Vanessa Hudgens to play Gigi on Broadway
Actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens' Broadway dreams have been realised - she has been cast as the lead in a new production of beloved musical Gigi.
The High School Musical star will play the title role in the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe production, which will be directed by Eric Schaeffer, the man behind Follies and Million Dollar Quartet.
Gigi has previously been played onstage by Audrey Hepburn, and
French actress Leslie Caron portrayed the character in Vincente
Minnelli's Oscar-winning 1958 film.
British playwright and BAFTA-winning screenwriter Heidi Thomas will
revamp the story for the new production, which will open at the
Eisenhower Theater at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts in Washington, D.C. from 16 January to 12 February (15) before
its big New York debut.
Hudgens, who played the role of Gigi in recent readings in New
York, says, "I started performing in musicals from a young age, and
it has always been my dream to be on Broadway. I cannot wait to get
back on stage, singing and dancing these songs and living in Gigi's
glamorous world."
She adds, "I think it's (musical theatre) the true test. There are
no second takes. You've got to bring everything you've got for the
most critical of audiences. It's an honour, if anything. I'm over
the moon."
Gigi was originally brought to life on the Broadway stage by Days
of Our Lives actress Karin Wolfe in 1973, but that production only
ran for 103 performances.
The original novel was turned into a 1951 play, starring
Hepburn.