Paul Nicholas Joins Betty Buckley in West End Premiere of Dear World

English actor Paul Nicholas will join previously announced star Betty Buckley in the U.K. premiere production of Dear World, the 1969 musical featuring music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The production will be directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne and will open at Charing Cross Theatre on February 4, 2013. The limited engagement will run through March 30.

Based on Jean Giraudoux’s play The Madwoman of Chaillot, Dear World revolves around Countess Aurelia (Buckley), a woman who spends her days living in the basement below a Paris bistro. When a company discovers oil underneath the street and threatens to destroy the bistro, the Countess fights back to save her home—and the relationship of a young oil executive and a waitress. Nicholas will play the Sewerman.

Dear World will feature design by Matt Kinley, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Mike Robertson, orchestrations by Sarah Travis and musical direction by Ian Townsend.

The musical premiered on Broadway in 1969 and won Angela Lansbury a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Countess Aurelia.