Wolfboy

a pyscho-sexual musical thriller


in London at 


Trafalgar Studio 2 


6th July - 31st July 2010

Starring 

Daniel Boys  Paul Holowaty  Gregg Lowe  Emma Rigby

Based on the play by Brad Fraser
Book by Russell Labey
Music and Lyrics by Leon Parris
Lighting Design by Mike Robertson
Design by Jason Denvir
Sound Design by Ben Harrison
Musical Direction by Iain Vince Gatt
Directed by Russell Labey

 A dark and disturbing tale of two troubled teenage boys locked in an asylum for their own good. Bernie has attempted suicide; David may or may not have the powers of a wolf. For them the outside world is a frightening place of abuse and violence. Bernie’s brother Christian and Cherry the young nurse on the unit, also hide secrets that surface in the night, when the moon is full.

TrafalgarStudios,
Whitehall,
London,
SW1A 2DY

www.ambassadortickets.com/trafalgarstudios

Box Office 0844 871 7632

Group Bookings 0844 871 7644

Ticket Master 0870 534 4444 

Reviews from our premiere run at the

Edinburgh Fringe in August 2009

 

The Scotsman
***
......an engrossing, painful and red-blooded drama.
.....disturbing, vivid... excellent music and lyrics by Leon Parris... a challenging, menacing score.
....powerful acting...
....alive with sexually charged power relationships.
The violent denouement - none of it is for the squeamish - brought Sweeney Todd onto the mental ward.

Edinburgh Evening News
****
....dark and disturbing tale...
....crackling on-stage tension...
....the audience were so engrossed by the drama they leaned increasingly further towards the stage in stunned silence as the evening progressed.
Paul Holowaty.... a swaggering, energetic quality
Gregg Lowe.... a wonderfully casual brutality
  ....a must for anyone who likes to be challenged by their drama.

Broadway Baby 
*****
You’ll either love this one or you’ll hate it. The one thing you won’t do is come out feeling indifferent.
....superbly directed by Russell Labey...
....highly erotic and frightening, touching on sado-masochism and lycanthropy and redemption.
....two incredible performances by Paul Holowaty as David, and Gregg Lowe as Bernie. Holowaty exudes pure evil while Lowe with his pretty Peter Pan complexion hides a violent sadistic side as well.
Leon Parris, who wrote the music and lyrics, has created some very dark songs within a dark tale... they work amazingly well within the confines of the uncomfortable subject matter.
This is a show of astonishing power that perhaps owes a little to Sweeney Todd at the end, but it nevertheless left me gasping. And the singing is excellent. The five stars I’m giving it are a purely personal preference, but be warned, you may not like it.

West-End Broadway World
*****
From the first hauntingly beautiful notes sung by Gregg Lowe as Bernie, the audience members at Edinburgh's George Square 4 venue are drawn into the intense atmosphere of the piece and are kept on the edge of their seats throughout.
The cleverly constructed and razor sharp writing weaves snatches of songs through the dialogue and examines questions concerning the boys' sexuality and the emotional and psychological core of their personalities.
- there are few musicals where the verbal and physical elements are as obtrusively harrowing as this. But it works.
- an edgy but also highly melodic, score.
The theatrical experience is further enhanced by the quality of the performances by the four-strong cast. Gregg Lowe's Bernie sings beautifully throughout and the depth and intensity of the acting of both Lowe and Paul Holowaty (as David)are quite astonishing. They have to rank as two of the most outstanding performances I've witnessed at this year's Fringe.
This is one of the most gripping, haunting and deeply disturbing musicals I've ever experienced. Those theatre-goers who like their musicals to be "sit back, relax and enjoy the whimsical ride" in the vein of Mamma Mia, Hairspray or Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert may find Wolfboy a trifle too dark for their tastes. But I for one thought it was mind-blowingly brilliant.

"The Edinburgh Guide"
****
....for a dark but intriguing story and fantastic music.
....this is a show that cuts deep and may just leave a scar.

The Stage
....this ambitious musical can be taken in as many ways as you like, from sexual thriller to buddy story or even horror tale.
....excellent voices... a musical with great potential to go national.

"What's On Stage"
....could be one of the most entertaining musicals at this year’s Fringe!
Holowaty's natural delivery and stage presence...
....the narrative is captivating...
....darkly disturbing... terrifically entertaining... screamingly homoerotic... enormous fun...


Matt Lucas on Twitter: 
"For those at the Edinburgh Festival my mate Gregg Lowe is in a great new musical called Wolfboy"

Brad Fraser (Original Play) is Canada's best-known playwright. His international hit play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love was made into a film in 1994 (Love & Human Remains). Other works such as Poor Super Man and Martin Yesterday were first seen in the UK in the early 90’s on the Edinburgh Fringe. This led to a long and successful relationship with The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Russell Labey (Adaptor & Director) has created plays and musicals in London, New York, and extensively at the Edinburgh Festival. He adapted William Sutcliffe’s novel New Boy and directed the play at Trafalgar Studios 2 in March 2009 with Nicholas Hoult, having opened at the Pleasance Edinburgh and played New York and Melbourne. He was the script editor on the Oscar-winning movie Milk starring Sean Penn.

Leon Parris (Music & Lyrics) was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Vivian Ellis Award for Best Musical for Going Once. He also won The Really Useful Group Award for Most Promising Writer, The Warner Chappell and The Mercury Workshop Awards and the Cameron Mackintosh Bursary.

MIke Robertson (Lighting Design) is an Olivier Award winning Lighting Designer (check out www.lightingplan.co.uk). Projects include Sunday in the Park with George (Wyndhams/Menier); On The Waterfront (Haymarket); Frances Ruffelle (Soho); New Boy, Lifecoach (Trafalgar Studios); The Murder Game, Lonestar/Private Wars (Kings Head); Sandra Bernhard at The Manchester Opera House; The Marriage of Figaro for Opera London (Shaw); Face Value, Sit & Shiver (Hackney); The Firework Makers Daughter (Oslo); Three Men In A Boat (National Tour); Classic Absurdity (Birmingham Hippodrome); The Snow Queen (Barbican & Cadogan Hall); Palace of Fear (Leicester Haymarket); The Glee Club (West Yorkshire Playhouse & Tour); The Spring Proms (Royal Albert Hall).