London : The London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White will play its final performance at the Palace Theater on February 25th after a 19 month run.
Producer Sonia Friedman said in a statement, "I am very proud to have produced The Woman in White. A completely new musical is a rarity these days and, as is so often the case with Andrew Lloyd Webber's work, The Woman in White was a groundbreaking piece of musical storytelling and was also at the forefront of pioneering new technology with its innovative design.
The musical has given enormous pleasure to hundreds of thousands of people during its tenure at the Palace and Andrew Lloyd Webber's glorious score — without doubt one of his greatest and most romantic — has been hailed by critics and audiences across the world as his best since Phantom.
It is soon to be the end of the road for the show at the Palace Theatre, however, it is certainly not the end of the road for The Woman in White. The Broadway production continues its successful run and I look forward to announcing plans for the re-conceived show in another London theatre and our full U.K. touring dates in due course."
The national tour is set to begin in January 2007 in Milton Keynes according to the statement.
A few casting changes have also been announced for the London and Broadway productions.
Ruthie Henshall, who plays Marian in the London production will play her final performance on February 4th. On February 6th, Yvette Robinson will replace her, playing the role through the 25th. Robinson has starred in Starlight Express, Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, Miss Saigon, My Fair Lady and Evita in Australia.
Judy Kuhn
Judy Kuhn will fill in for Maria Friedman while the star takes a six week medical leave of absence from the show to complete her cancer treatment beginning February 12th. Kuhn will play the role of Marian from February 14th through March 26th. Friedman will return to the production on Tuesday, March 28th.
Kuhn starred in the original Broadway productions of Les Miserables, Rags , and Chess.
Producer Bob Boyett said in a statement, "While Maria was eager to remain in the show and perform as much as her health allowed, we prevailed upon her to take this time to complete her treatment and return at the end of March. We are thrilled that Judy Kuhn, an extraordinary Broadway actress, was available to play this role."
In the show, a dashing young man, employed as the art tutor to two devoted sisters, who is stranded at a remote railway cutting. Out of the darkness looms a woman, a mysterious figure dressed in white, desperate to share a chilling secret. He and the sisters soon find themselves trapped in a web of betrayal and greed, the victims of a seemingly flawless crime. Together they will need all their resourcefulness and courage to outwit a hugely charismatic and ingenious villain, 'Count Fosco'. As the plot twists and turns, low villainy vies with high romance in a world where nothing is as it first appears and where it is impossible to know who to trust. For tickets to the Broadway production of The Woman in White visit www.ticketsnow.com . For tickets to the London production visit our database here .
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