Five Reasons To See…Nico Icon Play
Stella Grundy (pictured) is the star and writer of Nico Icon Play which is playing as part of the Studio Season at the Lowry.
The play is an exploration into the life and times of Christa Paffgen; model, actress & singer with the Velvet Underground. Through the use of live music, film & theatre, Ultraviolet Productions present three decades capturing the glamour, hedonism & coldness of the Warhol years through to the drug addiction and squalor of the 1980s. It chronicles her meeting and close friendship with Manchester svengali, Alan Wise and her many ill-feted attempts to re-surge as a credible artist.
Grundy is a former front woman in the band Intastella. She was drawn to the story because in her words: “Nico Paffgen was a woman who occupied a man’s life, accused of theft, violence and racism. She sang like the angel that was banished to hell.”
We caught up with Stella during rehearsals, to find out why we should see Nico Icon Play.
1. After the Sell Out World Premiere of Nico Icon Play at The Kings Arms, Salford, the production went on to open Cornwall Film Festival in Falmouth and the Salford Film Festival at the Islington Mill. Such was the reaction to the show, the Lowry took the unprecedented step of booking the production in for a 10 night run.
2. This multi media event uses live music, interactive film & theatre to present three decades capturing the glamour, hedonism & coldness of the Warhol years through to the drug addiction and squalor of the 1980s. It chronicles her meeting and close friendship with Alan Wise revealing, to a new audience, the dark uncompromising humour and tragedy of a city familiar to those who grew up in ’80s Britain.
3. The Lowry production features a very special live performance from the legendary Arthur Browne, (God of Hell fire) who plays a mythical creature appearing to Nico in her dreams.
4. The show has already received some fantastic reviews and the BBC 1 Inside Out Northwest have produced a documentary about the making of the play.
5. The Studio at The Lowry is a fantastic space to the production. All the cast and crew are working extremely hard to make this event unforgettable. Tickets are reasonable priced £6.50 to £10 depending on what night you go and if you book on line there are 10 tickets a day available for £5. BARGAIN!
Hope to see you there!
-Stella Grundy
Nico Icon Play runs from 12- 22 November. For more details visit the Lowry website.