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Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) has announced an innovative four-date tour around the U.K. and Ireland after 33 years away from the stage. The shows will incorporate Yusuf's hits alongside music from his highly acclaimed new albums, An Other Cup and Roadsinger (JamBase review). To make it even more of a spectacle for fans, Yusuf will also weave his latest creative voyage, his first musical, Moonshadow, into the shows.
Speaking about his work on Moonshadow, Yusuf said, “My songs always told a story, so it's natural for me to extend that into a stage musical form. It's taken a long time to arrive, but it's always been a dream of mine to write a musical. Growing up in the West End of London, surrounded by theatres and shows, obviously left a strong impression on me. I originally wanted to be a composer, not a pop star. Strange how it's taken almost a lifetime, but it had to - the story is somewhat a metaphorical mirror of my own journey, so I suppose it had to wait to reach where I am today."
The musical director of Moonshadow is Christopher Nightingale, who has previously worked on the Lord of The Rings Musical and Bombay Dreams alongside A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire). The choreographer, Nichola Treherne, was behind box office smashes from Starlight Express to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Renowned lighting designer Mark Brickman is designing the stage and lighting. Brickman lit Pink Floyd's The Wall tour and is currently designing Cirque du Soleil's new show in Las Vegas.
The four city “Guess I'll Take My Time Tour" will commence in Dublin and continue to Birmingham, Liverpool and end in London at the Royal Albert Hall.
The full dates are:
November 15 - Dublin The O2
November 23 - Birmingham NIA
December 5 - Liverpool Echo Arena
December 8 - London Royal Albert Hall
Tickets will go on general sale on Monday 21st September 2009 and will be available from AEG Live and for Dublin The O2 from Ticketmaster.
