| The Magician's Elephant | |
|---|---|
 Production poster | |
| Music | Marc Teitler |
| Lyrics |
|
| Book | Nancy Harris |
| Basis | The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo |
| Premiere | 18 October 2021: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
| Productions |
|
The Magician's Elephant is a musical with book and lyrics by Nancy Harris and music and lyrics by Marc Teitler, based on the 2009 children's novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo.
The musical was announced to make its world premiere as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's winter 2020 season, running in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the production was postponed to run over the 2021 winter season running from 18 October 2021 to 1 January 2022. [1]
The production is directed by Sarah Tipple, designed by Colin Richmond with lighting design by Oliver Fenwick. [2] [3]
On 9 July 2021, initial casting was announced and a recording of a song from the show "If This Is True" was released on YouTube, followed by another song "A Lot Like Me" released on 26 July 2021. [4] [5]
The musical made its United States premiere at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy, Utah during their 2024 season, running from September 16 to October 19 2024. The production was directed by Dave Tinney with scenic design by Jenn Taylor and puppetry design, fabrication and direction by AchesonWalsh Studios, lighting design by Jaron Kent Hermansen. [6]
| Character | Stratford-upon-Avon | Sandy, Utah |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2024 | |
| Narrator | Amy Booth-Steel | Mack Malia Morris |
| Peter Duchene | Jack Wolfe | Hyrum Smith Weston Wright |
| Vilna Lutz | Mark Meadows | Ric Starnes Mark Knowles |
| Adele | Miriam Nyarko | Hailey Burnham Paige Hochalter |
| Leo Matienne | Marc Antolin | Keith Evans |
| Gloria Matienne | Melissa James | Jordyn Aspyn Durfey Becky Jeanne Knowles |
| Countess Quintet | Summer Strallen | Korianne Johnson Michelle Blake |
| Count Quintet | Sam Harrison | Brett Myers Justin Bills |
| Madame LaVaughn | Renu Arora | DeLayne Dayton Sharon Lynn Kenison |
| The Magician | Alastair Parker | Josh Durfey Bryan Dayley |
| The Elephant | Zoe Halliday | Jordan Dahl Sam Cooper |
| Wela Mbusi | Benjamin Tate Julia Wihongi | |
| Suzanne Nixon | Miranda Renee Smith Daniel Miskin | |
| — | Jessica Zöe Bird Sarah Neipp | |
| Police Chief | Forbes Masson | Zac Zumbrunnen Jake Ben Suazo |
| Milliner / Dance Teacher / Police Officer | Sharif Afifi | Aitana Alapa Sara Schmidt |
| Baker / Police Officer | Alison Arnopp | Ren Cottam Ian Webb |
| Young Police Officer / Lamplighter | Chrystine Symone | Riley Groves Maxx Teuscher |
| Sister Marie | Mandi Symonds | Michelle Sundwall Brittany Andam |
| Lisette | Lauren Jones | Fay Pauline Drysdale Elisabeth Wilkins |
| Mrs Griswald | Wendy Somerville | Mak Milord Brooke Holladay |
| Fishmonger | Lucca Chadwick-Patel | Zachary Ballard Ammar Al Saffar |
| Doctor | Stephen John Davis | Jordon LeBaron Andrew Reeser |
| Peter's Mum / Swing | Hannah Brown | Jackie Marshall Brittany James |
| Peter's Dad / Swing | Michael Carolan | Riley Groves Maxx Teuscher |
| Swing | Rianna Ash | — |
| Swing | Matt Bateman | — |
The Stratford-upon-Avon production received positive reviews from the critics and audiences receiving mostly four star reviews. [7] [8] [9]
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