Arcola Theatre Presents THIRTEEN DAYS THE MUSICAL, Sept 7-8

In October 1962, President John F. Kennedy uncovered Soviet missiles on the island of Cuba . The days that followed were the closest the world has ever come to being wiped out by nuclear war. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of this turning point in modern history, this autumn London’s Arcola Theatre will play host to Thirteen Days, a powerful new musical that follows the lives of three lovers, three leaders and three nations during this critical period, by means of a memorable score that fuses Western, Eastern and Latin musical styles.

The composer and lyricist of Thirteen Days, Alexander S. Bermange, is known to millions as the resident songwriter on BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House and the BBC World Service’s The World Today. He has also enjoyed considerable public and critical acclaim for a dozen musicals which have enjoyed successful runs in theatres across the country and in vast arenas around Europe . He has written music for theatre productions in the West End and around the UK , and his songs have been recorded and released by many international musical stars including Ramin Karimloo, Lara Pulver, Summer Strallen, Oliver Tompsett and Sally Ann Triplett. In the words of triple Oscar-winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice, Thirteen Days promises to be “a further step on Alexander S. Bermange’s road to the front rank of British composers and lyricists”.

The Arcola Theatre has been hailed by The Observer as “a powerhouse of new work” and by The Stage as “one of the great success stories of the British theatre”, and Thirteen Days has been selected to be the culminating production of the venue’s 2012 Grimeborn Festival.The musical is to be directed by Matthew Gould, with set and lighting design by Ben M. Rogers and costume design by Jean Gray - the team behind the recent critically acclaimed West End revival of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood. The musical arrangements are by internationally renowned orchestrator Paul Bateman.

Performances of Thirteen Days will be on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th September 2012 at 7.45pm at the Arcola Theatre, 2 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL. For tickets and further information, please call 020 7503 1646 or visit http://www.arcolatheatre.com/production/arcola/grimeborn-festival--thirteen-days--the-musical.

Photo Credit: Oscar Blustin