Newcastle-based balletLORENT begins a national tour of The Lost Happy Endings at Darlington Hippodrome during February half term.
The show, a modern fairy tale for family audiences which follows three modern retellings of the classic tales Rapunzel (2012–-2014), Snow White (2015–2016) and Rumpelstiltskin (2017–2018), is, like the others, written by former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and choreographed by Liv Lorent.
Joining Lorent and Duffy in this latest piece are the collaborators who created Rapunzel, Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin: composer Murray Gold, dramaturg Ben Crompton and lighting designers Malcolm Rippeth and Michael Morgan. New collaborators for this production are set designer Neil Murray and fashion and costume designer Nasir Mazhar.
Narrated by Joanna Lumley, The Lost Happy Endings is a story about a magical girl called Jub who lives deep in the forest and has six fingers on each hand. Her job is to guard the happy endings to stories and fairy tales. But one day, an otherworldly Witch steals them, and at bedtime the stories are destroyed...
Goldilocks changed the locks on the cottage of the three bears...
Cinderella’s foot is now too big for the glass slipper…
Little Red Riding Hood is gobbled up by the wolf…
Pinocchio’s nose never stops growing—in fact, his nose grew so long that he arrived everywhere a whole day before he set off!
As the Witch disappears with the stolen Happy Endings, it is up to Jub to save the night, encountering many beloved fairy-tale characters and woodland creatures in her quest...
The tour begins at Darlington Hippodrome on Saturday 22 (7:00) and Sunday 23 (2:30) February and then the show goes to:
- Leeds Playhouse on 27 and 28 March
- Dundee Rep on 2 and 3 April
- Sadler’s Wells on 10 and 11 April
- Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on 24 and 25 April
- Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, on 15 and 16 May
- Hull New Theatre on 22 May
At every venue the professional company will be joined on stage by a community cast of children aged 6–11 years.