The world premiere of Sleepless, a stage musical based on Nora Ephron’s 1993 romcom Sleepless in Seattle, has been postponed. The show was set to star Strictly Come Dancing contestant Danny Mac as the character portrayed on screen by Tom Hanks, with Carley Stenson playing the Meg Ryan role. The plot follows a widower who finds love after a journalist hears him open up about his personal life on talk radio.
Stenson and Mac, who are engaged, both starred in Hollyoaks and have taken prominent stage roles in the past. Mac played Gavroche in Les Misérables and took the part of Warner in the musical version of Legally Blonde at Leicester Curve. Stenson played Elle Woods in the West End production of Legally Blonde and Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical.
A statement said the Sleepless postponement was caused by an “illness within the producer’s family and overwhelming unexpected circumstances”. The production hopes to announce further news in 2018. Sleepless was due to open at Theatre Royal Plymouth, followed by a tour to the Lowry in Salford and Bord Gáis Energy theatre, Dublin, before a West End run. The new musical has a book by Michael Burdett, music by Robert Scott and lyrics by Brendan Cull. It was due to be directed by Morgan Young.
