London’s Lyric Hammersmith has announced their 2024 season which includes a new stage adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s film Minority Report and the UK premiere of hit Australian musical FANGIRLS.
Simon Friend, who produced Life of Pi, is co-producing a new stage adaptation of Sci-fi thriller Minority Report. Co-produced by the Birmingham Rep and Notting Playhouse, the adaptation by David Haig is based on Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster movie staring Tom Cruise, which in turn was based on Philip K Dick’s short story The Minority Report.
Instead of the lead character being John Anderton – played by Cruise in the film – she will be Dame Julia Anderton.
Directed by Life of Pi’s Max Webster, who won an Olivier for that show, Minority Report will play the Lyric Hammersmith from 19 April to 18 May 2024.
Sonia Friedman (The Book of Mormon, Stranger Things: The First Shadow) and the Lyric Hammersmith are producing the UK premiere of Australian musical FANGIRLS.
Written by Yve Blake and directed by Paige Rattray, the show is billed as a thrilling and subversive musical comedy about the danger of underestimating teenage girls, and centres on a boyband obsessed teenager called Edna.
FANGIRLS will play the Lyric Hammersmith from 13 July to 24 August 2024, and there’s much backstage chatter about a possible West End transfer.
Also coming to the Lyric Hammersmith is a revival of 60’s American drama Wedding Band by Alice Childress, exploring themes of race and class, and questioning the devastating impact of unjust laws on ordinary human lives.
The play will be directed by Monique Touko following her smash-hit success School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play at the Lyric, and runs from 31 May 2024 until 29 June 2024.
Coming to the Lyric’s studio next year is The Promise, produced by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Deafinitely Theatre and Birmingham Rep. Written by Paula Garfield and Melissa Mostyn, and directed by Paula Garfield, the production is inspired by the extraordinary experiences of deaf people living with dementia.
The Promise is a play performed in spoken English, British Sign Language (BSL) with captions that addresses how dementia affects those in the deaf community and their families.
Paula Garfield, the Artistic Director of Deafinitely Theatre said: “The Promise is a unique opportunity to present an authentic story of the barriers deaf people with dementia face within the healthcare system. Communication breakdowns, and the knock-on effects these have on their own and families’ well-being are huge issues that audiences should be educated on.
There are many deaf people who have been affected by dementia, yet their stories have never been told. Many people are unaware of how to seek support, or information about dementia is mostly in written English, which can be a huge barrier. The play serves as a poignant example of how easily basic human rights can be compromised.”
The Promise is playing from 30 April to 11 May 2024
Currently playing at the Lyric Hammersmith is God of Carnage until 30 September 2023, starring Freema Agyeman. Coming up is the RSC production of The Empress from 4 to 28 October 2023, and then this year’s Lyric panto – Cinderella, from 18 November 2023 to 6 January 2024.
Early next year the Lyric Hammersmith will run Frantic Assembly and Lemn Sissay’s Metamorphosis, from 1 February to 2 March 2024; and a revival of Brian Friel’s play Faith Healer, fro 14 March to 13 April 2024.
This news was first reported in the Guardian, and on the Lyric’s website.
Rachel O’Riordan statement
Artistic Director & CEO of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Rachel O’Riordan said in a statement: “The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is a local theatre with a national impact and we are proud to produce groundbreaking stories for audiences in West London and beyond. We are excited to share our new season with you. Step into our beautiful Frank Matcham auditorium – your portal from where you can explore the past, present and future.
“Alongside Nottingham Playhouse and Birmingham Rep, we are delighted to announce David Haig’s starkly relevant adaptation of Minority Report, based on the short story by Philip K. Dick. Unlike the novella and Hollywood film, this innovative new production re-lenses the central character (most famously played by Tom Cruise) as a leading female neuroscientist, Dame Julia Anderton. Under the direction of Max Webster, whose stage version of Life of Pi has transfixed audiences across the world, this intrepid new version of Minority Report will be an unmissable theatrical experience.
“We are excited to present The Promise, a brand new co-production with Birmingham Rep by award-winning Deafinitely Theatre, playing in our Studio. This extraordinary play written by Paula Garfield and Melissa Mostyn touches on deaf family life and the impact that untreated dementia can have in the deaf community.
“Continuing our season with big and bold stories that celebrate female perspectives, is Alice Childress’ extraordinary play, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White. Set in 1918 —during World War I and the Spanish flu, Childress takes an unflinching look at interracial love, intolerance and alienation. We couldn’t be happier to welcome back Monique Touko after her incredible direction of the smash hit comedy, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.
“Our season of female-led stories concludes with the UK premiere of Yve Blake’s extraordinary musical FANGIRLS, in a brand new production directed by Paige Rattray making her UK debut; this ambitious Australian musical is co-produced with Sonia Friedman Productions. Being a fan, that heady rush of passionate adoration and the feeling of connection to an artist, is something everyone can relate to and we hope to welcome audiences across generations for this exhilarating experience which sees our gorgeous auditorium transform into a joyous pop concert.
“We cannot wait to take our audiences on this thrilling journey of big, bold storytelling at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre; a place to find connection, stretch your imagination and to share truly unforgettable nights at the theatre.”
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