Musical theatre takes centre stage at JW3 in NW3

North London performance venue JW3 have announced brand new musical theatre and exclusive theatre performances throughout 2024.

Be the first to see the premiere concert performance of the new musical BETTE and JOAN and BABY JANE – THE MUSICAL, based on the BBC radio play by Tracy-Ann Oberman, on 4 March (Tracy-Ann will introduce the evening performance).

BETTE and JOAN and BABY JANE – THE MUSICAL has now been developed into a dark musical score that oozes liquor-soaked regret and sass, as fading Hollywood Grande dames Bette Davis (Olivier nominated Sophie-Louise Dann, currently playing Madame Morrible in Wicked) and Joan Crawford (Anna Francolini, Strictly Ballroom, wonder.land) grapple with their deep-seated rivalry on the 1961 set of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? - a ‘Hag Horror’ movie that no one thinks will ever get made. But with gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Annie Wensak, Groundhog Day, Flowers For Mrs Harris) bribing a young hopeful (Jack Reitman, Offie award for Best Male Performance in Thrill Me, Jermyn Street Theatre) to sniff out their darkest secrets - do the two stars have more in common than they care to admit?

With a cast of six plus band, the book is brimming with dark humour by Tracy-Ann Oberman and Shaun McKenna, with music and musical direction by James Cleeve, and lyrics by Nikki Racklin.

Tracy-Ann Oberman said: “Why did I write Bette and Joan and Baby Jane? Because I wanted to understand what was really behind the antagonism between these two very different women: both iconic actresses, both fading from the height of their power, now forced together in an unhappy alliance to make cinema history. To now see my play as a musical only enhances its magic for me.”

You can then attend JW3 for a magical and nostalgic musical theatre evening celebrating the great music of songwriter Lionel Bart, CELEBRATING LIONEL BART, on 7 July.

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART will be a joyous evening of musical theatre, with a cast of West End performers including Oliver Award winner Liza Sadovy (Cabaret, Oklahoma) singing Bart’s magical songs from: ‘Living Doll’, ‘A Handful of Songs’ to hits from musicals Oliver! and Blitz. The evening will also include special filmed messages from Bart super fans Sir Tommy Steele and Sir Cliff Richard. The show has been devised/directed by Adam Lenson and produced by Neil Marcus, with musical direction by Theo Jamieson. Further casting is to be announced.

Producer and co-deviser Neil Marcus says: “I was lucky enough to know Lionel in his last few years, meeting regularly for a cup of tea and a chat about musical theatre. He told me he had written a musical about Golda Meir with Roger Cook (I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing) – as yet, still unproduced. He gifted me some songs from that show and I am thrilled that a performance of ‘Next Year In Jerusalem’ will receive its London stage premiere at CELEBRATING LIONEL BART”.

For more information, please click here.