The Boy in the Dress | |
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Music | |
Lyrics |
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Book | Mark Ravenhill |
Basis | The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams |
Premiere | 8 November 2019 : Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
Productions |
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The Boy in the Dress is a musical with music and lyrics by Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers and Chris Heath and a book by Mark Ravenhill. The musical is based on the 2008 novel of the same name, written by David Walliams. The story is about a twelve-year-old boy, Dennis, who enjoys wearing a dress and the reactions of his family and friends. [1] [2]
The musical is based on the 2008 novel The Boy in the Dress , which was written by David Walliams, with illustration by Quentin Blake. [3] The novel was previously adapted into a BBC television short film in 2014. [4]
In February 2018, Gregory Doran, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, confirmed that the RSC was working with David Walliams on an undisclosed project. [5] In May 2018, the show was officially confirmed and received its world premiere in 2019 in Stratford-upon-Avon for the festive period. [6] The show has a book by playwright Mark Ravenhill and is directed by Gregory Doran. [6] The musical features an original score by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. [6]
The world premiere of the musical, presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company, began previews on 8 November 2019, with press night on 27 November 2019, and ran until 8 March 2020 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. [7] The production was directed by Gregory Doran, designed by Robert Jones, choreographed by Aletta Collins and lighting designed by Mark Henderson.
On 22 August 2019 the initial adult casting was announced including Rufus Hound as Dad, Natasha Lewis as Darvesh's Mum, Forbes Masson as Mr Hawtrey and Irvine Iqbal as Raj. [8] The complete casting was announced on 9 September 2019. [9]
In an interview with WhatsOnStage.com, Doran revealed that the production was due to transfer to the Savoy Theatre in London's West End opening in autumn 2020, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans were postponed. [10]
Character | Stratford-upon-Avon |
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2019 | |
Dennis | Oliver Crouch Jack Hobson Jackson Laing Tom Lomas Toby Mocrei |
Lisa James | Asha Banks Tabitha Knowles Miriam Nyarko |
Dad | Rufus Hound |
Mr Hawtrey | Forbes Masson |
Raj | Irvine Iqbal |
John | Alfie Jukes Zachary Loonie |
Darvesh | Ethan Dattani Shivain Kara-Patel Kassian Shae Ahktar Arjun Singh Khakh |
Darvesh's Mum | Natasha Lewis |
Oddbod | Ben Thompson |
Lorna | Charlotte Jaconelli |
Louise | Grace Wylde |
Mum / Miss Windsor | Charlotte Wakefield |
Miss Bresslaw | Christina Modestou |
Gareth | Alexander Moneypenny |
Big Mac | Max Gill |
Rory | Ryan Heenan |
St Kenneth's Captain | Jamie Tyler |
Maudlin Street Captain | David Birch |
Ensemble | Hannah Fairclough Ahmed Hamad Alim Jayda Clancy Ryan Cilla Silvia |
Swing | Jack Anthony Smart Georgie Westall |
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Keys
A cast recording featuring the original Stratford-upon-Avon cast was released on 4 December 2020 on CD, iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. It features 21 tracks including 2 bonus demo tracks "If I Don't Cry" and "A House Without A Mum" by co-songwriter Robbie Williams.
To launch the album, the RSC live streamed an event called The Boy in the Dress: A Celebration on 5 December 2020 which featured author David Walliams reading from the original novel and co-songwriter Guy Chambers performing songs with Toby Mocrei and Miriam Nyarko (reprising the roles of Dennis and Lisa James respectively). [11]
The musical's premiere in Stratford-upon-Avon received positive reviews from critics and audiences. It received five star reviews from The Independent, Financial Times, WhatsOnStage, Reviewshub and BroadwayWorld and four stars from The Guardian, The Observer, The Sun, Evening Standard and The Sunday Times.
Stratford-upon-Avon, commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, 91 miles (146 km) north-west of London, 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Warwick. The town is the southernmost point of the Arden area on the edge of the Cotswolds. In the 2021 census Stratford had a population of 30,495.
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratford-upon-Avon, and on tour across the UK and internationally.
Sir Antony Sher was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner and a four-time nominee, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and toured in many roles, as well as appearing on film and television. In 2001, he starred in his cousin Ronald Harwood's play Mahler's Conversion, and said that the story of a composer sacrificing his faith for his career echoed his own identity struggles.
Guy Antony Chambers is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams.
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Forbes (Robertson) Masson is a Scottish actor and writer. He is an Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is best known for his roles in classical theatre, musicals, comedies, and appearances in London's West End. He is also known for his comedy partnership with Alan Cumming. Masson and Cumming wrote The High Life, a Scottish situation comedy in which they play the lead characters, Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight. Characters McCracken and Flight were heavily based on Victor and Barry, famous Scottish comedy alter-egos of Masson and Cumming. Masson also stars in the 2021 film The Road Dance, set on the Isle of Lewis as the Reverend MacIver.
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Gregory Doran is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. The Sunday Times called him 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'.
The Boy In The Dress is a comedic children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is the first book by Walliams, a television comedian best known for the cult BBC show Little Britain. It tells the story of a fourteen-year-old boy called John and a twelve-year-old boy called Dennis who is encouraged by a rebellious friend to cross-dress and the reactions of his family, friends and school. It is aimed at readers aged eight to twelve, and has been adapted into a television film and a musical.
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