New Adventures, Martin McCallum and Marc Platt are delighted to announce the full cast of Edward Scissorhands – devised, directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne – which comes to Mayflower Theatre from Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 March 2024.
Based on the classic Tim Burton movie and featuring the hauntingly beautiful music of Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, Bourne and his company return to this witty, bittersweet story of an incomplete boy left alone in a strange new world.
In a castle high on a hill lives Edward; a boy created by an eccentric inventor. When his creator dies, he is left alone and unfinished with only scissors for hands until a kindly townswoman invites him to live with her suburban family. Can Edward find his place in the well-meaning community which struggles to see past his curious appearance to the innocence and gentleness within?
Matthew Bourne’s magical dance production of Edward Scissorhands has carved a place in the hearts of audiences world-wide since its premiere in 2005. Following sell out performances in America, Australia, Korea, Japan and Europe, it had its first major revival in 2014 and now returns to UK theatres for the first time in 9 years.
“Never has the story of Edward Scissorhands been more timely,” explains Matthew Bourne.
“In an era when uniqueness and identity is both celebrated and reviled, its story of how we treat anyone who appears to be different in our communities is as poignant and relevant as when my dear friend Caroline Thompson wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton’s legendary movie fable some 33 years ago.
“Once again, I am truly indebted to Caroline, Tim Burton and Danny Elfman for trusting us with their beloved tale. In fact, New Adventures is the only company in the world that performs Edward Scissorhands as a theatrical spectacle.
“One of the joys of our show is the generational casting. Our town of Harmony USA is made up of six families, a mother, a father, a son and a daughter (though this year we have also added a same-sex parent family for the first time).
“This gives us a wonderful opportunity to support younger dancers, many of whom have been nurtured in our talent development programmes, but also to work, once again, with many former New Adventures stars, in the roles of the Mums and Dads!
“New Adventures truly is a family and never more so than in this production. I’m thrilled to welcome Edward back for our 2023/4 season to spread his message of joy, creativity and acceptance.”
Edward Scissorhands will star Liam Mower and Stephen Murray as Edward Scissorhands, with Katrina Lyndon and Ashley Shaw as Kim Boggs. Featuring Kerry Biggin, Sophia Hurdley, Etta Murfitt and Mami Tomotani as Peg Boggs, and Glenn Graham and Dominic North as Bill Boggs. Benjamin Barlow Bazeley and Ben Brown will play Jim Upton, with Stephanie Billers, Nicole Kabera and Ashley Shaw as Joyce Monroe and James Lovell, Luke Murphy and Reece Causton as her husband, George.
Completing the cast are Andrew Ashton, Jade Copas, Jamie Duncan-Campbell, Anna Maria de Freitas, Perreira de Jesus Franque, Molly Shaw-Downie, Megan Ferguson, Savannah French, Christina Gibbs, Aristide Lyons, Xholindi Muci, Barnaby Quarendon, Edwin Ray, Holly Saw, Nikolas Shikkis, Xavier Sotiy a(this year’s New Adventures Emerging Artist) and Carrie Willis.
Tickets for Edward Scissorhands (Wednesday 13 – Saturday 16 March 2024) are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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