Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the classic Broadway musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Leo Robin, and a book by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields, comes to The London Palladium in a new concert staging featuring an orchestra of 30 musicians. Set aboard an ocean liner bound for Paris, the musical follows Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw through a sharp and glamorous comedy featuring songs including "Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend", "A Little Girl from Little Rock", and "Bye Bye Baby". The original musical opened on Broadway in 1949 with Carol Channing as Lorelei. It was later adapted into the 1953 film starring Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei and Jane Russell as Dorothy. Tony Award-nominated star of stage and screen, Megan Hilty (Death Becomes Her, Smash, Wicked, 9 to 5: The Musical), will play Lorelei Lee, a role she previously played in New York City Center’s acclaimed production of Encores!. Hilty also has a notable connection to Marilyn Monroe, who famously played Lorelei Lee on the big screen. In Smash, Hilty starred as Ivy Lynn, who portrayed Monroe in the fictional Broadway musical Bombshell. Olivier Award-nominated actress, Rachel Tucker (Wicked, Come From Away, Sunset Boulevard, Thelma and Louise), will play the role of Dorothy Shaw. One of the West End’s best-known and best-loved leading ladies, Tucker’s career has taken her from major London productions to Broadway, and back again. Following 17 Broadway productions, Warren Carlyle (Hello, Dolly!, The Music Man), winner of the Tony Award for Best Choreography for After Midnight, returns to London to direct and choreograph his first production here in more than 25 years. Olivier Award winner Alan Williams (Sunset Boulevard, Evita) will lead the orchestra. They will be joined by Set and Costume Designer Rebecca Brower, Lighting Designer Zoe Spurr, Associate Choreographer Joanna Goodwin and Associate Director Mark Hedges, with ensemble casting by Pearsons Casting and general management by QUBE Theatricals.