Stars of stage and screen Peter Polycarpou (Man of La Mancha, London Coliseum; City of Angels; Donmar Warehouse; Birds of a Feather) and Sally Ann Triplett (Finding Neverland, Broadway; Viva Forever, Piccadilly Theatre; EastEnders) unite in the new musical Falling Stars. Conceived and written by Polycarpou, the song cycle is an homage to the composers, collaborators, and publishers of the 1920s, who created some of the greatest music of all time.
Falling Stars is the charming story of a lost songbook; hidden away in an antique shop on the East Finchley High Road, its discovery unlocks the beautiful refrains of a bygone era. The entrancing production includes the earliest songs and forgotten melodies of composers who went on to become the most famous songwriters of the century, who changed entertainment forever.
This musical revue captures the spirit of the age as Polycarpou and Triplett serenade audiences with the music of Charlie Chaplin, Irving Berlin, Buddy De-Silva, Ray Henderson, Vincent Youmans, Carl Schraubstader, Arthur Freed, and Meredith Wilson. Directed by Michael Strassen (Godspell 50th Anniversary concert; Billy; Assassins), Falling Stars will be performed live at Southwark’s Union Theatre for two nights only.
Peter Polycarpou comments, Falling Stars is a collection of songs written just after another pandemic - the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed at least 30 million people worldwide.
And why did the 1920s roar like they did? Because the music of The Charleston, The Tango and The Foxtrot were an escape from the awful social nightmare of the modern world. These songs are a reminder of a time when song writing was both a craft and a blessed escape.
