When that moment of exciting theatre casting news gets dashed
13/12/2019
It happened with Jake Gyllenhaal earlier this year and now it's Theo James' turn to get my hopes up and then dash them.
I'm talking about a casting announcement of an actor I really like only to realise it's a musical.
James first appeared on my radar properly in the Divergent film series - I'm a bit of a young adult fiction/film fan.
Then I got to see him tread the boards at the Hampstead Theatre two years ago in Sex With Strangers and he didn't disappoint.
So when I got an email with his name emblazoned in the subject line I got really excited... for a moment.
Musical decision
Like Mr Gyllenhaal, Mr James has decided to do a musical - City of Angels (details at the bottom in case you are interested) so my excitement was short-lived.
I knew he could sing because he was in a band called Shere Khan until they split up in 2012 and, well, the internet.
Which was more than director Josie Rourke: "I knew Theo was a terrific actor, but I had no idea he was also in possession of such an exceptional singing voice."
Last musical I saw
And, coincidentally, City of Angels was the last musical I actually saw (yes my dislike of musicals stems from actual experience).
But like Jake doing Sunday in the Park With George next Summer, I won't be seeing Theo James on stage this time around.
Slightly disappointed.
City of Angels is at the Garrick Theatre from 5 March 2020 and has other starry names attached, details of which you can find on the official ticket website.
You might also like to read:
Reviews of two plays I loved that are on right now: Cyrano de Bergerac, Playhouse Theatre and Teenage Dick, Donmar Warehouse.