World premiere production of NUTCRACKER announced by The McOnie Company
Photo credit: Mark Senior
A new world premiere production of The McOnie Company’s Nutcracker will play at London’s hottest new venue, the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club at the Southbank Centre from 28 October 2023 - 6 January 2024.
Directed and choreographed by Olivier Award winner Drew McOnie, and featuring Tchaikovsky’s world-famous score reimagined for an on stage jazz band by multi-award winning jazz artist Cassie Kinoshi, Nutcracker will be co-composed by Kinoshi and Rio Kai, with venue and set design by Soutra Gilmour, costumes by Ryan Dawson Laight, music supervision by Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, lighting by Joshie Hariette, sound by Simon Baker, and casting by Will Burton CDG.
The cast for Nutcracker includes Amonik Melaco (Heathers the Musical, The Other Palace) as Action Man, Sam Salter (West Side Story, UK tour) as Clive and Patricia Zhou (Dr Semmelweis, West End) as Sugarplum, with Chanelle Anthony, Christie Crosson, Tim Hodges, Lukas Hunt and Rachel Muldoon.
Artistic Director of The McOnie Company, Drew McOnie, said: “Creating a Jazz adaptation of the Nutcracker for my own company is exactly the sort of wild impossible thing I would daydream about constantly as a young boy. I spent hours devising colourful worlds in my head where great theatre dancers and great musicians would tell stories that made me feel like I belonged somewhere. It’s my desire to fill this Nutcracker with heaps of that childlike wonder but with the added free spirited mischief we all crave at Christmas time. To be creating this production with such an exceptional group of artists is truly thrilling and I cannot wait to introduce this Nutcracker to you… an old friend you are about to meet for the first time”.
This wild spirited adventure follows young Clive on his quest for self-acceptance. Packed with hope, heart and humour, this Nutcracker is for anyone who wants to live life in full technicolour. It’s playful, mischievous and a lot of fun.
The Tuff Nutt Jazz Club is a newly transformed music and performance space at the Southbank Centre, putting audiences at the centre of one of the coolest jazz clubs in town. Following performances of Nutcracker on Thursday to Sunday, audiences are invited to continue their evening at the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club which will host live sessions from leading music artists into the night. Further details to be announced.
General booking opens on 6 September.
For more information, please click here.