From Broadway to the West End

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - the play with an all stellar cast that includes Adrian Lester, Sanaa Lathan, Debbie Allen and James Earl Jones, transferred from Broadway to the West End to great acclaim. A success that may well signal a new movement that will see other Broadway plays open in London. Here is our wish list.

Chad Kimball and Montego Clover in Memphis

Memphis (pictured above)
A family musical with music and lyrics by David Bryan of Bon Jovi, ‘Memphis’ charts the rise of rock and roll during America’s turbulent 50s. It is loosely based on the life of white Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first to play ‘black music’ on America’s airwaves. Main protagonist Huey is in love with rhythm and blues and with rising black star Felicia. Rock and roll takes over mainstream America, but their relationship is threatened by prejudice and personal ambition. Set in seedy nightclubs, a radio station and a recording studio, it is full of energetic songs, fantastic dancing and an eclectic songbook that mixes gospel, r&b, blues and early rock and roll. Fans of musicals such as ‘Dreamgirls’ and ‘Carmen Jones’ would love this show which is running on Broadway till July 2010.
www.memphisthemusical.com

Race
This is a provoking, quick paced four-hander written and directed by Pulitzer winning playwright David Mamet. Two lawyers (one black and one white) and their black legal clerk are conflicted over the opportunity to represent a white man charged with a crime against a young black woman. Mamet’s plays are famous for their expletives and incendiary topics and as his popularity in the UK continues to grow (‘Oleanna’ at The Garrick, ‘Speed the Plow’ at the Old Vic) a West End transfer is more than probable. The star-studded Broadway cast includes James Spader (Secretary) and Kerry Washington (The Last King of Scotland) and the production is on till March 2010. This is a play that will challenge your preconceptions and get under your skin.
www.raceonbroadway.com/#/video_intro

Fela
This explosive musical about the controversial, pioneering Nigerian musician Fela Kuti is currently taking Broadway by storm. From the live band playing throbbing Afrobeats as the audience take their seats, to the ‘frothy, exuberant’ dancing that spills from the stage to the aisles, ‘Fela’ is an attack on the senses. Much like the man, apparently. It opens in a 1970s Lagos nightclub and brings the danger of a politically oppressed country to life. It has many dark moments and does not shy away from the faults of the womanizing, incendiary musical genius, played by Kevin Mambo and Sahr Ngaujah. A movie biopic by director Steve McQueen of ‘Hunger’ and screenwriter Biyi Bandele is in the pipeline, but until then, this brash, sexy musical (which closes in early 2010) is just what our West End needs.
www.felaonbroadway.com
Fela is coming to London from November 2010

Superior Donuts
In keeping with the American tradition of setting plays in coffee shops and ice cream parlours and marrying drama with sugar, ‘Superior Donuts’ takes place in a run down Chicago donut shop. Ex-hippie and shop owner Arthur Przybyszewski is depressed over the recent death of his ex-wife and is plagued with guilt about deserting at Vietnam. When Franco Wicks, a young and brash African-American man starts working for him, both their lives are changed forever. This is a tender, warm comedy from Tracy Letts, author of the outstanding ‘August: Osage County’ (National Theatre) which won the 2008 Tony and Pulitzer and is now off Broadway.
www.broadwaysbestshows.com/shows/superiordonuts

Passing Strange
This quirky, satirical musical written by singer-songwriter Stew premiered on Broadway in 2008 and its last 3 performances were turned into a documentary by Spike Lee. Stew narrates the semi-autobiographical story of his life onstage, while actor Daniel Breaker plays his younger, fictionalized self – ‘Youth’ – who rejects his middle class, LA upbringing, to travel to Europe in this coming-of-age Odyssey. Youth travels from Amsterdam to Berlin, experiencing love, drugs, sex and politics, exploiting a “South Central” persona to appear cool and ‘real’. This is the best of storytelling, with a musical style that is difficult to characterise. Each character Youth meets along his journey influences him with the music that inspires them, from Maria Callas, to 70s Punk, 80s Electronic, and the music from ‘My Fair Lady’. ‘Passing Strange’ is an unconventional musical with a heart-warming message about the search for a personal and artistic identity that begins and ends with yourself.
www.negroproblem.com/passing