‘The Matrix’ is being adapted into a hip-hop musical
It’s the project no one knew they wanted. But, once you say it out loud, the idea of a Matrix musical sounds so silly that it might just work.
Helmed by Danny Boyle, who helped to bring the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony in London to life with a frenetic display, the celebrated British filmmaker has been known for his brave forays into live-action theatre. Back in 2010, Boyle put on a one-night special at Old Vic Theatre named The Children’s Monologues, starring Ben Kingsley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Gemma Arterton, and Eddie Redmayne.
The new theatre adaptation of The Matrix will be a hip-hop-inspired take on the 1999 science fiction story. Titled Free Your Mind, the show will debut in October 2023 in Manchester, U.K.
Officially described as “combining the hip-hop choreography of hundreds of dancers with the latest immersive design,” the show will also “take audiences on a thrilling journey through The Matrix and into a new realm of possibilities”.
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante will be composing the music for the new dance show, with Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy choreographing the dancing. Also onboard are the poet and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz and the artist Es Devlin, who are being brought on to pen parts of the script and help to create large-scale sculptures to be used as the backdrop for the show that will debut at the new Factory International venue in Manchester.
The original Matrix movie was, and still is, an iconic science fiction masterpiece that would go on to inform the style and choreography of Hollywood action flicks in the new century.
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