Bugsy Malone is coming to a speakeasy near you
'Another op'nin', Another show' from producer Kenny Wax
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
If you love theatre, the man you want to meet is Kenny Wax. There is a propensity to burst into song in his presence (at least for a musical lover like me) and so there may be a burst of:
“I’m puttin’ on my top hat
Tyin’ up my white tie
Brushin’ off my tails,”
as Kenny produced the world premiere of Olivier Award-winning Top Hat. There might also be a round of :
“Welcome to the show
To the historemix
Switching up the flow
As we add the prefix
Everybody knows that
We used to be six wives,”
which is the opening number in Six, the show Kenny first saw at a small Cambridge venue with his daughter and instinct made him snap up the option to turn Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ musical about Henry VIII’s wives into the international hit it is today. He can reel off the numbers of how many productions and tickets sold, but brings music to a Six fan’s ear when he says:
“We’re working on workshopping Toby and Lucy’s new show for next year and there will probably be a production the following year.” I’m now chomping at the bit to know more, but you don’t get to be one of London’s most prolific producers by saying too much about an upcoming hit. “They’re both brilliantly clever and right on the cutting edge of contemporary art at the moment,” says Kenny of Jewish composer Marlow and Moss his co-writer. “You couldn’t write Six without being geniuses, quite honestly and it’s been fascinating, and really interesting to work with them.”
So no hints then about the show’s content? “Oh, I think it’s probably a little bit early for that,” smiles Kenny. “But watch this space, though it’s probably a good 15 or 16 months away, but Six audiences are going to absolutely love it. And it’s contemporary, not historical.” In truth it was gracious of Kenny to reveal anything as we met to talk about his current new productions.
“He’s a sinner
Candy-coated
For all his friends
He always seems to be alone
But they love him….
“Bugsy Malone. It’s at Alexandra Palace, which is so exciting,” says Kenny. “The production, directed by Sean Holmes, associate director of Shakespeare’s Globe, was at the Lyric Hammersmith five years ago, but never had a commercial run. This is Bugsy Malone’s first UK tour as it’s never been done with a professional production.”
And a creative mix of children and adults makes this a very different production to previous incarnations of the show. “In this, three teams of children aged 9 to 15 rotate every week in the main roles – Bugsy, Fat Sam, Tallulah etc – while young adults, many of them recent drama school graduates, play all the ensemble parts and do all the dancing,” explains Kenny. “So you get brilliant choreography to a very high level and the cuteness of the kids.”
“My name is Tallulah
My first rule of thumb
I don’t say where I’m going
Or where I’m coming from.”
Now Kenny is singing the song made famous by Jodie Foster in the film and his exuberance about Bugsy being staged in circa 1875 Ally Pally along with all the trappings such as the Fat Sam café and music in the foyer makes you want to book tickets on the spot.
“It’s interesting, because – putting my cards on the table – the tour started in the summer and all of our shows seemed to struggle then, except for Six, of course,” admits Kenny. “But as autumn and winter have worn on, we’ve seen really great numbers coming in for Bugsy.” Though he isn’t talking show tunes, there’s no denying the greatness of Paul Williams’ score, just as there’s no denying the appeal of Kenny’s other seasonal show, Hey Duggee, which tours until September 2023. Parents would be pleased about any show that keeps pre-schoolers entertained while sitting down and if they watch the BBC show they will be in the know about loveable big dog Duggee and his squirrel mates, who are now at the Royal Festival Hall.
“It’s a kind of 3D puppet show, but also a live experience, which for many will be a first theatre experience,” says Kenny, who barely draws breath before moving on to the upcoming Mind Mangler which is a spin-off from the Mischief Theatre’s Magic Goes Wrong show.
“Henry Lewis is the pompous mind reader who does tricks that appear to be going wrong, but don’t or could and Jonathan Sayer is his sidekick planted in the audience. It is the banter the audience loved most at The Edinburgh Festival and the show is touring with performances on Sundays in London through Jan, Feb and March.”
Kenny is so on top of each of production’s logistics, emails and schedules, it would not be a surprise to see the former Carmel College student tearing ticket stubs at the door before raising the curtain. He did all of those jobs from tea boy to usher on the advice of Cameron Mackintosh who clearly saw him as producer material and he was right. If there’s a song in that, we saved it for next time.
www.bugsymalonethemusical.com
www.heyduggee.com
www.mischiefcomedy.com
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