The season kicks off with the London premiere of Kneehigh's latest show, The Wild Bride, beginning performances Sept. 7 prior to an official opening Sept. 12, for a season through Sept. 24. It is described in press materials as "a lyrical tale with a brutal edge and a beating heart in a story of what happens when your father accidentally sells you to the Devil." Betrayed by her silly father, and rejecting not only the Devil but also her home, our heroine walks into the wilderness. In the wilds she meets a Prince and becomes pregnant, but her heart breaks when he is called to war and she is forced to step out on her own again. Charting the journey from girlhood to womanhood, through storytelling, devilish humour and live and found music, this is a grown up romance for brave children and adults alike.
Kneehigh, who were recently represented in the West End by their production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, have been seen on Broadway with their production of Brief Encounter. Previous productions at the Lyric Hammersmith include Cymbeline and Nights at the Circus.
Next, the Lyric Hammersmith itself produces Edward Bond's Saved, beginning performances Oct. 6, prior to an official opening Oct. 13, for a season through Nov. 5. The Lyric's artistic director Sean Holmes directs this uncompromising vision of working class South London. In April 2012, it will be followed by three of Bond's one-act plays, Chair, The Under Room and Have I None, which will all be presented in the Lyric Studio. All set in England 2077 exploring dystopian societies where liberties, identity and compassion are questioned, Bond will himself direct the first-ever professional stage production of Chair that was originally broadcast as a radio play on BBC Radio 4 in 2000. Bond will also direct The Under Room, which will be performed in rep alongside Have I None, directed by Holmes.
For Christmas, the Lyric will present its annual pantomime, with Steve Marmion – now artistic director of Soho Theatre – returning to the venue with writers Joel Horwood and Morgan Lloyd Malcolm to stage Aladdin, following their success last year with Dick Whittington and His Cat and Jack and the Beanstalk the year before. It begins performances Nov. 19 prior to an official opening Dec. 2, for a season through Dec. 31.
In the New Year, Frantic Assembly return to the Lyric Hammersmith to present Abi Morgan's Lovesong, beginning performances Jan. 11, prior to an official opening Jan. 12, for a season through Jan. 28. Directed and choreographed by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett (American Idiot), the play intertwines a couple in their twenties with the same man and woman a lifetime later. According to press materials, their past and present selves collide in this haunting and beautiful tale of togetherness. Writer Abi Morgan, who has previously worked with Frantic Assembly on Tiny Dynamite, has also scripted "Iron Lady" (starring Meryl Streep) for the cinema, and the BBC drama series "The Hour." It is followed by Sean Holmes directing Filter's new production of Midsummer Night's Dream, beginning performances Feb. 9, prior to an official opening Feb. 13, for a season through March 17. Filter (formed in 2003 by actors Ferdy Roberts, Oliver Dimsdale and Tm Phillips) and Holmes have previously collaborated on the RSC/Tricycle co-production of Twelfth Night.
To book tickets, contact the box office on 0871 22 117 22 or visit www.lyric.co.uk.
