortunately never lived to see the day when his masterpiece Amour would grace the London stage.
What is Michel Legrand’s Amour musical about?
Amour is a musical of the fantasy genre that is set in 1950's post-war Paris. It tells the story of Dusoleil, a shy loner who works a boring desk job as a civil servant. In order to pass the time, he writes to his mum while dreaming of the beautiful Isabelle, who is locked away by her evil husband. When Dusoleil gets a surprising new ability to walk through walls, he makes it his mission to help out the poor by stealing from the rich - a la French Robin Hood. As he slowly gains a newfound self-confidence from his good deeds, he is determined to win over the love of Isabelle and make his fantasy a reality.
The Amour musical is based on France’s best-selling short story, Le Passe-Muraille, by famous French novelist Marcel Aymé. It received its world premiere in Paris in 1997 before transferring to Broadway’s Music Box Theatre in 2002, marking Michel Legrand's Broadway stage debut.
The James Lapine-directed run on Broadway closed after just 17 performances and 31 previews but earned a slew of major Broadway award nominations, including five Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Jeremy Sams), Best Original Score (Michel Legrand and Didier Van Cauwelaert), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Malcolm Gets) and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Melissa Errico), as well nine Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Musical, Book (Jermey Sams), Actor (Malcolm Gets), Featured Actor (Christopher Fitzgerald), Director (James Lapine), Orchestrations (Michel Legrand), Lyrics (Didier Van Cauwelaert), Music (Michel Legrand) and Set Design (Scott Pask).
Cast and creatives for Charing Cross Theatre production of Amour
Amour at the Charing Cross Theatre will be directed by Hannah Chissick (Aladdin at Theatr Clwyd, Rent at the Pleasance Theatre, Mother Courage, Flashdance) and features production design by Adrian Gee (Urinetown), sound design by Andrew Johnson, (Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery), choreography by Matt Cole (Fiddler on the Roof, Cinderella), lighting design by Rob Halliday, (Equus, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins), musical direction by Jordan Li-Smith (Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Amour at the Royal Academy of Music, Sir Jack Lyons Theatre) and production and casting by Danielle Tarento (Fame The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Canterbury Tales).
The cast of Amour at the Charing Cross Theatre will be announced in due course.
Don't miss out on Amour Charing Cross Theatre tickets!
Tickets to the London premiere of Amour are expected to sell out quickly. Don't miss this sure-fire summer hit and book your Amour tickets now for the best seats and prices.
Purchase your tickets to Amour at London's Charing Cross Theatre.
By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.