‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ is a new musical in London’s West End based on Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 cult movie.

The show has been adapted to the stage by Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbek, who also turned films like ‘The Full Monty’ into musicals.

The award-winning Spanish filmmaker was beaming on opening night: “This is completely new – that a Spanish movie becomes a musical in English, this is completely historical. So I feel very proud of this movie,” said Almodóvar.

The story centres on Madrid resident Pepa, whose world falls apart when her married lover leaves her for his second mistress.

Yazbek’s Spanish-flavoured music sets the pace, contributing to the musical’s dizzy sense of life falling apart.

“The key with any kind of musical is that you want to find something that has a reason to sing, a reason where speaking won’t do anymore and you have to start singing. And there’s a passion in Pedro’s work and a craziness in his work and a uniqueness in his wor