A multi award-winning short film has been adapted into a powerful play which is set for its world premiere this spring – and features a guest cameo from a Bridgerton star.
From film to stage
The Moth was originally filmed as a ten-minute piece to camera, part of a series of short films from Elysium Theatre Company called The Covid-19 Monologues, each one written, rehearsed, and filmed under lockdown conditions during the pandemic of 2020-22.
Labelled as “powerful from its first moments to its last” by The Bubble, it scooped several gongs, including an Olwen Wymark Award from the Writers Guild of Great Britain and Best Monologue at the Kwanzaa Film Festival in Harlem, NYC – just one of 26 festivals it was chosen by around the world.
A thrilling theatre tour
Writer Paul Herzberg has adapted the film for Elysium Theatre Company, who will bring the gripping production to 25 venues across the North and the Midlands on the company’s biggest tour yet.
And in a coup for Elysium, the voice of actress Adjoa Andoh – who plays Lady Danbury in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton – will feature as unseen character Joy.
The Artistic Director’s perspective
Elysium Artistic Director Jake Murray said: “When we launched The Covid-19 Monologues, we had no idea they would be so successful. All we were looking for was a way of staying creative during lockdown – we never dreamed they would be seen all over the world.
“The runaway success of The Moth made it an obvious choice to adapt for the stage. Five years of hard work later and here it is, about to hit theatres for the first time.
“It is a stunning play, written like a thriller, that gets to the heart of the world we live in today with all its tensions and divisions, but holds out hope for the future.
“There is interest in it from theatres all over the world, so it’s a special honour to bring it to audiences across the Midlands and North before anyone else. We have a fantastic cast and are very lucky to have the guest voice cameo played by Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh.”
A story of race, war, and redemption
The 25-venue tour of The Moth comes hot on the heels of Elysium’s sell-out 19-venue Northern tour of Othello, which critics branded “an exhilarating theatrical experience“ (The Crack).
Based on a true story, The Moth focuses on the tense relationship between Black British activist John, played by Faz Singhateh, and Micky Cochrane’s Marius, a white South African ex-soldier, after a chance encounter on a train in the 1990s changes their lives forever.
A thrilling piece of theatre that deals with race, war, the legacy of history, the quest for redemption, and the limits of forgiveness, it is a show that will have audiences on the edge of their seats.
Tour dates and locations
The tour sees Elysium, which has bases in Durham and Manchester, play to theatres in their two native regions, while also returning to Yorkshire, Teesside, Northumberland, and breaking new ground in previously unvisited Birmingham and Liverpool.
The full tour schedule:
- 27 Feb-1st March – Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham
- 4th March – Gala Theatre, Durham
- 5th March – Ushaw House, Durham
- 6th-8th March – Laurels, Whitley Bay
- 11th March – Victoria Hall, Settle
- 12th March – Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond
- 13th March – Blackhall Community Centre
- 14th-15th March – Live Theatre, Newcastle
- 18th March – Shakespeare North, Liverpool
- 19th March – Hullabaloo Space, the Hippodrome, Darlington
- 20th March – Old Joint Stock, Birmingham
- 21st March – St Thomas Church Hall, Stanhope
- 22nd March – Barningham Village Hall
- 25th March – Duke’s Lancaster
- 26th March – The Witham, Barnard Castle
- 27th-28th March – Alnwick Playhouse
- 31st March – East Stanley Working Men’s Club
- 1st April – Harrogate Theatre Studio
- 2nd April – Hull Truck, Hull
- 3rd April – Stokesley Community Library
- 4th April – Bishop Auckland Town Hall
- 5th April – Newton-le-Willows Village Hall
- 8th April – The Athenaeum, Sunderland
- 9th April – The Friarage Theatre, Yarm
- 10th-12th April – The Lowry, Manchester
Expanding Elysium’s reach
Jake added: “When we launched Elysium in 2017 we just played to two venues: the Assembly Rooms in Durham and 53two in Manchester. Now we are touring to 25 theatres all across the breadth of the country.
“The support we have had is amazing. Each tour sees us expand into new venues. The Moth sees us perform at Live Theatre, Newcastle, for the first time, which is incredibly exciting, as well as Shakespeare North in Liverpool, the Laurels in Whitley Bay, and Harrogate Theatres.
“It is a thrill to return to The Lowry in Manchester and to stay true to our roots by performing in East Stanley Working Men’s Club and Blackhall Community Centre. This is real cultural levelling up, as we reach audiences everywhere.”
A second successful adaptation
This is Elysium’s second venture into new writing and the second Covid-19 Monologue to be adapted for the stage, the first being Steve Byron’s Reiver – Tales From The Borders, which sold out for two Northern tours.
Modern and period classics by playwrights like William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, and August Strindberg make up the majority of Elysium’s previous 14 productions.
A playwright’s perspective
The script of The Moth, written by South African-born British playwright and actor Paul Herzberg, will also be published by Bloomsbury and sold on the tour and in bookshops all over the world, helping Elysium to give Northern theatre a little more of a global profile.
Paul, an award-winning actor and writer born in South Africa, said: “Jake wanted to keep the spirit of theatre alive with the original monologues, and came to me asking if I had any ideas.
“I had a half-page piece I’d kept to the side for years and we developed that into the filmed version of The Moth. I wanted to explore the idea of forgiveness, and if there is a limit to what can be forgiven, and having these two characters together, in a kind of confessional situation, seemed to be a good way to do that.
“I was totally taken by surprise with all of the success it had, but it made me think that maybe it deserved to be made into a full-length play, and here we are!”
Engaging with communities
As part of its tour, Elysium will also be working with Durham University, the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre, and Show Racism the Red Card, as well as Trafford Veterans and East Durham Veterans, who will attend post-show talks and discussions.
For more information on Elysium and its productions, find them on social media at @ElysiumTC or visit www.elysiumtc.co.uk.
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