Sheffield Theatres announces their new production of Talent, written by Victoria Wood, at the Crucible Theatre from Wednesday 30 June to Saturday 24 July 2021.
Cast in the play are: Richard Cant (The Country Wife), Daniel Crossley (Me and My Girl), Jamie-Rose Monk (Dick Whittington), Jonathon Ojinnaka, (Coronation Street), James Quinn (Democracy) and Lucie Shorthouse (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie). Directing Talent is Paul Foster (Kiss Me, Kate). Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, Talent tells the story of a young woman with dreams of showbiz glory.
‘My hands are shaking you know. I haven’t been so keyed up about anything since I was the Virgin Mary.’
It’s 1978. Bunters club is hosting its Friday Talent Night – the acts on the bill hope that it’s a stepping stone to New Faces or Opportunity Knocks. 24-year-old Julie dreams of stardom, escape from her dead-end job and the chance to leave the drudgery of living at home with her mother. Her less worldly-wise friend Maureen has come along to offer support.
Full of Victoria Wood’s unmatched wit and observation, Talent is a play with music about friendship, ambition and the lower rungs of the showbiz ladder.
Robert Hastie, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres anticipates the opening of the play at the Crucible: ‘Victoria Wood was – and remains – unrivalled in combining wit, heart and musical brilliance in her comedy, and Talent reminds us that as a playwright she was every bit as skilled creating characters and songs for the stage as she was for the screen. This was her debut play, which she wrote for Sheffield Theatres Studio in 1978 at the age of 25. It makes me proud of Sheffield’s long history of supporting emerging artists, which we continue today, and I’m excited to be bringing Talent back to the Crucible as we welcome audiences returning to live theatre. This play will be a delight for everyone who’s missed that feeling of togetherness you get from sharing laughter and music at a live performance.’
