The Magician's Elephant (musical)
| The Magician's Elephant | |
|---|---|
 Production poster | |
| Music | Marc Teitler |
| Lyrics |
|
| Book | Nancy Harris |
| Basis | The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo |
| Premiere | 18 October 2021: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
| Productions |
|
The Magician's Elephant is a musical with book and lyrics by Nancy Harris and music and lyrics by Marc Teitler, based on the 2009 children's novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo.
Production history[edit]
Stratford-upon-Avon (2021)[edit]
The musical was announced to make its world premiere as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's winter 2020 season, running in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the production was postponed to run over the 2021 winter season running from 18 October 2021 to 1 January 2022.[1]
The production is directed by Sarah Tipple, designed by Colin Richmond with lighting design by Oliver Fenwick.[2][3]
On 9 July 2021, initial casting was announced and a recording of a song from the show "If This Is True" was released on YouTube, followed by another song "A Lot Like Me" released on 26 July 2021.[4][5]
Cast and characters[edit]
| Character | Stratford-upon-Avon (2021) |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Amy Booth-Steel |
| Peter Duchene | Jack Wolfe |
| Vilna Lutz | Mark Meadows |
| Adele | Miriam Nyarko |
| Leo Matienne | Marc Antolin |
| Gloria Matienne | Melissa James |
| Countess Quintet | Summer Strallen |
| Count Quintet | Sam Harrison |
| Madame LaVaughn | Renu Arora |
| The Magician | Alastair Parker |
| The Elephant | Zoe Halliday |
| Wela Mbusi | |
| Suzanne Nixon | |
| Police Chief | Forbes Masson |
| Milliner / Dance Teacher / Police Officer | Sharif Afifi |
| Baker / Police Officer | Alison Arnopp |
| Young Police Officer / Lamplighter | Chrystine Symone |
| Sister Marie | Mandi Symonds |
| Lisette | Lauren Jones |
| Mrs Griswald | Wendy Somerville |
| Fishmonger | Lucca Chadwick-Patel |
| Doctor | Stephen John Davis |
| Peter's Mum / Swing | Hannah Brown |
| Peter's Dad / Swing | Michael Carolan |
| Swing | Rianna Ash |
| Swing | Matt Bateman |
Reception[edit]
The Stratford-upon-Avon production received positive reviews from the critics and audiences receiving mostly four star reviews.[6][7][8]
References[edit]
- ^ Sutherl, Gill (2 June 2020). "RSC confirms it is closed until at least October". Stratford Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ McPhee, Ryan (4 February 2020). "Royal Shakespeare Company to Present The Magician's Elephant Musical and The Wars of the Roses". Playbill. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ Snow, Georgia (4 February 2020). "Royal Shakespeare Company to stage new family musical and The Wars of the Roses in 2020". The Stage. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "RSC's The Magician's Elephant musical announces initial casting | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ If This Is True | The Magician's Elephant, retrieved 9 July 2021
- ^ Davis, Clive. "The Magician's Elephant review — a family spectacle filled with magic". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ Cavendish, Dominic (29 October 2021). "The Magician's Elephant, review: the RSC's back with a spectacular fantasy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "The Magician's Elephant review – the RSC conjures up a musical spectacle | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 9 November 2021.