INTERVIEW | Mina Anwar and Obioma Ugoala, The Book Thief Musical

Written by Hollie.

A brand new musical based on Markus Zusak’s global best-selling book, The Book Thief, is visiting two venues this Autumn. With performances beginning from 11-16 September at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry before heading to the Curve, Leicester from 29 September - 14 October; now is the time to absorb yourself into the production which is hailed as “harrowing” by Fairy Prowered Productions. Ahead of its opening, we spoke with Obioma Ugoala and Mina Anwar to find out more about The Book Thief Musical!

How are rehearsals going?

Mina: It's quite extraordinary. Anything that you do that's like brand new, there's so many elements, especially in a musical, because you're doing character work over there, dancing over there, singing over there, learning stuff and then put together. And at any one time, there's like three or four things going on at any time. And then we do big rehearsals where we're doing like four or five part harmony learning stuff. There always seems to be a certain point when there’s so much to think about and it suddenly comes together and its extraordinary. The choreography is amazing, the music is amazing, the characters are so brilliantly written, its just like magic, like theatre is. In the midst of all the chaos it seems, the magic of theatre just comes together. 

There's some extraordinary storytellers across the board, whether it be the actors, or the musicians, or the creatives, the designers. It's just epic.

What is it like to work on a show which had such an impact as a book and film? How are you working together collectively in the rehearsal to build this production? 

Obioma: The young company are setting the bar. They’re sort of off book, know all of their harmonies and our young Liesel’s and Rudy’s are just fantastic. And we’re really lucky to have Jodi, our MD Matthew Malone and choreographer Tom Jackson-Graves. We have this real time in rehearsals to be collaborative and it is the best way in which we can tell this story. It’s important to a lot of people and there’s a responsibility that comes with that. You have something that a lot of people have a personal connection to, especially in that point in history and so it's about how we can tell the story to the best of our ability both individually and as a company. It needs to feel both honest and true. 

There’s also some connection to current conversations about migrants and what we want our national identity to be, what the powers of words are and who we portray as the villains. We have the privilege of sharing this show with audiences. 

This production touches on war, loss and death. How have you looked at that in terms of developing it for the stage and being able to bring the story to modern audiences?

Obioma: From a safety point of view from being in the rehearsal room, our director is very mindful of those things. We also have a drama therapist who is working with the company to make sure that as a company we feel safe. It’s very important from the practice side of it. We also need to do that from a safe place that will keep it maintained so we don’t take so much out of ourselves it’s damaging. It enables us to be able to share that from a safe point and from a safe place with a wider audience, hopefully, the show will have a very long life. 

Mina: Stories also come through us. We are the keepers, we have the privilege of stories coming through us., in as truthful a way as our artistry lends itself to that. I think when you are doing a musical, you become what I consider to be a match fit for that piece that you're doing. So that has to do with your mind, body and soul.

Mina: Your voice has to kind of serve you in a way and I think that is being able to navigate that as safely as possible as Obi said. It's thought-provoking, but it's just an extraordinary privilege to do what we do, is that those stories, will they be told through and keep being told and hopefully, as in this particular very dark period of history, you know, just learning that maybe that type of history needs to be looked at and then therefore not repeated. And the more we can have that way of looking at life, that we can be kind to each other, and that's what we do.

How has music and dance supported the development of this stage adaptation?

Mina: This musical has the option of being a great opera I think. It lends itself to epic ways of telling stories, the music is underscoring the piece. It helps you to go with the story where people who are maybe unable to express their emotions, can do so in the song and music, we feel it more. And we’re allowed to, those characters are allowed to do that because it’s in a musical setting.

Mina: The music takes you on a different dimension of those characters. It’s so beautiful, the lyrics are extraordinary - it is what makes this musical adaptation just perfect!

Obioma: I think there’s also something about Tom Jackson Greaves’ choreography that allows for this production to have a film quality, but also an epic theatricality that allows for both the duality of this very human story that at any moment can step into something that is a touch more express. That actually, if it was a straight play, we might not be able to use that language in the same way.

Obioma: Having Elisa's and Kate's sort of gorgeous orchestrations underneath it, it sometimes allows for an expression of a feeling and emotion and a depth of feeling and emotion that is, you know, I think often times people think of musicals as. Often times there's this misconception of them sort of being lacking in heart but I think for me when a character is moved to sing it's because there is no other way for them to express themselves so that they have to, the only thing for them to do is to express themselves in song and what glorious songs for them to express themselves in. I think when the audience hears those songs, and they're all so specific and unique to the moment, and, you know, there are so many different sorts of earworms that I don't know, if you were to ask me now, what's my sort of favourite song in the show, I don't know what I would say, because they're all, you know, very specific and gorgeous.

Don’t miss The Book Thief at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and Curve, Leicester this Autumn.