Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys for UK premiere at the Young Vic

Kander and Ebb’s provocative and exhilarating musical, The Scottsboro Boys, will recieve its UK premiere at the Young Vic later this year. The production will be directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman who is well known for directing and choreographing The Producers. The Scottsboro Boys will run between 18th October - 23rd November 2013 in the Young Vic's Main House.

At its premiere in New York in 2010 The Scottsboro Boys was hailed as yet another daring modern classic from the legendary creators of Chicago and Cabaret. The production was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director.

The Scottsboro Boys is unique. It tells the true story of nine young black men, aged between 12 and 19, travelling on a train through Scottsboro, Alabamain 1931 in search of a new life. By the end of their journey, their lives had been changed forever by the devastating effect of a single lie.

Two white women falsely accused the nine of rape. Even though one of the women later recanted her accusation and in spite of a total absence of evidence, the boys were convicted. Their subsequent trials and appeals, lasting seven years, deeply divided the nation. 

The Scottsboro boys had a powerful effect on American history and on the Civil Rights Movement. Their trial led to the passage of two pivotal Supreme Court rulings, including the right to proper legal representation and the right to trial by a jury of one’s peers, specifically ensuring that black people could no longer be excluded from juries.

But back in 1931, behind the screaming headlines, nine young men were desperate to prove to the world that they were human beings and that they mattered.

David Lan, artistic director of the Young Vic, said "The story of the Scottsboro Boys is an infamous case in the history of American civil rights. Who else but Kander and Ebb could see in it the possibility of a musical? It's a truly visionary work - a plea for social harmony but, even more important, for justice. From the moment I heard about it, I knew it was a natural for us. I'm thrilled that John Kander, David Thompson and Susan Stroman have agreed to give it new life with us at the Young Vic."

Please visit www.youngvic.org for more information and to book tickets. (Tickets are on sale now for Friends of the Young Vic. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10am on Thursday 28th February.)

Picture from 2012 New York Production

Keep up to date with the latest theatre news, reviews & interviews on Twitter: @West_End_Frame