"Don't tell me to get a life - I have one now, and it's called sci-fi!" If you love Eugenius, we reckon you won't want to miss London's next brand-new sci-fi geek-out musical, FANATICAL. A full cast of #StageFaves, led by sci-fi supremo Suanne Braun and comedy legend Stephen Frost, has been announced for the premiere production, opening at the Playground Theatre in November...
Original British musical FANATICAL, written by Matt Board and Reina Hardy, receives its world premiere at The Playground Theatre, in a strictly limited season running from 8 November to 9 December 2018, with a press night on 14 November and a post-show Q&A chaired by Faves founder Terri Paddock on 20 November.
Suanne Braun (Stargate, Red Dwarf, Mamma Mia!, Cabaret) is joined by comedy star Stephen Frost (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Blackadder, Have I Got News For You, Mr Bean), Sophie Powles (Emmerdale, Britannia High, Holby City, Rehearsal for Murder national tour), Tim Rogers (Hal Prince’s Showboat, The Pirates Of Penzance at the Savoy Theatre, national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar), actress and theatre vlogger Amy Lovatt, Amber Sylvia Edwards (20th Century Boy), Eddy Payne (Two Noble Kinsmen Guildford Shakespeare Company, Baby Come Back Leicester Square Theatre), and the songwriter and actor Theo Crosby.
In a distant Galaxy - the ragtag misfit crew of cargo ship Angel 8 are under the command of fearless pilot Iris Aucht.
Meanwhile…at a conference centre, somewhere in England – a ragtag misfit collection of 1,000 fans gather from all across the UK for Eight Con One, the first ever official convention of the cult TV show Angel 8.
Angel 8 started as a comic created by reclusive British Sci-fi author Scott Furnish. Its first TV outing ended on a shocking cliffhanger. With eager anticipation at the promise of a second series, these enthusiastic devotees have come together to celebrate their beloved series and to meet Scott face-to-face and hear his keynote speech.
FANATICAL tells the suspenseful, comic, and affecting tale about being true to oneself, finding love against the odds, and snatching triumph from the jaws of disaster - proving that no power in the universe can keep a story from its fans. Music and lyrics are by Matt Board and the book is by Reina Hardy.
The premiere production is directed by Grace Taylor, choreographed by Anthony Whiteman and designed by PJ McEvoy, with original dramaturgy by Lotte Wakeham. Jim Henson is musical supervisor and Sam Sommerfeld is musical director. Casting is by Anne Vosser. It's presented by The Stable, a production company established to commission develop and present original musical theatre. Craig Nom Chong and Laura Elmes Productions are associate producers.
FANATICAL is part of The Playground Theatre’s autumn/winter season which also includes a Christmas season of Mary Rodgers’ and Marshall Barer’s musical Once Upon a Mattress, directed by Alex Pearson and Grace Wessels.
You remember Angel 8, right?
Bios
Matt Board is a composer, lyricist and musical book writer. He co-wrote the book, music and lyrics to Austentatious, which has played in London, New York, Philadelphia and Calgary. He was a finalist in the Search For A Twitter Composer competition and Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Award and was commissioned by Comedy Central to write Friends: The Opera for a gala performance in London. Matt’s other work includes Two’s A Crowd, which featured in the Perfect Pitch New Musicals Festival, music and additional lyrics for the short film The Dance To War (Catsnake Films) and music for the New York premiere of Reina Hardy’s play A Map To Somewhere Else.
Reina Hardy is a playwright. Her plays have been seen across America, including The Rorschach Theatre in DC and the Vortex in Austin. She’s a Michener Fellow, winner of the 2014 KCACTF TYA Prize, finalist for the Terrence McNally Prize and the recipient of an Interact 20/20 Commission.
