The Egg Theatre (Bath) has teamed up with Holm Theatre (Wales and South West) to commission and tour Josephine, a brand new play about iconic entertainer, spy and civil rights activist Josephine Baker.
Using original music, dancing from the Harlem Renaissance and a hatful of historical figures, Josephine follows one woman’s journey from the oppressive slums of St Louis to the bright lights of Paris.
Josephine Baker broke the mould during her lifetime to become a 20th century icon. But almost 50 years after her death, Café Josephine, a down-at-heel New York eatery dedicated to her memory, faces closure. Nobody remembers Josephine, who she was or what she did.
Playwrights Leona Allen and Jesse Briton commented, “when we stumbled across the story of Josephine Baker, we were amazed by two things: how could she have done so much and how could we not have heard of her? We wrote Josephine to answer those questions and inspire a whole new generation to reimagine their relationship with the past.”
It's at Z-arts, Manchester, March 19.