New Musical by UB40
Birmingham Rep's UB40 musical is coming in March
Here are the details as set out by the Birmingham RepPromises And Lies
By Jess Walters with music by UB40
Directed by Jonathan Church
Monday 20 March to Saturday 15 April 2006 PRESS NIGHT: Tuesday 28 March 7.00pm
A powerful new musical written by Jess Walters with music by UB40 will receive its world premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in March.
Set on the harder side of the city where life is tough. The characters of Promises And Lies live on the fringes of society. There are the manipulators who control, and the ordinary people whose lives are in their hands. These are the people we don't see - or perhaps choose not to see. But desperate people have hope - and they will fight; not everyone chooses to be a statistic...not just a forgotten name on a list.
Promises And Lies is the uplifting story of people battling against the odds to survive on the edge of our deceptively glossy modern cities. Featuring a host of classic and well-loved UB40 tracks including One In Ten, Higher Ground, Can't Help Falling In Love, Promises And Lies and two new songs specially composed for this show. True to their roots, UB40 have chosen a Birmingham stage for its premiere.
Jess Walters has previously written two plays for The REP, 'Low Dat and Terracotta. She has also written episodes of As If and co-wrote the contemporary musical Choice featured in the Channel 4 documentary Rappin' At The Royal.
Clive Rowe will play the part of Randall. Clive has appeared in a number of musicals including Carousel at the National Theatre and Guy And Dolls at the same theatre, for which he won an Olivier Award. Recently Clive has appeared in Simply Heavenly and Chicago in the West End, Donmar Divas at the Donmar and also on screen in the TV series of Tracy Beaker.
David Burt who is currently appearing as Count Fosco in The Women In White in the West End, will play Marcus. David has had an incredible career in West End musicals appearing in The Far Pavilions, Taboo, Chess, Les Miserables, Cats, Evita and many more.
Playing the role of Breda will be Julie-Alanah Brighten whose credits include Belle in premiere of Beauty And The Beast, Me And My Girl opposite Gary Wilmot and the national tour of Rebecca. Tameka Empson will play Fedens. Her TV appearances include the BBC comedy series 3 Non Blondes and the one-off drama Babyfather and her many stage credits include the musicals The Big Life and Our House in the West End.
Young actress Remi Wilson will play the part of Rudie, a recent graduate of Birmingham School of Speech and Drama. The cast is completed by Paul Clarkson as Dave, John Marquez as George, Ryan Gage as Cuddles, Natasha Lewis as Hen and Martin Milnes as Joe.
Promises And Lies is directed by Jonathan Church with design by Simon Higlett, lighting by Chris Ellis and Richard Balcombe will be Musical Director.
Listings Information
Promises And Lies
A powerful new musical with music by UB40, written by Jess Walters.
Monday 20 March to Saturday 15 April 2006 Performance Times: Mon to Sat 7.30pm (apart from Tues 28 March at 7pm).
Matinees at 2.30pm on Thu 30 March, Thu 6 and Thu 13 April.
Matinees at 3.30pm on Sat 25 March, Sat 1, Sat 8 and Sat 15 April No performance on Good Friday 14 April.
Tickets: £12 - £24.50
Box Office: 0121 236 4455 Book online at www.birmingham-rep.co.uk
2006-02-17 10:00:29