Full cast and creatives announced for the world premiere of Syncopated
Part of Talawa’s Black Joy season, Syncopated, a co-commission with Liverpool Playhouse and Talawa Theatre Company, is a moving two-hander offering a soul-stirring tale of music, memory and the ghosts that history forgets.
Using live music, award-winning writer Varaidzo (Bus Stop, The Guardian and 4th Estate 2018 4th Write Prize shortlist) explores the weight of history, the struggle to follow your dreams and the power of performance to uncover the truth. The production will open at the Playhouse Studio in Liverpool and move on to Talawa’s studio theatre at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.
Set on the docks of Liverpool, the cast comprises Joseph Munroe-Robinson (Return to the Forbidden Planet, Greenwich Theatre) playing the role of HIM/Frank, a young musician who meets HER/Penny, an inquisitive Scouser played by Teddy Oyediran (Slave: A Question of Freedom, Riverside Studios). As the night deepens, the two conjure a story from history – that of the journey of The Southern Syncopated Orchestra, a real-life African American band who brought the jazz rhythms of New Orleans to post-WWI Britain.
The production resurrects the lives of two imagined members of this historic ensemble watching their romance unfold against the turbulence of 1919 with race riots and rising fascism. They see music as an escape and refuge. This play-within-a-play becomes a metaphorical and emotional journey using dialogue, letters and music as Frank and Penny rediscover purpose and try to reclaim their creative voices.
Directed by Manchester-based Tian Glasgow (STUN x Lowry Associate Artist award-winner for Tomorrow is Not Promised; Threshold, Royal Exchange Theatre), Syncopated weaves past and present, real and imagined, love and legacy to honour a lost history and a living present. Joining the talented creative team is set and costume designer Keshi Raghu (WTF is Shakespeare, The Unity); sound designer Danni Skeritt; lighting designer Stella Okafor-Ross and movement director Yandass (Founder and Artistic Director of I M Pact collective).
Nathan Powell, Creative Director of Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre comments, We’re so happy to continue our partnership with Talawa, one of our Associate Companies, during their Black Joy Season. Realising this new show, opening here in Liverpool, is a joy of its very own. We can’t wait to share Varaidzo’s brilliant story and for it to be enjoyed by audiences in our great cities.
Michael Buffong, Talawa’s Artistic Director also comments, Talawa's Black Joy season has been one of the most ambitious and successful endeavours in our nearly 40-year history. Bringing the season to a close with the highly anticipated studio show Syncopated is a full circle moment, nurturing new work rooted in Liverpool’s musical culture and history. It is an honour to have the opportunity to collaborate with Varaidzo and the team at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse to do what we do best: shine a light on the prodigious talents of Black and global majority creatives.
This world premiere offers music and storytelling as redemptive, healing and a connecting bridge across generations.
Talawa’s Black Joy season is generously supported by Arts Council England and National Lottery.