In this Adelaide Fringe premiere, expect the unexpected. 'The Marvellous Elephant Man: The Musical' is the antithesis of your typical fringe production.
'The Marvellous Elephant Man' stars musical theatre heavyweights Kanen Breen and Ben Clark, alongside bright new stars Annelise Hall and Ellie MacIntyre.
“'The Marvellous Elephant Man' is an utterly-original and completely inaccurate musical tragicomedy about Joseph Merrick, the so-called ‘Elephant Man’,” Co-Director Chris Mitchell says of the show. “The Marvellous Elephant Man is a heartwarming-yet-heartbreaking tragicomedy musical about a man with a face not even a mother could love.”
Audiences follow the show's protagonist through a journey of self-realisation, as he transforms from humble side show freak to the toast of high society, and an unlikely hero.
“The play takes place on the pitiless streets of Victorian London, where cold-hearted medical mis-practitioners rub shoulders with absinthe-soaked brothel madams,” Chris continues. “The Wonderland Spiegeltent couldn’t be a better fit for our show. The dark wood, heavy curtains and tarnished mirrors of the Spiegeltent is the perfect vehicle for transporting audiences to our gothic fairy tale. The space has a carnival atmosphere, which couldn’t be better suited to our hero’s humble beginnings as a sideshow freak.”
Image © Paul Scott Photography
It's a gripping tale of love, connection, and the human condition which exploded on to the scene in a world premiere at Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2022.
“Melbourne loved 'The Marvellous Elephant Man' at its sold-out 2022 debut, so we can’t wait to see what Adelaide thinks about the new-and-improved 2023 production.”
“Adelaide Fringe audiences are like no other – there’s an open-mindedness and a curiosity that drives them to actively seek out new, unheard-of works. Given this mindset, we hope our totally-unique, 100 per cent original Australian production will do well.”
“The three musicians who created the Marvellous Elephant Man had the idea a decade ago but the COVID lockdowns gave them the space needed to finish writing the show," Chris says. “The story of 'The Marvellous Elephant Man The Musical' is inspired by the spirit of the titular character, Joseph Merrick. It isn’t a historically-accurate biopic, nor does it try to be. What it is, is a tribute to a remarkable human being, and a love letter to the musical itself.”
'The Marvellous Elephant Man' plays Wonderland Spiegeltent at Wonderland Festival Hub - Hindmarsh Square 21 February-13 March.
