A new musical based on Oscar Wilde’s classic fairy tale will be presented in three showcase performances at The Place from 3 – 4 May 2019.
The Happy Prince stars Janie Dee as Mrs Bentley, Phil Daniels as The Mayor, Sophia Hurdley as The Swallow and Sam Archer as The Prince. This heart-rending story about a Swallow’s faithful love for the golden statue of a Prince is told through a seamless fusion of dance and song.
This modern musical adaptation is set in an unpleasant 1920’s Laundry House from which the potent technicolour world of the fairy tale evolves. Dark humour, greed and corruption are at work as the malevolent designs of a despot Mayor drive a town into bankruptcy and ruin.
Drawing parallels to the world today, walls are being built to divide societies, so the Statue of a Prince, trapped behind the walls of his own palace, must win over the heart of a Swallow to save his people.
Although outwardly beautiful, the omniscient Prince is troubled by the poverty and suffering surrounding him. He persuades the Swallow to become his messenger and distribute his treasures to the townspeople who are most in need. In a race against time, and as the Swallow gradually removes his sapphire eyes and his gold leaf, outwardly the statue looks dull and shabby but the Prince is inwardly renewed and freed of his torment.
Phil Daniels rose to fame through his roles in Quadrophenia (starring with Toyah Willcox), Scum and Breaking Glass. He also starred in Mike Leigh’s Meantime. Acclaimed television performances include Moonfleet, Holding On, Outlaws, Eastenders, Rock and Chips and guest leads in New Tricks and Poirot. His extensive theatre credits include Anthony and Cleopatra and The Knight of the Burning Pestle at Shakespeare’s Globe, Monsieur Thénardier in Les Misérables (West End), This House (National Theatre, Garrick Theatre), Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (tour), and King Lear (Chichester Festival Theatre). Recent credits include the feature film The Hatton Garden Job, Zapped (Dave) and Endeavor (ITV). Most recently Phil starred alongside Jim Broadbent in A Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge Theatre).
Janie Dee is an award-winning actress, singer and musical theatre performer. Best known for her performance as Jacie Triplethree in Comic Potential (1998) and as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel (1993) at the National Theatre, her most recent theatre credits include Phyllis Rogers Stone in Follies at the National Theatre (2017). Janie has won three of the most prestigious awards in British Theatre; the Olivier Award, the Evening Standard Award and Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Play.
I met Phil Daniels to talk about his role in The Happy Prince, and to reflect on his iconic and memorable roles in his early movies and theatre productions.
The Happy Prince runs at The Place theatre from 3 – 4 May.
The post Phil Daniels on The Happy Prince: “I play a character, like the politicians these days, who doesn’t care about poverty, only making as much money as he can” appeared first on philmarriott.net.