Award-winning director and choreographer Jonathan Watkins is set to transform Christopher Isherwood’s masterpiece into an original contemporary ballet in collaboration with singer-songwriter John Grant and composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman at Manchester International Festival.
The World Premiere production will be presented by the Royal Ballet and Manchester International Festival / Factory International, powered by exclusive new songs and performed by Royal Ballet dancers and guest artists. A Single Man will be a healing meditation on sexuality, grief and midlife.
George is grieving after the sudden death of his long-term partner, Jim. He wonders if life is still worth living and spends his day looking for ways to connect with the people around him. But there is another George: one who loves life. Can he reconcile these two parts of himself? Will a chance encounter remind him of joy?
Weaving together an exhilarating choreographic blend of ballet and contemporary dance from Jonathan Watkins, the creative team features Oscar-winning costume designer Holly Waddington (Poor Things), set designer Chiara Stephenson – known for her work with SZA, Lorde, Florence + the Machine and Björk – as well as lighting designer Simisola Majekodunmi.
Isherwood’s 1964 novel follows George, a gay, middle-aged professor navigating life in 1960s California. Widely recognised as a pioneering work of twentieth-century fiction, the novel was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film by fashion designer Tom Ford, starring Colin Firth.
In this iteration of A Single Man, acclaimed former Royal Ballet Principal Ed Watson will express the physicality of George’s exterior life while John Grant performs his internal monologue. Throughout the day, George encounters a cast of characters as he remembers his lover, Jim, his friend Charley, and a young student, Kenny.
John Grant, composer and performer, said, “When Jonathan Watkins got in touch to ask me to write songs for a production of Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, I was certainly intrigued. I had seen Tom Ford’s excellent film adaption of the book, but never read it myself. So I did just that, and I have to say I was completely blown away, and I still can’t believe it took more than 56 years to get to it. I don’t remember ever having had it recommended to me, which puzzles me. After meeting with Jonathan and hearing him speak about his passion and vision for the project I knew I had to have a part in interpreting this masterpiece for the London Royal Ballet. It is truly an honour.”
Jasmin Kent Rodgman, composer, said, “Jonathan Watkins’ artistic vision and approach in translating groundbreaking stories for dance and the stage are second to none. I was so excited when he approached me to score his adaptation of A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. It’s devastatingly witty, searing and tender all at once. It’s an honour to breathe musical life into this seminal queer work on grief, love and being human. Shaping this ballet together, fusing my score with songs from the inimitable John Grant–I think we’ve created something incredibly special here. I can’t wait for the world to see and hear what the whole team has been dreaming up.”
Jonathan Watkins, Director and Choreographer, said, “This poetic novel is an inspiring and complex story of the human experience and what it means to be alive. It’s this and Isherwood’s approach to the relationship between mind and body that gives me the reasons to imagine it using dance narrative and song. Bringing the minds’ voice out in the production with the incredible singer-songwriter John Grant is a dream come true. To weave these new songs with the sound world of the brilliant composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman and work in collaboration with a highly talented group of dance artists and creatives to achieve this vision is truly an honour.
I am passionate about Queer stories being represented on the stage in this way and proud that the production is included in the wonderful creative activity that is Manchester International Festival.”
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