''Nativity! The Musical'' is a

stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

written and directed by

Debbie Isitt Debbie Isitt (born 7 February 1966) is an English comic writer, film director, composer and performer. Early life and education Isitt was born in Birmingham. She went to Our Lady of Fatima Primary School and Lordswood Girls Secondary School and ...

(co-composed by Nicky Ager), based on Isitt's 2009 film of the same name (part of the ''Nativity'' film series). The musical follows a

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

based primary school, St Bernadette's, where teacher Mr Maddens and his assistant, Mr Poppy mount a musical version of the nativity with the students, promising it will be adapted into a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. The musical features songs from the film including "Sparkle and Shine", "Nazareth", "One Night One Moment" and "She's The Brightest Star".

Production history

2017 UK tour

The musical made its world premiere at the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

from 20 October to 12 November 2017, before touring to Southend Cliffs Pavilion (15 to 19 November), Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (22 to 26 November), Manchester Palace Theatre (29 November to 3 December),

Plymouth Theatre Royal Theatre Royal, Plymouth, is a theatre venue in Plymouth, Devon. It consists of a 1,300-seat main auditorium, The Lyric, which regularly hosts large-scale musicals, opera and ballet; a 200-seat studio, The Drum; and a 50-seat studio, The Lab. O ...

(6 to 10 December), London's

Eventim Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ham ...

(13 to 17 December) and

Leeds Grand Theatre The Grand Theatre, also known as Leeds Grand Theatre and Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, is a theatre and opera house in Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It seats approximately 1,500 people. Building It was designed by James Ro ...

(20 December to 6 January 2018) The production was directed by Isitt, choreographed by Andrew Wright, with musical arrangements and orchestrations by George Dyer (who is also Musical Supervisor), designed by David Woodhead and produced by Jamie Wilson,

Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

, Ramin Sabi, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. On 2 May 2017, the principal cast was announced including

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English musical theatre actor, who was a contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007 before becoming known as a stage actor in various musicals including '' Avenue Q'', ''Spamalot'' an ...

as Mr Maddens,

Sarah Earnshaw Sarah Earnshaw is a British actress known for her work in musical theatre. Early life Born in Leeds in 1983, Earnshaw moved to London in 2000 to train at Mountview Academy of Arts in London, graduating in 2003 with a first class BA in Musical ...

as Jennifer Lore and

Simon Lipkin Simon Lipkin (born 9 January 1986) is a British actor, best known for his work in musical theatre. He has originated roles in several major West End musicals such as ''Avenue Q'' and ''Rock of Ages''. His television work includes ''The Amazing ...

as Mr Poppy (who previously appeared as 'Chief Elf' in '' Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Donkey?!''). ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' judge

Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later bec ...

appeared as Hollywood Producer during the production's run at London's Eventim Apollo.

2018 UK tour

A second tour in the United Kingdom began at the

Belgrade Theatre The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built in Britain after the Second World War and is now a Grade II listed building. Background Coventry was the fastest growing city in ...

(the city where the story is set and the film was shot) from 23 to 28 October 2018. Further tour dates included

Liverpool Empire The Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre on the corner of Lime Street in Liverpool, England. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom and can ...

(31 October to 4 November), King's Theatre Glasgow (7 to 11 November),

Milton Keynes Theatre Milton Keynes Theatre is a large theatre in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It opened on 4 October 1999, 25 years after the campaign for a new theatre first started. Designed by architects Blonski-Heard with Kut Nadiadi and Robert Doe, the thea ...

(14 to 18 November),

Nottingham Theatre Royal The Theatre Royal in Nottingham, England, is a theatre venue in the heart of Nottingham City Centre and is owned by Nottingham City Council as part of a complex that also includes the city's Royal Concert Hall. The Theatre Royal attracts major ...

(21 to 25 November),

Edinburgh Festival Theatre The Edinburgh Festival Theatre (originally Empire Palace Theatre and later shortened to Empire Theatre) is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, larg ...

(28 November to 2 December), Regent Theatre Stoke-on-Trent (5 to 8 December) Oxford New Theatre (12 to 15 December) and returning to London's Eventim Apollo (19 to 31 December). On 7 September 2018, it was announced that

would reprise his role as Mr Poppy, alongside many other members of the original cast.

Scott Garnham Scott Garnham (born 22 February 1985) is an English professional actor. Notable credits include 'Christmas on Mistletoe Farm' for ''Netflix'', ''Billy Elliot The Musical'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Made in Dagenham'' directed by Rupert Goold, an ...

and

Ashleigh Gray Ashleigh Gray is a Scottish Actress and Musical Theatre performer best known for playing Elphaba in the London and UK & Ireland touring productions of ''Wicked''. Early life Gray was born in Fife, Scotland and educated at Newbattle Communi ...

were announced to play Mr Maddens and Jennifer Lore. It was also announced that the role of the Hollywood Producer would vary in each tour location.

Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is an English actor and podcaster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' and ''Red Dwarf''. ...

appeared in Oxford,

Adam Thomas Adam Thomas (born 11 August 1988) is an English actor, known for his roles as Donte Charles in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' (2006–2009, 2022–present) and Adam Barton in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2009� ...

will appear in Stoke and Liverpool,

Charlie Brooks Charlene Emma Brooks (born 3 May 1981) is a British actress. Known for the role of Janine Butcher in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', she has received numerous awards since her first appearance on the soap in 1999, with storylines invo ...

appeared in Nottingham,

Jane McCarry Jane McCarry (born 2 May 1970) is a Scottish actress, teacher and acting coach. She is best known for her roles as Isa Drennan in the BBC Scotland sitcom '' Still Game'' (2002–2007, 2016–2019), and as Granny Murray in the children's show ...

appeared in Glasgow and

Danny Dyer Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in ''Human Traffic'', with other notable roles as Mick Carter in EastEnders, Billy the Limpet in '' Mean Machine'' and as Tommy Johns ...

appeared in London.

Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Saturd ...

also appeared as The Critic in Edinburgh and London. It was also announced that Dani Dyer, winner of the series of '' Love Island'' (2018), appeared during the London dates with her father Danny Dyer as Polly Parker, the daughter of the Hollywood Producer who is an aspiring Hollywood actress.

2019 UK tour

The musical toured the United Kingdom once again, beginning at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from 29 October to 2 November 2019 before touring to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (6 to 9 November), Cantebury Marlowe Theatre (13 to 17 November), Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (19 to 23 November),

(26 to 30 November) and Southampton Mayflower Theatre (3 to 7 December) before returning for a third season to London's Eventim Apollo (11 to 29 December). Scott Paige played Mr Poppy for the tour opposite

and

who returned as Mr Maddens and Jennifer Lore, alongside Danni Dyer as Polly Parker who appeared for the tour. Simon Lipkin reprised his role as Mr Poppy for the London run (and stepped in to cover the role during the Southampton run for Paige due to illness) while Paige played Mr Rye. The London run also featured

Rylan Clark-Neal Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), known professionally as Rylan, is an English broadcaster and model. He finished in fifth place on the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012, and the following year, he won the eleventh series of ...

as The Critic,

Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...

as Crystal Collins and

returning as the Hollywood Producer.

2022 Birmingham

The musical was announced to return to the

for the Christmas 2020 season, however, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the run had been postponed to the Christmas 2021 season before being postponed again to Christmas 2022, running from 19 November 2022 to 7 January 2023. Casting is to be announced.

Cast and characters

In order to accommodate a variety of star casting, various versions of ''Nativity! The Musical'' exist; *Regular version, where the Hollywood Producer's role is minimal. *Second version, where the Hollywood Producer's role is expanded and includes a daughter, Polly Parker. *Third version, where the Hollywood Producer's role is filled by the character Polly Parker. *Fourth version, where the Hollywood Producer's role is expanded and includes a daughter, Polly Parker and the role of Crystal Collins is created, the CEO of the company the Producer works for.

Musical numbers

; Act I * "Overture" – Orchestra, Company and Mr Poppy * "M.A.D.A -

Here Comes Santa Claus "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a popular Christmas song written and originally performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Oakley Haldeman. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy ...

/ Going For The Big Time" – Mr Maddens, Jennifer, Mr Shakespeare and Company * "Review" – Critic * "Five Star Review/Better Than You" – Mr Shakespeare and Oakmoor Kids * "St Bernadette's" – St Bernadette Kids * "My Very First Day Of School" – Mr Poppy * "Wrapped In A Rainbow" – Mr Maddens and Jennifer * "Hollywood Are Coming" – Mr Poppy, Mrs Bevan, Lord Mayor, St Bernadette Kids and Company * "Our School Nativity" – Mr Poppy, Mr Maddens and St Bernadette Kids * "The Lord Mayor's Ball" – Mr Shakespeare, The Critic and Company * "Dear Father Christmas" – St Bernadette Kids * "Hollywood We're Coming/Sparkle and Shine" – St Bernadette Kids and Company ; Act II * "Ent'racte" – Orchestra * "Welcome To Hollywood" – Jennifer and Company * "Jennifer's Request" – Jennifer * "Dear Father Christmas (Reprise) / My Very Last Day at School" – St Bernadette Kids and Mr Poppy * "Herod The Rock Opera" – Mr Shakespeare and Oakmoor Kids * "Suddenly" – Mr Maddens and Jennifer * "Our School Nativity" (Reprise) – Mr Poppy, Mr Maddens and St Bernadette Kids * "Nazareth" – St Bernadette Kids * "One Look" – St Bernadette Kids * "Good News" – St Bernadette Kids * "Hollywood Never Came" – Mr Shakespeare (2022 production onwards) * "Sparkle And Shine" – Full Company * "She's The Brightest Star" – St Bernadette Kids * "Suddenly" (Reprise) – Mr Maddens and Jennifer * "One Night, One Moment" – Full Company * "Sparkle And Shine" – Full Company * "Bows / Exit Music" – Orchestra

Cast recording

The original cast recording was released on 29 January 2018 and features 29 tracks. It is available from

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

and

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

, and was available to purchase from the merchandise stands during the subsequent tours.

Critical reception

The production received positive reviews from local press in Birmingham, receiving five stars from ''Plays To See'', ''Behind The Arras'', ''Birmingham Mail'' and ''What's On Birmingham''

References

External links

* {{Debbie Isitt 2017 musicals Musicals based on films Christmas musicals British musicals