Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and John Gertz today announce the newly re-imagined version of Zorro The Musical by Stephen Clark and Helen Edmundson, featuring music by the Gipsy Kings and John Cameron, and lyrics by Clark. The production, directed by Christian Durham, which closed after just two previews due to the pandemic in March 2020, will now open at Charing Cross Theatre on 17 March, with previews from 12 March, and running until 8 May 2022. This will be the first time the show has been seen again in London since its original premiere in 2008.
Katy Lipson, said today, “I have always wanted to work on a re-imagined version of this brilliant and vibrant musical. I am excited to be bringing our troupe of incredible actor-musician performers to Charing Cross Theatre next Spring, performing in the round and bringing some flamenco and Spanish flair to everyone’s seats.”
Set in the sizzling heat of 1805’s California, a pueblo is under attack from its autocratic leader. When the danger is at its greatest, a masked crusader appears from nowhere and saves lives. Who is he? Will he be their champion?
The famous red-hot tale of the masked hero, El Zorro, fighting for justice and freedom is told in an immersive, thrilling and headily sensual new production. With zealous, ‘get-on-your-feet’ music, featuring international hits by Gipsy Kings including Bamboleo, Baila Me and Djobi Djoba, alongside original music to express a fresh new tale of love, hope and courage.
Audiences will be seduced into the story and witness the thrills and spills of our hero as he battles for all he holds dear. Spanish Gypsy pride and fire runs deep throughout this explosive show with murderous encounters, immeasurable flamenco choreography and Cante jondo singing at its forefront.
Stephen Clark (1961-2016) was an award-winning playwright, librettist and lyricist. His credits includeLove Story (Chichester Festival Theatre/Duchess Theatre), Stripped, (Circle Theatre, Chicago – winner of the Jefferson Award), Takeaway (Lyric Hammersmith/UK tour), Making Waves (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Eyam (Old Fire Station/The Bridewell), Martin Guerre (UK and US tour - Olivier Award for Best New Musical), Forbidden City (Esplanade Theatre, Singapore) and The Far Pavilions (The Shaftsbury Theatre, London). His adaptations include La Traviata (ENO) and The Mahabharata(Sadler’s Wells/UK tour).
Helen Edmundson is a playwright. Her theatre credits include Small Island (National Theatre), Queen Anne (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Thérèse Raquin (Theatre Royal Bath), The Heresy of Love(Shakespeare’s Globe), Swallows and Amazons (Bristol Old Vic/Vaudeville Theatre/UK tour), Mary Shelley (Shared Experience), Life is a Dream (Donmar Warehouse), War and Peace (National Theatre), Coram Boy (National Theatre/Imperial Theatre), Orestes, Gone to Earth (Shared Experience UK tours), Mother Teresa is Dead (Royal Court Theatre), The Clearing (Bush Theatre – John Whiting Award), Mill on the Floss, Anna Karenina (Lyric Hammersmith). Her screenwriting credits include Mary Magdalene, An Inspector Calls and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher III. Edmundson was a recipient of the Windham Campbell Prize for Drama in 2015.
John Cameron‘s orchestration credits include Les Misérables – New York Drama Desk Award, Honk! (The Ugly Duckling) – Olivier Award for Best Musical, and Peter Pan (Royal Festival Hall). His musical supervision and arrangement credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Goodbye Girl, The Card, Blondel, Mutiny!, Spend! Spend! Spend! (Best Musical – Evening Standard Awards). As a composer his credits include Faust Part I and Part II (RSC), Hamlet, Becket and Twelfth Night (National Theatre international tours). For television his work includes scores for Jack the Ripper and Jekyll and Hyde, and the theme for BBC’s Crimewatch UK; and his film scores include A Touch of Class - Oscar Award nomination for Best Music and Original Dramatic Score, Kes and To End All Wars.
The Gipsy Kings consist of two bands of brothers: The Reyes (Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Patchaï, André) and the Baliardos (Tonino, Paco, Diego). In 1987 The Gipsy Kings’ self-titled debut album introduced the world to rumba Gitano, the sound of South America’s rumba rhythm married to flamenco guitars. With Bamboleo, the Gipsy Kings scored a huge international hit. Their total album sales worldwide now exceed 18 million.
Christian Durham directs. His theatre credits include Breaking the Code (Salisbury Playhouse), Café Society Swing (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Quaint Honour (Finborough Theatre), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Japan and Russia - Golden Mask Award for Best Musical), Spend Spend Spend, Children of Eden (Union Theatre), Henna Night (Hen and Chickens Theatre), Proud (New Wimbledon Theatre Studio), Taboo (UK tour - Manchester Evening News Award for Best Musical), Debbie Does Dallas (Old Fire Station, Oxford/Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Real Classy Affair (Soho Theatre) and Only You Can Save Mankind (Edinburgh Festival Fringe).
