Mick Ronson theatre tribute to mark 30th anniversary of musician’s death
ICON: Mick Ronson
By Simon Bristow
An award-winning theatre production celebrating the life of Hull music legend Mick Ronson is to be staged at Hull New Theatre this year, marking the 30th anniversary of his death.
Turn and Face the Strange – the story of Mick Ronson will be performed for two nights at Hull New Theatre in December, with tickets on sale this Friday from 10am.
The special anniversary shows also mark 50 years since the final Ziggy Stardust performance and the release of the album Aladdin Sane, on which Ronson played such a pivotal role alongside David Bowie.
Turn and Face the Strange will be performed on Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9, with a matinee on the Saturday.
Turn and Face the Strange at Hull Truck Theatre in April 2019. Picture by Tracey Taylor
Written by Garry Burnett and Rupert Creed, the show tells the story of Hull-born Ronson, who played alongside David Bowie as one of the Spiders from Mars, and became a world-famous musician, arranger and album producer.
The production – featuring a vivid stage design by Ed Ullyart, powerful film content by Anna Bean, and stunning lighting by Jason Addison – has a string quartet of classically-trained musicians and a stellar line-up of rock musicians who played with Ronson and Bowie, including Keith ‘Ched’ Cheesman (The Rats), John Cambridge (The Rats & The Hype) and John Bentley (Squeeze with Jools Holland).
They offer unique stories and memories of knowing Mick personally and playing on-stage alongside him. The musicians also include Kristian Eastwood, Bobby Joyce, Annabel Etheridge and Phil Keech, who recreate the iconic soundtrack of a generation that still reverberates today.
The multi-media show was originally commissioned as part of Hull’s City of Culture year playing to sell-out audiences at the Freedom Centre in August 2017, followed by further sell-out runs at Hull Truck Theatre in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
In August 2018, a specially adapted version of opened the new Spiders from Mars stage at the annual Humber Street Sesh Festival.
In 2022 the Centre for Contemporary Storytelling, which brought the show to the stage, received two Northern Enterprise Awards for ‘Best Cultural Heritage and Theatrical Entertainment Production Company’, with Director Rupert Creed being awarded ‘Freelance Theatre Director of the Year’.
Creed said: “We’re delighted to bring the show back and stage it at Hull New Theatre in this special anniversary year. It’s fitting that Mick’s music and his spirit will be celebrated on a stage that does justice to the scale of his achievement.
“We’re looking forward to rocking full houses of fans as a special treat in the run-up to Christmas. We’re also very pleased to be partnering with University Quarter Hull and MRN digiprint, who are supporting us in this production, along with Doubletree Hilton who are offering discounted rooms for visitors to the city and show.”
Burnett said: “Turn and Face the Strange has made a remarkable journey since 2017, from a modest-sized hall in an East Hull community centre to the premier theatre venue in the region. It is fitting in the 30th year since Mick’s passing that we honour him in this prestigious Hull venue. We are all very proud and looking forward to performing the show again on a stage which has seen so many legends appear before.
Turn and Face the Strange at Hull Truck in September 2021. Picture by Tracey Taylor
“We look to welcoming old and new audiences from all around the world in this special anniversary year.”
In 2021 the show’s drummer John Cambridge released his book Bowie, Cambo and all the Hype, which details his career as Bowie’s drummer in the Hype, and the crucial role he played in recruiting Ronson to play with Bowie.
Last year Creed and Burnett released a new biography of Ronson titled The Mick Ronson Story, which details his life and music career from his early years with Hull band ‘The Rats’, international stardom with Bowie in the 70s, and his post-Bowie period as an influential album producer.
Both books are published by McNidder & Grace, and signed copies will be available to buy at the shows.
Tickets for the shows will be available online at www.hulltheatres.co.uk or by calling 01482 300306
You can find out more about the show at www.turnandfacethestrange.co.uk and www.ccstory.com