Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre new season and director

Drew McOnie’s debut programme at the open air venue includes a rare revival of Lerner & Loewe’s musical Brigadoon, and a Broadway transfer of the Tony-award winning Shucked starring Downton Abbey’s Sophie McShera.

For families there’s the return of last year’s hit Roald Dahl musical The Enormous Crocodile, and a fresh adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s dystopian YA novel Noughts and Crosses.

Lerner and Loewe’s Brigadoon tells a love story about two WW2 fighter pilots who crash land in the Highlands and discover a magical village. (Image: FEAST Creative) McOnie began his career as a dancer and choreographer and plans both a ‘lab’ to develop early career musical theatre choreographers, and a triple bill of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s dream ballets from Carousel, Oklahoma! and Allegro featuring live accompaniment by a 26-piece orchestra and choreography by Kate Prince, Julia Cheng and Shelley Maxwell.

Speaking at the season launch on Thursday he said he was “so proud of this season”.

“Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre offers its own unique opportunity to engage with stories under a shared sky and my ambition is to honour that legacy as we move into this new artistic chapter.”

Shucked by Robert Horn with music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally is a Tony Award winning musical comedy which makes its UK premiere following a successful run on Broadway. (Image: FEAST Creative) McOnie said Tinuka Craig’s production of Noughts and Crosses – adapted by Dominic Cooke – about two lifelong friends on opposite sides of a divided world, would remake the Romeo and Juliet story “for a modern audience in a timely and powerful way.”

Brigadoon, by the writing duo behind My Fair Lady and Gigi, is the love story of two World War II pilots who crash land in the Scottish Highlands and discover a magical mythical village, and hasn’t been seen on a UK stage for 35 years.

“I have been a huge fan of the deeply romantic Brigadoon for as long as I can remember and it has long sparked my imagination,” he said.

McOnie is no stranger to the Regent’s Park venue having previously choreographed its revivals of Jesus Christ Superstar, Carousel and On The Town.

“Thinking about the experience of engaging with the theatre I had this idea of an adventurer who discovers an oasis inside Regent’s Park which has the power to make you feel and become an adventurer of the heart,” he said.

He took over from Timothy Sheader who has moved to run The Donmar Warehouse and according to Executive Director James Pidgeon, Sheader’s final season saw “record-breaking audience figures of over 180,000,” with the not-for-profit theatre playing to 98.6% capacity.

That included acclaimed productions of The Secret Garden and Fiddler on The Roof – “our highest grossing production ever” – which transfers to The Barbican for an eight week run from May followed by a UK and Ireland tour.

Pidgeon pledged to continue building partnerships with schools in Westminster, Camden and North London including giving free tickets to local primaries.

And for the 2025 season there will be even more tickets priced at £15.

He praised McOnie as a “Creative force and hugely skilled maker of live performance with an infectious energy and passion for the Open Air Theatre and its future.”

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre was founded in 1932 and over the years has seen the likes of Vivien Leigh,  Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon, Richard E. Grant, Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Bonneville, Damian Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch and Sheridan Smith grace its stage – while Dame Judi Dench has directed there.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s 2025 season runs from May 10 to September 20 with public booking going live on February 6 at www.openairtheatre.com.