Michael C Hall in Lazarus at the King’s Cross Theatre, London. Picture: Johan Persson
Production images have been released of the European premiere of David Bowie and Enda Walsh’s Lazarus, following its first preview performance on Tuesday 25 October. Playing for 13 weeks only until Sunday 22 January 2017 in a brand new 900-seater venue at King’s Cross Theatre built specifically for the production, Lazarus will have its official opening night on Tuesday 8 November 2016.
Reprising their roles from the original New York Theatre Workshop production are Michael C Hall as Newton, Michael Esper as Valentine and Sophia Anne Caruso as Girl. Olivier-nominated British actress Amy Lennox (Kinky Boots, Decade) plays the role of Elly. The full cast includes Jon Boydon, Gabrielle Brooks, Sydnie Christmas, Alexandra Da Silva, Richard Hansell, Trina Hill, Maimuna Memon, Jamie Muscato, Tom Parsons, Hannah Rose Thompson, Paul Westwood and Julie Yammanee.
Lazarus broke box office records when it played a strictly limited, sold out run in New York from 18 November 2015 to 20 January 2016.
Inspired by the book, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Lazarus focuses on Thomas Newton as he remains still on Earth – a ‘man’ unable to die, his head soaked in cheap gin and haunted by a past love. We follow Newton during the course of a few days where the arrival of another lost soul might set him finally free. Michael C Hall stars as Newton, the character famously portrayed by David Bowie in the 1976 screen adaptation directed by Nicolas Roeg.
Directed by Ivo van Hove, Lazarus includes songs from Bowie’s iconic catalogue as well as brand new music written for the stage. The cast album will be released on 21 October and features performances by the original NYTW company as well as three of Bowie’s final studio recordings.
Michael C Hall plays Newton. Prior to appearing in Lazarus at New York Theatre Workshop, Hall portrayed the title character in the Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and starred in Will Eno’s Broadway production of The Realistic Jones. Hall made his Broadway debut in 1999 as the Master of Ceremonies in Sam Mendes’ revival of Cabaret and portrayed Billy Flynn in 2002 in the revival of Chicago.
Michael Esper plays Valentine. Esper’s previous stage work on Broadway includes Sting’s musical The Last Ship, American Idiot, The Lyons and A Man For All Seasons opposite Frank Langella. Winner of the Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Male, Esper has also appeared in The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide To Capitalism And Socialism With A Key To The Scriptures (The Guthrie and Public Theaters), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Druid Theatre Company and Dublin Theatre Festival), Bif Bill (Lincoln Center Theatre) and Tales From Red Vienna (Manhattan Theater Club).
Sophia Anne Caruso plays Girl. Caruso recently made her Broadway debut in Joe Mantello’s Blackbird opposite Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams. Previous stage credits include Runaways (New York City Center), The Nether (MCC Theater, New York) and Little Dancer (Kennedy Center, Washington DC). For her performance in Lazarus at New York Theatre Workshop, Caruso received a 2016 Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical.
Amy Lennox plays Elly. Lennox most recently starred as Lauren in the London production of Kinky Boots (Adelphi Theatre), for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award. Other stage work includes Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre and UK tour), 9 to 5 (UK tour), The Sound of Music (London Palladium), Soho Cinders (Soho Theatre), Decade (Headlong), Tracks (Arcola Theatre), The Secret Garden (Birmingham Rep) The Last Five Years (Lyric Theatre, Belfast) and The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (Royal & Derngate/Assembly Rooms).
Gabrielle Brooks plays Teenage Girl. Brooks’ previous work on stage includes The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales), I Can’t Sing! (London Palladium), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium), Redsnapper (Belgrade Theatre), Hairspray (Cork Opera House and UK tour), Our House 10th Anniversary Concert (Savoy), Whistle Down the Wind (Aldwych) and The Stranger’s Case (Liverpool Everyman).
Sydnie Christmas plays Teenage Girl. Christmas is a recent graduate from D&B Academy of Performing Arts in musical theatre. Her previous credits include the feature film Kick Ass 2 and short film Can You Keep a Secret.
Richard Hansell plays Zach. Hansell recently worked with Ivo van Hove in the Young Vic production of A View From the Bridge, in which he appeared both in the West End and on Broadway. Other stage work includes Jamie Lloyd’s Macbeth opposite James McAvoy (Trafalgar Studios), Tonight At 8.30 (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Madness of King George (Apollo Theatre), Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare’s Globe) and Sam Mendes’ productions of As You Like It and The Tempest for The Bridge Project (Old Vic/BAM).
Maimuna Memon plays Teenage Girl. Memon recently graduated from The Oxford School of Drama. She made her professional debut in Into the Woods at The Manchester Royal Exchange in December 2015 and recently performed in The Buskers Opera at London’s Park Theatre.
Jamie Muscato plays Ben. Muscato most recently played Joe in Bend It Like Beckham (Phoenix Theatre). Other stage credits include The Light Princess (National Theatre), Rock of Ages (Duchess Theatre), Spring Awakening (Lyric Hammersmith and Novello Theatre) and Sweeney Todd (Welsh National Opera).
Tom Parsons plays Michael. Parsons’ recent theatre work includes Guy in Once (Princess Theatre, Melbourne, The Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Charlotte Theatre, Seoul), Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar (arena world tour, including the UK and Australia), Monkee Business at the Manchester Opera House, Avenue Q (Noel Coward, Wyndham’s and Gielgud Theatres) and Mamma Mia! (Prince of Wales Theatre).
Julie Yammanee plays Maemi. Yammanee’s previous theatre credits include Priscilla Queen of the Desert (UK Tour), Here Lies Love (National Theatre), Avenue Q (UK tour), The World Goes Round (Yellow Glass Theatre), Aladdin (The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury) and Peter Pan (Towngate Theatre).
Also in the creative team are Jan Versweyveld (scenic and lighting design), An D’Huys (costume design), Tal Yarden (video design), Brian Ronan (original sound design), Tony Gayle (UK sound design), Henry Hey (music director), Annie-B Parson (choreography), Richard Mawbey (hair and wig design), Bob Knight (music fixer) and Jill Green (casting).
Lazarus is produced by Robert Fox and Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment by arrangement with Tristan Baker and Oliver Royds.
Tickets for Lazarus at the King’s Cross Theatre are available HERE.
Readers may also be interested in:
Lazarus – The New York Theater Workshop, New York – Review
Michael C Hall in Lazarus at the King’s Cross Theatre, London. Picture: Jan Versweyveld
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