Gigi comes to Regent's Park

The Lerner and Loewe show will star Fiddler On The Roof's Chaim Topol, 72, as Honoré, played by Maurice Chevalier in the 1958 film.

Romford-born Millicent Martin, 73, who was most recently seen in Frasier, is returning to home turf from the US to play Honoré's former mistress Madame Alvarez, who was played by Hermione Gingold on the big screen.

The show is one of the highlights of the first season organised by the theatre's new artistic director Timothy Sheader.

The programme includes Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet and Twelfth Night, and a special, quickfire 70-minute version of A Midsummer Night's Dream for younger audiences.

Mr Sheader said he had so loved directing at Regent's Park that when the job of artistic director became vacant he immediately applied.

"I had the most thrilling time working there," he said.

"I'm a big believer in outdoor public spaces. They are a gift to the nation, and the thought that theatre is outside and taking place over a wall or behind a bush is utterly thrilling."

He hopes to extend the Open Air Theatre's repertory beyond Shakespeare and musicals in future but he said he had chosen to kick off his first season with the Shakespeares because they worked so well in the open air.

The version of Midsummer Night's Dream, for children aged six and above, is part of his plan to produce exciting first theatrical experiences for young people.

The three shows will be presented by an ensemble of 24 actors who each appear in two of the three.

Mr Sheader chose Gigi because he scarcely knew the work but fell in love with it when he read the score.

"It's witty, it's sparkling, it's charming and the lyrics made me laugh out loud," he said.

Public booking opens on 11 February, although a £15 fee buys priority membership to book now.