Trafalgar Lines Up Musicals Wolfboy & State Fair
It’ll be a tuneful summer at Trafalgar Studios 2, with transfers of three musical productions – Confessions of a Dancewhore, Wolfboy and State Fair – previously seen on the Fringe and now having limited West End seasons in the 100-seater.
First up is Confessions of a Dancewhore, running from 22 June to 3 July 2010 (previews from 22 June). Written and performed by Michael Twaits, the piece was originally mounted at south London’s Oval House and is now being “remixed and revisited” for Pride 2010. Twait’s “foul-mouthed theatrical cabaret” fuses comedy, burlesque, drag and new media performance to explore the contradictions and clichés of queer life.
It’s followed, from 8 to 31 July 2010 (previews from 6 July), by Wolfboy, which had a run at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe and is the first full-scale musical in Trafalgar 2. Two boys share an intimate adventure in an institution: Bernie’s a Grade ‘A’ golden boy who has attempted suicide, David’s a street hustler who may or may not have the powers of a wolf.
The musical comedy, based on a play by Brad Fraser, has music and lyrics by Leon Parris and is adapted and directed by Russell Labey, who had a hit at Trafalgar 2 last year with New Boy, which starred Nicholas Hoult and was nominated for two 2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards.
The summer winds up, from 5 to 28 August 2010 (previews from 3 August), with State Fair, transferring following a European premier run last August at west London’s Finborough Theatre. Originally a 1945 musical, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Tom Briggs and Louise Mattioli, State Fair was only adapted for the stage in 1995, opening first at the Iowa State Fair before opening on Broadway in 1996.
Set against the colourful backdrop of an American heartland tradition, State Fair travels with the Frake family as they leave behind the routine of the farm for three days of adventure at the 1946 annual Iowa State Fair. The Academy Award-winning score includes such Rodgers and Hammerstein classics as “It Might as Well Be Spring” and “It’s a Grand Night for Singing”. Thom Sutherland directs.
