Press preview: THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon

The RSC is coming back to fully staged productions in full force! Brand new musical The Magician's Elephant (based on the novel of the same name) is soon to be opening at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and we were lucky enough to be invited into rehearsals for a sneak preview of the show.

This will be the first fully staged, fully seated and fully realised production on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage since The Boy in The Dress back in 2020 and Besties, trust us when we say, you are not going to want to miss this one!

The story follows a boy in the town of Baltese, who wishes to a magician for things to get better in this poor, war stricken town. An elephant is conjured out of the sky and everyone's lives are changed forever.

Here are five reasons to book your tickets immediately, if not sooner:

1. This show has been in the works since 2015! Composers Nancy Harris and Marc Teitler read the book it was based on and started working on the musical about 6 years ago, refining through workshops and tryouts. And Besties, you know if it's had this much effort put into it, it's going to be absolutely spectacular. The team have told us that this show is truly epic in scale and have worked so hard in finding a balance to be able to stage it live and stay true to the original story. Now, as the winter season draws closer, we'll soon be able to finally see what they've been working on for so long.

2. The Elephant! We're sworn to secrecy, but what we can tell you is the puppet designers Mervyn Millar and Tracy Waller are the same designers as War Horse, Circus 1903 and many many more shows with the National Theatre and the RSC. Being able to watch an elephant truly come to life after just a few weeks of rehearsals was magical. And we can't wait to see what it becomes in the fully realised production, Besties.

3. The Magic! The town of Baltese is no ordinary town. The RSC are taking us to a brand new world of magic and wonder, especially thanks to Tom Brady and John Bulleid. The production promises to shock and amaze with grand illusion and intimate personal magic all aiding an epic story on an operatic scale.

4. The safety. The RSC recognises that many of our Besties are still concerned about visiting the theatre in large indoor crowds. Because of this, The Magician's Elephant will hold regular socially distanced performances as well as their full audience nights to help those who are potentially more vulnerable, get back to seeing live theatre. Something we're sure you have all missed.

5. Theatre is back! Simply put Besties, over the past few months it's been amazing to see theatres in the West End and across the UK return to what they once were, and now The Royal Shakespeare Theatre gets to return as well. From 14 October 2021-1 January 2022, you can watch The Magician's Elephant, a brand new family musical that everyone can enjoy. And trust us, if the number we were shown in rehearsals is anything to go by, you need to get your tickets NOW!

Stay tuned to our socials for special conversations with the cast members and a preview of the performance in rehearsals too…

For more information and to book tickets for the show, please click here.