Smash '00s romcom ‘50 First Dates' is being turned into a major new London musical
It's coming to The Other Palace in Victoria, which is very much off-West End rather than West End, but that looks like something of a treat for us: the musical comes with a powerhouse US creative team at its helm, most notably director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, whose UK hits include Mean Girls and a little show called The Book of Mormon, strongly suggesting this run is a de facto Broadway tryout. The songs and book are by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, whose work hasn't been seen over here, but they have strong comedy pedigree – the show is shaping up to be more com than rom.
Exactly how close to the spirit of the original film it'll be remains to be see: 2004 was a long time ago, and there are aspects of the movie that have potentially dated, notably the running gag about Henry's ambiguously gendered assistant Alexa. Plus his crew includes a penguin and a walrus, although these all seem like fun challenges rather than insurmountable obstacles.
It's a Brit cast, with Josh St. Clair (who starred in the recent UK tour of Ghost) as Henry and in the role originally played by Drew Barrymore Mean Girls alumnus Georgina Castle will star as amnesiac art teacher Lucy. Tickets are on sale now.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
BBC school drama Waterloo Road to continue for two more series
The BBC says the Manchester-set programme's return, which began in 2006 and ran until 2015 before it was brought back to screens in 2023, will allow it to continue with its investment in creative talent in the north of England. Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: 'I'm delighted that Waterloo Road will be opening its corridors once again, with two more series of the hit drama about to start filming. 'The show continues to entertain the audience who love to follow both the staff and pupils and, with a new series heading to BBC iPlayer and BBC One next month, they don't have long to wait.' The next series will see Jon Richardson make his debut as the school's new media studies teacher next month, and the show has already seen Lindsey Coulson replace comedian Jason Manford, who played Steven Savage, as new headteacher, Dame Stella Drake. During its time on TV, Waterloo Road has explored storylines such as the cost-of-living crisis, coercive control, neurodivergence, work-place politics, family drama, grief, and young love. The show has provided a launch pad for the careers of stars such as Lucien Laviscount, Rege-Jean Page and Chelsee Healey, as well as Phoebe Dynevor, whose sister Hattie Dynevor joined the series in 2024, and Adam Thomas, who returned when the series was rebooted in 2023 and remains on the show. Cameron Roach, Waterloo Road executive producer, said: 'When the BBC commissioned the reboot of Waterloo Road, we had hoped it might run for a few seasons. 'But to be commissioned for further series, bringing the total episodes since relaunch to 70 hours, is a huge achievement and a reflection of the incredible creative teams in front of and behind the camera. 'As well as continuing to celebrate emerging talent, the show is fast gaining a reputation for working with the best comedy talent, as Jon Richardson joins the cast this season. 'As a team we're incredibly proud that a very British show can be such an enduring success for the BBC and continue to bring in new generations of viewers.' Filming for the two new series will begin in Greater Manchester later this year, with the first of the pair to launch next year.
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
BBC school drama Waterloo Road to continue for two more series
The BBC says the Manchester-set programme's return, which began in 2006 and ran until 2015 before it was brought back to screens in 2023, will allow it to continue with its investment in creative talent in the north of England. Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: 'I'm delighted that Waterloo Road will be opening its corridors once again, with two more series of the hit drama about to start filming. 'The show continues to entertain the audience who love to follow both the staff and pupils and, with a new series heading to BBC iPlayer and BBC One next month, they don't have long to wait.' The next series will see Jon Richardson make his debut as the school's new media studies teacher next month, and the show has already seen Lindsey Coulson replace comedian Jason Manford, who played Steven Savage, as new headteacher, Dame Stella Drake. During its time on TV, Waterloo Road has explored storylines such as the cost-of-living crisis, coercive control, neurodivergence, work-place politics, family drama, grief, and young love. The show has provided a launch pad for the careers of stars such as Lucien Laviscount, Rege-Jean Page and Chelsee Healey, as well as Phoebe Dynevor, whose sister Hattie Dynevor joined the series in 2024, and Adam Thomas, who returned when the series was rebooted in 2023 and remains on the show. Cameron Roach, Waterloo Road executive producer, said: 'When the BBC commissioned the reboot of Waterloo Road, we had hoped it might run for a few seasons. 'But to be commissioned for further series, bringing the total episodes since relaunch to 70 hours, is a huge achievement and a reflection of the incredible creative teams in front of and behind the camera. 'As well as continuing to celebrate emerging talent, the show is fast gaining a reputation for working with the best comedy talent, as Jon Richardson joins the cast this season. 'As a team we're incredibly proud that a very British show can be such an enduring success for the BBC and continue to bring in new generations of viewers.' Filming for the two new series will begin in Greater Manchester later this year, with the first of the pair to launch next year.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Together review — a wickedly effective horror satire
We seem to be in a purple patch of ambitious 'risk-taking' cinema set pieces. With The Naked Gun reboot it was the moment when the entire movie swerved sideways into a nutty film-within-a-film about a deranged snowman. In last week's Weapons it was the unexpected black comedy in the final act (kids + ritualised sparagmos = hilarity). And now, in this wickedly effective horror satire, it's the outrageous midpoint sequence when our two protagonists and 'couple-in-crisis' Tim and Millie (played by real-life marrieds Dave Franco and Alison Brie) are suddenly trapped and grossly melded at the crotch (a supernatural curse is involved) during an impulsive act of intimacy in the children's bathrooms at the school where Millie teaches. They pull, they push, he winces, she yelps, as their cursed organs are seemingly in agony. A loud and hysterical chorus of sympathy howls was, at my screening, the inevitable audience response. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews Tim and Millie, winningly played throughout, have only recently moved from New York City to this tiny upstate hamlet. It's ostensibly for Millie's job, but really it's to revitalise a relationship that's quaking from Tim's lack of self-esteem, his failure as a musician and the recent double-whammy of his father's death and mother's mental breakdown. The beauty of the film and of the screenplay from the novice Australian writer-director Michael Shanks is that it's an unforgiving dissection of co-dependent romantic relationships as well as a giddy and frequently stomach-churning scream-at-the-screen body horror. And so, near the start, during an exploratory hike, Tim and Millie fall into a woodland sinkhole and there consume the mystical potion that propels them, physically, towards each other with the ultimate aim of violently, gorily, mushing their bodies together (see title) into a single mutant uni-being. It's great fun, and the highlights include a jump scare with Millie's hair, the devilish use of a reciprocating saw and an exquisitely funny deployment of the Spice Girls. You will never, in short, listen to 2 Become 1 in the same way again. ★★★★☆15, 102minIn cinemas from Aug 15 Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out films have you enjoyed at the cinema recently? Let us know in the comments and follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
