Review: 20th Century Boy (UK Tour) at the New Wimbledon Theatre

20th Century Boy (UK Tour)

New Wimbledon Theatre

Reviewed on Monday 23rd June 2014

Charting Marc Bolan's life story, Gary Lloyd's new touring production of 20th Century Boy is wild and loud, but also interesting. Those thinking 'Marc who?' will be pleasantly surprised when they realise just how many T.Rex songs they're already familiar with.

Unexpectedly I found myself really drawn to Marc's story. The star, who died in 1977 days short of his 30th birthday, lived a fascinating life. The audience are shown what life was like inside and out of Marc's crazy bubble and eccentric mindset. The journey is huge and I grew protective of Marc who we first meet as a child with dreams of one day being bigger than Elvis. The show follows his story right up until the aftermath of his tragic death.

Warren Sollars steps into the spotlight and delivers the performance of a lifetime as Marc Bolan. I've seen Sollars pop up in various productions over the years, but until now he has never had the chance to show what he is capable of. His talents are astounding! The truth and strength in his performance is utterly mesmerising, he captures every essence of Marc as he grows and faces the troubles of fame and love.

Interview: Warren Sollars, starring as Marc Bolan in 20th Century Boy

Warren Sollars is currently starring as Glam Rock legend Marc Bolan in the UK Tour of new musical 20th Century Boy. He appears alongside Coronation Street’s Sue Jenkins and Waterloo Road’s Luke Bailey.

Directed and choreographed by Thriller Live’s Gary Lloyd, 20th Century Boy is the culmination of five years’ development. The original production had successful runs at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich in September 2011 and the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in September 2012. 

This new production began its 2014 UK Tour in April and continues until July. The musical showcases 24 of Marc Bolan and T.Rex’s best-known iconic hits including ‘Ride A White Swan’, ‘I Love To Boogie’ and ‘Get It On’.

Warren was most recently seen in Tim Rice’s new musical From Here To Eternity at the Shaftesbury Theatre. His West End credits also include: Kiss Me Kate (Chichester/Old Vic) and Pepper in Mamma Mia (Prince of Wales).

His theatre credits include: All The Great Books (Abridged) (London/Dubai), Peter Pan (Curve), Joe in Everybody Loves a Winner (Manchester Royal Exchange), Goody ‘Goodman’ King in Fame (UK Tour), Eurobeat – Almost Eurovision (Edinburgh Festival), Our House (Birmingham Rep/UK tour) and the title role in Aladdin (Peterborough). 

I recently spoke to Warren about how he prepared for such an iconic role, what makes 20th Century Boy stand apart from other jukebox musicals and what it’s like go through Marc Bolan’s huge journey night after night…

The response to this new production of 20th Century Boy has been very positive. Have you had a moment to take everything in?!

It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind actually [laughs]! We haven’t been on the road for long and we put the show together in such a short space of time – we only had three weeks in London. 

Warren Sollars to star in 20th Century Boy UK Tour; casting announced

It has been confirmed that West End actor Warren Sollars (pictured right) will lead the cast of  20th Century Boy as Glam Rock legend Marc Bolan.

He will be joined by TV stars Sue Jenkins (Brookside, Coronation Street) and Luke Bailey (Waterloo Road, Casualty). The production tours the UK between April and July 2014.

Completing the cast are: Jade Albertson, Matthew Ashcroft, Lakesha Cammock, Andy Coxon, Llandyl Gove, Nathan Graham, Donna Hines, Christopher Hunt, Peter Manchester, Chris Milford, Katia Sartini, Steve Simmonds, Lucy Sinclair and Naomi Slights.

New musical inspired by rock legend Marc Bolan for 2014 UK Tour & planned West End run

20th Century Boy, a brand new musical inspired by the life of rock legend Marc Bolan (pictured right), is set to tour the UK next year prior to a planned West End run, nearly four decades after the iconic star’s tragic death. 

Featuring some of the greatest pop songs ever written, 20th Century Boy tells the story of Marc Bolan and his band T.Rex, exposing some of the myths and taking the audience on a journey through Marc’s fascinating life. 20th Century Boy is a celebration of glam rock at its colourful best.

Rocker, poet, electric warrior, king of glam and godfather of punk, Bolan was arguably the biggest rock star the UK had ever seen. Before his tragic death in 1977, just days short of his 30th birthday, Bolan lived life at breakneck speed, creating a series of iconic images, a string of number one hits and an army of obsessive fans.