The Big Life: The Ska Musical

EROS!! Do your thing!

It's 1950s London, and Ferdy, Bernie, Dennis and Lennie arrive from the West Indies full of expectations and aspirations.

Eager to make successes of themselves, they are optimistic about what the future holds. Building this new life will take focus and sacrifice, and the young men make the bold decision to forswear wine and women for three whole years and devote themselves to their future in London.

However, Sybil, Mary, Zulieka and Kathy have other ideas and the men's resolve is put to the test as the reality of life in a less-than-welcoming England makes forgoing the warmth of female company hard to resist. Will the men stick with their idea of the Big Life, or will Eros have the final say?

A joyful and uplifting journey, where the story of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost meets that of the Windrush generation in a fun-packed Ska musical. The Big Life returns to the stage twenty years after its Stratford East premiere and subsequent West End transfer.

This edition was published to coincide with the February 2024 production at London's Stratford East, presented in association with Chuchu Nwagu Productions Ltd.

Author: Paul Sirett, Tameka Empson
Publisher: Methuen Drama
Published: 03/29/2024
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 7.81h x 5.06w x 0.34d
ISBN: 9781350497108

About the Author

Paul Sirett is an award-winning playwright, dramaturg, musician and teacher. His theatrical works include the Olivier-nominated The Big Life (with Paul Joseph) at Theatre Royal Stratford East & West End, Rat Pack Confidential at Nottingham Playhouse & West End, and Come Dancing (with Ray Davies) at Stratford East. Other works include Bad Blood Blues (Theatrescience and Stratford East) and Worlds Apart (Stratford East), Reasons to be Cheerful (Graeae Theatre Company), and plays for Soho Theatre; Polka Theatre; Yellow Earth Theatre; Live Theatre, Newcastle; New Wolsey, Ipswich; Dukes, Lancaster; and the Edinburgh Fringe. Awards include, Best Off-West End Musical, Whatsonstage; Best Play, Pearson; Best Production, City Life; Best Writer & Best Play, New York International Radio Festival; and nominations for TMA, Evening Standard and Olivier awards. Paul has also worked extensively as a dramaturg for companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Soho Theatre, Ambassador Theatre Group, Trafalgar Entertainment, the Royal Court, and the National Theatre.

Tameka Empson is an actor, writer, comedian, and voice-over artist. As a television actor, Tameka is known for her role of Kimberly Fox in the BBC soap EastEnders, and has won five Inside Soap Awards, and the British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance in 2022. Tameka wrote and starred in the original production of The Big Life, for which she received an Olivier nomination. Tameka also co-wrote and performed in the hit hidden camera shows 3 Non Blondes, and wrote a red button spin-off show for her character in EastEnders called Kimberley's Palace.