Pascal Productions today announces the UK and English Language première of Wendy Beckett’s Sappho – a new play inspired by the famous Greek poet integrating the original poetry with contemporary music and dance.
Poet. Lover. Legend.
Fusing ancient poetry with modern music, Greek chorus with circus and contemporary dance, Sappho is a thrilling adult fairy tale of mythic proportions that may – or may not – have happened.
We are somewhere between imagination and 6th century BC on the Greek island of Lesbos. Poetess Sappho creates worlds out of her words: rewriting the rules of both her art form and her gender. Socrates calls her work beautiful, Plato describes her as the tenth Muse, and many think her work rivals even that of Homer’s Iliad.
Sappho has fallen in love with a woman but her family and a civilisation on the precipice of democracy have other ideas for her. The defiantly spirited Sappho comes under fire, and soon she must decide whether to marry a man for the advancement of her society, or remain true to her own words – and her authentic self.
Expect dancing, passion, poetry and plenty of queer joy as Pascal Productions’ epic international hit finally storms the London stage.
Beckett said, “For three millennia Sappho’s life and her sexuality has been debated and refuted among scholars. Legends and fables have sprung up at the mere mention of her name. Never has a poet held such a status disproportionate to the size of her surviving work, which is what inspired me to write this play! It is an adult fairy tale about a great, seminal artist who has inspired women everywhere. To be able to bring her alive again at Southwark Playhouse Elephant is a great honour.”
Adam Fitzgerald added, “We are thrilled to now be bringing Sappho to the London stage after our Greek production. It is such a joy to continue this play with artists from around the globe – Australia, Greece, France, and the U.S. – and joining a fantastic team here in the UK.
Sappho is a queer icon, a history-making LGBTQ+ superstar, and we are honoured to be sharing her story, embodied by British actors and dancers on the beautiful new stage.”
Southwark Playhouse Elephant, 1 Dante Place, London SE11 4RX from 3 May – 25 May.
Box Office: 020 7407 0234
Pioneers Preview (3 May): £10
Preview Tickets: £16
Full Price Tickets from: £22
Concession Tickets from: £17
