Misty

by Arinzé Kene
A Bush Theatre production
World Premiere
Arinzé Kene is a star in the making, whose accolades as an actor for stage and screen include Girl From The North Country at the Old Vic and One Night In Miami at the Donmar Warehouse. He is best known for BAFTA-nominated film The Pass alongside Russell Tovey (for which he won the prestigious Best Supporting Actor award at the 2016 Evening Standard Film Awards), as Simba in The Lion King, as Ashley in E4’s Youngers, and as Tyler in Netflix’s Crazyhead. Arinzé’s writing credits include good dog (Watford Palace Theatre, UK tour) and God’s Property (Soho Theatre, The Albany).

“Here is the city that we live in
Notice that the city that we live in is alive
Analyse our city and you’ll find that our city even has bodily features
Our city’s organs function like any living creature
Our city is a living creature
And if you’re wise enough, you’ll know not all of us are blood cells…
Some of us are viruses.”

Arinzé delivers an epic, lyrical journey through the pulsating heart and underground soul of inner city London. An inventive blend of gig theatre, spoken word, live art and direct address, Misty confronts the assumptions and expectations underpinning the act of telling a story.

Misty is directed by Bush Theatre Associate Director Omar Elerian (NASSIM, One Cold Dark Night, Islands) and will feature an original musical score performed live during the show.

“It’s heart-pounding, blood-pumping, uncategorisable magic.”
The Upcoming ★★★★★
“Hot topics of race and cultural stereotyping fizz and dart”
Evening Standard ★★★★
“Often Misty feels more like a night in an intimate club than an evening at the theatre.”
The Independent ★★★★
“Kene is a captivating performer – spectacularly charismatic”
The Stage ★★★★
“Superbly fierce defiance”
Time Out ★★★★

Watch “City Creature” Music Video

This is a past event
“A brightly innovative portrait of young life in the city”
A Younger Theatre
“Compellingly vital theatre”
The Stage on good dog
"Theatre at its most simple and its most striking"
The Reviews Hub on good dog
“Arinzé Kene – in ravishing voice”
The Independent on One Night in Miami

Photo & video

MD and Musician
Writer and Performer
Video Designer
Sound Designer
Dramaturg
Director
Designer
MD and Musician
Dramaturg

Cast

Rene Powell
Rene shares the part of the Little Girl and lives in London. She joined Alphabet Kidz talent agency in 2014, and has done extensive commercials and videos. She’s making her professional theatre debut and couldn’t be happier.
Mya Napolean
Mya shares the part of the Little Girl. She has always loved performing and has attended Stagecoach Performing Arts (Barnet, London) since the age of 4. In addition to attending Stagecoach, she also studies ballet, jazz and acro dance at The Dance Studio Herts. Her love for performing means she regularly takes part in the masquerade parade at The Notting Hill Carnival, dance festivals with her dance school and stage shows with her drama school; more recently, she performed in Dick Whittington at Harpenden Public Halls – an experience she thoroughly enjoyed.
Arinzé Kene Headshot
Arinzé Kene
Screen International UK Star of Tomorrow, actor and writer Arinzé Kene was raised in London to Nigerian parents. 2017 saw his new play, good dog tour the UK with tiata fahodzi theatre company. His stage play God’s Property ran at Soho Theatre in 2013, co-produced with Talawa. Little Baby Jesus, directed by Che Walker, ran in May 2011 at the Oval House Theatre, where his play Estate Walls also ran in 2010. Arinzé was named Most Promising Playwright at the Off West End Theatre Awards for Estate Walls in 2011, which was also nominated for Best New Play. Arinzé was a part of the Young Writers’ Programme, Soho Theatre’s Young Writers’ Group and Writers’ Super Group at the Royal Court Theatre. His original feature film, Seekers, is on the Brit List and currently in development. Kene was involved in the development of the second series of Big Talk’s Youngers for E4, in which he played the part of Ashley. In terms of acting, he most recently starred in new E4/Netflix Original series Crazyhead and took the lead as ‘Ade’ in the Duncan Kenworthy (Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral) produced film The Pass opposite Russell Tovey. For this role he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2016 BIFA’s and won the prestigious Best Supporting Actor award at the 2016 Evening Standard Film Awards. Kene has just been seen taking his talents to the London stage, starring as the lead in One Night In Miami at the Donmar Warehouse, playing soul singing legend ‘Sam Cooke’ and more recently in the hugely successful Old Vic Theatre production, based on the music of Bob Dylan -  Girl From The North Country, which is due to transfer to the West End for an extended run. Next year he will be seen taking the lead role opposite Micaela Cole in Netflix’s acquired feature film, Been So Long and in a vital role in the BBC’s new thriller, opposite Paddy Considine, Informer.

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