The swinging 60s will twist out of the Playhouse theatre this summer with musical Dreamboats And Petticoats set to close on 4 August.
The production, which first opened in July 2009 at the Savoy theatre and had previously been booking until 24 November, is perhaps the first musical ever to be inspired by a series of compilation CDs, featuring music from the best-selling albums of the same name including classic 60s songs from artists such as Roy Orbison, The Shadows and Billy Fury.
Penned by the writers of Birds Of A Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, Dreamboats And Petticoats tells the story of two young musicians who compete to win a national song writing competition and, more importantly, the interest of the gorgeous Sue. But when Bobby discovers that shy Laura is no slouch on the piano, love and rock ‘n’ roll fame beckon.
When the musical opened in the West End following a UK tour, The Telegraph’s Charles Spencer described the show as being: “an evocation of a lost age when an “international grill” and a banana milkshake at the Wimpy bar was regarded as the height of sophistication, [featuring] a cracking young company and band who put over some of the greatest pop songs ever written with charm and brio.”
There have been no announcements as yet as to what will follow the long-running musical into the Playhouse theatre.