Kimberly Akimbo, Stories, The Master Builder & La Perle

This episode, we're taking you on quite the theatrical journey! From the Tony Award-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo to the extraordinary dancers of Stories at the Peacock Theatre, a contemporary revival of Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder at the Arcola Theatre, and the breathtaking aquatic spectacle of La Perle in Dubai. Four very different productions, taking us from intimate human stories and complicated relationships to astonishing physical performances and theatrical spectacle on an enormous scale.

Kimberly Akimbo

Five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and now a much-anticipated London production starring the wonderful Maria Friedman. With book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori and direction by Michael Longhurst, Kimberly Akimbo tells the bittersweet story of a teenager with a rare genetic condition that causes her to age four times faster than normal. Friedman leads a terrific cast including Alice Fearn, Peter Hannah, Niamh Perry and Gilli Jones in a musical that finds humour, heartbreak and hope in the most unexpected places. We discuss whether this unconventional coming-of-age story lives up to its Broadway acclaim, and how a musical about growing old before your time can have so much to say about living in the moment.

STORIES: The Tap Dance Sensation

Tap dancing like you've never seen it before! From French choreographer Romain Rachline Borgeaud and RB Dance Company, STORIES brings ten extraordinary dancers together in an explosive fusion of tap, urban jazz and cinematic storytelling. The production follows Icarus, a successful young actor trapped under the control of a powerful film director, with spectacular choreography and inventive staging transporting audiences through film sets, hotels and gambling clubs. Natalie explores the extraordinary precision, athleticism and energy of a company determined to reinvent tap dance for a new generation.

The Master Builder

Greg Hicks takes on one of Henrik Ibsen's most complex characters in The Master Builder, directed by Mehmet Ergen, in a new English version by David Edgar. Hicks plays Halvard Solness, a celebrated architect whose professional success masks insecurity, fear and an increasingly destructive relationship with the people around him. When the mysterious Hilde Wangel reappears, his carefully constructed world begins to unravel. With Louisa Binder as Hilde, Peter Guinness as Doctor Herdal, Ryan Wichert as Ragnar Brovik and Sally George as Aline Solness, this stripped-back production places the focus firmly on Ibsen's characters and their complicated relationships. We discuss the challenges of making Ibsen resonate with modern audiences, Binder's compelling performance and why Peter Guinness proves such a welcome presence in a production that doesn't entirely convince.

La Perle by Dragone

And finally, we're leaving London behind for something on a completely different scale! Created by the late visionary Franco Dragone, whose spectacular work helped redefine contemporary circus and aquatic theatre, La Perle is Dubai's extraordinary permanent live entertainment production at Al Habtoor City. Performed in a purpose-built aqua theatre, the show combines world-class acrobatics, aerial artistry, extraordinary visual effects and breathtaking stunts. The stage floods and drains within seconds, performers dive from dizzying heights, and the action unfolds all around the audience. We discuss the sheer scale, technical ambition and physical brilliance of a production where the performers and theatrical engineering are every bit as remarkable as the spectacle itself.

From Maria Friedman's moving portrayal of a teenager racing against time to dazzling tap choreography, Ibsen's psychological complexities and Dubai's gravity-defying extravaganza, this episode celebrates the remarkable range of experiences that live performance offer.

Four productions. Two countries. And theatre in all its extraordinary forms.