Stage adaptation of Floella Benjamin’s autobiographical book Coming to England to come to Salford
The stage adaptation of Floella Benjamin’s much-loved and award-winning book, Coming to England, has announced tour dates at The Lowry in Salford for 5th - 9th February 2025.
This vibrant and energetic new play with music from Nicoll Entertainment and MAST Mayflower Studios tells Floella’s personal story of moving to England in the 1960s at the age of 10.
Coming to England is an inspiring tale about determination and perseverance from which hope and triumph emerge during the Windrush Generation and is being adapted for the stage by David Wood OBE, one of the country’s leading writers and directors of plays and musicals for children.
At the age of just 10, Floella and her siblings left Trinidad and sailed alone to join their parents in England. But Floella’s excitement for her new life is short-lived, with her family subjected to racism and intolerance in 1960s London. Guided by her mother, and working twice as hard as her classmates, Coming to England tells the story of how a young Floella overcame adversity and grew to become Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham.
Baroness Floella Benjamin comments, Told from the perspective of a child, this heartfelt production uses music, dance, storytelling and drama to bring to life an inspirational Windrush journey about overcoming adversity and challenges through love, family unity and the feeling of belonging. Our cast and creative team bring with them a wealth of different experiences and skills, to a show that is packed full of lessons for families to engage with, all set to an upbeat soundtrack of fun musical numbers and songs. We can’t wait to bring Coming to England to audiences across the UK.
Over the last five decades, Floella Benjamin has had a diverse and varied career across the entertainment industry as an actress, singer, presenter, writer, independent producer, businesswoman and media regulator. Floella has written over 30 children’s books. Coming to England was published in hardback in October 1995 and has since been published as an educational edition and is being used to teach modern history in schools and universities. Pan-Macmillan re-published the book as a 20th anniversary edition, which was selected as a Guardian ‘Book of the Year 2016’ and Times Book of the Month.
Coming to England will be at The Lowry, Salford from 5th - 9th February 2025.
Tickets can be purchased in advance, via: https://www.comingtoengland.com/#book-now