A review, by Howard Loxton of the British Theatre Guide, of Crime and Punishment.
Phil Willmott has managed to cut Dostoyevsky’s novel down to a ninety-minute musical. Concentrating on protagonist Rodiom Raskalnikov, he has carved out storyline that presents the main plot clearly and uses Toyah Willcox’s songs (mainly old ones, some specially written) not as decoration but integrated so that they contribute to the storytelling.
Philip Eddoll’s steampunk set, all cogwheels and smoking chimneys, has already been used for The Wawel Dragon (the evening’s earlier offering for a younger audience). Now onion domes are added to make it more Russian but, though the location remains St Petersburg, with the black-goggled cast slowly crawling all over it as the audience assembles, this surreal place could be any- and everywhere.
Toyah’s “We Are” opens the show with an eruption of confidence from the gathering of students: “we are the young ones, we are the chosen ones, we are the only ones!” before Raskolnikov (Alec Porter) declares that he is penniless and must give up his studies.
• Continue reading at the British Theatre Guide. (Photos © British Theatre Guide/Sheila Burnett)
• Love London Love Culture: Review: Crime & Punishment – The Rock Musical, The Scoop: This being said there can be no complaints at the music and the songs. From the rousing “We Are” to the more poignant and touching “Legacy”, each song captures the emotions of the story and help the audience to understand the character’s state of mind perfectly. There is an edginess to them that fits in with the aggression and sinisterness of the plot as in “Angels & Demons” – suggesting the conflicting sides to Raskolnikov and which part of him that he is going to follow – Continue reading…
• The Reviews Hub: Crime and Punishment – The Scoop, London: The plundering of Toyah Willcox’s back catalogue of songs also provides some juxtapositions that can’t help but raise a smile, most notably Willmott’s delivery of It’s a Mystery as he begins his investigation into the murder. Throughout, the use of Willcox’s music – most of which is by Willcox and Darlow, with additional contributions from Joel Bogen and Keith Hale – provides a pleasingly uniform and rich rock sound – Continue reading…
Crime and Punishment: A Rock Musical – The Scoop, London
Dostoyevsky is turned into a musical featuring specially written songs and favourite tracks by Toyah Willcox and her songwriting partner Simon Darlow, opening a free season at London’s Scoop that runs to September 25.
• Continue reading at The Stage.
The much anticipated Crime and Punishment: A Rock Opera – as it’s now being called on Twitter – opened last night at The Scoop Theatre, London. Toyah was in attendance to support the premiere performance and hear THIRTEEN of her songs as they’ve never been heard before, and TWO of those, new Willcox/Darlow compositions, had never ever been heard before. Crime and Punishment continues tonight and every Wednesday through to Sunday until 25th September.
Getting The Scoop on London’s Free Open Air Theatre Season
Director Phil Willmott talks to Matthew Amer about bringing free theatre to City Hall.
Growing up, theatre director Phil Willmott was enthralled and inspired by pocket money-priced trips to the theatre. Now he hopes to inspire Londoners with shows that are entirely free.
“I didn’t know anything about theatre or plays,” Willmott says of his early exposure to the excitement of live theatre at Bristol Old Vic. “I would sit in the dark and this extraordinary story would happen in front of me. It was just the most brilliant education in literature and humanity. The stories I saw taught me so much about the world and different cultures. I always want to capture that for other people, to give them theatre that is that exciting.”
That is exactly what the director has been doing since 2003 at The Scoop with London’s Free Open Air Theatre Season. Each year he stages a classic text and a children’s production, and the audience can watch without having to open their wallets.
“Because we’re free,” Willmott continues, “people from all walks of life will come along, take a chance and sit down. An hour and a half later they’ve watched our play and want to talk about it. The really exciting thing about The Scoop’s audience is most of them have never dreamed of going to the theatre.”
• Continue reading at Theatre.London.
Get ready for Crime and Punishment, part of The Scoop’s FREE Open Air Theatre, from tonight, which includes Toyah music – old and new! Keep an eye on Scoop @ Twitter for updates.
LONDON’S FREE OPEN-AIR THEATRE SEASON 2016
For over a decade, the core artists of Gods & Monsters Theatre have created work inspired by the diverse cultures of those around them, sharing their perspective on the great stories of the world to an audience of over 40,000 each summer.
For 2016 Gods & Monsters Theatre return to The Scoop with a season dedicated to two cornerstones of Russian culture: the 19th century masterpiece Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky and the beautiful folktales of Russia, Poland and Ukraine.
Presented by Gods & Monsters Theatre | 31 August – 25 September 2016 | Directed by Phil Willmott | 8pm: Crime & Punishment
As the skies darken over The Scoop so does our story. For our fourteenth season we offer a brand new rock musical based on Dostoyevsky’s classic tale of youth and alienation. Arguably literature’s first psychological detective novel, Crime & Punishment put Dostoyevsky at the forefront of Russian literature when it appeared in 1866 and is one of the most famous and influential novels in world literature. In keeping with the spirit of the novel our production will incorporate a rock score that powerfully captures the youthful energy, angst, beauty and violence at its heart.
• Continue reading at London Bridge City Summer Festival.
‘Crime And Punishment: A Rock Musical’: Dostoyevsky Meets Punk Princess Toyah Willcox
What do you get when you mix the music of 80s punk princess Toyah Willcox with the writing of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky? Crime and Punishment: A Rock Musical, of course. As part of London’s Open Air Theatre Season, The Scoop amphitheatre will be hosting the world premiere of this unlikely production, using the raw energy and passion of rock music to introduce new audiences to one of the world’s most important literary works.
Since 2005, the award-winning Gods and Monsters Theatre, The Scoop’s resident company, have been bringing together Londoners of all class and creed with an exciting programme of free, open air theatre as part of More London’s five-month-long London Bridge City Summer Festival. Each year, 40,000 free tickets are up for grabs in the sunken stone amphitheatre, which lies in the shadow of City Hall and Tower Bridge, with productions ranging from exciting musicals to Greek classics to adaptations of contemporary literature.
• Continue reading at The Culture Trip. Crime and Punishment begins on Wednesday at The Scoop Theatre, London at 8pm. The set has been built and technical rehearsals have begun. Browse all of Dreamscape’s news on the production here.
Dig out the kagoul; London’s open-air theatre is worth risking the rain for
Read our round-up of open-air theatre events for the summer ahead. You’ll find London’s best outdoor productions at venues as world-famous as Shakespeare’s Globe, in parks as pretty as Regent’s Park or at festivals as vibrant as More London Free Festival. Not sure what you’ll need for an open-air theatre trip? Then don’t miss our guide to all the practical open-air theatre info you could need.
Crime and Punishment – A Rock Musical: Toyah Willcox adapts Dostoyevsky’s classic in a free outdoor musical
Er. Well look, if a musical version of Dostoyevsky’s 1866 masterpiece about a student who wrestles with his guilt after killing a moneylender – with songs by Toyah Willcox no less – were announced for the West End we’d probably break out into cold sweats pretty sharpish.
• Continue reading at Time Out.
The first run through of Crime and Punishment took place last night, with Toyah tweeting how pleased she was with it. Meet the cast of the new musical, featuring classic and new Toyah music, which opens a week tomorrow (31st August) at The Scoop Theatre, London.
Crime & Punishment: A Rock Musical – Interview with Director Phil Willmott
As part of London’s Free Open-Air Theatre Season, Crime & Punishment: A Rock Musical will hold its world premiere at The Scoop in London Bridge this month. Directed and adapted by Phil Willmott and featuring music by legendary rock legend Toyah Willcox, this revamped production will transform Dostoyevsky’s most famous and influential novel into a thrilling new musical. We sit down with director Phil Willmott to get the low-down on this adaptation of a classic with a tuneful twist.
London Calling: What attracted you to doing a rock-version of Crime & Punishment?
Phil Willmott: Well, we always try to do plays that reflect what’s going on in London society. Right now, we’re all very interested in what motivates these lone wolf killers to commit these terrible atrocities around the world. Crime & Punishment is very much about this, about a young man who sincerely believes that for the greater good and because of his beliefs that he is entitled to kill, so it feels very topical. And even though it’s a 19th Century Russian novel, the story is all about student angst, anger, and idealism so it seemed to really suggest itself to rock music as a sort of language for anger and alienation, as well as having a youthful energy.
LC: You’re using music by Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow. What is it about their music that fits so well with this rock adaptation?
PW: Well in the 80s she was the punk princess. She was the person who took punk rock and sort of glamourised it and made it theatrical, while still retaining the kind of rawness, the anger and the energy of rock. So, because that’s my generation’s music, the first thing I did was to go back and listen to her songs and then I discovered that she is still recording and is still a best-selling recording artist so I got in touch with her and explained what I wanted to do and fortunately she said yes, that she’d love to come on board.
• Continue reading at London Calling.
Opening 31st August at The Scoop Theatre, London, Crime and Punishment, with songs by Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow. Adapted and Directed by Phil Willmott
Crime and Punishment – The Rock Musical
Dostoyevsky and the music of Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow
As the skies darken over The Scoop, so does our story. Published in 1866 Dostoyeksky’s Crime and Punishment is one of the most famous and influential novels in world literature. When an idealistic student kills a ruthless money lender, who terrorises the poor of St. Petersburg, the novel challenges us to ask if murder is ever justified.
Rock music works as the perfect medium to express the energy, rebellion and passion of the story. Fittingly this new musical production, adapted and directed by Phil Willmott, will feature specially written songs and favourite tracks by British rock legend, Toyah Willcox and her song-writing partner Simon Darlow.
From 31st August to 25th September, 8pm, every Wednesday to Sunday at The Scoop at More London. Captioned performance of both shows: Thursday 22nd September. Post show chats with the Company: Thurs 8th, 15th & 22nd September after Crime & Punishment.
A couple of newly revealed promotional images for Crime and Punishment. Click below for more info on this new rock musical.
Crime and Punishment: A Rock Musical – Dostoyevsky and the music of Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow at The Scoop
London’s Free Open-Air Theatre Season is back as part of the London Bridge City Summer Festival, offering 40,000 free tickets for great theatre within the heart of London. Running since 2003, this is still London’s only ‘free to all’ annual festival of theatre. There’s no need to book so just turn up and take a seat.
This year, Gods and Monsters Theatre are shaking things up with a new rock musical of Crime and Punishment, with songs by the legendary Toyah Willcox. This newly revamped production of this 19th century masterpiece marks the increasingly important role Russia plays in London’s economy and the way our work, social and cultural life is enriched by a strong Eastern European presence in our capital.
Toyah was the Punk Princess of the 1980s with a song-writing career that has spanned thirty years and includes eight Top 40 singles and over 20 albums keeping her at the cutting edge of counter-culture.
• Continue reading at Frost Magazine.
Check out toyahwillcox.com for further info on Crime and Punishment…
Toyah Willcox adapts Dostoyevsky’s classic in a free outdoor musical
Er. Well look, if a musical version of Dostoyevsky’s 1866 masterpiece about a student who wrestles with his guilt after killing a moneylender – with songs by Toyah Willcox no less – were announced for the West End we’d probably break out into cold sweats pretty sharpish. But it’s a pretty impressive proposition as a bit of free outdoor theatre. It’s also a welcome change of pace for Gods and Monsters Theatre, whose annual shows at The Scoop had fallen into a bit of a predictable pattern of adaptations of Greek tragedies in the last few years. If you want to see the show, just turn up.
• Continue reading at Time Out.
Hot on the heels of the news that a new Willcox/Darlow song, Our Hearts Still Beat, has been recorded for inclusion in the forthcoming new film Extremis – to play over the film’s end titles – Toyah has tweeted that another new song – Fire Escape – again by Willcox/Darlow, has also been recorded for the, soon to open in London, rock musical Crime and Punishment.
London’s Free Open-Air Theatre Season is back as part of the London Bridge City Summer Festival, offering 40,000 free tickets for great theatre within the heart of London. Running since 2003, this is still London’s only ‘free to all’ annual festival of theatre. There’s no need to book so just turn up and take a seat!
• Continue reading at Concert News Online.
Toyah Willcox musical to play free open air festival
Based on Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment receives its world premiere in August
A brand new musical retelling of Dostoevsky’s Crime & Punishment, will be staged at The Scoop in London this summer.
Adapted and directed by Phil Willmott, the musical will feature original music by Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow, as well as some of Willcox’s well-known tracks.
Crime & Punishment: A Rock Musical will be part of the free open air theatre season, held annually at The Scoop, next to City Hall on the south side of the River Thames.
• Continue reading at What’s On Stage.
Toyah Willcox rock musical to run at open air theatre in London
A musical based on novel Crime and Punishment that features the music of Toyah Willcox will run at open air theatre the Scoop this summer. The show, from theatre company Gods and Monsters, runs at the Scoop near London Bridge from August 31 to September 25.
Crime and Punishment: A Rock Musical is adapted and directed by Phil Willmott and features songs written by Willcox and her writing partner, Simon Darlow.
Willcox said she was “excited that this collaboration will engage tens of thousands of people with this extraordinary novel in so fresh and enticing a way”.
• Continue reading at The Stage.
Gods and Monsters Theatre To Present Crime and Punishment: A Rock Musical
London’s Free Open-Air Theatre Season is back as part of the London Bridge City Summer Festival, offering 40,000 free tickets for great theatre within the heart of London. Running since 2003, this is still London’s only ‘free to all’ annual festival of theatre. There’s no need to book so just turn up and take a seat!
This year, Gods and Monsters Theatre are shaking things up with a new rock musical of Crime and Punishment, with songs by the legendary Toyah Willcox. This newly revamped production of this 19th century masterpiece marks the increasingly important role Russia plays in London’s economy and the way our work, social and cultural life is enriched by a strong Eastern European presence in our capital.
Toyah Willcox comments, Who could resist this chance to help introduce theatre-goers, great literature and steam punk all in the one show, performed for free to such a huge and multi- cultural audience, in this iconic, beautiful venue? The on-going work of Gods and Monsters to create vibrant, powerful productions that bring London’s diverse communities together under the stars is a perfect fit with my life-long philosophy of performance for all. Capturing the spirit of Dostoyevsky’s alienated characters has been a wonderful challenge and I’m excited that this collaboration will engage tens of thousands of people with this extraordinary novel in so fresh and enticing a way and is totally fitting with my musical work.
• Continue reading at Broadway World.
New Crime And Punishment musical part of London’s Free Open-Air Theatre Season
London’s Free Open-Air Theatre Season is back as part of the London Bridge City Summer Festival, offering 40,000 free tickets for great theatre within the heart of London. Running since 2003, this is still London’s only ‘free to all’ annual festival of theatre. There’s no need to book so just turn up and take a seat!
This year, Gods and Monsters Theatre are shaking things up with a new rock musical version of Crime and Punishment, with songs by the legendary Toyah Willcox. This newly revamped production of this 19th century masterpiece marks the increasingly important role Russia plays in London’s economy and the way our work, social and cultural life is enriched by a strong Eastern European presence in our capital.
• Continue reading at Live Theatre UK.
