Michael Buffong Archives - North West End UK

2Feb

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Play On – Lyric Hammersmith

Play On is a jazz reimagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night set in 1940s Harlem. Vy is a talented songwriter looking to get her start in the music industry but soon finds it is a man’s world and she’s going to have to change to achieve her dream. With a convincing disguise Vy is soon entangled in the lives of major players of the Harlem music scene, the owner of the cotton club, world-famous songwriter The Duke and captivating songbird Lady Liv. Play On is embarking on a UK Tour, finally being brought to the UK in a co-production between Talawa and various theatres and producers, after previous runs on Broadway. This is a jukebox musical that relies on the timeless music of Duke Ellington, with over 20 of his songs featured in this show. The live jazz band is present on stage...

16Oct

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

Play On! – Liverpool Playhouse

This musical show transfers Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to the 1940’s New York jazz scene and is set in the infamous Cotton Club in 1940’s Harlem. Conceived by Sheldon Epps from a book by Cheryl L. West, the production started out on Broadway where it received three Tony nominations; it has been brought to the UK by the Talawa Theatre Company. Talawa is UK’s Black theatre company, promoting Black Joy 2024, a season of theatre and workshops celebrating Black stories and artists. Directed by Talawa’s Artistic Director, Michael Buffong, the show incorporates music by legendary jazz singer, Duke Ellington and showcases classic and contemporary choreography from Kenrick H2O Sandy. It is an all-singing, all-dancing production with a five-piece live band, comprising musicians, Shane Fo...

17Feb

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Running With Lions – Lyric Hammersmith

Running With Lions is a colourful, vibrant and life-affirming celebration of family, which also addresses the dark shadows lurking in the corners, where things have been swept away and repressed. Gloria returns to her parents’ home where her daughter has been staying whilst she has been away at a mental health clinic. She struggles to get through to her parents, who feel too ashamed to acknowledge her condition. Problems ensue as desires clash and as the family grapple with the past and the underlying tensions between them. The play begins with Gloria’s perspective but then widens into others showing the inescapable intermingling of worlds. Carter’s writing is very true to life, reflecting conversations which I feel like I have witnessed or had with my own family. She doesn’t compromise...

Tales from the Front Line From Talawa Theatre Company

4Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Tales from the Front Line From Talawa Theatre Company

Talawa Theatre Company are creating an online experience featuring six brand new short pieces using verbatim interviews from Black key and frontline workers which explore the historic moment of the Covid-19 crisis and its impact on them. The pandemic has had a starkly divergent impact on communities; Black people are four times more likely to die from Covid-19, according to Public Health England’s figures in May for England and Wales. What has been learned, challenged and changed forever? What might life in the UK look like in a year’s time? Tales from the Front Line will document the contribution of Black workers at the front line of the Covid-19 crisis, creating a lasting historical record. It will explore their relationships with British society and how the pandemic has challenged th...