The Graduate to close 19th Jan 02

The Graduate to close 19th Jan 02

After playing 750 performances, the original West End production of The Graduate will end its run at the Gielgud Theatre on 19th January 2002. This is two weeks earlier than the current booking period ends, in order to accommodate the schedule of the next production at the Gielgud Theatre (Rumoured to be Humble Boy?).

The Graduate, starring Linda Gray , is currently taking the same level of bookings as the production was taking at the time Kathleen Turner left the original cast in London. In the last five weeks since Linda Gray took over, the show has taken £750,000 in bookings in London.

The producers John Reid and Sacha Brooks said, "The Graduate has been a West End event every night for nearly two years. We have always hoped to go out on a high. We are delighted to hand the baton to the Broadway production which will open on 4 April 2002."

The Broadway production will star Kathleen Turner, reprising her role as 'Mrs Robinson', together with Alicia Silverstone as 'Elaine Robinson' and Jason Biggs, star of "American Pie", as 'Benjamin Braddock'.

Terry Johnson's production of The Graduate also recently opened in Sydney in Australia . Other productions have also opened in South Africa and Poland.

By the end of its West End run, it is estimated that the London production alone will have grossed £10 million and have been seen by over 400,000 theatregoers.

The Graduate is a comedy by Terry Johnson, adapted from the original novel by Charles Webb and the motion picture screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry. The award-winning 1967 film, directed by Mike Nichols.

The Graduate , starring Kathleen Turner, opened on 5 April 2000 in London. Subsequently Jerry Hall, Amanda Donohoe and Anne Archer played 'Mrs Robinson', prior to Linda Gray opening in the show in October this year.

It is directed by Terry Johnson and designed by Rob Howell, with lighting by Hugh Vanstone and sound by Mike Walker.