Conceived by Levi Roots, the reggae musician, chef and entrepreneur, Sound Clash: Death in the Arena is written by the award-winning novelist and playwright, Alex Wheatle MBE.
Sound Clash: Death in the Arena is a contemporary street musical about star-crossed lovers. This world premiere is produced by Adrian Grant (Thriller – Live), choreographed by Jade Hackett (Hex, National Theatre; Get Up, Stand Up), and directed by renowned director and actor Ray Shell (the originator of Nomax in Five Guys Named Moe and Rusty in Starlight Express).
It tells a story of young love, betrayal, and murder in the dancehall. Enter Sound City; where music is everything, and two warring sound systems – The Eagles and The Thunders – fight for power. When young lovers, Ashley and Kazzandra, are torn apart by family politics and musical warfare, what follows are electric dance-offs and lyrical battles in the Sound Clash Arena.
More information can be found here
Sound Clash: Death in the Arena is coming to the Pleasance Courtyard, what can you tell us about the show?
I can inform theatre-goers that SOUNDCLASH – Death in the Arena, is loosely based on the Romeo & Juliet legend. This time the story is set in a futuristic London where there is no internet and no established forms of the communications that we enjoy today. Instead, the owners of the sound systems control the news flow/agenda in various regions. Our two lovers, Ashley & Kazzandra are members of two rival sound systems.
The show is full of energy, dancing, betrayal and the lust for power and dominance.
What was the inspiration behind it?
Levi Roots approached me with an idea/vision/characters that he had and I managed to build a narrative around that.
Tell us about the kind of music audiences can expect to hear in Sound Clash?
The audience can expect reggae dancehall classics going back through the decades.
And what do you hope audiences might learn from the music they’re hearing?
The audience will learn and enjoy dancehall classics they may never have heard of, and it’ll be almost impossible not to want to get up and dance.
How does it feel to be bringing this kind of story to the stage for the first time, and at Edinburgh Fringe?
It feels very exciting that we are bringing this particular type of story to the stage for the first time. We want to bring the audience into a typical dancehall environment and enjoy the music and drama.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Sound Clash: Death in the Arena?
I would say that if you want an exciting night with danceable music, mixed in with a little Shakespeare and tension, then go and see SOUNDCLASH – Death In The Arena.
