ALAN TURING – THE MUSICAL
Alan Turing, the famous wartime codebreaker, who lived briefly in Hampton Hill and worked at Teddington’s National Physical Laboratory, is the unlikely subject of a new musical.
Turing, who did most of his vital work at Bletchley Park, lived at 78, Ivy House in Hampton High Street and his short time there is still marked by a commemorative blue plaque.
This musical, called Alan Turing – A Musical Biography – is composed by Joel Goodman and Jan Osborne, with a script by Joan Greening and is a journey through the extraordinary life of Alan Turing, according to the publicity.
It adds: “Alan was a genius whose brilliant code breaking brain saved approximately fourteen million lives in WW2. It takes us on a journey through the loss of his closest friend, his romance with a fellow worker, the moment he realises how to beat the Germans and the growing awareness of his homosexuality.
“His treatment after the war was truly appalling and this brilliant, funny man was left in despair.”
This biographical account is narrated by Andrea, the fictitious author of Alan Turing’s biography. Alan’s dialogue is directly taken from historical letters that he wrote to his friends, colleagues and his mother.
A film based upon Turing’s contribution to the war effort and the crucial war-shortening cracking of the German’s Enigma machine called The Imitation Game was released in 2014 starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing and former Teddington resident, actress Keira Knightley.
The musical, featuring ten songs, last 80 minutes without an interval and opens tonight (monday January 8th)for a three week run at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. It won rave reviews when first previwed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
You can book tickets here: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/alan-turing-a-musical-biography-95097/
https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/alan-turing-the-musical
