(AGENPARL) – mer 19 giugno 2024 Wednesday 19 June 2024
FINAL WEEKS TO SEE THE MULTI-AWARD-WINNING
NEW BRITISH MUSICAL
STANDING AT THE SKY’S EDGE
PLAYING AT THE GILLIAN LYNNE THEATRE
UNTIL 3 AUGUST 2024
The National Theatre and Various Productions’ West End premiere of Sheffield Theatres’ smash-hit production, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, is in its final
weeks at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. ‘The greatest new British musical. It breaks my heart and fills my soul’ (Daily Express) will complete its acclaimed run on the
3 August 2024.
Written as a love letter to Sheffield and the city’s iconic Park Hill Estate, this 2023 Olivier Award-winning ‘Best New Musical’ is directed by Sheffield Theatres’
Artistic Director, Robert Hastie and features songs by the legendary Sheffield singer-songwriter, Richard Hawley. ‘Spine-tingling. Glorious’ (The Guardian),
with a hilarious and gut-wrenching book by Chris Bush, Standing at the Sky’s Edge charts the hopes and dreams of three generations over the course of six
tumultuous decades, navigating universal themes of love, loss and survival. Revealing the history of modern Britain through the stories of this iconic housing
estate, Standing at the Sky’s Edge is a heartfelt exploration of the power of community and what it is we all call home.
‘Magnificent. Moving and resonant’ (The Times), Standing at the Sky’s Edge is a multi-award-winning production, winning ‘Best New Musical’ at the 2023
Olivier Awards with Sheffield singer-songwriter, Richard Hawley and Tom Deering also winning ‘Best Original Score and New Orchestrations’. It was also
awarded the internationally recognised ‘Made in Sheffield’® accolade in 2023, the first time a theatre production has received this unique trademark.
Previously it has won the 2020 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Theatre and ‘Best Musical Production’ at the UK Theatre Awards in 2019.
First commissioned by Sheffield Theatres and Various Productions, Standing at the Sky’s Edge had its world premiere at the Crucible Theatre in 2019.
Following a hugely successful, sold-out run, it returned to the Crucible Theatre in December 2022, selling out again, before making its London premiere in the
National Theatre’s Olivier theatre in early 2023 where it continued to sell out and receive standing ovations.
The cast of Standing at the Sky’s Edge includes, Jonathan Andre (Macbeth, Shakespeare’s Globe; The Lion King, Disney) playing the role of Max, Elizabeth
Ayodele (Small Island, National Theatre; Steel Magnolias, Trafalgar Theatre Productions) playing the role of Joy, Jonathon Bentley (From Here to Eternity,
Aria Entertainment; MAMMA MIA!, Littlestar) playing the role of Gary, Mya Fox-Scott is making her professional debut, playing the role of Jenny, Joel HarperJackson (Cock, Elliot & Harper Productions; Kinky Boots, Adam Blanshay Productions) playing the role of Harry, Sharlene Hector (A Strange Loop, Trafalgar
Theatre Productions/National Theatre; Hairspray, Adam Spiegal Productions/Fiery Angel) playing the role of Grace, Samuel Jordan (Masters of the Air,
Apple TV; Sex Education, Netflix) is reprising the role of Jimmy, Rachael Louise Miller (Les Misérables, Cameron Mackintosh; Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolour Dreamcoat, Bill Kenwright Productions) is reprising the role of Cathy, Mel Lowe (Orlando, The Michael Grandage Company; A Billion Times I
Love You, Homotopia/Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse) playing the role of Connie, David McKechnie (Flowers for Mrs Harris, Riverside Studios; Stepping
Out, Stephen Joseph Theatre) reprising the role of Joe/Workman, Baker Mukasa (The Comedy of Errors, Royal Shakespeare Company; Tina: The Tina Turner
Musical, Stage Entertainment) reprising the role of George, Alastair Natkiel (Line of Duty, BBC; Strangers on a Train, Barbara Broccoli) reprising the role of
Marcus, Laura Pitt-Pulford (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Emmerdale, ITV) playing the role of Poppy, Adam Price
(Privates on Parade, Michael Grandage Company; Hairspray, Stage Entertainment) reprising the role of Charles, Lauryn Redding (Bloody Elle, Rebel
Productions/Royal Exchange) playing the role of Nikki, Nicola Sloane (Backstairs Billy, Michael Grandage Company; London Road, National Theatre) reprising
the role of Vivienne, Lillie-Pearl Wildman (Sunset Boulevard, Jamie Lloyd Theatre Company; Cabaret; ATG/Underbelly) playing the role of Justine, and
Rachael Wooding (Pretty Woman: The Musical, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions; We Will Rock You, Queen Theatrical Productions/Phil
McIntyre/Tribeca Theatrical Productions) reprising the role of Rose. They are joined by Monique Ashe-Palmer, Adam Colbeck-Dunn, Viquichele Cross,
Jamie Doncaster, Caroline Fitzgerald, Jerome Lincoln, Sean McLevy and Karen Wilkinson.
The young company completing the cast are, Alayna Anderson, Luca Foster-Lejeune, Renée Hart, Eric Madgwick, Chioma Nduka, and Sam Stocks.
Robert Hastie is joined by set and costume designer, Ben Stones; choreographer, Lynne Page; orchestrator and arranger, originating music supervisor, Tom
Deering; lighting designer, Mark Henderson; sound designer, Bobby Aitken; wigs, hair and make-up designer, Cynthia De La Rosa, casting director, Stuart
Burt CDG, children’s casting director, Chloe Blake, dialect coaches Michaela Kennen and Shereen Ibrahim. Associate director is Elin Schofield, associate
choreographer is Thomas Herron, musical director and associate music supervisor is Alex Beetschen, associate sound designer is Jonas Roebuck and
associate costume designer is Sally Wilson.
Richard Hawley recently released the highly acclaimed brand-new album In This City They Call You Love featuring 12 outstanding songs, many of which can
be described as ‘vintage Hawley’ and are amongst some of the finest ballads he’s ever written and recorded. The album went to number 5 in the UK charts.
Gorgeous melodies and arrangements are accompanied by Hawley’s emotive and sonorous voice, which sounds better than ever, on an album that further
confirms his place as one of the finest songwriters of his generation, in a hugely successful recording career approaching 25 years. Prior to his new album,
Now Then: The Very Best of Richard Hawley, was released in autumn 2023, his first ever best of collection. This 36-track deep dive into his hugely successful
career to date includes his original versions of songs from the musical including Open Up Your Door, Tonight the Streets Are Ours, Coles Corner and the
production’s title track, Standing at the Sky’s Edge. Richard is currently touring the UK and Ireland.
Standing at the Sky’s Edge, the original live cast recording is available to stream via Spotify and purchase online from major music retailers.
Tickets for the musical are available at SkysEdgeMusical.com.
Further Press Materials
Production images are available here
Standing at the Sky’s Edge, the original live cast recording is available via Spotify
Artwork is available here
Cast headshots are available here and biogs are available here
Creative biogs are available here
Listing Information
Dates:
Until 3 August 2024
Website:
SkysEdgeMusical.com
Address:
Gillian Lynne Theatre
166 Drury Lane
London
WC2B 5PW
Remaining assisted performances:
Captioned Performances
Saturday 13 July 2024, 2:30pm
BSL Performances
Saturday 22 June 2024, 2:30pm
Box Office:
(lines open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5:30pm)
(lines open Monday to Saturday 9:30am – 8pm)
Running Time:
2 hours 50 minutes, including an interval
Follow us on social media:
Instagram: @skysedgemusical
Twitter: @SkysEdgeMusical
Facebook: Standing At The Sky’s Edge – A New Musical
Notes to Editors
About the National Theatre
The National Theatre makes theatre that entertains and inspires using its creativity, expertise and unique reach. The National Theatre shares unforgettable
stories with millions of audience members across the UK and around the world – on its own stages, on tour, in schools, on cinema screens and streaming at
home.
World-leading artists make their best work at the National Theatre with the widest possible audience and impact. The National Theatre invests in talent and
innovation on stage and off, taking seriously its role as the nation’s theatre. Of the new productions developed each year with a wide range of theatre
companies, a third of that research and development resource is dedicated to shows staged at theatres outside London.
Through touring our work to local theatres and schools and nationwide education and community programmes, we are active in 71 of the 109 levelling up
priority areas in the UK. A registered charity with deeply embedded social purpose, the National Theatre works with hundreds of schools and communities
across the UK to fire imagination and inspire creativity, and to develop skills and pathways for careers in theatre.
For more information, please visit nationaltheatre.org.uk
@NationalTheatre
@NT_PressOffice
About Various Productions
Various Productions is an award-winning production company working across theatre, film, TV, led by Rupert Lord.
Working with some of the world’s greatest playwrights and musicians, we commission, develop and present brave, entertaining and compelling new work with
universal appeal.
Having commissioned Standing at the Sky’s Edge with Sheffield Theatres, the show opened at the Sheffield Crucible in 2019 to critical and audience acclaim,
winning awards for Best Musical Production at UK Theatre Awards in 2019 and the 2020 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Theatre.
Standing at the Sky’s Edge is currently being developed for television with Lord co-producing.
Various Productions currently have three new musicals in development, and two plays due to for the West End in 2023 and 2024.
Past projects include Our House, with music and lyrics by Madness and a book by Tim Firth, which Rupert Lord conceived and co-produced. It won the Oliver
Award for Best New Musical in 2003.
http://www.variousproductions.co.uk
About originating co-producer, Sheffield Theatres
Sheffield Theatres is home to three theatres: the Crucible, the Sheffield landmark with a world-famous reputation; the Playhouse, an intimate, versatile space
for getting closer to the action; and the gleaming Lyceum, the beautiful proscenium that hosts the best of the UK’s touring shows.
Having held the title ‘Regional Theatre of the Year’ on four separate occasions, Sheffield Theatres is the ticket to big names and local heroes, timeless
treasures and new voices. Committed to investing in the creative leaders of the future, Sheffield Theatres’ dedicated talent development hub, The Bank,
supports a new cohort of emerging theatre-makers every year.
Sheffield Theatres has a reputation for bold new work. Starting life in the Crucible in 2019, the award winning Life of Pi transferred to the West End in 2021 and
to Broadway in 2023, returning home to Sheffield Theatres to launch its 2023 – 24 UK and Ireland tour. This success follows hit musical Everybody’s Talking
About Jamie which also transferred to the West End, toured the UK and enjoyed a feature film release internationally on Amazon Prime in 2021. Everybody’s
Talking About Jamie returned to Sheffield on tour in 2024. In 2022, ROCK / PAPER / SCISSORS was staged across all three theatres to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the Crucible and Playhouse, winning Best Directors at the UK Theatre Awards 2022. Also during the anniversary year, the acclaimed Accidental
Death of an Anarchist opened the newly named Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse in September 2022. The show transferred to the West End in June 2023,
winning a UK Theatre Award in the same year. Over Christmas 2022, Sheffield Theatres, in co-production with the National Theatre and Various Productions,
revived Standing at the Sky’s Edge, returning the show to the Crucible before transferring to the Olivier Theatre and winning two Olivier awards including Best
New Musical. The show transferred to the West End in February 2024. In 2023, Sheffield Theatres’ productions received five UK Theatre Award nominations,
including two for their reimagined revival of Miss Saigon, staged by special arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh in summer 2023.
Crucible Lyceum Playhouse 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA
sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
About LW Theatres, Gillian Lynne Theatre
LW Theatres owns and operates six of the most prestigious theatres in the world, including the iconic London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Wholly owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, one in three of all visits to a London musical is at an LW Theatres venue.
LW Theatres is the venue of choice for some of the world’s best musicals and plays, as well as a variety of star-studded concerts, spoken word and comedy
events. The portfolio also includes His Majesty’s Theatre, home of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera for 37 years in London, the Cambridge
Theatre, the Gillian Lynne Theatre, and the Adelphi Theatre (co-owned with Nederlander International Limited).
All profits from LW Theatres are proudly reinvested into the theatres for their ongoing conservation and development. More than £100m has been put back
into this business since 2006.