A theatrical Love Story will be played out at the Duchess theatre from 27 November when Chichester Festival Theatre’s musical adaptation of the best-selling romantic novel transfers to London.
American writer Erich Segal’s hugely popular novel Love Story tells the story of two young people with opposite backgrounds: Oliver Barrett IV went to Harvard, Jenny Cavilleri to Radcliffe; he was rich, she was poor; he was sporty, she played music. But they fell in love.
Soon after the novel was published in 1970, Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal starred in a film version which won one Oscar and was nominated for six more.
This new musical version of Segal’s novel has a score by BAFTA-winning composer Howard Goodall, whose work in TV includes QI, The Vicar Of Dibley and Blackadder. He has previously written the scores for the stage musicals Days Of Hope and The Hired Man. The book is by Stephen Clark, author of West End musicals Martin Guerre and Zorro.
The show, directed by Birmingham Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Rachel Kavanaugh, is produced by a team that includes award-winning musical theatre actor Michael Ball, making his producing debut.
Love Story played at Chichester Festival Theatre in June this year with a cast including Emma Williams, Michael Xavier and Peter Polycarpou. Casting for the London transfer has not yet been confirmed.
Love Story plays at the Duchess theatre from 27 November 2010 to 26 February 2011 (press night 6 December). Currently occupying the Duchess is The Secret Of Sherlock Holmes, which ends its run on 11 September.
CB