Less than two weeks to go until the premiere of Oranges & Elephants, the new music hall thriller set in and premiering at London’s Grade II-listed Victorian music hall gem, Hoxton Hall. Sneak a peek at what the actor-musician all-female company is getting up to in rehearsals and learn more about the real 19th-century gangs behind the story – and then get booking!
Oranges & Elephants – which runs from 23 January to 10 February 2018, with a press night on 25 January – centres on two rival female gangs in Victorian London and blends Music Hall, Fairground and Musical Theatre into spellbinding storytelling.
“Same ol gravy, different flavour.”
When Mary arrives in London, she is quickly introduced to gang life. How will she make her life expectancy of twenty-five when the two gangs are after owning her? Mary wants to be a Music Hall star. Nellie of The Elephants falls in love with Mary, and they try to escape from thievery to the bright lights of Piccadilly.
This is a story of how important your wits are to survive if you are a poor woman in Victorian London. How you play the fame game set against a backdrop of a West End pickpocket turf war and an enormous divide between the rich and poor.
Sinead Long stars as Mary with Christina Tedders as Nellie and an all-female cast of actor-musicians that also features Kate Adams (Flo), Rebecca Bainbridge (Ada), Susannah van den Berg (Chair), Rosalind Ford (Nora), Liz Kitchen (Annie), Natasha Lewis (Violet), Kate Marlais (Maggie) and Sarah J Warren (Minnie).
Oranges & Elephants has book and lyrics by Lil Warren. The premiere production is directed by former Hackney Empire creative director Susie McKenna, with musical direction by movement by Abigail Rosser, design by Sara Perks, sound by Yvonne Gilbert, lighting by Johanna Town and costumes by Sarah Mercade.
Oranges & Elephants is the first production in Hoxton Hall’s all-female spring season Female Parts, under artistic director Karena Johnson.
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Rehearsal photos
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Learn about the real Victorian gangs
