Preludes by Dave Malloy UK premiere to run at Southwark Playhouse

Dave Malloy's Preludes is to open at Southwark Playhouse, it has been announced.

Malloy's other work includes Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, which is based on the second volume of Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Preludes is subtitled A Musical Fantasia set in the Hypnotised Mind of Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is based on the true story of the pianist's sessions of hypnotherapy and uses live piano and electronics and a hybrid of Malloy's and Rachmaninoff's own compositions to create a dreamlike world. It runs from 6 September to 12 October with an opening night on 11 September.

The musical will be directed by Alex Sutton and produced by Danielle Tarento, with a cast including Rebecca Caine, Norton James, Georgia Louise, Tom Noyes, Keith Ramsay and Tim Walton.

Costume design is by Rebecca Brower, lighting is by Christopher Nairne, sound design is by Andrew Johnson, choreography is by Ste Clough and musical direction is by Jordan Li-Smith.

Malloy said: "I am so so thrilled and tickled to see Preludes be given new life in this London premiere. It's a very personal piece for me, wrestling with all the things it is to be an artist and a human, and the score features my music entwined with Rachmaninoff's work, some of the most romantic and rousing piano music I know. I cannot wait to come to Southwark Playhouse and see this show reimagined by this amazing new team."

The piece originally premiered at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York in 2015, directed by Rachel Chavkin.