The online world premiere of new British musical The Sorcerer’s Apprentice will now take place a few weeks later than planned following a delay in filming the production which had been due to play a debut season at the Southwark Playhouse this month.
Originally due to be streamed to home audiences from 26 January-14 February, the filmed version of the show will now arrive on the streaming platform stream.theatre from 26 February-14 March.
As a taster for the show, the producers have released a music video for the song ‘Spellbound’ featuring recent graduate Mary Moore who will be making her professional stage debut in the musical and Yazdan Qafouri (The Band, West End and UK tour, The Wicker Husband, Watermill Theatre).
Announcing the slight delay to show’s debut, producer James Seabright said: “The birth of this magical new musical has been a five-year journey to date, so a small final delay only heightens the air of suspense! Thankfully we are only having to postpone the streaming schedule by a month and to build excitement, we are today releasing a new video and song, ‘Spellbound’, featuring Mary Moore and Yazdan Qafouri.”
Inspired by the 18th century poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the musical which has been created writer Richard Hough and composer Ben Morales Frost (Our Man In Havana, A Christmas Carol) was due to make its debut at the Southwark Playhouse in a production directed by Charlotte Westenra from 9 January until 13 February.
Moore and Qafouri feature in the cast of the gender-swapped twist on the original classic poem alongside Nicola Blackman (Destry Rides Again, Donmar Warehouse); Dawn Hope (Follies, National Theatre); Marc Pickering (Seussical, Southwark Playhouse);); and David Thaxton (Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). The cast is completed by an ensemble made up of Tom Bales, Ryan Pidgen, Vicki Lee Taylor and Kayleigh Thadani.
Composer Frost also serves as orchestrator for the production which features musical direction by Alan Williams and choreography by Steven Harris. The creative team also includes puppetry director Scarlet Wilderink, set and costume designer Anna Kelsey, lighting designer Clancy Flynn, sound designer Ella Wahlstrom, puppetry designer Maia Kirman-Richards, and magic consultant Scott Penrose. The King’s Head Theatre is the associate producer.
The production will now be filmed at the Southwark Playhouse in February with the support of public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Explaining the recent decision to move the world premiere of the production onto streaming platform stream.theatre, Seabright said: “We are sorry not to be able to present this wonderful new show to audiences as planned at Southwark Playhouse, but we are going to film it in the venue next week with broadcast quality cameras and then premiere it online.
“I commissioned it five years ago, and have loved developing it since then through a series of workshops and a West End concert presentation of an earlier version in 2017, which led to the invitation from Southwark Playhouse to premiere the show at their venue this month.
“I decided to press ahead with these plans with rehearsals up to Christmas and fit up and get-in since New Year despite the challenges presented by doing so during the Covid-19 pandemic, as I think this magical story of renewal and the importance of family is especially timely.
“However, the latest national lockdown leaves us with a show ready to perform which we are unable to share with live audiences. I have been inspired by the determination and resolve of our cast, creative team to make this possible whilst maintaining the highest safety standards for everyone on and off stage.”
The two-hour performance (plus interval) will be streamed Monday to Saturday at 7pm with 2.30pm streams on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Angela Thomas
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