Natural Storyteller–Des McAnuff
March 26th, 2008Matthew Amer, reporter for the Official London Theatre Guide, states Des McAnuff is no stranger to success. He has twice won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical, for The Who’s Tommy and Big River, and seen the success translate to London, winning the Best Director Laurence Olivier Award for Tommy in 1997. He is trying to recreate transatlantic success once more this spring, bringing Broadway hit Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, to the Prince Edward.
The Canadian director is in London for the opening of Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward theatre. He has returned to the English capital for the final days of preparation before the musical he has seen progress from the germ of an idea to a Tony Award-winning sensation on Broadway is performed in front of the British press. Though he is nervous for the actors more than himself, he is aware that this particular press night could be a considerable landmark for the production which, for all its acclaim, has yet to be performed outside the United States. “This is an important moment for the show,†he states. “This is the gateway to the rest of the world, so I think the stakes are high here. I want to see the show do well; I think we have to prove to ourselves that this really has the common touch, that it really can be something that’s international.â€
Read the full interview on the Official London Theatre Guide website.
