New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck will make her West End debut in “Little Dancer,” the Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty musical about the girl who posed for Edgar Degas’ famous sculpture.
It opens at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket on Feb. 15, 2027. Susan Stroman directs and choreographs the limited run, which will close on March 27.
The musical follows Marie van Goethem, a poor 14-year-old who wanted to become a great dancer and ended up as the model for Degas’ iconic sculpture. It’s set in Belle Époque Paris. The show previously sold out runs in Washington, D.C., and Seattle, as well as a 2025 concert performance at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Julian Ovenden (“High Society,” “Downton Abbey”) will play Degas. Laura Pitt-Pulford (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”) plays the adult Marie, and Josefina Gabrielle (“Chicago,” “Les Misérables”) plays Martine. All three have been Olivier nominees.
“Many people know of the ‘Little Dancer’ sculpture, but few know much about the girl, the muse, who inspired it,” Peck said. “This show is about two determined artists willing to do anything for their craft, and it reveals a whole new side to Degas’ masterpiece.”
Stroman has won five Tony Awards and two Oliviers, and her credits include “The Producers,” “Crazy for You,” “Contact” and “Oklahoma!” Ahrens, who writes the book and lyrics, and composer Flaherty are also Tony and Olivier winners. Their credits include “Ragtime,” “Anastasia” and “Once on This Island.”
“Just as Degas was inspired by Marie, Marie inspired me,” Stroman said. “She wanted to be a great dancer, and inadvertently, through art, became the most famous dancer in the world.”
Ovenden is going back to the Haymarket for the production. He said Ahrens and Flaherty had written “a deeply moving show about art, ambition and the lives of artists.” He added: “I also feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such extraordinary women at the very top of their game – Susan Stroman, Tiler Peck, Laura Pitt-Pulford and Josefina Gabrielle.”
Peck was recently named NYCB’s first Choreographic Associate, the first woman to hold a choreographic title in the company’s history. She won an Emmy for the PBS “Great Performances” documentary “Tiler Peck: Suspending Time.” She also received an Olivier nomination for “Turn It Out With Tiler Peck and Friends.” On screen, she choreographed for “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” and appeared in Netflix’s “Tiny Pretty Things” and Prime Video’s “Étoile.” She is currently scheduled to dance every performance through March 20.
The design team includes Tony winners Beowulf Boritt (sets), Ken Billington (lighting), William Ivey Long (costumes) and Kai Harada (sound). Orchestrations are by Doug Besterman and Larry Hochman. Sam Davis handles music supervision and dance arrangements, and Jill Green Casting handles casting.
Anita Waxman is lead producer, with Jana Shea, Patricia R. Klausner/Sharon A. Carr, Emily Blavatnik and Danny Cohen. Iwan Lewis is U.K. executive producer, and Short Street Productions is general manager.
“We’ve always had big ambitions for this beautiful show, and London is just the beginning,” Waxman said. “We can’t wait to take ‘Little Dancer’ to the world.”
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