Theatre News

Shows announced for Soho Theatre – opera adaptation, Arab Nights, Terror

The Soho Theatre has announced new shows for its autumn season, including a site-specific adaptation of Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, the return of Terror and fringe transfer I <3 Peterborough, a play about growing up gay in the country.

Artistic director Steve Marmion announced the 25 new shows today, which run from late September to mid-December.

Finding Butterfly, billed as a “radical adaptation,” will be directed by Stephen Tiller, opens on 5 October 2012 (previews from 3 October). The show retains Puccini’s music but recasts the story to focus on an American immigrant’s rediscovery of his Japanese heritage. The show features the musical direction of Andrew Charity, who was behind the Soho’s award-winning La Boheme in 2010.

The season also features Metta Theatre’s Arab Nights, which runs from 21 November 2012 to 1 December. Billed as “an Arabian Nights for a modern age,” the collection of short plays uses puppetry and live music to tell the story of the Arab spring.

Eastern Angles’ I Heart Peterborough opens on 11 October (prevews from 9 October) and is billed as “no holds barred depiction of ‘growing up gay’ in a provincial city complete with skinheads, biro tattoos, wedgies in the school bogs and heavy petting at the lido!”

Playwright Joel Horwood won a Cameron Mackintosh Award for his musical Mikey the Pikey and has also collaborated previously with the Soho on several pantomimes.

Terror, a curated season of “horror theatre” to which performers including Adam Meggido, Darren Ormondy, Lisa McGee and Anthony Banks will contribute also returns from 18 October (previews 16, 17 October).

The season also features runs of x y , performances from the Crick Crack Club and one-off performances of Where The Bear Sleeps, Pandvani+, The King of Lies and The Empty Stage.