The Big Life (musical)

The Big Life is a British ska musical with book and lyrics by Paul Sirett and music by Paul Joseph, originally produced by the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2004. It combines Shakespeare's Love's Labours Lost with the story of the Windrush immigrants^[1][2] (those Jamaicans who arrived in Britain aboard HMT Empire Windrush in 1948, which began an era of multiculturalism).

The Big Life
Music	Paul Joseph
Lyrics	Paul Sirett
Book	Paul Sirett and Tameka Empson
Premiere	22 April 2004: Theatre Royal Stratford East
Productions	2004 Theatre Royal Stratford East 2005 Apollo Theatre 2024 Theatre Royal Stratford East

The musical transferred to the West End's Apollo Theatre in 2005.^[3] It was nominated for Best New Musical at the 2006 Olivier Awards.

The musical is being revived for its 20th anniversary at Stratford East in early 2024 with previews on 16 February, an opening night on 22 February, and performances to 30 March.^[4]

Cast and characters

Character	Theatre Royal Stratford East	Theatre Royal Stratford East	Apollo Theatre	Theatre Royal Stratford East
	(2004)	(2005)	(2005)	(2024)
Ferdy	Victor Romero Evans			Ashley Samuels
Bernie	Neil Reidman			Nathanael Campbell
Lennie	Chris Tummings			Karl Queensborough
Dennis	Marcus Powell			Khalid Daley
Zulieka	Maureen Hibbert	Antonia Kemi Coker		Rachel John
Sybil	Yaa			Gabrielle Brooks
Mary	Lorna Brown	Yvette Rochester		Leanne Henlon
Kathy	Claudia Cadette			Juliet Agnes
Admiral	Jason Pennycooke			Danny Bailey
Jacqueline	Amanda Horlock			Beth Elliott
Reverend	Geoff Aymer			Gabriel Fleary
Mrs Aphrodite	Tameka Empson

Awards and Nominations

Original West End Production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2006	Laurence Olivier Awards	Best New Musical		Nominated
		Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical	Tameka Empson	Nominated

References

1. Ojumu, Akin (17 April 2004). "Reach for the ska". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
2. "The Big Life, Theatre Royal Stratford East, London". The Independent. 29 April 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
3. "The Big Life, Apollo Theatre, London". The Independent. 25 May 2005. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
4. Thomas, Sophie (4 April 2023). "'The Big Life' to celebrate 20th anniversary at Theatre Royal Stratford East". London Theatre. Retrieved 13 November 2023.