'Look to the Rainbow' in the West End: Finian’s Rainbow to Play Charing Cross Theatre

Saint Patrick’s Day may be over, but that’s not stopping this Irish musical. A new production of Finian’s Rainbow will play a six-week engagement at the West End’s Charing Cross Theatre, following a sold-out run that ended March 15 at London's Union Theatre.

This will be the first professional production of the Burton Lane and E.Y Harburg musical in the U.K. since its original West End run in 1947. The original production opened on Broadway the same year, and has been revived three times since, most recently in 2009 starring Cheyenne Jackson and Kate Baldwin.

The new production, directed by Phil Willmott, features a cast that includes James Horne, Christina Bennington, Raymond Walsh, Joseph Peters, Michael J Hayes and Laura Bella Griffin.

Finian's Rainbow tells the story of an Irish immigrant who hopes to grow gold in the soil around Fort Knox while finding a husband for his daughter. Throw in a leprechaun and a corrupt senator, and you have the makings of an irrestibly whimsical tale.

Performances begin at the Charing Cross Theatre on April 3.