New British musical The Sorcerer’s Apprentice will receive its world premiere at the Southwark Playhouse in January 2021.
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) will make its debut in a production directed by Charlotte Westenra.
Running from 9 January until 13 February 2021, the gender-swapped twist on the original classic poem will feature: Nicola Blackman (Destry Rides Again, Donmar Warehouse); Dawn Hope (Follies, National Theatre); Marc Pickering (Seussical, Southwark Playhouse); Yazdan Qafouri (The Band, West End and UK tour); and David Thaxton (Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). The cast will be completed by recent graduate Mary Moore who will make her professional stage debut in the musical and an ensemble made up of Tom Bales, Ryan Pidgen, Vicki Lee Taylor and Kayleigh Thadani.
Announcing the production, producer James Seabright said: “I commissioned this musical 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 in early 2021.
“I have decided to press ahead with these plans 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.
“I have been inspired by the determination and resolve of our cast, creative team and everyone at the venue to make this possible whilst maintaining the highest safety standards for audiences and everyone on and off stage. I am also indebted to Arts Council England for a grant in support of making this possible on a socially distanced capacity of just 110 seats.”
Composer Frost also serves as orchestrator for the production which will feature 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.
Angela Thomas
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