Bolton’s Octagon will continue its 50th anniversary season with a special site-specific staging of the much-loved 1960s movie musical Summer Holiday later this year.
Featuring the stage adaptation by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan, the ambitious production which will be directed by the Octagon’s artistic director Elizabeth Newman and Ben Occhipinti will begin at the Bolton interchange bus station and end at the town’s Albert Halls.
Based on the 1963 film that took Cliff and The Shadows on a light-hearted tour across Europe aboard a red London double decker bus, the inventive production which will feature a cast of actor-musicians will run from 31 May until 23 June.
Each performance will begin with the audience meeting at the bus station where a short scene will take place before they board one of six double deckers. Each bus will feature cast members who will perform a song along the way to Victoria Square next to Bolton Town Hall.
Audience members will then watch the ‘mini-crash scene’ before entering the Albert Halls to watch the rest of the performance.
Featuring hit songs including ‘In the Country’, ‘Bachelor Boy’, ‘Move It’, ‘Living Doll’, ‘The Young Ones’ and the title song ‘Summer Holiday’, the production will be designed by Amanda Stoodley with musical direction by Richard Reeday.
Announcing the production, the Octagon’s Newman said: “As the Octagon building closes for our important redevelopment, we are heading on our adventures as we produce shows out of the building.
“We wanted to offer our audiences some exciting and fun experiences and since producing Singin’ in the Rain we’ve been keen to create another joyous musical – so Summer Holiday is the perfect show to begin our adventures!
“It will be an ambitious staging of the musical, with talented actor-musicians singing, dancing and playing musical instruments in locations across Bolton. This will be a version of Summer Holiday never seen before and I can’t wait to share it with audiences.”
Angela Thomas
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