From Here To Eternity - Shaftesbury Theatre

Review Summary

Average Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 15 review(s)



Latest Review: "fantastic!! would go to see it again anytime....what a brilliant show....."

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Age Restriction: Suitable for ages 13+  

The famous novel by James Jones, From Here To Eternity comes to the West End as one of the latest musicals to take to the stage of the Shaftesbury Theatre, where audiences can relish in this gripping adaptation from Tim Rice and Stuart Brayson. Set during the Second World War around the time of the attack on Pearl Harbour, the story has been held in high regards ever since its publication in the early 1950s, from its initial success as a novel to its movie adaptation released in 1953 and starring Burt Lancaster, and this popular feeling will almost certainly translate into a must-see show.

Those with theatre tickets are transported back to 1941 and we explore the lives of members of the military company on Oahu, Hawaii. The narrative spans the period prior to the attacks and also during as we meet Captain Holmes, First Sergeant Milt Warden and Private Robert E Lee Prewitt, among others. Warden is conducting an affair with Holmes’ wife Karen, whilst Prewitt refuses to box following a previous altercation in the ring left someone blind.

The movie version, which emerged only two years after the novel, is one of the great films of the 1950s, with a cast that included Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift and Ernest Borgnine, among others, plus numerous Academy Awards, so the story clearly resonated with both readers and viewers.

Lyricist Tim Rice is a well known talent in the West End as he has worked on an array of production across the capital. He worked with Elton John to create the musical numbers of The Lion King, the London version of which is at the Lyceum Theatre, and he also worked on Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and, more recently, the Andrew Lloyd Webber version of The Wizard Of Oz, which recently appeared at the London Palladium. He has also been the recipient of numerous awards on both sides of the Atlantic, ensuring that From Here To Eternity is in safe hands.

Following 2013’s Burn The Floor, which has been running at the venue since March, From Here To Eternity will run at the Shaftesbury Theatre from Wednesday 23rd October 2013 (following previews which begin on Monday 30th September 2013).