Gone With The Wind set for stage

The new adaptation will be directed by Sir Trevor Nunn - who returns to the New London Theatre, where he launched Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats in 1981.

In a statement, Sir Trevor said he was "drawn to the challenge" of adapting Margaret Mitchell's vast, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel for the stage.

In 1939, the book was turned into an epic film that won 10 Academy Awards.

Starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, it has been named the most successful movie of all time at the US box office by film trade journal Screen Digest.

'Relevant'

It tells the story of southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, whose idyllic lifestyle is shattered when President Lincoln's demands to end slavery trigger the American Civil War.

The novel has been turned into a musical before. A Japanese production, Scarlett, premiered in Tokyo in 1970 before being overhauled for the London stage in 1972.

Sir Trevor's production has been in the works for three years. It features music and lyrics from first-time composer Margaret Martin.

Producer Aldo Scrofani said the musical would "remain true to Margaret Mitchell's original story and characters while also revealing its relevance to our lives today".

The show is expected to open in April 2008, but no information about casting has been released.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
New London Theatre
Gone With The Wind film review
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