Opening Night

World Premiere

The fantastic Sheridan Smith is set to make her much-anticipated West End return next March as she takes the lead in this exciting world premiere from the iconic theatrical innovator Ivo Van Hove and multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright! Based on the 1977 John Cassavetes film of the same name, the musical follows a beleaguered theatre company as they try to stage a brand-new Broadway show, despite the many trials and tragedies that befall its leading lady.

Sheridan Smith
Last seen as the titular character in the revival of Shirley Valentine at the Duke of York's Theatre, two-time Olivier Award winner Smith is a magnetic stage presence who has dazzled across drama, comedy, and more. With every outing, she proves time and again to be an unmissable talent. We're sure Opening Night will be no different!

Ivo Van Hove
One of the most in-demand theatre makers of the last decade Belgian Van Hove most recently won rave reviews for A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Known for his avante-garde style that often incorporates videography, his other hits include adaptations of Network, A View From The Bridge, and West Side Story.

Rufus Wainwright
An idiosyncratic artist and performer who wraps lyrical flights of fancy around melancholic rhythms, with a dash of old-fashioned razzle-dazzle thrown in, Opening Night will be Wainwright's first musical. On the opportunity, he commented; "For me John Cassavetes's movie Opening Night has long been a shining beacon representing both excellence in cinema and the might of live theatre... I've been waiting for ages to write my first musical and with this fantastic story plus the incomparable Sheridan Smith, not to mention the incredible Ivo van Hove, I don't think I could have aimed any higher." We can't wait!