Fresh-faced yet up and coming choreographer Drew McOnie is set to direct and choreograph a new production of Leonard Bernstein’s On The Town, which will form part of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s new season. The Arts Educational Tring Park graduate has experienced unbounded success in his work as a choreographer, and it is expected that this production will be no different. The setting for this new work is both exciting and fresh, so it seems audiences are in for a treat.
McOnie will return to the theatre after choreographing the recent staging of Jesus Christ Superstar, which will also return to the outside theatre as part of the season, alongside On The Town. Other productions being staged as part of the season include Dickens Uncovered, a series of performances celebrating the life of the novelist; A Tale of Two Cities, directed by Regent’s Park artistic director Timothy Sheader and adapted by Matthew Dunster; and Oliver Twist Created for Everyone Aged Six and Over, adapted by playwright Anya Reiss from Dickens’ original novel and directed by Caroline Byrne.
The summer of 2017 therefore looks set to delight with these productions hitting the stage. With two from McOnie, his success looks set to continue – other recent work from the young choreographer is Jekyll and Hyde in London, and Strictly Ballroom in Yorkshire. On the Town, which includes iconic song and dance numbers, such as “New York, New York” and “Lonely Town”, will be the biggest dance musical ever staged at the Open Air Theatre, it has been claimed. It will run from 19 May to 1 July with opening night on 25 May.
The already announced Jesus Christ Superstar will return to the theatre between 11 August to 16 September, with other productions slotting in too.