Theatre News

New Been So Long Musical Fills Young Vic Summer

| London's West End |

8 January 2009

The Young Vic’s full spring/summer season has been announced, covering the period March to July 2009. Highlights include the premiere of Che Walker‘s musical Been So Long and a new dance collaboration with Sadler’s Wells directed by Daniel Kramer, Pictures from an Exhibition, based on Mussorgsky’s famous piano suite.

As previously announced (See News, 9 Oct 2008), the next few months sees the venue hosting productions including Rupert Goold’s King Lear starring Pete Postlethwaite (4 February to 28 March), Katie Mitchell’s new piece After Dido (15 to 25 April 2009) and the premiere of Colin Teevan’s Kafka’s Monkey (19 March to 9 April). Currently in the main house, its Christmas show Amazonia finishes on 24 January.

Pictures from an Exhibition, which runs in the main house from 8 to 23 May 2009, is a dance theatre piece inspired by Modest Mussorgsky’s famous 1874 piano suite of the same name. It’s directed by Daniel Kramer, whose recent credits include Hair and Woyzeck at the Gate and Punch and Judy, which was also for the Young Vic in collaboration with Sadler’s Wells.

The cast of actors and dancers includes Conor Doyle, Kath Duggan, Edward Hogg, Rob McNeil, Michela Meazza, Inn Pang Ooi, Vinicius Salles and Margarita Zafrilla Olayo. The production is choreographed by Frauke Requardt, with text by James Fenton, design by Richard Hudson, sound by Fergus O’Hare and lighting by
Peter Mumford.

Been So Long follows in the main house from 11 June to 4 July 2009. Billed as a “neon-soaked new musical comedy” with an “exhilarating score of soul, funk, reggae and blues”, it’s written and directed by Che Walker – whose recent projects include The Frontline at the Globe – with music by Arthur Darvill.

Yvonne and Simone are cruising for action. Raymond stole Gil’s girl and now Gil wants to slice him up, while Barney is just after a quiet life. When all five collide in a seedy London bar, their desires ignite in a guttural blast of cusses, laughs and unexpected romance.

Been So Long started life as a straight play, premiering at the Royal Court in 1998 before embarking on an international tour. The new musical version is designed by Dick Bird, with sound by Paul Arditti and light by Neil Austin. Casting is still to be announced.

In the Maria studio, from 23 April to 9 May 2009, Matthew Dunster’s one-man play You Can See the Hills returns after a sell-out premiere run in the smaller Clare studio last year.

The Maria also plays host to Kursk, a new show from Sound&Fury in collaboration with Bryony Lavery looking at the 2000 Russian submarine disaster, from 3 to 27 June. And, from 21 July to 1 August, Christian Beneditti directs BAFTA award-winning actress Anamaria Marinca in a revival of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis.

– by Theo Bosanquet