Chichester Festival Theatre’s 60th anniversary season will feature three musicals:
Susan Stroman makes her Chichester debut directing and choreographing the Gershwins’ musical comedy Crazy For You, Charlie Stemp returns to Chichester to lead the cast.
Local Hero, book by David Greig and music and lyrics by Mark Knopfler, based on the Bill Forsyth film, directed by Daniel Evans.
The Famous Five: A New Musical, music and lyrics by Theo Jamieson, book by Elinor Cook, based on books by Enid Blyton, directed by Tamara Harvey in a co-production with Theatr Clwyd.
Crazy For You has music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, a book by Ken Ludwig from a co-conception by Ludwig and Mike Ockrent, inspired by material by Guy Bolton and John McGowan.
Director/choreographer Susan Stroman’s production, celebrating the show’s 30th anniversary, will run at the Festival Theatre from 11 July to 4 September (press night is 19 July). True Broadway royalty, Stroman is the winner of five Tony and two Olivier Awards for productions including The Producers, Contact and The Scottsboro Boys.
Charlie Stemp (Hello, Dolly! on Broadway; Dick Whittington, Snow White and Pantoland at the London Palladium) plays Bobby. Stemp returns to Chichester where he played Arthur Kipps in Half a Sixpence in 2016, for which he won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Musical and received Olivier and UK Theatre Award nominations. The production transferred to the West End. He is currently playing Bert in Mary Poppins in the West End.
Tom Edden makes his Chichester debut as Bela Zangler; he received a Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nomination for One Man, Two Guvnors at the National Theatre, West End and on Broadway, and his extensive work also includes Cyrano de Bergerac, Matilda, The Pinter Season and Les Misérables in the West End, Amadeus at the NT and Oliver! at Sheffield Crucible.
Also in the creative team are set designer is Beowulf Boritt, costume designer William Ivey Long, lighting designer Ken Billington and musical director Alan Williams. New orchestrations are by Doug Besterman and Mark Cumberland, original orchestrations by William David Brohn, sound design by Kai Harada, new arrangements by David Krane, original arrangements by Peter Howard and casting by Jill Green CDG. There will be a dementia friendly performance on 1 September at 2.30pm.
The musical is packed with Gershwin melodies including ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’, ‘Embraceable You’, ‘I Got Rhythm’ and ‘They Can’t Take That Away from Me’.
Local Hero has a book by David Greig (artistic director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre) and music and lyrics by Mark Knopfler (formerly of Dire Straits). The musical plays at the Minerva Theatre from 8 October to 19 November 2022 (press night is 17 October).
This new musical version of Bill Forsyth’s film is directed by Daniel Evans, whose previous Chichester productions include South Pacific, Quiz, Fiddler On the Roof and this season’s Our Generation, a new play by Alecky Blythe.
Local Hero will be designed by Frankie Bradshaw, the musical director will be Richard John and the music producer, Guy Fletcher; with orchestrations and arrangements by Dave Milligan, lighting design by Paule Constable with Ryan Day, sound design by Paul Arditti and casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG.
Directed by Tamara Harvey in a co-production with Theatr Clwyd, The Famous Five: A New Musical has music and lyrics by Theo Jamieson and a book by Elinor Cook, based on books by Enid Blyton. The production will run in the Festival Theatre from 21 October to 12 November (press night is 25 October) and at Theatr Clwyd from 23 September to 15 October (press night is 29 September).
Artistic director of Theatr Clwyd, Harvey’s work includes the Olivier Award-winning Home, I’m Darling, Peter Gill’s adaptation of Uncle Vanya and productions for Shakespeare’s Globe, Bush Theatre, Hampstead Theatre and in the West End.
George isn’t happy at the idea of being lumbered with three unknown cousins for the summer, and her devoted dog Timmy agrees. Her cousins aren’t keen on the prospect either. Julian’s struggling to live up to the responsibility of being the eldest; Anne is working out how to make her voice heard; while Dick would like everyone to stop fussing and focus on more important things. Like sandwiches.
But out in the bay lies Kirrin Island, with a ruined castle rumoured to harbour secrets. And it quickly becomes clear that five heads are better than one when it comes to solving mysteries… Soon the Famous Five are on a daring mission with the future of the planet at stake!
Based on Enid Blyton’s multi-million-selling novels, the show is billed as “an exciting and heart-warming family treat celebrating adventure, bravery and friendship for everyone aged seven-plus”.
The Famous Five is designed by Lucy Osborne, with choreography by Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster, musical supervision by David White, musical direction by Katherine Rockhill, orchestrations by Theo Jamieson, lighting by Johanna Town, sound design by Dan Samson, video design by Ash Woodward and casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG.
There will be a Polish-interpreted performance of The Famous Five on 26 October at 7pm, and a relaxed performance on 28 October at 2pm.
Chichester Festival Youth Theatre will present The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, adapted for the stage by Alan Bennett, with music and additional lyrics by Jeremy Sams. Directed by Dale Rooks, the production will run in the Festival Theatre from 17 to 31 December (press night is 20 December)
Artistic director Daniel Evans and executive director Kathy Bourne said: “2022 marks our diamond anniversary year and our sparkling Festival Season offers no less than six world premiere productions, three musicals and a host of dramas, as well as community and digital events celebrating 60 years of CFT.
“Festival 2022 places compelling stories front and centre: joyful, gripping, uplifting and provocative. They teem with 21st century teenagers and 1930s showgirls; London football fans and Scottish environmentalists; Edwardian feminists fighting for justice and American politicians struggling for dominance. A celebrated sleuth, an Anglican vicar, a troubled housewife and overly-polite middle Englanders all have their battles to fight, while ‘the Famous Five’ and Mole, Ratty and Toad go seeking adventure.”
- Daniel Evans’ 2021 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific begins a UK and Ireland tour this summer, launching at the Manchester Opera House on 16 July 2022 ahead of a London season at Sadler’s Wells from 27 July until 28 August.
Comments are closed.