A Class Act, the 2001 Tony-nominated musical valentine to the late composer/lyricist Edward Kleban, is finally coming to London. The show will have its U.K. premiere at the 60-seat Landor Theatre atop the Landor Pub, where it is scheduled to run September 6 through October 2.
The musical, which features music and lyrics by Kleban, book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price, originally opened off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club. It then transferred to Broadway's Ambassador Theatre where it opened on March 12, 2001. Despite a mostly positive critical reception, the show failed to find an audience and closed on June 10, 2001.
Ken Mandelbaum wrote in his Broadway.com Review: "With its cast of eight and minimal scenic and orchestral demands, A Class Act could very well become a regional favorite. It's of course a must-see for musical theater fans. And it's not every Broadway musical that gets a big laugh from a first-draft lyric for 'At the Ballet.'"
While a national tour for the tuner never occurred, the show has played at many regional venues and had a full-scale professional mounting in Japan.
Robert McWhir, Landor's artistic director, is set to direct A Class Act in London.