Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd, Tamara Harvey, today announces full casting for the world première production of The Assassination of Katie Hopkins – a new musical from Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth.
The production sees James Grieve, return to Clwyd to direct Rakesh Boury (Wesley), Ché Francis (Karl), Derek Hutchinson (Brian), Genesis Lynea (Nina), Maimuna Memon (Shayma), Amy Booth-Steele (Pam), Bethzienna Williams (Kayleigh) and Matthew Woodyatt (Richard). The production opens in the Emlyn Williams Theatre on Thursday 26 April with previews from Friday 20 April.
A shocking crime divides the nation. Fingers are pointed, sides are drawn, facts are hard to come by. Why did this happen? How do we move on? What must we remember?
It’s easy to have an opinion online, safe behind the anonymity of a keyboard, just like, share and subscribe. But as the digital mob polish their pitchforks, the world starts to question just how free should free speech be.
A smart, witty new musical by Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth about truth, celebrity and public outrage.
So you take a public figure, who has ideas that only chime with a certain section of society (know what I mean). She spouts her views whenever she gets the opportunity and she works hard at making those opportunities. She does this regardless of any hurt she may do to herself or her family. She’s a crusader of sorts. Out there, an individual decides that she has to die. She’s too dangerous. Too much of a catalyst for everything the individual fears is going to happen. He plots to kill her and succeeds with shocking and bloody means. Do we then examine the rights and wrongs of the murderer or the victim? Hmmm. Do we secretly decide that she had it coming? Do we dare to voice that? Do we write a play fantasising it happening? I wouldn’t and I’d bet Katie Hopkins wouldn’t either because there is no play about the murder of Jo Cox and we’d all have been rightfully disgusted if there had been one before hand!
This new venture is theorising the murder of a living person with family and without the defences of a job in Parliament or even a major media outlet at this point in time. It would be outrageous to run a play about murdering a Labour MP. Have some sense of self restraint when fantasising about the murder of people you dislike and don’t turn them into stage shows. No amount of justification in the play would counter the nastiness of forming the thought in the first place. Examine your own humanity before you pick holes in hers.