Elvis Musical Announced

A new stage musical based Elvis' hit film Jailhouse Rock has been announced. The show is set to open in London's West End before the end of the year and on New York's Broadway next year. It will be based on Presley's 1957 movie and feature songs from the era.

The practice of building a musical around well-loved songs has proved to be a huge moneyspinner for the stage. Nostalgia fans and lovers of kitsch have made Mamma Mia! - featuring the music of Abba - one of the biggest hits in London. Its success has helped theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh to invest £35 million in revamping his theatres.

The songs of Queen and Madness already have formed the basis for two other stage hits, while a musical based on Rod Stewart songs, Tonight's The Night, launches later this year.

Jailhouse Rock is being brought to the stage by writer Alan Janes and director Rob Bettinson, whose first collaboration, Buddy, has been running for 14 years around the world.

The musical follows a young man who is sent to prison where he discovers a love of R&B and gospel music, setting him on the path to a singing career. But he discovers he is not ready for the corruption that money and fame can bring with it.

Bettinson said: "Although based on the film, the musical will tell a much bigger story."

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