Michael Rosen’s Unexpected Twist at The Lowry
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor![](https://www.creativetourist.com/app/uploads/2023/03/a334a45ffef04b9724ffd58a65be1ca9-623x438.jpg)
A clever new version of a Dickensian classic comes to The Lowry this May. Unexpected Twist is a beatboxing musical retelling of the Charles Dickens classic, Oliver Twist, by celebrated children’s author, Michael Rosen.
Unexpected Twist is a musical mash-up for a modern audience.
Adapted for the stage by the BAFTA award-winning playwright Roy Williams, Rosen’s witty new version pulls many of Dickens’ original themes sharply into focus for a modern-day audience. This thought-provoking new version focuses on Shona, a young girl who lives in poverty with her struggling father. Shona has just moved to a new school and is trying to stay out of trouble. Finding her feet as the new kid, Shona and her chaotic classmates attempt to study Dickens’ book, Oliver Twist.
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As Shona learns more about the famous novel, the real-life text of her life plays out. Finding it hard to stay out of trouble, our young protagonist battles to navigate her way through a dark underworld. A unique tale of gangland drama, stolen phones and money laundering unfurls as Shona’s contemporary narrative twists unexpectedly with Dickens’ 19th-century story of Oliver Twist. Perhaps most powerfully, Dickens’ central themes of child poverty and child exploitation are brought bang-up-to-date in this bold reimagining. Unexpected Twist is a musical mash-up for a modern audience.
Expect striking original music by rising R&B star Yaya Bey and BAC Beatbox Academy’s Conrad Murray.
Combining the vivid worlds of Oliver and Shona, this cutting-edge play boasts an incredible beatbox soundtrack. Expect striking original music by rising R&B star Yaya Bey and BAC Beatbox Academy’s Conrad Murray, who is also musical director. Blending a range of styles including beatbox and R&B, the super-talented cast of eleven deliver the show’s dramatic soundtrack using just their own voices.
Packing a powerful punch, Unexpected Twist stars Kate Donnachie (Aladdin) as Desree, Alex Hardie (Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster) as Gazz, Rosie Hilal (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as Miss Cavani, Drew Hylton (Annie) as Shona, Nadine Rose Johnson (Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster) as Rosie, Polly Lister (The Worst Witch) as Nan/Lorraine, Alexander Lobo Moreno (GrimeBoy) as Tino, James Meteyard (Coriolanus) as Pops, Liyah Summers (Our Lady Of Kibeho) as Rasheda, and Thomas Vernal (The Book of Mormon) as Dad.
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This cutting-edge play boasts an incredible beatbox soundtrack.
Of the theatre adaptation, Rosen told us, “I have always been a huge lover of theatre and the dramatic arts. I believe in the power and value of live performance and rate it as an equal to all the other literary activities. I can’t describe what a thrill it is for me to know Unexpected Twist is going to be a play. I’ve already seen a draft script and it leapt off the page. I could immediately ‘see’ it as being a funny, tough, edgy, contemporary, powerful show. I am desperate to see it.”
Recommended for ages 9+, Unexpected Twist is the perfect remix of a Dickensian classic for the whole family.