Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre has announced the cast for the UK première of Peter Arnott’s World War II drama Propaganda Swing.
This co-production with Nottingham Playhouse will feature a cast of eight actor-musicians and follows the success of the two theatres’ previous co-production, Michael Eaton’s Charlie Peace: His Amazing Life and Astounding Legend, which premièred in Nottingham in September 2013.
Directed by the Belgrade’s artistic director Hamish Glen, Propaganda Swing is “a captivating combination of World War II intrigue and drama set against a backdrop of glitz, glamour and big band swagger”.
This new play reveals how some of the greatest German jazz musicians of the day entered into a Faustian pact with Fascists to continue playing their music at the price of seeing it corrupted for evil.
The Nazis hated jazz, seeing it as decadent and impure. But one of them, Propaganda Ministry official Karl “Charly” Schwedler, understood its true power. He made it his mission to harness that power so the Nazis could use jazz as a weapon of war.
Chris Andrew Mellon, who appeared in the Belgrade’s 2014 Spanish Golden Age Season, returns in the role of Otto Stenzl.
He will be joined by Clara Darcy as Anita, whose credits include the 2014 UK tour of Brassed Off and the Belgrade’s 2010 production We Love You City, Callum Coates as William Joyce/Lord Haw Haw, Miranda Wilford as Lala Anderson, Paul Lincoln as Heinrich Hinkel, Tomm Coles as Lutz Templin, Bradley Clarkson as Bill and Jonny Bower as Charly.
Design is by Libby Watson, whose Belgrade credits include Marriage, Stars In The Morning Sky and Babylone. Lighting design is by Mike Robertson. Musical supervisor is Hilary Brooks.
Propaganda Swing will run on the Belgrade main stage from 13 until 27 September before transferring to Nottingham Playhouse from 2 until 18 October.