For one week in June, Levi David Addai’s play Oxford Street will be performed in a disused shop in Elephant & Castle shopping centre following the completion of its current, slightly more conventionally staged, run at the Royal Court.
Speaking about the transfer Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director at the Royal Court, commented “The Royal Court exists to experiment, and we should not be limited by its four walls. I am always looking for ways in which we can take our work out of the building and into our local communities, so taking Oxford Street to Elephant & Castle sets an exciting precedent. It’s something I look to continue and build upon in the coming months.”
Oxford Street tells the story of the people behind the glossy façade of high street shops – in particular security guard Kofi and his fellow workmates at Total Sports. As they spend their days joking and talking about the future, it becomes clear they all want more from life, the only difference is how they will go about getting it.
The play will feature the original cast and creative team, including director Dawn Walton and lead actors Ashley Walters, Nathaniel Martello-White and Preeya Kalidas.
Walters is best known for the role of Billy Bond in the BBC series Hustle and for his part in music collective So Solid Crew. His co-star Martello-White appeared in the Laurence Olivier Award-nominated play The Brothers Size at the Young Vic. Kalidas was recently seen as the Narrator in Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi theatre, having previously played Priya in Bombay Dreams at the Victoria Apollo.
Oxford Street concludes its run at the Royal Court on 31 May and will be performed at Elephant & Castle from 11 to 14 June. Tickets will be reduced to £5 for those aged 25 and under.
CM