Swing Joined: 6/19/19
After a great OBW run in NYC, TSLOB will be at The Almeida Theatre sometime in 2023. A tremendous show with an original score lives on!
OFFICIAL
https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/the-secret-life-of-bees/4-apr-2023-27-may-2023
Yes! Can't wait to see how they'll stage it and what changes. Hopefully the title song got reworked but loved everything else.
Wonder if any of the off-broadway cast will go with it?
LOVED LOVED LOVED this Off-Broadway. It was simply stunning.
Oooooooooh! Excited to finally get to see this!!
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/18
I couldn't stand this show, despite an absolutely stacked cast, and don't know how it keeps popping up. I hope they've made some major changes since the Atlantic run.
Is Sam Gold continuing with it as director, or will it have a British director now?
Pashacar said: "on't know how it keeps popping up."
What do you mean? This will only be the 2nd run.
Anyway,
I’m thrilled that they’re finally getting their long-rumored London production. Will be interesting to see if there are commercial producers attached who are trying to shepherd this back to NY, or if it’s just a “the Almeida wanted to put up the show” situation.
I hope there’s a cast album someday, though I’m a bit nervous about a British cast being the ONLY cast album for the show. I’ll take whatever I can get to hear this gorgeous score recorded, but would prefer to hear it without a bunch of poor attempts at American accents (which is sadly the norm, I’ve found).
Understudy Joined: 3/16/17
There is a new director attached but she is American.
I remember LaChanze doing an interview saying that were going to London then to Broadway. I wonder if that’s still the pipeline
EvanHansen said: "There is a new director attached but she is American."
I don't know why but Rebecca Taichman is the first to come to mind for this show.
Or perhaps Schele Williams, who seems to be announced for a lot of projects that haven't actually opened yet.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
Pashacar said: "I couldn't stand this show, despite an absolutely stacked cast, and don't know how it keeps popping up. I hope they've made some major changes since the Atlantic run."
I liked it well enough but compared to the book and the movie, it made the least compelling case for why Lily was even a character.
Swing Joined: 6/19/19
I’m still waiting on an announcement for Elton John’s Tammy Faye musical at the Almeida this year.
Swing Joined: 6/19/19
https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/the-secret-life-of-bees/4-apr-2023-27-may-2023
Finally Official.
Glad it’s official! And the other big news here is that Whitney White is announced as the new director!
The first couple shows I saw from Whitney White, I wasn’t really a fan of her direction. But I think she demonstrated a massive step up with On Sugarland - a flawed play, but White’s direction was pretty exquisite, I thought. And I think the kind of work she did in On Sugarland will translate well to Secret Life of Bees.
Never heard of her, but congrats to her! I loved this show at the Atlantic (except for that awful title song) and thought the direction was interesting, but excited to see what's changed.
JBroadway said: "Will be interesting to see if there are commercial producers attached who are trying to shepherd this back to NY, or if it’s just a “the Almeida wanted to put up the show” situation"
To answer my own question from earlier:
"The Secret Life of Bees is presented in association with Sonia Friedman Productions, Lauren Shuler Donner, Marianne Mills and Robert Cohen."
While Sonia Friedman seems to have taken this on, Donner and Mills were attached to the show when it was at Atlantic. So it seems there's at least some connective tissue here.
Initial casting has been revealed for the UK premiere of the eagerly anticipated Secret Life of Bees musical at the Almeida.
Appearing in Whitney White's brand-new production of Lynn Nottage, Duncan Sheik and Susan Birkenhead's musical, based on the best-selling novel by Sue Monk Kidd, will be Ava Brennan, Tarinn Callender, Danielle Fiamanya, Rachel John, Mark Meadows and Abiona Omonua.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/27/21
When does Whitney White find time to sleep?
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