Lee Joseph as Tony Wilson
The Epstein Theatre will play host to Tony Wilson, Ian Curtis and Karl Marx in April 2016; Getintothis’ David Hall Explains.
As part of a debut UK tour, Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre looks forward to welcoming a new production of New Dawn Fades – A Play About Joy Division and Manchester in April.
Manchester has inevitably proven New Dawn Fades’ springboard so far, from its origins at the 2013 Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, the production visited Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis’ home town Macclesfield and was subsequently staged at Manchester’s Dancehouse Theatre.
New Dawn Fades now hits the road to visit Liverpool for a three-night run as part of a limited spring tour which also takes in London, Bury St Edmonds, Leeds and, naturally, Manchester. Drawing inspiration from Curtis’ lyrics and incorporating live music performances, the production promises to capture the genesis of the influential post punk quartet.
Factory Records impresario Tony Wilson drives New Dawn Fades’ narrative, in a role filled by actor Lee Joseph, playing host to a series of interviews with figures from music (Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley) and history (Communist Manifesto author Karl Marx) to tell the story of how Joy Division’s Mancunian surroundings influenced their origins in the late 1970s.
Michael Whittaker as Ian Curtis
The cast is further headed up by Michael Whittaker as Ian Curtis and Natalie Perry as Debbie Curtis, and is written and produced by Brian Gorman, who has previously worked on a Joy Division graphic novel. James Foster takes on role of director, fresh from theatre work on the likes of Mischief Night, The Violators and Diary of a Bad Lad.
Here’s Getintothis’ Joy Division Top 10
Tickets are available now for New Dawn Fades – A Play About Joy Division and Manchester, which visits the Epstein Theatre for three performances on April 7, 8 and 9 2016.
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