| HOPE AT ALL COSTS
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By JOHN NATHAN
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Published July 8 2008 |
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The West End's New London Theatre is to replace the void left by the early closure of Gone With the Wind with the world premier of another musical, Imagine This .
Controversially reported as a Holocaust musical in the British press, the show is set during 1942 in the Warsaw Ghetto where a group of actors inspire hope and optimism within their community.
Imagine This , which features music by Shuki Levy and book and lyrics by Glenn Berenbeim and David Goldsmith , will be directed by Timothy Sheader, the British artistic director of London's Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park.
An earlier version of the show was called Masada but never made it to the stage. Speaking to Theatre News Online, producer Beth Trachtenberg said she was "tremendously worried that the show had been described as a Holocaust musical.
It's not a Holocaust musical. It's a show about a group of people...who manage to hold on to their humanity, to find a way to laugh with each other and love each other and exist in that situation. It doesn't take place within a concentration camp, the group of people you get to know during Imagine This are not hiding from the Nazis they are, to the degree that is possible, creating a life within a ghetto." The 5 million pound ($10 million) production is scheduled to arrive at the New London Theatre on Nov. 4, with an official opening night slated for Nov. 19.
For more information on Imagine This call (0)844 412 4654
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