The limited engagement will officially open Sept. 22 and run through Nov. 15.
Based on the Jorge Luis Borges short story "The Intruder" and an original concept by Karen Ruimy, who is also the lead dancer/singer and narrator in the show, Flamenco Flamen'ka tells the story of a passionate love triangle set in and around a bordello. According to press materials, jealousy, betrayal, hate and sacrifice put blood-ties to the test ending in heartbreaking tragedy.
The company comprises leading Flamenco and Latin dancers and musicians, who will perform flamenco, tango and contemporary ballet. Ruimy trained in Seville with Blanca and Adrian Ruiz. She is joined by Argentinian José Castro, a prize-winner Malambo dancer who trained with Alfredo Arias and with Debra Brown, Cirque du Soleil choreographer; Marjorie Ascione, who trained with Martha Graham New York and has performed with the Blanca Li company; and Manuel Gutierrez Cabello, Jérôme Zerbi, Fabien Hannot, Francisco Hidalgo, Noé Barroso Gonzalez, José Manuel Álvarez, Luis Casado Rodriguez, Sharon Sultan, Inmaculada Aranda Espejos, Pascale Franco with musicians Melchior Campos, Cristo Cortes, Antoine Gomez, Daniel Manzanas and Victor Marquez Muñoz.
A version of Flamenco Flamen'ka has been seen in two sell-out seasons in Paris. Australian-born Revel Horwood most recently directed and choreographed a small-scale production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard that employs a cast of actor-musicians, and has previously been represented in the West End by Spend Spend Spend and My One and Only (in a production that transferred from the regional Chichester Festival Theatre), both of which earned him Olivier Award nominations for Best Choreography. He has been associate director/choreographer for West Side Story, assisted Bob Avian on Martin Guerre and was resident director of Miss Saigon. He has also choreographed Hard Times – the Musical, Calamity Jane, Tommy Cooper – Jus' Like That and directed and choreographed the short-lived biographical musical about F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, Beautiful and Damned. His autobiography "All Balls and Glitter: My Life" will be published by Michael O'Mara Books on Sept. 4.
There will be additional choreography by Jérôme Zerbi, Marjorie Ascione and Manuel Gutierrez Cabello. The design is by Diego Pitarch with lighting by Ben Cracknell. There will be classical flamenco music and compositions by Bruno Ribera. Mike Moran, who is the musical supervisor, has worked with Placido Domingo, Paul McCartney, Montserrat Caballé, Freddie Mercury and Rod Stewart. To book tickets contact the box office at 0844 412 4661 or visit www.flamencoflamenka.com.
