FULL CASTING CONFIRMED FOR THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT
The Royal Shakespeare Company has today announced further casting for The Magician’s Elephant, a new musical by Nancy Harris (book/lyrics) and Marc Teitler (music/lyrics) based on the novel by prize-winning children’s author Kate DiCamillo which will make its world stage premiere in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 14 October 2021 – 1 January 2022.
Actor, writer, storyteller Renu Arora will play the role of Madame LaVaughn, who tragically finds her herself paralyzed after an elephant – conjured by The Magician of the play’s title – crashes through the roof of an opera house, crushing her legs in the process.
Renu has worked extensively in the arts as an actor, singer, composer, director and writer for over 16 years. Her writing credits include Women of Hope; a verbatim music-theatre show funded by Arts Council (and supported by Tamasha, Amnesty and Rich Mix) exploring domestic violence in minority communities and The Crossing, a devised show about her grandmother’s experiences of the Partition of India and her co-writers’ family’s experience of the Vietnam War, supported by Arts Council England (The London Hub Mosaic Bursary), Tamasha and Rich Mix.
As an actor and musician, Renu has performed at theatres including the New Vic Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre and Theatre Royal Stratford East. As a director, Renu’s work includes performances at Arcola Theatre, Soho Theatre, Tamasha, Tara Arts, Riverside Studios, Oval House and The Kings Head Theatre. As a composer, Renu wrote and recorded the vocal soundtrack for Rani Moorthy’s ‘Who’s Sari Now’ at Leicester Curve and Stratford East.
After a life changing accident and near-death experience in 2017, Renu acquired a disability, changing the way she works as an artist. Her lockdown-inspired audio work reflecting on the parallels of her accident and the pandemic was broadcast by BBC Sounds. Renu’s new 12-part arts podcast; The Burgundy Book, in which she reflects upon her life-changing experience, will be available in Spring 2022 and is funded by Arts Council England (with additional support from Graeae, The Space, and Disability Arts Online).
As a public speaker, Renu talks openly about her accident, near-death experience and artistic practice both in UK and overseas and is scheduled to take part in the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS) virtual conference in September 2021.
She will be joined by Amy Booth-Steel in the role of Narrator. Amy is perhaps best known to musical theatre audiences for her roles in Heathers, Sister Act and The Sound of Music in the West End, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Leicester Curve); Betty Blue Eyes (Mercury and West Yorkshire Playhouse) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Watermill Theatre).
Other theatre credits include Dick Whittington, A Pacificist’s Guide to the War on Cancer, The Light Princess, One Man, Two Guvnors (Tour) and She Stoops to Conquer Other (National Theatre), #HONESTAMY at the Pleasance; As You Like It (Regent’s Park) The Assassination of Katie Hopkins (Theatr Clwyd); Anita and Me (Birmingham Rep and Theatre Royal Stratford East); Ex (Soho Theatre) Nicked (HighTide) and Swallows and Amazons (Bristol Old Vic).
Returning to the RSC this Christmas is Miriam Nyarko who will play Adele following her appearance as Lisa James in the 2019 RSC musical adaptation of The Boy in the Dress based on the novel by David Walliams. Miriam also played Lavender in the West End production of Matilda the Musical, also for the RSC. Other theatre credits include Our Town (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal), The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre).
Miriam is perhaps best known to TV audiences for playing Miri in the popular CBBC series Almost Never (Series 1-3). Other television credits include The Voice Kids, Blue Peter and Saturday Mash Up.
Also confirmed are Lauren Jones (Lisette) and Chrystine Symone (Lamplighter)
They join the previously announced cast which includes; Sharif Afifi (Milliner), Marc Antolin (Leo Matienne), Alison Arnopp (Baker), Hannah Brown (Swing), Keisha Amponsa Banson (Gloria Matienne), Michael Carolan (Swing), Lucca Chadwick-Patel (Fishmonger), Stephen John Davis (Doctor), Zoe Halliday (The Elephant), Sam Harrison (Count Quintet), Forbes Masson (Police Chief), Wela Mbusi (The Elephant), Mark Meadows (Vilna Lutz), Suzanne Nixon (The Elephant), Alastair Parker (Magician), Wendy Somerville (Mrs Griswald) Summer Strallen (Countess Quintet) and Mandi Symonds (Sister Marie) and Jack Wolfe (Peter Duchene).
The Magician’s Elephant was originally due to run from October 2020 – January 2021 but was postponed due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, which included the temporary cancellation of all RSC performances, events and other activities.
The production will mark the re-opening of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre – which marks its 60th anniversary in 2021 – and the return of audiences to indoor performances at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time since March 2020.
The Magician’s Elephant tells the story of orphan Peter Augustus Duchene, who lives a frugal life in the lonely town of Baltese. Then one day, a magician conjures an elephant from the sky. The animal’s appearance sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that it changes Baltese forever. Peter is catapulted into the quest of his life, overturning everything he ever thought he knew, and discovering that happiness can come from the most unexpected places.
This new adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s heart-breaking and darkly magical children’s book by Nancy Harris (book/lyrics) and Marc Teitler (music/lyrics) will be directed by Sarah Tipple, Associate Director to Gregory Doran on The Boy in the Dress. The production will feature design by Colin Richmond whose previous RSC credits include Wendy and Peter Pan and Vice Versa. Lighting is by Oliver Fenwick, Music Supervision and Musical Direction by Tom Brady, Orchestrations by Sarah Travis and Marc Teitler, vocal arrangements by Tom Brady and Marc Teitler, sound by Paul Groothuis and movement by Francesca Jaynes. Dramaturgy is by Réjane Collard-Walker. Puppetry direction is by Mervyn Millar with puppetry design by Mervyn Millar and Tracy Waller. The Magic Consultant is John Bulleid whose previous RSC credits include #WeAreArrested, and video is by Douglas O’Connell.