Burnt Lemon Theatre’s production of Tokyo Rose was the winner of the coveted Les Enfant Terribles Stepladder Award. The company are Curve Associates and Tokyo Rose is supported by MAST Mayflower Southampton, Birmingham Hippodrome, Stage One, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, London Sake, Arts Council England , Greenback Alan LLP,  Allan Wilson and Bill Emmott.

The production has received four and five star reviews on its current tour.

‘Turn back the dial to 1949.

​Iva Toguri is charged with treason in one of the most controversial trials in American history. Iva stands accused of being the notorious ‘Tokyo Rose’, a Japanese wartime disc jockey who broadcast Axis propaganda to the Allied forces in the Pacific. But was Iva the villain she was made out to be?

​Award-winning Burnt Lemon Theatre spit piercing verse in an electric new musical. Broadcast going live in 5, 4, 3…’

Tokyo Rose features Maya Britto (Tokyo Rose) in the titular role, Cara Baldwin (The Marathon Project), Kanako Nakano (Miss Saigon), Lucy Park (Tokyo Rose), Amy Parker (Ride) and Yuki Sutton (Tokyo Rose).

Tokyo Rose is an electrifying new musical about one of America’s most controversial trials, examining a real-life story of scaremongering and scapegoating. New Diorama Theatre and Underbelly first commissioned this exciting project as part of the Untapped Award, and its potential was realised following a sold out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019.

Newly written as a two-act full length format, this thought-provoking production is a timely examination of xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiment, unfortunately still relevant today. This production celebrates a community whose point of view is not only overlooked in history, but also underrepresented on stage and screen.

Tokyo Rose is directed by Hannah Benson, with book and lyrics by Maryhee Yoon and Cara Baldwin, additional book by Jonathan Man, Hannah Benson & William Patrick Harrison.

William Patrick Harrison is a local creative from Ilkeston and is supported by PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund

Further creatives include dramaturgs Haruka Ueda, Hannah Benson & Jonathan Man, composer William Patrick Harrison, vocal arranger Hannah Benson, producer Tanya Agarwal, set designer Luke W. Robson, lighting designer Holly Ellis, production manager LBRDR, costume designer Erin Guan and publicity designer Rebecca Pitt.

Tokyo Rose is currently at Curve Studio for a limited period. 18-20 October. Well worth catching before it moves on.