Talawa to present Play On! musical revival

Leading Black British theatre company Talawa has announced a new production of jazz musical Play On!

Set in the 1940’s jazz scene of New York’s Cotton Club, the musical is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and features the music of Duke Ellington.

The production will be directed by Talawa’s Artistic Director Michael Buffong (A Kind of People, All My Sons) and promises to fuse Duke Ellington’s music with street dance choreography.

The show will tour the UK in 2024 and early 2025, starting at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry from 23 September to 5 October 2024, before travelling to the Liverpool Everyman from 15 to 19 October 2024, the Salisbury Playhouse from 21 October to 2 November 2024, the Birmingham Hippodrome from 6 to 9 November 2024, and the Bristol Old Vic from 16 to 25 January 2025, with further dates to be added.

Play On! was conceived by Sheldon Epps, has a book by Cheryl L.West, and is produced by Talawa Theatre Company and The Belgrade Theatre Coventry, and co-produced with the Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Wiltshire Creative.

Play On! is part of Talawa’s Black Joy season, a partnership between Talawa, Olivier Award-winners J Clare Productions and Chuchu Ngawu Productions, aiming to celebrate Black stories and creatives throughout 2024, and helping to produce new shows and support emerging writers and artists.

Michael Buffong, Artistic Director of Talawa, said in a statement about the Black Joy season: “We are incredibly proud to finally realise our vision of bringing this artistically ambitious body of work to theatres across the length and breadth of the UK. As a Black theatre company, now more than ever, we are determined to spotlight and celebrate great Black British talent, on and off stage, and ensure that Black talent and creativity are at the heart of building cohesion in our country. We hope this season will bring Joy wherever it goes…”

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Main photo: Play On! - Talawa