Imagine This to close early 20 Dec 2008

Imagine This to close early 20 Dec 2008

The Warsaw Ghetto musical Imagine This , has posted early closing notices at New London Theatre after a run of less than 2 months - the last performance is Saturday 20 Dec 2008. (It was originally booking to 28 Feb 2009)

The musical opened 19 Nov 2008, following previews from 4 Nov, to poor notices from the popular press: VARIETY says, "For all the good intentions, tension barely surfaces all night. THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Offensively banal." THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "Imagine This must finally be judged a manipulative and morally dubious show." THE GUARDIAN says, "They said it couldn't be done: a musical about the Warsaw ghetto. And, now that I've seen it, I know that they were right...

Directed by Timothy Sheader, the cast includes Peter Polycarpou, Leila Benn-Harris, Simon Gleeson, Bernard Lloyd, Richard Cotton, Michael Matus,Gary Milner, Steven Serlin, Sevan Stephan,Sarah Ingram, Cameron Leigh.

The show has music by Shuki Levy, Book & lyrics by Glenn Berenbeim & David Goldsmith.

It is designed by Eugene Lee, choreography by Liam Steel, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Tim Mitchell, orchestrations are by Chris Walker and musical supervision by Phil Bateman.

It is produced in London by Beth Trachtenberg, Anita Mann, Leigh Mason, Jean Mason and ICW Productions in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Set in Poland during 1942, a group of actors in the Warsaw Ghetto stage plays to inspire hope and optimism within their community. However, with rumours of the Final Solution in the air, their play merges with the reality they are trying to escape and a dramatic love story unfolds.