Four of the West End’s most popular leading ladies will take to the stage in a series of special shows at the newly refurbished McEwan Hall at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Presented by Underbelly Productions from 4-27 August 2018, Don’t Tell Me Not to Fly will feature Janie Dee (Follies, Hello Dolly!), Danielle Hope (The Wizard of Oz, Grease), Ria Jones (Sunset Boulevard, Cats), and Claire Sweeney (Chicago, Legally Blonde).
Each day will feature a different West End star performing songs from much-loved stage and screen musicals and modern pop classics accompanied by live piano and spectacular projections. The music will be interspersed with personal stories and anecdotes revealing details of the performers’ lives in showbusiness.
Announcing the project, Tara Wilkinson, executive producer for Underbelly Productions, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with such a fantastic female-led creative team and company of phenomenal leading ladies to create this show. It felt very important to us to create a show that not only celebrated women in theatre but could also honoured their individual voices and experiences which feels pertinent now more than ever.”
The show’s director Kate Golledge added: “It’s been inspiring to create this show with a line-up of such wonderful women in Janie, Danielle, Ria and Claire, as well as an all-female creative team. “We set out to make something quite different from the usual one woman show you might find on offer, to put women’s voices front and centre, challenge the performers with some new repertoire and encourage our audience to be part of the conversation. As we delve into our list of questions we have discovered some fundamental shared experiences alongside other defining moments for each performer that have been deeply personal.”
The show schedule will be: Janie Dee (4-6 August), Claire Sweeney (7-13 August), Danielle Hope (14-20 August) and Ria Jones (21-27 August).
Commenting on her involvement in the shows, Dee said: “It’s a joy to be working alongside such talented and supportive women to bring Don’t Tell Me Not to Fly to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I am simply thrilled to be a part of this special and empowering project; to share our stories and experiences on the stage and of course to sing our hearts out!”
Hope said: “I’m so thrilled to be making my debut at this year’s Fringe with Don’t Tell Me Not to Fly – especially with a team of incredible and inspiring women. At a time where it is crucial to stand together and be heard, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the strength and unity of women and people everywhere.”
Jones said: “For many years it’s been a dream of mine to work with an all-female team across the board on a project. Well that dream has come true! I’m so excited to be sharing this wonderful, intimate show with you… And to be making my Edinburgh Fringe debut in the company of some pretty special, unique and talented women!”
Sweeney added: “I feel honoured to be asked to do this show with such amazing leading ladies of the West End. I’ve been a fan of Ria Jones for 20 years when we worked on a cruise ship together, Janie Dee when I first saw her in Mack & Mabel and of course Danielle Hope whose career I’ve watched since Over the Rainbow.”
Angela Thomas
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