A World Premiere at Nottingham Playhouse: Identical

This new production from Nottingham Playhouse is the must-see show of the summer holidays! Perfect for all audiences, this musical explores universal themes of family and love.

Identical immediately strikes you as a production you would expect to see in London. With big sets, incredible musical and dance numbers, and an exceptionally talented cast and crew, it’s no surprise to learn that the names behind the show are heavy weights in the Theatre industry. Including credits such as Les Misérables, Peter Pan and Honk! between them, the result is a joyous, sensational and unmissable musical. And after 9 years in the making, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

It has all the hallmarks of a modern classic, and will no doubt have a long future touring around theatres in the UK and in the London West End. But we recommend catching it at Nottingham Playhouse, its premiere venue, before 14^th August, while you still can!

About the Show

You may know the story from the 1961 or 1998 Disney movies, but this musical is adapted by Stewart Peterson directly from the original novel ‘The Parent Trap’ by Erich Kästner. Set in Austria in the 1950s, you will follow the story of twin girls separated at birth, only to be reunited at a summer camp years later. They hatch a plan to get to know their missing parent, and in doing so, they switch lives.

Each twin has their own unique and vibrant personality, and you also get to meet a whole host of engaging and loveable characters through their eyes as you follow along with the hijinks, twists and turns. The musical and dance numbers are as brilliantly executed as they are catchy. You will be left humming along to You’re My Sister, My Little Girl and Identical for days.

The show has a long run time of 2 hours 50 minutes, but this includes a 20 minute interval. Because of this, the show is recommended for children aged 7 years +, but all children over 4 years are welcome. All children need to remain in their own seats at all times during the performance, and there are various accessible performances available.

More About Cast & Crew

The child cast are the clear stars of this performance. There are three sets of twins who play Lisa and Lottie, and we saw the magnetic Eden and Emme Patrick. Their impressive stage debut, you will fall in love with their charismatic delivery and be amazed at their performing stamina. These remarkable young performers can act, sing and dance, and often at the same time! They hold their own against the adult cast, who have extensive stage and film credits between them, and drive the drama, plot and comedy throughout the 2 hour 30 mins runtime.

Playing the parents, Emily Tierney and James Darch do a fantastic job driving the emotion of numerous ballads, including songs Identical and We Were Young. They give a masterclass of depicting loveable yet flawed characters, coming across as deeply real and familiar. You will be rooting for them as much as you question their decisions! The remaining supporting and ensemble cast are also extremely talented, with notable mentions of Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson and Louise Gold.

Book Writer Stewart Peterson is famed for his family shows, with credits such as Cinderella, Puss in Boots and Peter Pan. He is joined by music and lyric writing duo Stiles and Drewe; multiaward-winning musical theatre legends behind Honk! and The Wind in the Willows. Trevor Nunn, former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, brings it all together as Director. With credits including Nicholas Nickleby and Les Misérables, he brings a high quality of production to Nottingham Playhouse.

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Accessible Shows

• Audio Described performances: Thursday 4th August at 7 pm & Saturday 6th August at 2:30pm

• BSL interpreted performance: Friday 5th August, 7pm

• Captioned Performance: Saturday 13th August, 2:30pm

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Identical is produced by Kenny Wax Ltd, Gavin Kalin, Playing Field Ltd, Kevin McCollum and Stewart F. Lane Bonnie Comley. It is co-produced with Nottingham Playhouse.

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This blog was written by Katherine Taylor, Marketing Executive at Visit Nottinghamshire.