Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro - Southwark

A new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1947 musical Allegro will run at the Southwark Playhouse in south London from 5 August to 11 September 2016, with an official opening on 11 August 2016.

Produced by Danielle Tarento, the production will be directed by Artistic Director of the Charing Cross Theatre, Thom Southerland. The pair have previously worked together at the Southwark Playhouse on productions such as 'Grey Gardens', 'Titanic' and 'Grand Hotel'.

Almost 70 years since opening on Broadway, this new production will be the European professional premiere and will feature an updated book by Southerland.

"In 1905 in a small Midwestern town, the wife of a local doctor gives birth to a baby boy, Joseph Taylor Jr. Allegro chronicles nearly four decades in the life of this average Joe - through his childhood, from college dorm to marriage altar, and on to his own medical career; from the tranquility of his hometown to the hectic din of big city life and a mid-life discovery of who he is and what his life is truly about, ultimately learning the most important lessons of all - the value of family, that money isn't everything and that home really is where the heart is."

The musical was revived in New York by the New York City Center Encores! series in March 1994. John Doyle recently presented a 90-minute version for the Classic Stage Company in November 2014, but the show has yet to be performed professionally in London.

Tickets for the production are now on sale.