A new musical by TIMOTHY KNAPMAN and LAURENCE MARK WYTHE
Based on the play ‘Citizens of Hell’ by ELCHIN
Directed by MATTHEW GOULD
St. James Studio, 12 Palace St, London SW1E 5JA
Date: Friday, 9 October 2015, 2PM
David Hunter, Rebecca Trehearn and Stephen Rahman Hughes take the lead roles in the world premiere of MIDNIGHT. This haunting new musical thriller by Timothy Knapman and Laurence Mark Wythe matches dark wit with an innovative score.
New Year’s Eve, 1937. Welcome to Baku, Azerbaijan, part of the police state of the Soviet Union where, as the clock ticks towards midnight, a husband and wife nervously raise their glasses to an uncertain future. The past year has been the worst of the Great Terror, in which the paranoid dictator Joseph Stalin unleashed wave upon wave of arrests and executions of ordinary citizens. And then comes the dreaded knock on the door… Is it the Communist state’s ruthless secret police? Or a far more mysterious and terrifying visitor? Dark secrets emerge, time is suspended and the couple are tested to breaking point and beyond.
Directed by Matthew Gould with musical direction by James Cleeve, this three-hander plus actor-musician ensemble is based on an original play, Citizens of Hell by Azerbaijan’s Elchin, with book and lyrics by Timothy Knapman and music and lyrics by Laurence Mark Wythe.
The full cast includes Nick Hayes, Thomas Sutcliffe, Greg Castiglioni, Kiara Jays, Jenny O’Leary.
Please note that the actors will be reading from scripts for this presentation.
David Hunter
David Hunter trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA).
Throughout 2014, David played the Lead role of Guy in Once at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End. Also in 2014 David played the role of Mr Parker in the British comedy feature film Nativity 3 – Dude, Where’s My Donkey? Previous Theatre Credits include: The Hired Man (co-production with the Leicester Curve and the Mercury Theatre, Colchester), Seussical at The Arts Theatre, London, Tommy (one off gala performance) at the Prince Edward Theatre (directed by Raz Shaw), One Man Two Guvnors at the National and Adelphi Theatres, London (directed by Nicholas Hytner), Spinach at the Manchester Royal Exchange (directed by Janine Waters), Moving On at the Lowry Theatre (directed by Roger Haines) and Love Shift at the Manchester Royal Exchange (directed by Janine Waters). In August 2012, David reached the semi-finals of ITV’s Superstar and was watched by millions as Andrew Lloyd Webber searched for a leading man to play the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Rebecca Trehearn
Rebecca Trehearn trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Theatre includes: Annie in Alfie the Musical (Palace Theatre, Watford); cover Meat/Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (Dominion); cover Elizabeth in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych), cover Rose Vibert in Aspects of Love (Menier Chocolate Factory); cover Jenny Cavilleri in Love Story (Duchess); Martirio in Bernarda Alba (Union Theatre); Molly Jensen in Ghost (UK National Tour); Marcy in Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse), Donna/Oolie in City of Angels (Donmar Warehouse). Workshops include Jack Dagger (Greenwich Theatre); Moonshadow (Jerwood Space); Playsong (Tristan Bates); Lift (Soho Theatre); Therese Raquin (Finborough); My Land’s Shore (RADA studios). Television includes Carla Hewson in Casualty (BBC); Angharad in A470 (S4C); Karen McKay in Dim Ond Y Gwir (S4C). Rebecca also won The Wow Factor for S4C which led to the release of her self-titled solo CD. Recording includes; Film soundtracks for Into the Woods, The Da Vinci Code and Mamma Mia! Rebecca can also be heard as Rosalia on the 50th Anniversary recording of West Side Story, on the Love Story original cast recording and as Abby in Bobby Cronin’s The Concrete Jungle studio cast recording.
