A new show based on the Oscar winning movie An Officer and a Gentleman is one of several musicals heading to the Ipswich Regent next year.
The 1982 film started Richard Gere as a cocksure trainee US Navy pilot who falls for a local factory worker played by Debra Winger. The musical will include the hit song from the movie, Up Where We Belong alongside classics like Alone and Girls Just Want to Have Fun.
Producer Jamie Wilson is the lead producer for current productions of Crazy For You, the forthcoming world premiere of Nativity! The Musical and Curve’s production of Sister Act.
An Officer and a Gentlemen has been three years in the making.
Director Nikolai Foster, artistic director at Leicester’s Curve theatre, said: “It delicately charts the lives of working class, military folk in America in the early 1980s; important lives, often pushed to the margins of society.
“We’re proud to be working alongside the film’s creator Douglas Day Stewart, producer Jamie Wilson and an incredible creative team to present this beautiful and inspiring story.”
Son of a Preacher Man, April 3-7, is the story of three broken hearts, one Soho hang-out and its legendary owner. Directed and choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing’s Craig Revel Horwood, it’s set to the greatest hits of Dusty Springfield.
The 2018 dates don’t include Diana Vickers.
The Olivier and Tony Award winning West End and Broadway show Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, April 17-21, visits Ipswich as part of its first UK tour. It charts the true story of her rise to stardom.
Flashdance – The Musical, April 23-28, is inspired by the 1980s movie and sees welder Alex try to turn her dream of attending the prestigious Shipley Dance Academy into a reality. Produced by the award winning team behind Footloose, Avenue Q and Little Shop of Horrors, it includes smash hits like Maniac, Gloria and the Flashdance - What a Feeling.
The 2018 dates don’t include Joanne Clifton.
Next year also sees the return of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers, April 30-May 5. It’s the tale of twins who, separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with fateful consequences.
Bryony Rudkin, deputy leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said: “An Officer and a Gentleman is another smash hit musical coming to the Regent. We can offer a West End experience without the cost and the hassle of getting there.
“This show follows other musical sensations like Grease, Million Dollar Quartet, Crazy For You and Sunset Boulevard. That’s on top of all the best in comedy, music acts and classical concerts at both the Regent and Corn Exchange.”
Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
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