Alan Parker’s world famous musical Bugsy Malone will re-open the Lyric Hammersmith when the venue completes its multi-million pound redevelopment next year.
The revival, which is directed by the Lyric Hammersmith’s Artistic Director Sean Holmes, will play from 11 April and is the first professional production of the musical to be staged in the UK for more than a decade.
Set in Prohibition era New York, the show charts the story of rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan as they wreak havoc with the help of custard pies and destructive splurge guns. After penniless ex-boxer Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown, will he be able to resist seductive songstress Tallulah and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam defend his business?
Based on the acclaimed film of the same name, Bugsy Malone features music and lyrics by Paul Williams, choreography by Drew McOnie and designs by this year’s UK Theatre Award nominee Jon Bausor.
Talking about re-opening the Lyric Hammersmith with the musical, Holmes said: “Bugsy Malone feels like the perfect show with which to open the new Lyric. A work of leftfield genius with young people at its heart, it feels like the quintessential Lyric show: celebratory, inclusive and surprising.”
The newly refurbished venue, which is undergoing its first major face-lift for 35 years, will feature the Reuben Foundation Wing, a two-storey extension that will house a wide range of new facilities including dance, TV and recording studios, a screening cinema and a digital play space.
Jessica Hepburn, Executive Director of the Lyric Hammersmith, said: “I can’t wait for people to come and see what we’ve done to the Lyric. The project has taken years of planning and fundraising, and two years of construction work on site, but next year we’re going to unveil something really special. There isn’t going to be another producing theatre in London quite like it and there will be no better place for young people and emerging artists to develop their creative talent.”