Musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile announced
A new musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile is in the works.
The co-production between Leeds Playhouse and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of three new theatre productions being developed by the Roald Dahl Story Company.
The Enormous Crocodile will feature a score by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab with a book and lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra (Arabian Nights, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh; The Long and and additional music and lyrics from Tom Brady.
The new musical for young audiences will run from 2 December 2023 – 6 January 2024 at Leeds Playhouse’s Courtyard Theatre before heading to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre for summer 2024.
Directed by Emily Lim, the production will feature puppets by Toby Olié, who also co-directs. Set and costume design is by Fly Davis.
James Brining, Artistic Director of Leeds Playhouse said: “Developing any new work is always an exciting process but to be working with such a talented creative team and fantastic partners on genuinely iconic and well-loved material is a real thrill. We can’t wait to introduce The Enormous Crocodile to the world later this year as part of our dynamic and diverse Autumn/Winter season. I'm sure young audiences who experience the show in Leeds will have a wonderful, magical and memorable time.”
Timothy Sheader, Artistic Director Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, added: “Watch out, there’s going to be a very big and extremely hungry crocodile on the loose in Regent’s Park next summer. Come and help us catch him before it’s too late! We’re thrilled to be working with our brilliant partners to share this story on stage.”
Also announced today is a new theatrical reading of Roald Dahl’s The Magic Finger presented for online release for schools and families, co-produced with the Unicorn Theatre.
Plus, a spectacular large-scale circus, which is currently in development, inspired by Roald Dahl’s stories and featuring a range of beloved characters.
These productions join a major new musical of The Witches, co-produced with the National Theatre, which was announced last month.
Executive Producer Anna Schmitz and Artistic Director Jenny Worton of the Roald Dahl Story Company’s in-house theatre division said: “We couldn’t be more excited to be able to reveal these new productions, which demonstrate our ambitions in making new work.
“Far beyond simply ‘putting the book on stage’, we want to create original pieces of theatre, which both capture the timeless appeal, characters and spirit of Roald Dahl stories and speak powerfully to today’s audiences. From puppetry to musicals, free digital productions to large-scale events we’re working across theatrical forms and collaborating with extraordinary artists and producers to create shows that will illuminate the original stories in a new way, inspiring the next generation of theatregoers.”
