Michael Blakemore directs THE LIFE at the Southwark Playhouse

On the 20th anniversary of its original performance, The Life returns to the stage under the direction of Michael Blakemore. 

Described by the New York Times as “Broadway’s best kept secret”, The Life is a  thrilling exposé of the darker side of 1980’s New York, and a defiant and heartfelt musical lament for the old Times Square, featuring a rarely heard score by celebrated composer Cy Coleman (City of Angels, Sweet Charity). Michael's acclaimed original production opened on Broadway on April 26, 1997, where it won two Tony awards out of twelve nominations, and three Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical, out of nine nominations. 20 years to the day, The Life receives its UK premiere, sharring Sharon D. Clarke and Cornell S. John and featuring sound design by Sebastian Frost. 

Queen and Fleetwood are just trying to get by. New York has hit a moral rock bottom, and opportunity is becoming a scarcity. Queen is now selling herself to anyone with cash in Times Square, while Fleetwood is spending that cash on his nightly fix. Such is a regular story for those in The Life – just ask Sonja, whose market value as a hooker is depleting. It seems that nothing ever improves for those in The Life, but when a mysteriously innocent farm girl named Mary shows up, and Memphis and Joio, the biggest players in town, offer to help Queen out, will things start looking up?