Mitchell’s Mathilde Attracts All-star Reading???

Following acclaim at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe (See The Goss, 31 Jul 2008), Conor Mitchell’s musical Mathilde is receiving another all-star outing this week in London. The workshop reading – performed by a company including Samuel Barnett, Daniel Evans, Josefina Gabrielle, Simon Green, Ella Smith and Sally Ann Triplett – will be held at 1.00pm tomorrow (14 November 2008) at the West End’s Vaudeville Theatre in front of an invited industry audience, with a view to mounting a full-scale West End production in 2009.

In June, it looked like Mathilde – commissioned two years ago by the London Academy of Music and Drama (LAMDA), where Mitchell is the first composer-in-residence – was destined to remain an eternally hidden gem. But Mitchell’s industry fans stepped in with a showcase slot at the new Musical Theatre @ George Square, producing and PR services all offered for free. Then Simon Callow stepped in to direct and assembled a stellar cast, then including Triplett, Sarah Lark and Frances Ruffelle.

Based on Guy de Maupassant’s La Parure (The Necklace) with its surprise twist ending, Mathilde tells the story of a 19th-century Parisienne who, believing she has been born into the wrong social class, borrows a diamond necklace from her rich friend to attend a grand ball with her
loveless husband.

Admittance to tomorrow’s reading is by invitation only. Industry professionals who wish to attend are asked to e-mail mathilde@surefiretheatrical.com stating their interest in the production and the professional capacity in which they are applying for tickets. For further information on the reading, the musical and composer Conor Mitchell, visit www.mathildethemusical.com.