Alabama, 1931, and at the height of racial tensions nine black kids – the Scottsboro Boys – are falsely accused of a terrible crime. Yet just as everything about their predicament spells doom, the trial becomes a flashpoint for changing attitudes to race, fairness and equality. With all-singing all-dancing voices on both sides of the debate caricatured by a reverse minstrel show, The Scottsboro Boys is an unforgettable and poignant musical ride through the heartbreak and redemption of a fraught period of American history.
While it’s not your typical musical, The Scotsboro Boys theatre breaks are still full of catchy tunes, spectacular dance, and a story that’ll keep you riveted firmly to your seat throughout. Having been nominated for a record amount of Tony Awards on Broadway, this is one of legendary Broadway duo Kander and Ebb’s (Cabaret, Chicago, Steep Peer) last works together. The Scotsborough Boys theatre breaks are a perfect mix of the frenetic and bombastic world of musical theatre, and the very real problems of the world we live in.
Below reviews are for the Young Vic production which transfers to the Garrick in October
"It delivers energy with a breathtaking punch and swing: shock and pathos, irony and sincerity swirl and mingle restlessly" *****, Libby Purves
"Ingeniously staged ... there is no mistaking its power, dark wit and indignation" ****, Charles Spencer, The Telegraph
"Savage, subversive and intelligent" ****, Andrzej Lokowski, Time Out
• The original Broadway production garnered 12 Tony Award nominations, which would have been a record at the time had The Book of Mormon not received 14 in the same ceremony
• The defence attorney in the Scottsboro trial was Jewish, and paid for by the American Communist Party, facts which caused some tension in the American South
• Kander and Ebb, the songwriters behind The Scotsboro Boys, have perhaps their most famous tune in the theme song from Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York.
You can get some great discounts for The Scottsboro Boys Monday-Thursday so those are the best days to organise a cheap theatre break. If you’re looking to get a budget break on Fridays and Saturdays, you’ll find much better legroom in the back of the Stalls, but far superior views of the show if you aim for the mid Upper Circle – through avoid the centre aisle due to a double-height safety rail.
Monday to Saturday, 19.45
Wednesday and Saturday, 14.30
Running time - 1 hour, 45 minutes
Booking until - 22/02/2015