About the Book
'I'm a dying man who can't die.'
Thomas Newton came to Earth seeking water for his drought-ridden planet. Years later he's still stranded here, soaked in cheap gin and haunted by a past love. But the arrival of another lost soul brings one last chance of freedom...
Inspired by the book The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis and its cult film adaptation starring David Bowie, Lazarus brings the story of Thomas Newton to its devastating conclusion.
Written by Bowie with the playwright Enda Walsh, and incorporating some of Bowie's most iconic songs, Lazarus was first performed at New York Theatre Workshop in 2015, starring Michael C. Hall and directed by Ivo Van Hove. The production transferred to London in 2016.
'David Bowie's parting gift to the world - and what a rare and mesmeric testament this is… it's all unforgettable. I sat rapt throughout'
— Independent
'Enda Walsh's book is full of longing – for love, for peace, for release from earthly ties – while songs from Bowie's iconic catalogue, an astonishing legacy spanning four decades, are reimagined in a new context whilst somehow retaining the potency they once exerted during the course of a life richly lived. No jukebox musical, this… [the] entire creation is infused with the spirit, the quirkiness, the capriciousness of Bowie, and Walsh could not be more in tune with all of it'
— The Arts Desk
'Like David Bowie himself, this is a show that defies definition. It's both all and none of a musical, a play, a gig, performance art, philosophical meditation, a fever dream, a collective trip into the unknown... strangely fascinating and fascinatingly strange'
— Broadway World
'Beautiful... a last transmission from a dying star'
— Time Out
'Outstanding... full of wild energy, magical effects and overwhelming music'
— WhatsOnStage
'Fascinating to watch... [a] spectacular study of a pained outsider's search for peace'
— Guardian
'Blazingly original... complex, layered and riveting... sensational'
— The Stage
About the Author :
David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was born in Brixton, London, on 8 January 1947 and was a figure in popular music for over five decades, regarded by critics and musicians as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. His studio albums include The Man Who Sold the World (1970), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972), the Berlin trilogy of Low (1977), Heroes (1977) and Lodger (1979), Let's Dance (1983), Earthling (1997) and Blackstar (2016), released just two days before his death.
Enda Walsh is a multi-award-winning Irish playwright. He lives in London. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and has been performed internationally since 1998.
His recent plays include Arlington at the 2016 Galway International Festival; an adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Twits for the Royal Court (2015); Ballyturk and Room 303 at the 2014 Galway International Arts Festival; Misterman, presented by Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival in Ireland, London and New York (2011–2012); and several plays for Druid Theatre Company, including Penelope, which has been presented in Ireland, America and London, from 2010–2011, The New Electric Ballroom, which played Ireland, Australia, Edinburgh, London, New York and LA from 2008–2009, and The Walworth Farce, which played Ireland, Edinburgh, London and New York, as well as an American and Australian tour, from 2007–2010.
He collaborated with David Bowie on the musical Lazarus (New York Theatre Workshop, 2015, and West End, 2016), and won a Tony Award in 2012 for writing the book for the musical Once, seen on Broadway, in the West End and on a US tour.
His other plays include Delirium (Theatre O/Barbican), which played Dublin and a British tour in 2008; Chatroom (National Theatre), which played at the National Theatre and on tour in Britain and Asia (2006–2007); and The Small Things (Paines Plough), which played London and Ireland (2005).
His early plays include Bedbound (Dublin Theatre Festival) and Disco Pigs (Corcadorca).
His film work includes Disco Pigs (Temple Films/Renaissance) and Hunger (Blast/FILM4), winner of the Camera d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
Review :
'David Bowie's parting gift to the world - and what a rare and mesmeric testament this is… it's all unforgettable. I sat rapt throughout'
'Enda Walsh's book is full of longing – for love, for peace, for release from earthly ties – while songs from Bowie's iconic catalogue, an astonishing legacy spanning four decades, are reimagined in a new context whilst somehow retaining the potency they once exerted during the course of a life richly lived. No jukebox musical, this… [the] entire creation is infused with the spirit, the quirkiness, the capriciousness of Bowie, and Walsh could not be more in tune with all of it'
'Like David Bowie himself, this is a show that defies definition. It's both all and none of a musical, a play, a gig, performance art, philosophical meditation, a fever dream, a collective trip into the unknown... strangely fascinating and fascinatingly strange'
'Beautiful... a last transmission from a dying star'
'Outstanding... full of wild energy, magical effects and overwhelming music'
'Fascinating to watch... [a] spectacular study of a pained outsider's search for peace'
'Blazingly original... complex, layered and riveting... sensational'
'Captivating, tense, and emotional… shows like this don't come along very often'
'Gripping… [a] strangely poetic piece of music theatre… there’s nothing at all conventional about this. It is festive. Riotous. Dionysian. Wonderful'
'Ice-bolts of ecstasy shoot like novas through the fabulous muddle and murk of Lazarus, the great-sounding, great-looking and mind-numbing new musical built around songs by David Bowie'
'Wild, fantastical, eye-popping. A surrealistic tour de force'
