Tim Rice's New Musical

My admired colleague, the great (and big) Tim Rice of Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Chess and Aida can confidently look forward to another first night in the West End. It is his stage musical adaptation of From Here to Eternity, based on the James Jones’ 1951 novel that was an Oscar-winning film in 1953. The new show‘s music was written by Stuart Brayson. The novel chronicles the lives of a group of privates on an army base in 1941 Hawaii. Romances blossom when the troubled Private Prewitt falls for club girl Lorene while platoon sergeant Warden starts a dangerous affair with his commanding officer’s wife Karen. The original manuscript of the book featured two passages that did not make it into the published edition due to their homosexual content. According to Sir Tim the musical will remain true to the original book and incorporate those homosexual elements deemed inappropriate for the 1953 film. The musical begins previews at the Shaftesbury Theatre on September 30, 2013, with opening night set for October 23.