Director David H. Bell has left the Broadway-bound production of A Tale of Two Cities, which is currently in the midst of a Manhattan workshop, citing "immediate personal problems." According to a production spokesperson, Bell announced his plans to the cast of the show at a July 24 rehearsal. A replacement director is expected to be announced shortly.
Bell is best known for directing Hot Mikado, which was nominated for an Olivier Award. His other credits include Elmer Gantry, Casper with Chita Rivera, The Theatre of Dreams which he also wrote, Looking Glass, Pictures in the Hall, Weekend, Actor, Lawyer, Indian Chief, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus in Las Vegas and As You Like It.
Set against the epic backdrop of the French Revolution and based on the classic Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities is a musical about injustice, vengeance and the redemptive power of love. When Dr. Manette is released from the French Bastille after 17 years, he must be resurrected from the brink of madness by his daughter, Lucie. In England they meet two very different men: the exiled French aristocrat, Charles Darnay, whom Lucie marries, and the drunken cynic, Sydney Carton. Soon family secrets and political intrigue combine to draw Lucie and her family back to Paris. At the height of the Reign of Terror, the musical finds an unlikely hero in Carton, inspired by love to make an extraordinary sacrifice.
A musical version of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, the show features a book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello and is set to have its world premiere at the Chicago Theatre, where performances will begin on January 31, 2006. The tuner will officially bow on the Great White Way on April 27, 2006.
