London stage beckons for York students’ Blair show
Posted on 17 September 2007
The musical written by Chris Bush, an English Writing and Performance graduate, and Philosophy graduate, Ian McCluskey, had a four-night sellout run at York Theatre Royal in June, before selling out every performance at Edinburgh Fringe last month.
The White Rose Theatre production - whose cast includes Ed Duncan Smith, son of former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith - won the National Student Drama Festival EdFringe competition to find the best student company at the Fringe. The prize is a four-night run at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington, from the 19 to 22 September.
It’s a triumph of shameless gimmicks over good-old fashioned earnest student drama!
Chris Bush, Director
The production’s publicity blurb says: "After a visit from a ghostly Princess Diana, Tony is left with the daunting task of bringing music to the masses: of becoming the people's Prime Minister (at least that's how he remembers it anyway). Can he fulfill his dream of making government rock?
"Join Blair, Bush, Brown and a Barbershop Quartet of defeated Tory leaders for this intimate revue of Tony's Greatest Hits, and find out once and for all why there ain't no party like a Labour party..."
Chris Bush, who also directs, said: "It’s a triumph of shameless gimmicks over good-old fashioned earnest student drama! We had a wonderful time in Edinburgh and it’s an honour to win this, especially as it was the inaugural competition. Hopefully, we can carry on putting York on the map for student drama.
"It’s such a competitive environment in Edinburgh with over 2,000 shows. The fact that we were voted one of the top five shows by the Independent and in the top 20 by the Daily Telegraph was phenomenal. We’re so pleased that we have been able to live up to that level of critical acclaim."
Producer, Third Year English student Anna Donaghy said: "After Chris and I took a play (Man & God) to the Edinburgh Fringe last year and lost lots of money, he decided that, this year, a shameless gimmick was needed!"
The York Annual Fund assisted the Edinburgh run of Tony! The Blair Musical with a £3,000 loan to the White Rose Theatre.
Gimmick or not, the production received almost universal plaudits - and blanket coverage from the media culminating in an appearance on Newsnight. It even made Japanese television.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Tony! The Blair Musical is on stage at The Pleasance Theatre, Islington from 19 to 22 September. Tickets: £10/£8. Box Office: 020 7609 1800 / www.pleasance.co.uk.
- Cast: Tony Blair - James Duckworth (Second Year, History and Politics); Cherie Booth / Princess Di - Ellie Cox - (Psychology graduate); Gordon Brown / Michael Howard / Jeremy Paxman - Michael Slater (Third year, Electronics); Peter Mandelson / John Major - Jethro Compton (Second year, Writing and Performance); George Bush / John Prescott / William Hague - Alex Stevens (Politics & Philosophy graduate); Alistair Campbell / Iain Duncan Smith - Ed Duncan Smith (Second Year English and Related Literature).
- Book and Lyrics - Chris Bush (English Writing and Performance graduate); Music - Ian McCluskey (Philosophy graduate); Producer - Anna Donaghy (Third year English and Related Literature); Stage Manager - Natasha Long (English and Related Literature graduate); Technical Director - Neil Arden Chemistry graduate); Drums - Alex Wright (Second year, Writing and Performance); Bass - Simon Maeder (Second year, Writing and Performance); Guitar - Chris Donald (Politics graduate).
- More information on the White Rose Theatre at www.whiterosetheatre.co.uk.
- The York Annual Fund raises money from benefactors and former students to provide direct benefit to current students and other University projects. More information at www.york.ac.uk/admin/dao/Supporting/What_donations_support/annualfund_index.htm.