The tale of secretive swashbuckling swordsman Zorro has been transformed into a musical that will tour this spring before a promised West End transfer. Starring Matt Rawle, Adam Cooper and Aimie Atkinson, the new musical featuring a score by the Gipsy Kings will receive its world premiere in Woking on 13 March. The tour also includes dates in Eastbourne, Southampton, Glasgow, Manchester and Milton Keynes.
The legendary antics of masked hero Zorro began in 1919, when he was created by pulp writer Johnston McCulley. Since then the alter ego of wealthy caballero Don Diego de la Vega has been defending the people of Spanish California against injustice in books and comics, on television and on film. In 2005, Zorro The Musical producer and internationally renowned author Isabel Allende published Zorro: A Novel, which blended myths and legends from different Californian cultures to tell the story of how Diego de la Vega found himself a defender of the people.
The creative team behind the production boasts We Will Rock You director Christopher Renshaw, Royal Shakespeare Company Associate Designer Tom Piper, musical arranger John Cameron and author Stephen Clark, who provided the lyrics for the 1997 Laurence Olivier Award-winning musical Martin Guerre.
Matt Rawle, who plays the sword-wielding hero, was most recently in the West End playing Che in Evita. Adam Cooper, who plays Ramon, is a former Royal Ballet principal dancer who has moved on to musical theatre, starring in On Your Toes, Singin’ In The Rain and Guys And Dolls. The part of Luisa is played by the winner of the BBC Voice Of Musical Theatre 2006, Aimie Atkinson, in her first major musical role.
In addition to the music of the Gipsy Kings, who have sold over 18 million albums worldwide, the flamenco feel of the piece is enriched with choreography by Rafael Amargo, one of the most famous exponents of flamenco the world over.
MA