“Everyone has their price, Jonny. I think a million dollars is yours.”
Atlantic City. 1988. Jonny and Rebecca are very much in love and very much in debt. He’s a struggling singer-songwriter who spends most of his time playing backup for Annie at the Oasis Casino Hotel Resort, and she works part-time at the casino and for a local charity. They struggle to make ends meet but they’re happy and that’s enough. Or is it….
Yes Indecent Proposal’s being turned into a musical.
Which is kind of interesting, given that it’s a dark and creepy story about a man who pays to spend the night with another man’s wife in exchange for a huge amount of money. Not exactly the most obvious story to turn into a musical, some might say… but not us, we’re all over it. And this is mainly because we’re suckers for a good surprise – and the simple existence of this show has already surprised the bejesus out of us. Whether the surprise is destined to be a pleasant one, however, only time (about three months, currently) will tell.
Either way, it’s an intriguing matter. And one that you probably ought to investigate personally.
The show’s landing courtesy of director Charlotte Westenra (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Frost/Nixon, and dozens more.), and writer Michael Conley (Superhero, The Sorrows of Satan, etc.) at the Southwark Playhouse this October, after it having been postponed twice already because of the C-word. No, Covid.
They’re basing the show on the original 1998 novel by Jack Engelhard, which the Moore/Redford/Harrelson movie is also based on, only they’re staying a little truer to the source material. This production is going to be set in Atlantic City, not Vegas, for instance, as it was in the book. But, it does diverge in some key ways. A large part of why the showrunners have decided to produce the show now is because of its immense latitude for commentary in our currently quite volatile social climate, making it, as director Westenra says “painfully relevant today”. It will explore the dynamics of power, fidelity, gender politics and a woman’s sexual autonomy, all in a new, lyric-laden light…
The cast is almost all lined up, with the notable exception of Rebecca (Diana in the film) who’s essentially the main character. But that’s no biggie. Her husband Jonny will be played by Norman Bowman (BBC’s Poldark, West Side Story, etc.) and Larry, the man doing the indecent proposing, will be played by Ako Mitchell (The Color Purple, HBO’s Avenue 5, etc.). They’ll be joined by Jacqui Dankworth MBE – a vocalist with credentials like The Royal Philharmonic – who’s going to be playing Annie, a casino singer.
It’s currently only slated for a one month run, so you’ll need to snap up tickets if you want to see it.
Just remember, “A life without risk is no life at all…”
NOTE: Indecent Proposal is playing at Southwark Playhouse from 22nd October – 27th November 2021. You can find out more, and get your tickets (£27.50, previews £16) at the website right HERE.
Southwark Playhouse | 77-85 Newington Causeway, SE1 6BD
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