Highbury Opera Theatre have announced that their next production will be the first musical adaptation of Nick Hornby’s classic novel to be performed at the Union Chapel.
Running between the 21st-24th September, this new staging of the novel will mark the 25th anniversary since it was published.
Exploring the author’s obsession with Arsenal Football Club, Fever Pitch has already been made into a play as well as two feature films but has never been made into a musical before.
Featuring a cast of five professional actors and ten professional musicians with a large community chorus that includes 40 local school children, Fever Pitch has been re-imagined for this new production as a comedy-drama by composer Scott Stroman (Highbury Opera Theatre’s Artistic Director) and librettist Tamsin Collison.
Fever Pitch follows the ups and downs of a life supporting Arsenal Football Club intertwining stories of matches and the fortunes of the club with those of the author’s life as a writer.
Talking about the production Scott Stroman said: “This will be the opera for people who think that they don’t like opera. Though much of it is closer to a ‘musical’ in style, the music never stops, and like all operas it is driven by the emotions of its main character. Opera is all about the turmoil of its characters, and football provides as much drama, turmoil and comedy as any subject.”
Highbury Opera Theatre was formed in 2011 to bring professionals, amateurs and children together to create exciting performances of contemporary music theatre in Union Chapel and the area. The company’s previous productions include performances of Lost in the Stars, James MacMillan’s opera Clemency, Jonathan Dove’s opera Tobias and the Angel, and Stroman’s Shakespeare musical As You Like It.
Fever Pitch the Opera will be performed at Union Chapel from the 21st to the 24th September. To book tickets visit: https://www.highburyoperatheatre.com/our-productions/fever-pitch-the-opera/