Sleepless, A Musical Romance will begin performances this autumn at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

The world premiere production will open its limited run with COVID-19 guidelines enforced.

Sleepless, A Musical Romance, based on Nora Ephron's screenplay Sleepless in Seattle, will begin performances on 25 August with an official opening date on 1 September at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. The production was originally scheduled to open on 24 March but was postponed due to the government shutdown of theatres. The show will be following social distancing guidelines and other COVID-secure protocols including temperature checks, mask requirements, and contactless food and beverage service. 

"Lockdown has affected and frightened a huge number of people in this country — particularly in our industry," producer Michael Rose said in a statement. "Our story in Sleepless deals with mending something that is broken - it's about putting a family back together after a loss — and we feel it's time to do exactly that - it's time to start the healing process — that's part of what we do in Theatre."

Sleepless is a new musical romantic comedy that tells the charming story of a widower Sam and his son who relocate to Seattle. When his son calls into a radio station and talks about his single, lonely dad, Sam becomes America's most eligible bachelor and an object of interest for Annie, a New York-based reporter. The production will star Jay McGuiness and Kimberley Walsh in the roles of Sam and Annie. 

The creative team for Sleepless includes direction by Morgan Young, book by Michael Burdette, music and lyrics by Robert Scott and Brendan Cull, set, design by Morgan Large, costume design by Sue Simmerling, lighting by Ken Billington, video design by Ian William Galloway, sound design by Simon Biddulph, orchestrations and arrangements by Larry Blank, musical supervision by Stuart Morley, musical direction by Chris Walker, orchestra management by Sylvia Addison for Music Solutions, wig and hair design by Richard Mawbey, and casting by Sarah Bird CDG and Michael Donovan CSA.

The producers of Sleepless, which includes Michael Rose, Encore Theatre Productions Ltd, David Shor, and Marc Toberoff, will also be holding a special National Health Society Gala, aptly named "A Night for Sleepless Heros," on 27 August.