Wilton's Music Hall Announce 2018 Summer Season

Today Wilton's announce their summer 2018 season, a true showcase of its music hall roots with Weimar cabaret performers, sultry chanteuses and time-travelling magicians all treading the historic boards, and true icons like the first Afro-Briton to vote in a UK general election and fame hungry gender-queer music hall stars telling their stories to entertain and inform audiences.

The magnificent Camille O'Sullivan kicks off the new season with The Carny Dream, a mesmerizing evening of song and theatrical experience. Dark, sexy and fierce,'Queen of the Edinburgh Festival' (BBC) Camille transforms each song she performs into an intense, emotional experience, inextricably drawing her audience in to a world of dark, light, circus and dreams. Also bringing provocative and genre-transcending sounds to Wilton's are the Godfathers of alternative cabaret The Tiger Lillies performing songs from their brand-new album, The Devil's Fairground. Immersing the audience in a dark, peculiar world of deep sadness, cruel black humour and immense beauty, their music is a stunning mixture of pre-war Berlin cabaret, anarchic opera and gypsy music, echoing the voices of Bertolt Brecht and Jacques Brel. The ever popular and effervescent duo Morgan & West continue to bring the magic - bursting into the 21st century with a conjuring spectacular packed with mystery, illusion and the downright unexplainable.

Wilton's is very proud to host two special theatre premieres this season, starting with Olivier-award winning theatre maker Christopher Green's Music Hall Monster: The Insatiable Mr Fred Barnes, telling the tale of one music hall star with fabulous wealth and one spectacular fall from grace; recently featured as a Radio 4 drama, Fred Barnes is an extreme and flawed character who people just can't help feeling empathy for. From one remarkable life to another, Paterson Joseph's new play Sancho: An Act of Remembrance receives its London premiere in June, telling the story of Charles 'Sancho' Ignatius. Born on a slave ship and educated in secret, Ignatius became the first British-African to cast a vote in a British General Election in 1780 and was immortalized by the great English painter Thomas Gainsborough. Conceived, written and performed by Paterson Joseph (NT's Emperor Jones, RSC's Julius Caesar, Peep Show and Green Wing) and co-directed by Simon Godwin (Associate Director Royal Court), this one-man show casts new light on the often-misunderstood narratives of the African-British experience.

Other innovative theatre productions include two contemporary retellings of Shakespearian classics; firstly with Flabbergast Theatre, who present a visceral version of Shakespeare's classic Macbeth (18 June and 2 July) fusing physical theatre, puppetry and mask work. Then The Faction unleash the magic, energy, and mayhem of one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream (26-30 June) set against the backdrop of a royal wedding. Then, a new take on a classic from the golden age of sci-fi with H.G. Wells' The Time Machine (29-31 May); it is 1959 and a mysterious man arrives at Radio Woking to present a thrilling musical adaptation of HG Wells' legendary story. Presented by Laurence Owen & Lindsay Sharman in association with Seabright Productions, it is a hilarious and touching piece that 'takes your breath away' (The Scotsman).

Marking the centenary of women's suffrage, Wilton's summer season has strong female stories woven throughout, beginning with Poet in the City (16-23 April) who present Dream of a Common Language: The Women Poets Who Changed 1968, celebrating the extraordinary impacts of Maya Angelou and Adrienne Rich. Polly Wiseman's brand-new offering Femme Fatale (17 July) - a black comedy about fame, failure and firearms, reimagines two female pop culture icons and the joyous Tricity Vogue (18 July) returns with her All Girl Swing Band made up of the finest female jazz musicians in the capital.

In the rest of a jam-packed season, returning Wilton's favourites include Ida Barr (9 July) fanning the revolutionary flames while keeping it real to her Artificial Hip Hop roots; the ever-wonderful Miss Hope Springs (10-11 July) makes a glittering return with new show Vegas to Weimar accompanying herself live on the ivories; OneTrackMinds (1 June) gloriously fuses stories and song with a panel of fascinating guests including writers, musicians and thinkers discussing the music that has changed their lives. They are joined by:

• The dazzling Liza Pulman (2 June) returns for one night only to pay homage to the great Barbra Streisand
• A viewing of Murnau's landmark vampire film Nosferatu (13 July), accompanied with live music by the remarkable Dmytro Morykit
• Rough Fiction and London Arts Orchestra present The Expected (16 July) re-imagining Arnold Schoenberg's string sextet Verklärte Nacht through dance, theatre and music
• The acclaimed Kreutzer Quartet (19 July) returning to their favourite stage with two premieres by two of the great living British composers, alongside The Voice of the Violin 2 (25 July), with Grammy-nominated soloist Peter Sheppard Skaevard
• Martin, Izzy & Friends (20 July) who bring their unique and fun blend of jazz, comedy and showtunes to the Wilton's stage
• Dance duo Thick & Tight (23 July) bringing all the drama, musicality, farce and face you can cram into a show that is cheeky, clever and very, very funny
• Mind-blowing madness from Luke Jermay (24 July )showcasing his remarkable mindreading powers
• A night of hot jive and jitterbug is in order as The Jive Aces and Swing Patrol London team up for Swingin' at Wilton's (26 July)

Opera della Luna present two new versions of classic operas: The Daughter of the Regiment (31 July and 2 August) re-imagined through the eyes of one of California's most notorious biker gangs, and the first professional performance in decades of Edwardian classic The Arcadians (1 August)

Photo Credit: Dee McCourt (Borkowski Arts)

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