Photo Flash: Fellini Adaptation LA STRADA Celebrates Opening Night at The Other Palace

One of the true masterpieces of modern cinema, Federico Fellini's 1957 Oscar-winning film, LA STRADA (The Road), is being brought life on stage in a brand new adaptation directed by Olivier Award nominee Sally Cookson, with music composed by Benji Bower. The production received its world premiere at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, followed by a national tour. The show opened on 30 May in its London premiere at The Other Palace, the newest addition to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Group, where it will run until 8 July 2017. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening festivities below!

Awarded the honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1993, Italian director Federico Fellini changed the face of film-making forever with his seminal films such as La Strada, La Dolce Vita, 8½, Nights of Cabiria and Satyricon. Marking 60 years since La Strada, starring Anthony Quinn, won the 'Best Foreign Language Film' Academy award, Fellini's cinematic masterpiece, hailed as "one of the most influential films ever made" (the American Film Institute), sees its first ever UK stage adaptation.

A soul-searching story filled with beauty, sadness, humour and acute observation, LA STRADA tells the tragic and tender tale of wide-eyed Gelsomina who is sold by her impoverished mother to the brutish strongman Zampano, a travelling sideshow performer. Their journey through the Italian countryside leads them to a ragtag touring circus where they meet Il Matto the free-spirited tightrope walker, who tries to rekindle Gelsomina's broken spirit.

Featuring live music and original songs, LA STRADA brings together a multi-skilled cast of performers and musicians. Audrey Brisson (Cirque de Soleil's Quidam, Kneehigh's The Cast of the Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Dead Dog in a Suitcase, The Wild Bride and National Theatre's The Elephantom) plays Gelsomina, Stuart Goodwin (Sally Cookson's Sleeping Beauty; Kneehigh's Tristan & Yseult) plays Zampano and Bart Soroczynski (Cirque de Loin's The Fool & The Princess; ENO's Benvenuto Cellini; RSC's The Merry Wives of Windsor) plays Il Matto. The ensemble cast includes: Matt Costain, Fabrizio Matteini, Sofie Lybäck, Niv Petel, Niccolo Curradi, Tatiana Santini, Luke Potter and Tee Jay Holmes. Further casting to be announced.

LA STRADA is directed by Sally Cookson, with musical direction and music by Benji Bower, 'writer in the room' Mike Akers, set and costume design by Katie Sykes, lighting design by Aideen Malone and sound design by Mike Beer.

For more about the show, visit www.lastradalive.com.

Photo Credit: Adam Bennett

The full company of LA STRADA plus Frances Cafellini and Kenny Wax
The full company of LA STRADA plus Frances Cafellini and Kenny Wax
Anthony Drewe and George Stiles
Audrey Brisson
Stuart Goodwin
Frances Cafellini and Grazia Novilla
Howard Goodall, George Stiles, Val Fancourt and Anthony Drewe
Kara Tointon and Phoebe Thomas
Kenny Wax, Frances Cafellini and Grazia Novilla