TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL to Premiere at the Artscape Opera House in South Africa Prior to UK Transfer

Fans of musical theatre can anticipate the rare opportunity to attend opening performances of a large-scale new musical in Cape Town. Tiger TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL, a rousing epic set in Cardiff's bustling multi-racial docklands at the turn of the last century, will have a short run at the Artscape Opera House this May before transferring to the United Kingdom in late 2017.

TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL combines local talent with an outstanding international creative team. The production extends the partnership between Cape Town Opera and the Wales Millennium Centre.

Prize-winning local author Michael Williams has written the book and lyrics for TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL. The story is set in motion when Themba, a Zulu man who tragically lost his wife and son during the Boer War, arrives in Tiger Bay. He finds work hauling coal along the railway tracks, and meets Ianto, an orphan who has to live by his wits. The musical is filled with lovable characters waiting to steal audience members' hearts: from the feisty Rowena Pryddy, a suffragette shopgirl who questions sacrificing her freedom for love, to the streetwise Water Boys and the Marquess of Bute, the world's richest man, a tortured soul with a penchant for spiritualism.

TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL explores the universal themes of love and redemption. Some of the issues it examines, such as economic inequality and migrant labour, are especially pertinent in contemporary South Africa. Williams comments:

TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL is about how we can live and work better together by doing the little things right.

The consummate musician, composer and performer, Daf James, has written a magnificent score that will be performed by a 20-piece orchestra. TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL is intensely modern, unique sound is rich in Celtic undertones.

Staging a large-scale musical is a massive undertaking and the task of putting together the world premiere of TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL falls to a highly accomplished creative team led by acclaimed British director Melly Still and co-director Max Barton, a rising star in British contemporary theatre, who say that audiences can "expect a gritty spectacular and a real thriller that draws on the lives and losses of the people from Tiger Bay, with a healthy dose of romance thrown in."

They are joined by celebrated choreographer, Kenneth Tharpe, who will collaborate with associate choreographer, Lungelo Ngamlana, as well as award-winning British designer Anna Fleischle, lighting designer Joshua Carr, sound designer Christopher Shutt and music supervisor David Mahoney.

Leading the cast in the role of John Stuart is Broadway musical star John Owen-Jones. Acclaimed as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Owen-Jones recently appeared as Valjean on the 25th Anniversary Tour of LES MISÉRABLES.

Joining the talented cast is an ensemble of 15 children, selected from diverse communities throughout the Western Cape, who have trained for months to perform as the Water Boys.

TIGER BAY: THE MUSICAL runs from 20-27 May at 19:30 on weeknights, 18:00 on Saturdays and 15:00 on Sundays. Tickets cost R100- R400 and bookings can be made online through Computicket, by telephone on 08619158000 and in person at any Shoprite/Checkers outlet nationwide.

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