The fantastic Jazzabelles musical will be appearing at Down Arts Centre on 19 February at 8pm.
The show received a standing ovation in The Strule, Omagh, and sold out in Antrim Old Courthouse Theatre and Lisburn Island Arts Centre. It’s now nearing the end of its tour.
Nick Boyle has written a new, exciting original jazz musical called…. The Jazzabelles. Starring exclusively local cast and crew, it tells the story of three girls in 1950’s Belfast who are trying to make it as a jazz trio.
There are several hurdles in the way – controlling husbands, religious fanatics, fraudulent show business snakes and a strong sub-plot of discrimination.
The 1950’s conjures up images of big blockbuster musicals, taffeta Dior dresses, pixie cuts and sharp-suited businessmen. The reality wasn’t quite so glamorous.
It was a time of hand-me-down dresses stored in mothballs and saving up for a perm. This was a seemingly idyllic time of lamplighters, trolleybuses and tea dances. But it was far from being a Golden Age.
With 14 new songs, a snappy script, a live band and sharp moves, The Jazzabelles is a punchy, swinging musical. It stars the vocal talent of Beccy Henderson (Ordinary Days, Sleeping Beauty) Claire McCartney (The Mystery Sisters, Vokxen) Nuala Davies (Rent, Vernon God Little, Belfast by Moonlight) and Stephen Beggs (Philadelphia Here I Come, Pride and Prejudice, Pigeon & Plum)
Nick Boyle is a composer and pianist, who has directed BBC Sing Carols, written music for shows such as Play of the Book and collaborated widely with sound artists, theatre companies, visual artists and film makers. He is also music director of Wireless Mystery Theatre.
He has worked alongside ‘The Mystery Sisters’ vocal trio who have performed in The Titanic building, The Lyric Theatre, Island Arts Centre Lisburn, The Helix, Strule etc. He has had a multitude of original dramatic and musical theatre works performed in the Group Theatre, Southbank and The Edinburgh Fringe, as well as providing live soundtracks to silent films such as ‘Voyage to the Moon’.
The Jazzabelles ran a successful Kickstarter Campaign and have been generously sponsored by Punjana.
www.belfastvibe.com/big-stories/the-jazzabelles-director-nick-boyle-talks-supporting-local-talent
www.facebook.com/The-Jazzabelles-Musical
Tickets are £10, available from Down Arts Centre and the seating is cabaret style.
