As the York New Musical Festival returns, director Jim Welsman guides us through the shows
Jane Austen, the Vestal Virgins, superheroes, and the Kelpies! What do they have in common? They’re all subjects of the musicals in this year’s festival.
All the shows take place in the Studio at the Upstage Centre Youth Theatre on Micklegate, York.
Austen
Austen, explores Jane Austen’s real life, little known love affairs and her struggle to become published in a male dominated industry. This authentic musical has been re-worked by Rob Winlow and multi award winning writer, director and dramaturg Bernie C Bynes. Its London cast is directed by emerging and sought after director Matthew Gould.
Saturday, June 14, 7.30pm
Fall Of Fire
Fall Of Fire from local composers Kristina Craven and Thomas Ryalls, starts in a locked room where the Vestal Virgins are deciding who will be punished for breaking their oath of perfection and purity. Reflecting the end of the Roman Empire, these women must fight to survive in a Rome that both fears them and wants them dead.
Friday, June 13, 7.30pm
Saturday, June 14, 2pm
Kelpie
Kelpie, composed by Hongkong based Neil Harris, explores the Celtic myth of the water horse, a creature that haunts lakesides and rivers. The Kelpie is a shape shifter that can be both man and horse, as a man he is charming as a beast deadly.
Sunday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 10 at 7.30pm
Thursday, June 12, 8pm
A Tale Of Two Cities
Wednesday, June 11, 7.30pm
A Tale Of Two Cities, composed by Alison Morgan, is a musical re-invention of the classical story featuring such well known characters as Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge. The story is brought to a classic end as Carton plans to save Darnay from the guillotine.
This is a work in progress.
Wednesday, June 11, 7.30pm
Total Hero Team
Total Hero Team by Mark Hibbett is a two-man rock opera about super heroes. Starring indie
legend MJ Hibbett and his friend Steve. This is the final performance of the show, which has appeared at the Edinburgh and Camden Fringe Festivals, the Leicester Comedy Festival, many pubs, and the Buxton Fringe.
Thursday, June 12, 6pm
Jane Austen, one of the great authors of all time. Pride and Prejudice is a title everyone knows, and while she’s not quite my kind of literary wench I do feel the attraction of a good romance.
Great stuff 🙂