[T]wo dynamic dramas are kicking off Theatre by the Lake’s jam packed February schedule and putting some excitement into the drab winter nights – Cornermen, set in the world of boxing and presented on Monday 5 February in the Studio, and From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads about an obsessive David Bowie fan, which plays in the Main House on Tuesday 6 February.
Cornermen is a high-octane, knockout story, and marks award-winning new writing company Smoke & Oakum Theatre’s first national tour.
The play follows Mickey and his team of cornermen, who never seem to have much luck in the boxing world. The fighters they manage always end up losing and, after a disastrous last outing, no one wants to work with them. Until, that is, they sign Sid Sparks, a young boxer whose fast hands and winning ways catapult them into a world of success they’ve never known. However, you can’t win all the time and soon Mickey must choose between the life he’s enjoying, and the well-being of his young charge.
After opening at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London, Cornermen went on to play all over the country, running at the Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Festival and the infamous VAULT Festival in London, where it was published by Nick Hern Books and described in The Stage as ‘a right-hook out of nowhere, a real knockout.’
Hard on its heels comes smash-hit Bowie drama From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads, which visits Theatre by the Lake following a sell-out 2017 tour.
Martin is a boy with problems – an illness no-one understands and a head full of sound and vision. So when an unexpected gift arrives on his birthday, Martin embarks on a thrilling journey in the footsteps of his obsession, leading him to discover some long-hidden truths about himself. What follows will change his life forever…
Powerful and touching, music and magic realism collide in this darkly funny and moving tour-de-force solo show featuring Alex Walton and the voice of comedian Rob Newman. With a blistering Bowie soundtrack, the life of the pop fan is dissected in this tale of unnatural teenage wildlife.
This brand new and updated production sold out runs in London, Edinburgh and Germany and was described as ‘Moving and touching, it blew me away… You forget you’re in a theatre, and you can’t ask for much more than that’ by BBC London Live.
Tickets for Cornermen are priced at £15, with From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads priced at £10 to £17. To find out more or book tickets, visit www.theatrebythelake.com or call the Box Office on 017687 74411.