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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Opening Night

Sheridan Smith stars as Myrtle in Opening Night.

Until July 27
Shaftesbury Ave, Soho, London W1D 6AR, United Kingdom

The 1977 film Opening Night, written and directed by John Cassavetes, stars his wife, Gena Rowlands, as Myrtle, an actress unsettled by middle age. One night, after she leaves the theater, a 17-year-old fan chases her down the street and is hit by a car. Haunted by the girl’s death, Myrtle’s grasp on both the show and reality begins to loosen. Cassavetes plays Maurice, her co-star and former lover, who watches Myrtle’s nervous breakdown. The award-winning director and playwright Ivo van Hove has now adapted the movie into a musical, with lyrics by Rufus Wainwright. Sheridan Smith takes the role of Myrtle, and Hadley Fraser (The Lehman Trilogy) plays Maurice. —Jensen Davis

Photo courtesy of Gielgud Theatre