Birmingham Hippodrome, Sadler’s Wells, The Lowry and Universal Music UK have announced Message In A Bottle, a new production choreographed by Kate Prince set to the music of Sting.
The show will feature lyrical hip hop dance alongside classic music from Sting and The Police in an uplifting tale of humanity and hope. The story features a village alive with joyous celebrations that suddenly comes under siege. Determined and daring, three parted siblings step out on their own extraordinary adventures. Prince and Sting promise plenty of recognisable songs including Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Walking On The Moon, Englishman in New York, Shape of My Heart and Fields of Gold.
Photo Johan Persson
The cast features dancers from ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, the creator behind Some Like it Hip Hop and Into the Hoods, and a Birmingham Hippodrome Associate Company. Full casting will be announced following national auditions.
Research and development for the production has been supported by The Movement, a dance producing partnership between Birmingham Hippodrome, The Lowry and Sadler’s Wells. Supported by Arts Council England through the Ambitions for Excellence programme, The Movement aims to nurture talent and bring large scale dance productions to even wider audiences.
Sting says, “It’s an intriguing idea to align my songs and music with the work of a successful and highly esteemed choreographer of Kate’s standing. I witnessed one of the first workshops and was very excited by the potential. It’s always interesting when someone from another field offers a fresh and unexpected perspective on your work and I’m so looking forward to seeing the piece.”
Kate Prince adds, “I’ve been a fan of Sting and The Police all my life and have seen him play live four times. As a choreographer, when I listen to any music, I am always inspired to create dance, and Sting’s music, which has been playing in my headphones for over 30 years, kept bringing me to the same thought, ‘I want to choreograph to this’. As a body of work it is a choreographer’s dream.
“I mentioned the idea in passing to Alistair Spalding (Sadler’s Wells), who has been supporting my career and ZooNation for 15 years. Pretty soon I found myself nervously entering the lobby of a swanky London hotel to pitch the idea to Sting himself. Much to my complete surprise but complete delight, it is actually happening! All of my work has a narrative. I love stories, and you can expect this to be no different. Sting’s lyrics draw on so many themes, from political to the tragic, from death and heartache to love and hope.”
Message In A Bottle is due to run at London’s Peacock Theatre from February 6-March 20, 2020, then touring, including to the Birmingham Hippodrome in May that year.