Fela! to Be Broadcast in January 2011 by NT Live

NT Live will offer a live broadcast of the Tony Award nominated musical Fela! in January 2011. The broadcast is a newly added installment for the program, which is just completing its first season.

Directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones and featuring a book by Jim Lewis and the music of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the musical will begin performances at the National, as previously reported, in November.

The show is about Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s controversial life as artist, political activist, and revolutionary musician. His music is performed live onstage by Antibalas and other members of the NYC Afrobeat community, under the direction of Aaron Johnson. The production also features musical arrangements and additional music by Johnson and Jordan McLean. The Broadway production of Fela! is currently nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

As previously announced, NT Live will offer a broadcast of Dion Boucicault’s London Assurance, starring Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw, on June 28. Other upcoming for the coming year include Hamlet, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Rory Kinnear; and Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein by Nick Dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley. The schedule for these and other NT Live events will be announced at a later date.

NT Live performances are filmed live at the National Theatre in high definition and broadcast via satellite to 300 cinemas around the world, with over 75 in the UK and venues in the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Scandinavia and Europe.

For further information, visit: www.ntlive.com.