Details

With a career spanning six decades and including nine smash hit singles (three which became Number One), Neil Sedaka has been inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, had a street named after him in his hometown of Brooklyn, and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. From the innocent Fifties to the cynical Seventies and beyond, he has written and performed some of the world's most beloved pop songs including 'Oh, Carol', 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do', 'Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen', 'Hey Little Devil', 'Stupid Cupid', 'Amarillo', 'Laughter in the Rain' and many more. Born in Brooklyn, the son of a taxi-driver, Sedaka started songwriting at Broadway's legendary Brill Building, penning his first hit, Oh Carol, for his then girlfriend, Carole King. He went on to become a teenage idol to rival Elvis but in 1964 his career collapsed as America embraced the Beatles and other bands of the so-called 'British Invasion'. For almost a decade, he struggled to support his wife, Leba, and their two children but found salvation in moving to Britain, where he signed to Elton John's Rocket Records label, and remarkably returned to the top of the US charts in 1974 with 'Laughter In The Rain' - remaining a national treasure there as well as in the UK ever since. Laughter in The Rain - a remarkable story of triumph against the odds.

Cast/Performers

Wayne Smith (Neil Sedaka), Julia Farino (Eleanor Sedaka), Simon connolly (Mac Sedaka / Burt Bacharach), Jade Sampson (Ronnie Sedaka), Edward Handoll (Howie), Anna Clayton (Leba), Caroline Dennis (Aunt Ann / Mrs Granfield / Mrs Strassberg), Natalie Hope (Aunt Kate / Carole King / Mrs Glantz), Carla Freeman (Aunt Molly / Connie Francis / Cynthia Weil), alastair Natkiel (Don Kirshner / Mr Lass / Hal David), Kieran Brown (Elton John / Norman / Tony Christie), Charlie Adams (David / Stoller / Messenger), Jody Crosier (Seymour / Professor / Barry Manilow)

Creatives/Company

Book by: Philip Norman
Producer(s): Bill Kenwright, Laurie Mansfield