20th Century Boy: Smash Hit Marc Bolan Musical Tours Prior To West End
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London Theatre Direct
20th Century Boy, a brand new musical, inspired by the life of rock legend Marc Bolan, explodes onto the stage nearly four decades after the iconic star’s tragic death.
Featuring some of the greatest pop songs ever written, 20th Century Boy tells the story of Marc Bolan and his band T.Rex, exposing some of the myths and taking the audience on a journey through Marc’s fascinating life. 20th Century Boy is a celebration of glam rock at its colourful best.
Rocker, poet, electric warrior, king of glam and godfather of punk, Bolan was arguably the biggest rock star the UK had ever seen. Before his tragic death in 1977, just days short of his 30th birthday, Bolan lived life at breakneck speed, creating a series of iconic images, a string of number one hits and an army of obsessive fans.
20th Century Boy is the culmination of five years development and is based on an original idea by Brian Dunham, Colin Giffin and Nicky Graham. The original production had two highly successful and critically acclaimed runs at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich in September 2011 and the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in September 2012. This new production will tour throughout the UK from April 2014 featuring some of Marc Bolan and T.Rex’s most iconic hits including Ride A White Swan, I Love To Boogie and Get It On.
20th Century Boy is directed and choreographed by Gary Lloyd (Thriller Live), written by Peter Rowe in association with Gary Lloyd, with music and lyrics by original glam rocker Marc Bolan. Designs are by Diego Pitarch, lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound by Chris Whybrow, musical supervision and arrangement by John Maher and video design by Will Duke. 20th Century Boy is produced by Bolanic Productions. Full casting will be announced in due course.
Rolan Bolan, Marc Bolan’s son said, “It is amazing that certain music can stand the test of time throughout all of our lives, for particular songs and artists can represent a special time and place that we all hold dear. Musical tastes change throughout a lifetime but there is always a band that stays close to our hearts and the music of T.Rex and my father, Marc Bolan, is still treasured by fans and continues to find many more admirers. Through song, laughter and tears, we come together to remember and keep a little of Marc in our hearts”.
Producer Nicky Graham said: “Every day I used to drive past the tree on Barnes Common where Marc tragically lost his life. The site has become a shrine for Bolan fans from all over the world. We were inspired to hold a sell-out concert at Shepherd’s Bush Empire to celebrate Marc’s life and from there the idea of the musical was born.”
Gary Lloyd’s (Director/Choreographer) credits include 20th Century Boy at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich which was nominated for the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards for Best Regional Production, Thriller Live at the Lyric Theatre, West End, UK and World Tour, which was nominated for the 2012 Olivier Audience Award and the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best New Musical and Best Choreography, Aspects Of Love on UK Tour and The Genius Of Ray Charles at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and UK and US Tours. Gary was also the artistic director for the BAFTA Awards and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Concert at the Palace and stage director and choreographer for the 2005 Royal Variety Performance at the Wales Millennium Centre.
Peter Rowe (Writer) is the artistic director of the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. He co-wrote a musical about Ellie Greenwich, Leader Of The Pack, which has played at the New Wolsey Theatre and on two national tours, together with the book for Songs From A Hotel Bedroom, a setting of Kurt Weill songs. After training at the Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead, Peter became the artistic director for the Southampton-based Solent People’s Theatre and then artistic director for the London Bubble Theatre Company, touring London in a big-top tent.