Elena Skye to play Twiggy in world premiere of Ben Elton’s CLOSE UP – THE TWIGGY MUSICAL
Photo credit: Brian Aris
The Menier Chocolate Factory has announced that Elena Skye (Kinky Boots; Les Miserables, West End) will play Twiggy in the world première of Close Up – The Twiggy Musical from 18 September-18 November.
The story of a skinny kid from Neasden who became the most famous teenager on the planet and the ‘face of the 1960s’ may seem like the stuff of fairy tales, but there is tragedy as well as triumph in this intimate portrayal of a true 20th century icon. It’s the story of a young working class woman who faced snobbery and sexism in a pre-Me Too world and yet achieved her dreams without ever compromising who she was.
Author and director Ben Elton charts Twiggy’s journey through laughter and tears from the suburbs of London to the world’s fashion capitals to Hollywood and Broadway and ultimately to becoming a national treasure and Dame of the Realm. All accompanied by a fabulous score featuring the hits that have been the soundtrack to Twiggy’s life. Grab your miniskirt and re-live the swinging ‘60s and soulful ‘70s in this joyful, uplifting and empowering world première musical!
Twiggy said: “It’s very unexpected, but truly an honour, to see my own life translated onto stage – and I can’t imagine a better, more generous, collaborator than Ben. I’ve been approached before about sharing my story, but never has the alchemy felt so right.”
Ben Elton added: “I’m thrilled to be bringing Twiggy’s incredible story to the stage, with an amazing creative team at the Menier – the perfect home to begin our journey. Very London, very authentic, and such wonderful intimacy in which to stage this musical. In Elena, we’ve found a glorious talent – not just a unique voice, but someone who’s funny, honest and utterly authentic, very much like Twiggy herself.”
The production features choreography by Jacob Fearey, set and video design by Tim Bird, costumes by Jonathan Lipman, sound by Gregory Clarke, and musical supervision, direction and orchestrations by Stuart Morley.
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