An exceptional cast of dancers and a multi-award winning creative team come together for Message In A Bottle, the hotly anticipated new dance theatre show by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, set to the music of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting.
A Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK production, Message In A Bottle receives its world premiere at The Peacock from 6 February – 21 March 2020, followed by a UK and international tour (more dates to be announced).
The cast
Message In A Bottle sees a village alive with joyous celebrations suddenly come under siege. In the chaos, three siblings, Leto, Mati and Tana are separated from their parents; they undertake a perilous journey to new lands and step out on their own extraordinary adventures.
Message In A Bottle is performed by an extraordinary ensemble of dancers from ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company. Lukas McFarlane, a winner of Sky 1’s Got to Dance, plays Leto; Tommy Franzen, who stars in the new Tom Hooper-directed CATS, is Mati; and Natasha Gooden – whose credits include Blak Whyte Gray with Boy Blue and Strictly Come Dancing – performs the role of Tana.
Joining them are Lizzie Gough, a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance and judge on CBBC’s Alesha’s Street Dance Stars; and Nafisah Baba, winner of BBC Young Dancer in 2017.
Making their ZooNation debut in this production are Samuel Baxter, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Anna Holmström, Emma ‘Shortbread’ Houston, Ajani Johnson-Goffe, Daniella May, Daniel Phung and Hannah Sandilands. Completing the company is Kino McHugh, Michael Naylor, Aaron Nuttall, Delano Spenrath, Annie Edwards, Nestor Garcia Gonzalez and Gavin L Vincent.
“I am so inspired by this incredible international company of ZooNation dancers. Their skill and ability is insane” explains Kate Prince. “The company has some of the best breakers and contemporary movers I’ve encountered during my 20 years of working in professional dance. Their dedication and discipline, agility, strength, stamina and their ability to tell stories through dance are both mind blowing and exhilarating. I feel very fortunate that I get to tell this very important story with them and to create movement with their fantastically talented and expressive bodies.”
The creative team
Message In A Bottle includes new musical arrangements by Alex Lacamoire, the celebrated Grammy and Tony Award-winning musical director known for his work on Hamilton (2016), In The Heights (2008), Dear Evan Hansen (2017), The Greatest Showman (2017), Fosse/Verdon (2019) and Carmen La Cubana (2016). Music production and additional arrangements for the show come from multi-Grammy Award winner Martin Terefe, who has written and produced for artists including Jason Mraz, Sean Mendes, KT Tunstall, Tom Odell and Train.
Message In A Bottle has set design by Ben Stones (MEN 2011 Award winner for Best Design for Doctor Faustus at the Royal Exchange); video design by Andrzej Goulding (winner of the inaugural Theatre and Technology Award for Creative Innovation in Video Design for Room in 2017); costume design by Anna Fleischle (Olivier Award winner, 2016 for Hangmen); and lighting design by Natasha Chivers (Olivier Award winner, 2007 for Sunday in the Park with George).
Sound design is by David McEwan (Music Producers Guild award winner); music co-production and mixing is by Grammy Award-winning Oskar Winberg; and dramaturgy is by Lolita Chakrabarti, whose writing credits include Life Of Pi and Red Velvet. The Associate Choreographer is Lukas McFarlane (Strictly Come Dancing).
Message In A Bottle makes its world premiere at Sadler’s Wells’ West End theatre, The Peacock, from 6 Feb – 21 Mar 2020. To book, call the ticket office on 020 7863 8000 or book online.
A Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK production co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome and The Lowry, Salford. Research and development supported by The Movement.