Artistic Director Steve Marmion has announced an eclectic spring season for the Soho theatre, which includes a vibrant new musical, the return of the London International Mime Festival and Doctor Brown, and the world premiere of an ambitious new play.
Kicking off the season from 16 January to 26 January is Blind Summit’s The Heads and Invisible Thread’s Les Hommes Vides, playing as part of the London International Mime Festival’s annual showcase.
Brought to the stage by the innovators who created the puppetry for Simon McBurney’s The Master And Margarita and recent table-top drama The Table, The Heads promises a cascade of imagery inspired by Cubism, McCarthyism and Catholicism, while Les Homme Vides is a low-tech, charming, eerie and comic performance of surreal table-top puppetry.
From 30 January to 24 February, new musical LIFT, a vibrant show about people and connections, will play in the main house, reinforcing the theatre’s commitment to bringing new musical theatre into the venue.
Featuring a book by Ian Watson with music and lyrics by the Finborough theatre’s composer in residence Craig Adams, LIFT tells the story of eight people who get in a lift at Covent Garden tube station on an ordinary morning. As they reveal their innermost secrets, we realise that in some way they are all connected and if they reach out to one another they might change their lives forever.
Following sell-out runs in Edinburgh, winner of the Soho theatre’s Young Writers Award Charlotte Josephine brings her new play Bitch Boxer to London for the first time, playing in Soho Upstairs from 19 February to 9 March.
Based around the inclusion of women’s boxing in this year’s Olympics, the drama tells the story of one woman as she trains for the fight of her life and the chance to represent her country in the sport she loves.
Following his performance in the National Theatre’s Island, James Cooney will star in the debut London production of Luke Barnes’ Bottleneck, a vibrant coming of age story about a 14 year old and his journey to adulthood through adventures both big and small. Directed by Steven Atkinson, the production will play in Soho Upstairs from 19 February to 9 March.
The world premiere of Arinze Kene’s tale of a city gripped by spiralling unemployment and inner city riots plays in the main house from 26 February to 2 March. Directed by Michael Buffong, Artistic Director of Talawa Theatre Company, God’s Property is a story about two brothers whose notions of family and belonging are put to the test when a group of hostile neighbours gather outside intent on justice.
From 12 to 30 March, Dirty Great Love Story, a Fringe First Award-winning play about two hapless drunks by playwright and lyricist Richard Marsh and writer and actress Katie Bonna, will play in Soho Upstairs.
Multi award-winning Doctor Brown, the stage persona of US comedian and mime artist Philip Burgers, will return to the main house from 25 March to 20 April, following his hugely popular shows Doctor Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown And His Singing Tiger and Befrdfgth, which are both playing at the Soho theatre this autumn.
The season will also feature comedy and cabaret with highlights including Alexei Sayle’s return to stand-up (21 January to 9 February), 2012 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Best Newcomer Award-winner Daniel Simonsen with his show Champions (29 January to 2 February) and Last Show Ever (1 to 20 April), a brand new show from Pappy’s.
For full details of the Soho theatre’s spring programme, visit www.sohotheatre.com