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Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
A NEW Musical based on Grahame Greene's novel, Brighton
Rock, will receive its world premiere at north London's
Almeida Theatre on October 5, 2004 (previews
from September 20) and run for a limited season, until November
13.
Transfer to the West End is expected to follow.
Greene's literary classic tackles gang warfare in the eponymous
English seaside town and follows the fortunes of Pinkie, a young
and ruthless thug, whose sole witness to a murder is Rose, a 16-year-old
Catholic girl.
His only hope lies in her infatuation with him and a marriage,
quite literally, 'til death do us part'.
Taking on the role of Pinkie is Jibson who, fresh from drama
school, earned two nominations for Best Actor in a Musical, an
Olivier and a Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award, for
his role of 'good' and 'bad' Joe in the Madness musical, Our
House.
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The characters of Joe and Pinky are
not entirely dissimilar, Joe being young and at home on the streets
of London where, in order to impress his girlfriend, he commits
a petty crime. But there, they differ for Joe has two options
open to him.
Jibson has also appeared in Oliver!, Bugsy Malone
and A Chorus Line, the latter in Sheffield earlier this
year.
And playing Rose, is Sophia Ragavelas, most recently seen in
Les Miserables.
Other cast members include Neil McCaul (Cubitt), Corinna Powlesland
(Judy), Paul Bentall (Spicer), Joshua Richards (Mr Colleoni),
Elizabeth Price (Delia) and Anthony Clegg (Crabb).
Brighton Rock will be directed by the Almeida's artistic
director, Michael Attenborough, the son of actor, Sir Richard
Attenborough, who, by a strange coincidence, made the role of
Pinkie famous in the 1947 big screen version.
Music comes from Oscar-winning film composer, John Barry, whose
credits include Out of Africa, Born Free and Goldfinger,
while Don Black, previously responsible for Sunset Boulevard,
Bombay Dreams and Tell Me on a Sunday, provides
the lyrics.
Bill Kenwright is associate producer.
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