Blue Now: Russell Tovey, Travis Alabanza, Jay Bernard, Joelle Taylor to star in live performance of Derek Jarman film

Neil Bartlett is to direct a live performance of Derek Jarman’s final film Blue at UK venues this May.

Marking the 30th anniversary of the film’s original release, WeTransfer has commissioned the live version for performances in Brighton (7 May, Theatre Royal Brighton), Margate (13 May, Turner Contemporary), Manchester (21 May, HOME Manchester) and London (27 May, TATE Modern).

Presented by WeTransfer, the live performances will take place at Brighton’s Theatre Royal as part of Brighton Festival, Turner Contemporary in Margate, HOME in Manchester and Tate Modern in London.

A cast of four actors including activist and art collector Russell Tovey (Years and Years, American Horror Story, Angels In America, Allelujah and The History Boys), Travis Alabanza (Sound of the Underground, Burgerz, Overflow), Jay Bernard (Ted Hughes Award (2017) for Surge: Side A, Poet Slash Artist and Joint) and TS Eliot award-winning poet and acclaimed spoken word performer Joelle Taylor (C+nto and othered poems) will deliver Jarman’s powerful words.

The film’s original composer, Simon Fisher Turner, will accompany them with a new live score. The live performances are produced by Fuel Theatre.

For 74 minutes, an unchanging screen of celestial blue is accompanied by voices which deliver a collage of fragments from Jarman’s diary, describing the gradual onset of blindness as he battles with HIV. As his daily life is stripped away, only the essentials remain.

Blue was created during the darkest days of the British AIDS epidemic, and bears witness not just to its creator’s remarkable courage but also to the rage and loss of an entire generation. Thirty years to the month after it was completed, this new live rendition of the film will be a chance to hear afresh its inspiring message of compassion, love and dignity under fire. Revisiting the piece now creates an opportunity to both revisit the pioneering contribution of the LGBTQI+ community to national life over 30 years and how different generations have dealt with the trauma of the AIDS epidemic. It paints a lasting picture of struggle and resilience at a time when the whole world has been figuring out how to survive in the face of a global pandemic.

Russell Tovey said: “Derek Jarman is my hero, and I feel the power of his work more so than ever today. Blue will be a gift from Derek, to us, and I cannot wait for it to happen.”

Neil Bartlett said: “I was lucky enough to know Derek Jarman. He was – and is – an inspiration, not just to me but to people around the world. I am proud to be bringing his words alive again by collaborating with this extraordinary team of artists.”

For more information and tickets, visit fueltheatre.com

In addition to the live performances, WeTransfer has commissioned a digital iteration of Blue to appear on its arts platform WePresent.