World premiere of THELMA & LOUISE: A NEW MUSICAL to play at Young Vic this Autumn
It has been announced this morning that the Young Vic Theatre’s upcoming season will open with the world premiere of Thelma & Louise, a brand-new musical adaptation of Callie Khouri’s Oscar and Golden-Globe winning road movie, which will play from 3 September-24 October.
Featuring music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated iconoclast Neko Case, the production will be directed by Trip Cullman, and will star Amy Lennox (Cabaret, Kinky Boots) and Rachel Tucker (Wicked, Come From Away) in the title roles.
On a whim, Louise (Tucker) invites her best friend Thelma (Lennox) for a spontaneous weekend getaway. After an ill-fated encounter with a stranger at a roadside honkytonk, their lifelong friendship is forged into something dangerous and unbreakable. Propelled by a soaring musical score, they set out on a last-chance adventure in a world where every card is stacked against them.
The creative team also includes choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith & Or Schraiber, set designers Christine Jones & Brett J. Banakis, costume designer Ryan Dawson Laight, lighting designer Natasha Chivers, sound designer Gareth Owen, musical supervisor Kimberly Grigsby, orchestrator and arranger John Clancy, musical director Ed Bussey, with additional music by Carl Newman, Paul Rigby and Zoe Sarnak, creative consultant Imogen Brodie, casting director Stuart Burt CDG CSA, fight director Kev McCurdy, intimacy director Yarit Dor, and voice and dialect coach Danièle Lydon.
Creative producer Sonia Friedman and creative consultant Imogen Brodie said: “From the moment it premiered in 1991, Thelma & Louise was a cultural phenomenon and an instant classic. Callie Khouri’s groundbreaking, funny, deeply moving and empowering film sparked a vital and urgent conversation around violence against women and girls, and women’s autonomy in the face of systemic injustice.
“Astonishingly, nearly 35 years later, we find ourselves in a world where female, indeed all human rights are under serious threat, making this story feel not only relevant but necessary. At its heart, it speaks to freedom, solidarity, friendship and the ongoing fight for equality - all of which continue to resonate today.
“In bringing this story to the stage, we are reimagining it theatrically and musically, so it feels wholly born for the live experience - immediate, visceral and a rollercoaster of a night out.
“Together with our exceptional creative team - Callie, Neko and Trip - and our brilliant co-producers Blue Spruce Productions, Ley Line Entertainment, Callie, Mandy Greenfield and MGM ON STAGE, we are thrilled that Thelma & Louise: A New Musical will begin its journey at the Young Vic.”
Callie Khouri said: "I’m thrilled to be collaborating with the Young Vic, Sonia Friedman Productions, Scott Delman, Ley Line Entertainment and Mandy Greenfield in this newly re-imagined story of Thelma and Louise. It’s still a wild and emotional ride made even better by the contribution of the enormous talents of Neko Case, Trip Cullman and our amazing creative team. I can’t wait for audiences to experience this timely re-telling.”
For more info on Thelma & Louise: A New Musical, please click here.
