Let the good times roll! Nearly 30 years on, Clarke Peters is bringing his Olivier Award-winning FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE back to London and it'll run in its own 1940s New Orleans jazz bar, created inside the brand-new Marble Arch Theatre, a pop-up Speigeltent venue...
Underbelly Productions have today announced that a brand new production of Clarke Peters’ Olivier Award-winning and Tony-Award nominated musical, FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE, will open this autumn in a brand new pop-up theatre for London in Marble Arch.
The production, which is to be directed by Peters himself and features the hits of jazz legend Louis Jordan, will have an initial booking period from 28 August to 25 November 2017, with an Opening Night on 14 September.
First seen at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1990, it transferred to the West End and played for four years, subsequently playing on Broadway from 1992. Clarke Peters’ (The Wire, Treme, Person of Interest, Porgy and Bess, The Ice Man Cometh) career-defining musical features the irresistible hits of trailblazing ‘King of the Jukebox’ Louis Jordan, including Early In The Morning, Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby, Choo Choo Ch’Boogie and Saturday Night Fish Fry. The soundtrack of soul, blues, gospel and early r ‘n’ b is performed on stage by a live band.
The Marble Arch Theatre is being designed specifically for the production and will transport the audience back to the engrossing jazz bars of 1940s New Orleans. A unique, circular auditorium will ensure that the action take place all around the theatre and pre and post-performance drinks never felt so good in the theatre’s authentic 1940s foyer cocktail bar. The band is playing, the bourbon is flowing… come and join the party!
FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE will be directed by Clarke Peters with musical staging and choreography by (Mates blogger) Andrew Wright (Half a Sixpence, Singin’ in the Rain, Guys and Dolls), inspired by Charles Augins’ original choreography, set and costume design by takis (Side Show, In The Heights, Hairspray, The Good Person of Sichuan), lighting design by Philip Gladwell (The James Plays, Cymbeline, Trainspotting, After Miss Julie, Hairspray) and sound design by Ben Harrison (Cabaret, Dreamboats and Petticoats, Dancing in the Streets, The King & I, Starlight Express, Blood Brothers, Soul Sister).
Cameron Mackintosh said: “I am really thrilled that Underbelly are producing a brand new production of FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE in London later this year. It’s a show that brought fun and joy to audiences in the West End for many years so it’s great to see its return for its 25th Anniversary. I am particularly excited that this new production is being staged in a Spiegeltent theatre specifically tailored for Five Guys so that Underbelly’s unique style will give audiences and the show a special intimate experience which will definitely make it the best party in town – a party which I’m delighted to support Underbelly in throwing.”
Clarke Peters said:
“It’s a rare and wonderful thing to have the chance to direct a show that not only you have created but also performed in. It’s a show that is very close to my heart and soul and is so much of who I am. It’s an honour to return to it on its 25th anniversary and reimagine the show in this new theatre space; one which is perfect for creating a closeness and dynamic energy between the story and the audience. Further to this, it’s a treat to be working with a fantastic creative team and I can’t wait to transport audiences into the magical world of rhythm and blues. This rhythm will lift one and all from their blues!”
Clarke Peters has a long-established and wide-ranging career in theatre, television, radio and film. His many stage credits include: King Lear (Shakespeare in the Park), Race, Chicago, The Iceman Cometh (New York), Guys and Dolls, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Mourning Becomes Electra (National Theatre), Porgy in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Savoy Theatre), Driving Miss Daisy, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Little Shop of Horrors, Blues in the Night and Five Guys Named Moe also written by Clarke. Films include: Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer, Notting Hill, Mona Lisa, Bad Education, Marley and Me, Freedomland, The Benefactor, Endgame, Mandela: The Prison Years and Nativity! Peters is also known for his varied television career including regular appearances in The Wire, Tremé, Jericho, The Divide, Chance and The Corner.
Artist's impression of Marble Arch Theatre
