First look production images are released for the UK premiere of The Fabulist at Charing Cross Theatre.
The hazards of love, the wonder of magic, and the mysteries of the universe collide in The Fabulist, a joyous and fast-paced feast of musical comedy.
Italy, 1929. Illusionist-extraordinaire and outlawed heretic Julian finds himself on the run from Mussolini and the Catholic church. Stumbling upon a film shoot, he dazzles screenwriter Clarice with his magical skills and easygoing charm. But how can you trust a man whose life is built on illusion? And what will happen as the regime closes in on him?
Giovanni Paisiello, one of the most famous composers of his time ((1740-1816), was famed for his bubbly, colourful and fun-filled operettas. Combining some of his most sublime music with a brand new libretto, The Fabulist is both a forgotten classic and a modern tale of romance and self-discovery.
The Fabulist, with book and lyrics by James Farwell, is based on Paisiello’s opera The Imaginary Astrologer, Catherine the Great’s favourite, written specially for her. Paisiello, who heavily influenced Rossini but with a lighter tone, was the favourite composer of both Catherine and Napoleon, for whom he composed Coronation music.
