Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

and hello blood soaked streets....

Sir Elton John's latest musical Lestat, based on the bloodsucking hero of Anne Rice's book Interview with the Vampire, is to open on Broadway next year. The show, co-written by Bernie Taupin, is scheduled to open at New York's Palace Theatre on 13 April, with previews beginning on 11 March. Actor Hugh Panero will play the role made famous by Tom Cruise in the 1994 film version, directed by Neil Jordan. The musical will premiere December 17 at San Francisco's Curran Theater, where it will run through January 29. ..Speaking in 2003, John said he and his songwriting partner had been "huge fans of Anne Rice's books for a long, long time". "When I read Interview with the Vampire for the first time, I wanted to become a vampire," the singer added. - BBC and Reuters