In the heart of London, a mid-scale 960-seat theatre has been built in just seven weeks in order to host the new David Bowie musical, Lazarus. The musical has already had a limited run in Manhattan, New York opening in December 2016, just a month before the singer’s death in early 2016. In its transfer to London, the production is eagerly awaited by both musical theatre and Bowie fans.
The new pop-up theatre has been staged on a patch of land near King’s Cross station, London. It seems producer Robert Fox had turned down several West End venues for the new musical before partnering with the King’s Cross Theatre in order to build the new venue, which will eventually become home to Google’s new HQ. The site houses a total of three theatres, and has already been home to The Railway Children for almost two years. It shares a venue with US musical In The Heights, while the Donmar Warehouse’s new Shakespeare season has taken on another theatre there too.
This new site seems hugely apt for the London production of Lazarus, as the venue is in no way a conventional West End theatre. Lazarus too – co-written by Bowie – is not a conventional West End musical, so fits in well in the King’s Cross area. The set for the show, which stars Dexter actor Michael C Hall as an alien trapped on Earth, was installed during October, ready for the influx of audiences.
Fox has expressed his delight at being part of a theatre complex that includes a new building for the Donmar season of Shakespeare, adding Lazarus to this exciting prospect. It seems King’s Cross is the perfect solution for the show, away from the West End and bright lights.