Theatre News

The Magician's Elephant musical at the RSC complete casting announced

The show opens in October

© Left and centre: RSC, right: Brandon Bishop

Full casting has now been unveiled for the RSC's new musical The Magician's Elephant.

Nancy Harris provides book and lyrics for the piece, which also has music and lyrics by Marc Teitler. It follows the story of an orphan boy, whose whole world is transformed when a magician conjures an elephant from the sky.

The show is set to run from from Thursday 14 October 2021 to Saturday 1 January 2022, and will be directed by Sarah Tipple.

Joining the previously revealed cast will be actor, writer and storyteller Renu Arora as Madame LaVaughn, alongside Amy Booth-Steel in the role of Narrator, Miriam Nyarko as Adele, Lauren Jones as Lisette and Chrystine Symone as the Lamplighter.

Actor, singer, composer, director and writer Arora has penned a variety of work across her career, and will take on the role of LaVaugh, who is paralysed by a magically conjured elephant. The actress acquired a disability in 2017, and has a 12-part arts podcast, The Burgundy Book, discussing the experience.

The Magician's Elephant is designed by Colin Richmond, with lighting by Oliver Fenwick, music supervision and direction by Tom Brady, vocal arrangement by Brady and Teitler, orchestrations by Sarah Travis and Teitler, sound by Paul Groothuis, movement by Francesca Jaynes, dramaturgy by Réjane Collard-Walker, puppetry direction by Mervyn Millar, puppetry design by Millar and Tracy Waller. John Bulleid acts as magic consultant, with video by Douglas O'Connell.

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