Megan Hilty and Rachel Tucker to star in brand-new concert version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the London Palladium

Megan Hilty and Rachel Tucker will play Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw, respectively, in a new concert production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with direction and choreography by Tony Award-winner Warren Carlyle. The concert will run at the London Palladium for three performances across 26 and 27 March 2027.

Tickets are on sale from 18 September 2026.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the classic Broadway musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Leo Robin, and a book by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields, comes to The London Palladium in a new concert staging featuring an orchestra of 30 musicians. Set aboard an ocean liner bound for Paris, the musical follows Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw through a sharp and glamorous comedy featuring songs including “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, “A Little Girl from Little Rock”, and “Bye Bye Baby”. The original musical opened on Broadway in 1949 with Carol Channing as Lorelei. It was later adapted into the 1953 film starring Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei and Jane Russell as Dorothy.

Tony Award-nominated star of stage and screen, Megan Hilty (Death Becomes HerSmashWicked9 to 5: The Musical), will play Lorelei Lee, a role she previously played in New York City Center’s acclaimed production of Encores!. Hilty also has a notable connection to Marilyn Monroe, who famously played Lorelei Lee on the big screen. In Smash, Hilty starred as Ivy Lynn, who portrayed Monroe in the fictional Broadway musical Bombshell.

Olivier Award-nominated actress, Rachel Tucker (WickedCome From AwaySunset Boulevard, Thelma and Louise), will play the role of Dorothy Shaw. One of the West End’s best-known and best-loved leading ladies, Tucker’s career has taken her from major London productions to Broadway, and back again.

Following 17 Broadway productions, Warren Carlyle (Hello, Dolly!The Music Man), winner of the Tony Award for Best Choreography for After Midnight, returns to London to direct and choreograph his first production here in more than 25 years. Olivier Award winner Alan Williams (Sunset BoulevardEvita) will lead the orchestra. They will be joined by Set and Costume Designer Rebecca Brower, Lighting Designer Zoe Spurr, Associate Choreographer Joanna Goodwin and Associate Director Mark Hedges, with ensemble casting by Pearsons Casting and general management by QUBE Theatricals.

Producers Darren Bell for Darren Bell Productions and Peter Taylor & Sam Griffiths for Cuffe & Taylor said: “Event theatre has become a staple of London’s theatre calendar, and we wanted our next show to return to the scale of golden age musical theatre. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes gives us huge tap numbers, an orchestra of 30 musicians, and a production made for The London Palladium. Bringing Megan back to Lorelei after her two sold-out London concerts, opposite Rachel Tucker as Dorothy, felt totally irresistible. With Warren Carlyle directing and choreographing, audiences can expect big company dance, plenty of tap, and a proper Broadway spectacle on the Palladium stage.”

Further casting to be announced.

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