Bill Kenwright
Recent West End productions include 'Miss Julie' (Haymarket), 'The Chiltern Hundreds' (Vaudeville), 'Song at Twilight' (Gielgud), '4 Steps to Heaven' (Piccadilly), and ''Waiting for Godot' 'The Misanthrope', 'Major Barbara', 'Filumena' and 'Kafka's Dick' as part of the Peter Hall Company season at the Piccadilly Theatre, 'An Ideal Husband' (originally at the Globe, then revived for limited seasons at the Haymarket, thhe Gielgud, the Old Vic, the Albery, the Lyric and the Barrymore Theatre, New York), 'Stepping Out - The Musical' (Albery), 'Hurlyburly' (Queen's), 'Pygmalion' (Albery), 'The Mysterious Mr Love', (Comedy), 'Lady Windermere's Fan' (both Theatre Royal, Haymarket), 'The School For Wives' (Piccadilly/Comedy), 'A Streetcar Named Desire' with Jessica Lange and 'Shakespeare for My Father' (both Theatre Royal, Haymarket), 'The Aspern Papers' (Wyndham's), 'The Odd Couple' (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), 'Elvis The Official Musical' (Prince of Wales), 'Passion' (Queen's), 'Company' (Albery), 'Present Laughter' (Wyndham's), 'Chapter Two' and 'Design for Living' (Gielgd), 'The Roy Orbison Story' (Piccadilly and Whitehall), 'Rupert Street Lonley Hearts Club' (Criterion), 'The Miracle Worker' (Comedy/Wyndham's), Harold Pinter's 'No Man's Land' and 'Moonlight' (both Comedy), 'Dead Guilty', 'In Praise of Love' and ' The Deep Blue Sea' (Apollo), 'Present Laughter' and 'The Winslow Boy' (Globe), 'Travels With My Aunt' (Wyndham's an Minetta Lane Theatre, New York - Drama Desk Award), 'Dancing at Lughnasa' ( Garrick Theatre and Plymouth Theatre, Broadway - Tony Award): 'Medea' with Diana Rigg (Wyndham's and the Longacre Theatre, New York - Tony Award), 'Funny Money', 'My Night With Reg', 'Jane Eyre' and 'Up 'n' Under' (Playhouse). Directed by Peter Hall: 'Mind Millie for Me' (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), 'The Master Builder' (Theatre Royal, Haymarket and Toronto), 'Hamlet' (Gielgud), 'An Absolute Turkey' (Globe), 'The Gift of the Gorgon' (Wyndham's), 'Lysistrata' (Old Vic/Athens/Wyndham's) 'Separate Tables (Albery) and 'She Stoops to Conquer' (Playhouse). Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' played to houses at the Belasco Theatre, Broadway in 1997, winning four Tiny Awards. Last year (1999), Theatre de Complicite's production of lonesco's 'The Chairs' completed a critically acclaimed season at the Golden Theatre, Broadway, and was nominated for six Tony Awards.
Willy Russel's 'Blood Brothers' recently celebrated its twelfth year in the West End, where it contines to thrill audiences at thhe Phoenix Theatre. In 1993 the show opened at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway where it ran for over two years, receiving seven Tony nominations.
Bill is Executve Producer of the Theatre Royal, Windsor. As A Director he is responsible for the record-breaking tour of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'. He was nominated by the London Critics as Best Director for his production of West Side Story the Shaftesbury Theatre and for a Tony Award for Best Director for 'Blood Brothers' on Broadway.
He has co-produced two films, 'The Day After the Fair' and 'Stepping Out', which Lewis Gilbert directed starring Liza Minelli and produced the feature film 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', starring Anthony Edwards, Jenny Seagrove and Charles Dance. His lastest film 'Zoe' has just completed shooting in Los Angeles. With Elvis Presley Enterprises, Bill co-produced the phenomenally successfu 'Elvis- The Concert' at Wembley Arena in January last year (1999), which returns as a national tour this year.
He is Deputy Chairman of Everton Football Club (and an even bigger fan!). He has received an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moore's University and is an Honorary Professor of Thames Valley University, London. Billhas recently received a BASCA Gold badge award for his contribution to the British entertainment industry.
