It's often said that the United States and Great Britain are twocountries separated by the same language. But the rich trade inplays and musicals between the two countries suggests that thelanguage barrier can be transcended.
Here are just a few case studies of the many recent productionsthat have made the trans-Atlantic journey, with Chicago as animportant port of call along the way: "Dancing at Lughnasa," Brian Friel's elegiac play about five Irishsisters, began at Dublin's Abbey Theatre, moved to thegovernment-subsidized National Theatre in London and then proved aTony Award-winning hit on Broadway. It has now entered the Americanregional theater system and will open at the Goodman Theatre on Sept.27. "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice," Jim Cartwright's comedy about ashy girl with an uncanny ability to imitate pop singers, is set in asmall town in England's north country. Under an unusual arrangement, the play wascommissioned by British commercial producer Michael Codron andpresented at the National Theatre in London before it moved to theWest End.
The Nederlander Organization in New York optioned the rights tothe play and, in conjunction with Codron, decided that it was toorisky to take it directly to Broadway.
Instead, the play will be staged by British director SimonCurtis at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, where it will open Dec. 12,with the possibility of transferring to New York. "Death and the Maiden," the Ariel Dorfman play about a woman whoconfronts the man she believed tortured her in a Chilean prison,premiered at London's government-subsidized Royal Court Theatre, hada successful run in the West End, opened on Broadway in astar-studded but unsuccessful production and is now being staged atSteppenwolf. "Oleanna," David Mamet's play about the relationship between aprofessor and his student, began in a regional theater production inBoston, opened Off-Broadway last fall and has become a big hit at theRoyal Court in London, where it debuted earlier this summer."Oleanna" will move to the West End this fall.
And a Chicago edition of the play will open at the WellingtonTheater on Sept. 13. This commercial production, presented byMichael Leavitt and Fox Theatricals, will be directed by MichaelMaggio. "Marvin's Room," Scott McPherson's play about familyconnections, love and mortality, received its world premiere at theGoodman Theatre Studio, moved on to several regional theaters andproved a hit Off-Broadway.
It's now enjoying a run at London's highly regarded Fringeoutfit the Hampstead Theatre, where the Goodman's David Petrarcareprised his original direction. And the show, starring AlisonSteadman, is scheduled to move to the West End for a commercial run. "Angels in America," Tony Kushner's two-part epic drama about RoyCohn and life in America in the age of AIDS, attracted mass attentionwhen part one received an exceptional production at the NationalTheatre.
It was subsequently produced at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum,and was remounted on Broadway, where it will be joined by its secondhalf in October.
Later this season, the two-part drama will enter the repertoryat London's National Theatre. And there is talk of a commercialChicago production at the Royal George Theatre. "Someone to Watch Over Me," Frank McGinnis' play about three menbeing held hostage in Beirut, began at the Hampstead Theatre, movedto the West End and enjoyed considerable success on Broadway (thanksin part to the presence of Stephen Rea, star of "The Crying Game").A Chicago production will open at Northlight Theatre on April 13,with Mike Nussbaum in a featured role.
On the musicals front, the action is no less furious. TheBroadway hit "Crazy for You" has become a West End hit, too. Arevival of "Grease" is the talk of the town in London.
And in an unusual twist on bringing coals to Newcastle, theNational Theatre's revival (and rethinking) of the Rodgers andHammerstein classic "Carousel," which was financed in large part byproducer Cameron Mackintosh's foundation, will arrive at New York'sLincoln Center Theatre next March.
Meanwhile, Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard," withAmerican actors Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson in the starringroles, has opened in London, with Los Angeles and Broadwayproductions already scheduled.
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