Book, Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa
Suggested by the short stories of Deborah Eisenberg
Presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited
Directed by Adam Lenson
Musical Direction and Orchestrations by Richard Bates
Choreography by Nicholas Cunningham
Set and Costume Design by Bec Chippendale
Lighting by James Smith
Presented by JQ Productions and Treasuretrove Productions in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre
Cast:
John Paul – Ashley Campbell
Robert – Michael Cantwell
Anne – Katie Foster-Barnes
Mr Bunder – Nick Holder
Cinder – Alana Maria
Kathy – Laura Pitt-Pulford
Marco – Lee William-Davis
Charlotte – Julia Worsley
The European Premiere of a new musical
Tuesday, 27 October – Saturday, 21 November 2009
“I had never known what I was really like until I stopped smoking, by which time there was hell to pay“
A vibrant new musical from one of Broadway’s leading new writers receives its European premiere at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre with an outstanding West End cast including Ashley Campbell (The Rat Pack, Fame), Michael Cantwell (Mary Poppins, Sweeney Todd, Cats, Into The Woods), Katie Foster-Barnes (Peter Pan, The Pirates of Penzance, Dangerous Corner), Nick Holder (The Drowsy Chaparone, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar), Alana Maria (Dancing in the Streets, 125th Street, The Blues Brothers), Laura Pitt-Pulford (Sunset Boulevard), Lee William- Davis (Mary Poppins, Anything Goes, On the Town) and Julia Worsley (Les Miserables, Oliver!, films of Evita and Phantom of the Opera).
When Charlotte decides to give up smoking, she doesn’t realise quite how difficult it will be. As she attempts to fill her nicotine-starved days, the events of a troubled past slowly begin to resurface; an abusive ex-boyfriend, a new life in New York, a bizarre roommate and a boss who is a little too hands on. As her emotional debris accumulates, we see Charlotte’s vivid memories juxtaposed against her present day life. But even with her friends trying to help, can this Little Fish learn to survive in a pond as big as New York City? Little Fish introduces us to a darker New York than that seen in most musicals. Inhabiting the lesser-seen corners of the city, Michael John LaChiusa blends a pulsating, jazzy and resonant score with intelligent and witty lyrics. Combined with a sharply observed book filled with humour, this is a truly modern musical that no one should miss.
Michael John LaChiusa is one of Broadway’s most exciting new music theatre voices. A five time Tony nominee, he has written many critically acclaimed productions including The Wild Party (originally starring Toni Colette and Mandy Patinkin), Marie Christine, Hello Again, Bernarda Alba and See What I Wanna See (starring Idina Menzel). His new musical Giant, opened at the Signature Theatre in Washington DC this year.
The narrative of the show is based on two short stories by renowned American short story writer Deborah Eisenberg. She is a writer that The New York Times have called “Nothing less than extraordinary” and John Updike has said that “she strikes me as a writer with really something new to say about female experience” who “writes out of a whirlwind; she has found words for sensations and emotions I have never seen described before”. She has written four collections of short stories and is regularly published in both The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books.
Director Adam Lenson returns to the Finborough Theatre with the team that produced last year’s sell-out production of the new musical Ordinary Days which featured a West End cast including Julie Atherton. He trained on the National Theatre Studio Directors' Course 2009 and took part as a Director in this year’s 24 Hour Plays at the Old Vic. He has assisted Terry Johnson on La Cage Aux Folles (Menier Chocolate Factory and Playhouse Theatre), Rachel Kavanaugh on The Music Man (Chichester Festival Theatre), Stephen Daldry on An Inspector Calls (2009 National Tour and Novello Theatre) and Victoria Wood on Talent (Menier Chocolate Factory).
The outstanding West End cast includes:
Ashley Campbell whose theatre includes Jack and the Beanstalk (Barbican Centre), The Rat Pack (American Tour), High Heel Parrot Fish (Stratford East Theatre Royal), Bomb-Mitty Of Errors (New Ambassadors Theatre) and Fame (Victoria Palace Theatre) and whose TV credits include Hollyoaks
Michael Cantwell whose theatre includes Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), One Touch of Venus (The Lost Musicals), Sweeney Todd (Royal Festival Hall), Cats (New London Theatre), Into the Woods (Leicester Haymarket Theatre), Romance Romance (Gielgud Theatre), Passion (Queens Theatre), The Beggar’s Opera (Royal Shakespeare Company), Assassins (Donmar Warehouse), Merrily We Roll Along (Leicester Haymarket and Manchester Library), Les Miserables (Palace Theatre), Barnum (Victoria Palace), Look to the Rainbow (Apollo Theatre), The False Servant (National Theatre), Waste (Playhouse Theatre) and The Changeling, Travesties (Royal Shakespeare Company).
Katie Foster-Barnes whose theatre includes Florodora (Finborough Theatre), A Trip to Scarborough, Relatively Speaking and Forget Me Not Lane, Gameplan – Ayckbourn at 70 Gala, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton), Dracula (The Touring Consortium), Peter Pan, The Pirates of Penzance (Savoy Theatre), Dangerous Corner (West Yorkshire Playhouse and Garrick Theatre), and Beautiful and Damned (Lyric Theatre)
Nick Holder whose theatre includes South Pacific, Sweeney Todd, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Resistable Rise of Arturo UI, L’assommoir, The Wind in the Willows, The Miser and Wolfpit (National Theatre), The Drowsy Chaperone (Novello Theatre), Into the Woods (Donmar Warehouse), Jesus Christ Superstar (Lyceum Theatre), Les Miserables (Palace Theatre), Antony and Cleopatra, The Beggar’s Opera, As You Like It (Royal Shakespeare Company), Miss Saigon (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Richard III and The Music Man (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park and whose TV credits include The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville.
Alana Maria was in the first original London cast of Dancing in the Streets, as well as Peter Pan (Manchester and Milton Keynes), Nunsense (Eastbourne Theatre and Windsor Theatre Royal), 125th Street (Shaftesbury Theatre), Golden Boy (Greenwich Theatre), and The Blues Brothers (Whitehall Theatre)
Laura Pitt-Pulford’s credits include Sunset Boulevard (Comedy Theatre and Watermill Theatre), The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Follies (Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton), and Carousel (Bridewell Theatre)
Lee William-Davis’ theatre includes Ordinary Days (Finborough Theatre), Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Love’s Labours Lost, Anything Goes (National Theatre), Aladdin (Old Vic), Mamma Mia (Prince Edward Theatre), On The Town (English National Opera), Chicago (Adelphi Theatre) and Beauty and the Beast (Dominion Theatre).
Julia Worsley whose stage credits include the original cast of Sam Mendes’ Oliver! (London Palladium), Sunday in the Park with George, Rock Hard (Leicester Haymarket Theatre), Les Miserables (Palace Theatre and National Tour), Suppliants (Gate Theatre). Film credits include The Phantom of the Opera and Evita.
The Press on Ordinary Days
“London’s hottest ticket - the entire run was sold out ahead of last night’s opening. It shows a hunger and appetite for this kind of work in London that is not being met elsewhere.” Mark Shenton, The Stage
“A bright and witty show, convincingly performed by four talented actors with verve and wonderful comic timing.” Carol Gordon, Whatsonstage
“Director Adam Lenson does a smart job of revealing the patterns and connections that are being sketched here, and giving them a carefully blended sense of fluidity.” Mark Shenton, The Stage
The Press on Little Fish Off-Broadway
"A stylish new musical. Little Fish translates the sort of neurotic, sidewise narrative associated with The New Yorker's fiction into the terms of musical comedy. A lively musical about what it means to be lifeless in contemporary Manhattan. Mr. LaChiusa's score proceeds to blend the jazzy, noirish feel of what is conventionally called the symphony of the city. Little Fish can be regarded as a direct, latter-day answer to Sondheim's Company." Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“A jittery, engagingly off-kilter chamber piece” The Los Angeles Times
"There is so much wonderful writing in the ninety minutes of LaChiusa's Little Fish - the lyrics are wittily pointed and elegantly formed; the music inventively blends standard melodic patterns into unexpected shapes; LaChiusa is sharp with observation, generous with compassion, and able to evoke volumes of experience in the flick of a single phrase." The Village Voice
The Press on Little Fish at the Finborough Theatre
“This quirky little show manages to make a surprisingly big splash.” Sam Marlowe, The Times
“The Finborough has found itself another great little musical, with a few well-crafted, rounded characters, some seriously enjoyable music and a cast full of delights.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate
“A worthy alternative to formulaic feel-good musicals.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide
“The influence of Sondheim — and in particular of Company, his study of metropolitan singleton life — hovers in the episodic plot in a score that sets the fidgety and dissonant alongside the soaringly melodic and in lyrics that are sometimes tender, often acerbic. There’s a hint of Gershwin to the music too, with Rhapsody in Blue tingeing the tunes just enough to trace an aural image of the Manhattan skyline.” Sam Marlowe, The Times
“This European premiere for one of Broadway's new writers brings a welcome, edgy musical to the stage” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate
“The first good thing to say about LaChiusa's music is that, unlike most young theatre composers of the past 40 years, he doesn't sound like imitation Sondheim or Lloyd Webber. He has his own melodic voice, simple and frequently wistful, and his best songs stand quite successfully on their own.” Gerald Berkowitz, Theatreguide London
“LaChiusa's spoken dialogue is frequently witty and incisive,” Gerald Berkowitz, Theatreguide London
“The best of the songs marry evocative lyrics to appropriate music. Perfect, about the need to accept the less-than-perfect, and Remember Me, about intimations of mortality and the value of friends, are particularly lovely and haunting, while Little Fish embodies the play's message without preaching and 90 Year Old Man captures a bit of urban imagery with a concise effectiveness Sondheim could envy.” Gerald Berkowitz, Theatreguide London
“What a difference a decade makes. Michael John LaChiusa's 2003 work, Little Fish, is a big leap away from First Lady Suite which I saw earlier in October and which frankly was rather a struggle. Little Fish is much easier to like and admire with less cliché and more insight in the lyrics and an altogether more appealing score: occasionally dissonant, but also occasionally beautifully melodic with well-turned pastiches.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide
“Julia Worsley’s accomplished central role.” Scott Matthewman, The Stage
“A fine central performance from Julia Worsley.” Sam Marlowe, The Times
“Julia Worsley is delightful as Charlotte, a recovering ex-girlfriend, insecure, anxious and quite remarkable.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate
“Julia Worsley is onstage and the focus of our attention uninterruptedly, and the actress carries the young woman through her slow learning curve with empathy and believability.” Gerald Berkowitz, Theatreguide London
“Several strong performances, notably from Julia Worsley as Charlotte and Lee William-Davis as Marco.” Theo Bosanquet, whatsonstage.com
“A strong cast is dominated by Laura Pitt-Pulford as the perky Kathy.” Scott Mattewman, The Stage
“Little Fish is short at just ninety minutes, but filled with fine music. Indeed, a sparkling and vivacious Laura Pitt-Pulford as Kathy sings about being Perfect - and it really is.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate
“Laura Pitt-Pulford is attractive as her perky best friend, and does full justice to the two best songs, Perfect and Remember Me.” Gerald Berkowitz, Theatreguide London
“Alana Maria is suitably fierce as scary flatmate Cinder.” Natasha Tipney, MusicOMH
“Laura Pitt-Pulford and Lee William-Davis stand out as Charlotte's friends Kathy and Marco. Their individual numbers are packed with emotion, moving but not over-sentimental” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide
“The cast attack the material with gusto and Lee William-Davis is particularly good as Marco, investing his brief, funny song about finding himself (complete with comedy "oms") with real humour and injecting a flash of anger and pain into his account of being assaulted by his ex-boyfriend.” Natasha Tipney, MusicOMH
“Lee William-Davis as the obligatory gay pal comes close to stopping the show with the climactic Little Fish.” Gerald Berkowitz, Theatreguide London
“Katie Foster-Barnes' sweetly-sung Anne opens Charlotte's eyes to the perils of emotional flotsam and stands in sharp contrast to the sassy Cinder of Alana Maria, the flatmate who tells it how it is.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide
“Nick Holder's cameo as the sleazy martini-quaffing Mr Bunder is very funny as is Michael Cantwell's pompous ex-boyfriend Robert” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide
“Michael Cantwell is brilliant as the terrifically terrible Robert, a little creepy, lacking any redeeming features and hilariously unpleasant to Charlotte.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate
“The rest of the cast are equally fine, which is a credit to Adam Lenson's skilled and sensitive direction.” Gerald Berkowitz, Theatreguide London
“There’s enough verve and bitter wit, both in LaChiusa’s writing and in Adam Lenson’s persuasive production, to keep it sharp rather than saccharine.” Sam Marlowe, The Times
“Director Adam Lenson has delivered a thoroughly enjoyable New York-flavoured musical.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate
“Director Adam Lenson and choreographer Nicholas Cunningham make good use of the open space provided by Bec Chippendale's creative and practical set which echoes the New York skyline.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide
“Bec Chippendale’s ingenious foldaway set, decorated in a range of aquatic blue hues, provides an elegant frame to a collection of technically accomplished, well-performed songs.” Scott Matthewman, The Stage
“Bec Chippendale's innovative set.” Theo Bosanquet, whatsonstage.com
“The band perch atop of Bec Chippendale's clever and versatile blue-brick set, the colour presumably meant to bring to mind a swimming pool, and their playing is excellent throughout.” Natasha Tipney, MusicOMH
“Nick Cunningham’s choreography provides some impressive routines” Scott Matthewman, The Stage
“The tight orchestrations of Richard Bates and Nick Cunningham's playful choreography.” Theo Bosanquet, whatsonstage.com
“Some endearing choreography by Nick Cunningham (the glittery swimming floats are a lovely touch).” Natasha Tipney, MusicOMH
“Musical director Richard Bates has done a great job with what is essentially an unconventional piece.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide
“A cast of excellent actor-singers who, aided by Nick Cunningham’s nimble choreography and Bec Chippendale’s ingeniously economical blue set, create a whole world of urban angst on the Finborough’s tiny stage. Its waters may not run all that deep; but they’re still well worth wading into.” Sam Marlowe, The Times
