Torch Song, The Turbine Theatre

The curtain's up on London's newest theatre: Battersea's burgeoning cultural hub will be boosted by The Turbine Theatre. Artistic director Paul Taylor-Mills will curate and produce a programme of premieres and timely revivals in a venue developed as part of the re-generation of Battersea Power Station.

As former head of The Other Palace Theatre, Taylor-Mills showed an instinct for potent new writing and his stage successes include Heathers The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Last Five Years (St. James Theatre) and In The Heights (Kings Cross Theatre and Southwark Playhouse).

He describes the vision for this new 200-seat theatre as simple: 'to enable world class artists to tell stories that enchant at The Turbine Theatre and eventually play beyond our London home. We’re interested in being the starting point for new shows and also reimagining the older ones.'

The inaugural production promises a new perspective on the landmark story of drag queen Arnold Beckoff searching for love and acceptance in 70s New York, as Olivier-winner Drew McOnie directs a new production of Torch Song. Harvey Fierstein's play was a hit when it opened in 1982, winning a Drama Desk and a Tony Award for Best New Play. The original Torch Song Trilogy was divided into three acts, each exploring a different stage of Arnold's life and totalling four hours.

This re-worked and revised version of the story is set to be shorter, honing in on the themes of love, loss, sexuality ad the desire for family approval.

We look forward to seeing how this pioneering story resonates with a new generation, and how this new theatre integrates with Battersea's increasingly vibrant arts scene.

Tickets for Torch Song at The Turbine Theatre are £34. Click here to book now