Hackney Showroom and writer-performer Sutara Gayle have announced a full regional tour of the award-winning show The Legends of Them. The production, directed by Jo McInnes, will tour across England in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Brixton Uprising.
The tour will begin at Birmingham Rep on October 3 and 4, before visiting HOME Manchester, Bristol Old Vic, Leeds Playhouse, and Belgrade Theatre Coventry. It will conclude at Brighton Dome on November 28 and 29. The tour comes after the show's critically acclaimed runs at Brixton House and the Royal Court Theatre, where it won an OFFIE for Best Performance Piece.
The Legends of Them is a powerful and intimate story chronicling Sutara Gayle's extraordinary life. As a pioneering female deejay in London's 1980s reggae scene, she was known as Lorna Gee, performing on legendary sound systems. The production also explores a pivotal moment in Gayle's life: the 1985 police shooting of her sister, Cherry Groce, which sparked the second Brixton Uprising. This event provides a socio-political backdrop for the performance.
The show is not a conventional play or musical, but a unique theatrical and spiritual experience. It weaves together high-octane musical numbers, spiritual guidance, and a virtuosic performance that sees Gayle conjure multiple characters from her life.
According to Nina Lyndon, co-founder of Hackney Showroom, the company is "thrilled to be taking The Legends of Them to audiences across the country," praising Gayle as an "extraordinary artist with a unique gift."
