Raucous brother act from USA honours deceased uncle, while promoting inclusion and laughter.
Normal Heights is the original one-and-a-half-man show that was a five-star audience favorite at the Boulder International Fringe Festival.
Creator/performer Jim Walker and accompanist brother Adam bring the production to UK audiences for 11 shows only – at the Brighton Fringe Festival (between May 8-19) – and London’s Leicester Square Theatre (between May 26-28).
Drawn from the writings of Edward Walker – a gay man forcibly outed in 1950’s San Diego – the 50-minute show combines cabaret, memoir and theater to effect keen cultural satire around sexuality, masculinity and the costs of silence.
Original songs with razor-sharp lyrics reveal California suburbs awash in pool play, foreplay, playboys and word play. The lively and hilarious show explores coming of age (and coming to terms) in the land of don’t ask-don’t tell
A University of Colorado writing instructor & PhD, Jim was inspired to create the piece upon inheriting his late uncle’s journals. He collaborated with Denver Center for the Performing Arts composer Gary Grundei to create the show’s original songs.
At a time when battles rage across U.S. staterooms and courtrooms over LGBT rights, the piece’s focus on sexuality and inclusion could not be more apt.
Jim and his musician brother Adam now tour the show in honor of their deceased uncle – a man of culture and creativity who was himself an actor in 1960’s London. Thus, this UK debut is both homage and a kind of homecoming.
Original songs by Gary Grundei and Jim Walker, directed by Meridith Grundei with musical accompaniment by Adam Walker.
Brighton performances:
What: Normal Heights by Jim Walker
Where: DukeBox Theatre, 3 Waterloo Street, Hove
When: May 8-10 and 12-13 at 8pm
Time: 8pm
Cost: £8 (£6)
Where: Latest Musicbar, 15-17 Manchester Street, Brighton
When: May 17-19
Time: 7pm
Cost: £8 (£7) £10 on the door
To book Brighton performances, CLICK HERE:
Or telephone: 01273 917272
London performances:
What: Normal Heights by Jim Walker
Where: Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BX
When: May 26-28
Time: 9.30pm
Cost: £8 (£7)
To book London performance, CLICK HERE:
Or telephone: 08448 733433
For more information about Normal Heights, CLICK HERE: