In 1948 on the Windrush, sailing from the Caribbean to England, a pact is made by a group of men: there will be no sex, and no involvement with women for three years while they work to better themselves in their new world. But the four men (Ferdy, Bemie, Lennie, Dennis) are sitting on the steps beneath the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus when suddenly Eros springs to life, jumps down from his plinth and starts tap dancing, leading the cast into a rousing ska number. By the end of this dream sequence the four men have been joined by a quartet of extremely spunky women and the battle of the sexes begin. The show roams through a whole series of emotions - starting with the boarding-house signs which say “No blacks, No Irish, No dogs” - as the fun-loving Caribbean migrants strive for a better life in London. During scene changes, a Mrs Aphrodite, a prim Caribbean matron, sits in a box and comments on the action - superficially respectable but hilariously bawdy.
Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Big Life (The)
Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Big Life (The)
Version 1
Bif Life (The) (2004-04-Theatre Royal Stratford East-London)
Type de série: OriginalThéâtre: Theatre Royal Stratford East (Londres - Angleterre) Durée : 1 mois 1 semaine Nombre : Première Preview : 17 April 2004
Première: 17 April 2004
Dernière: 29 May 2004Mise en scène : Clint Dyer • Chorégraphie : Jason Pennycooke • Producteur : Star(s) : Avec: Claudia Cadette, Jason Pennycooke, Chris Tummings, Geoff Aymer, Marcus Powell, Maureen Hibbert, Victor Romero Evans, Lorna Brown, Yaa, Amanda Horlock, Neil Reidman
Version 2
Big Life (The) (2005-02-Theatre Royal Stratford East-London)
Type de série: RevivalThéâtre: Theatre Royal Stratford East (Londres - Angleterre) Durée : 1 mois Nombre : Première Preview : 04 February 2005
Première: 04 February 2005
Dernière: 12 March 2005Mise en scène : Clint Dyer • Chorégraphie : Jason Pennycooke • Producteur : Star(s) : Avec: Tameka Empson (Mrs Aphrodite), Victor Romero Evans (Ferdy), Neil Reidman (Bernie), Chris Tummings (Lennie), Marcus Powell {Dennis),
Jason Pennycooke (Admiral/Eros), Claudia Cadette, Amanda Horlock, Antonia Kemi Coker, YaaCommentaires : Originally staged as a try-out at Stratford East in April 2004, this was Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labours Lost” rewritten as a feel-good ska/reggae musical. A completely re-written version was staged at Stratford East for three weeks in February 2005 and, thanks to impresario Bill Kenwright, it transferred and was acclaimed as the first British black musical.
Version 3
Big Life (The) (2005-05-Apollo Theatre-London)
Type de série: West End TransferThéâtre: Apollo Theatre (Londres - Angleterre) Durée : 4 mois 1 semaine Nombre : Première Preview : 11 May 2005
Première: 23 May 2005
Dernière: 01 October 2005Mise en scène : Clint Dyer • Chorégraphie : Jason Pennycooke • Producteur : Star(s) : Avec: Tameka Empson (Mrs Aphrodite), Victor Romero Evans (Ferdy), Neil Reidman (Bernie), Chris Tummings (Lennie), Marcus Powell {Dennis),
Jason Pennycooke (Admiral/Eros), Claudia Cadette, Amanda Horlock, Antonia Kemi Coker, YaaCommentaires : Originally staged as a try-out at Stratford East in April 2004, this was Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labours Lost” rewritten as a feel-good ska/reggae musical. A completely re-written version was staged at Stratford East for three weeks in February 2005 and, thanks to impresario Bill Kenwright, it transferred and was acclaimed as the first British black musical.Presse : NICK CURTIS for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Cheery, agreeable but undemanding." PAUL TAYLOR for THE INDEPENDENT says, "One of the exhilarating things about The Big Life is that it is joyous while depicting - without either mitigation or rancour - the experience of first-generation Caribbean immigrants."
BRIAN LOGAN for THE GUARDIAN says, "Infectiously energetic and big-hearted."
CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, " A terrific show."
JEREMY KINGSTON says, "Energy and exuberance are what the show displays in abundance."
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