Andrew Lloyd Webber's Stephen Ward Musical to open at the end of this year?

According to the Daily Mail this morning Andrew Lloyd Webber will be bringing his new Stephen Ward musical based on the Profumo Scandalinto the West End before the end of the year if he can secure the right medium sized theatre.

He is hoping that rehearsals will begin in October, and go into previews in late November. According to a show executive: "That’s dependent on the right theatre being available. As of this moment, there isn’t a signed theatre. But there is a theatre in sight,’ an executive involved with the production told me.If that desired theatre doesn’t become free in time, then Stephen Ward will be put back till late spring or early summer".

The uber talented Alexander Hanson (pictured) played Ward at one of the workshops and is it still in the running to play the lead role but he's also involved in the Simon Cowell  X Factor extravaganza It’s Time To Face The Musical which is due to open at the London Palladium next year.

Hanson is due to perform in a run-through of some of the numbers from Stephen Ward in a deconsecrated church in the grounds of  Lloyd Webber’s country estate at Sydmonton in front of a private audience of people from theatre, television and film in order to gauge its future potential.

Carly Bawden who recently turned in a great performance as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at Sheffield will play Mandy Rice-Davies.