23 May – 15 June

…who?
You’ll probably know her younger brother, Felix Mendelssohn, from 19th century smash hits like The Wedding March. He was the Cliff Richard of his day and was even asked to play at a personal concert for Queen Victoria. But only if he played her favourite piece of music ever, a song called Italien. However, we now know that Felix was forced to admit to the Queen that, in actuality, the piece had been composed by his sister, Fanny, and simply published under his name.

FANNY imagines that Fanny intercepts a letter addressed to ‘F. Mendelssohn’ inviting Felix to play for Queen Victoria. As the true composer of Italien, she decides to hide the letter, don her brother’s clothes, and take his place at the palace…cueing a race across Europe and a furious Felix.

Produced by RJG Productions and The Watermill Theatre and directed by Katie-Ann McDonough, this fun and irreverent new comedy celebrates classical music and – at last – recognises the work of a composer overlooked for her sex.

Charlie Russell (The Goes Wrong Show – BBC, The Play That Goes Wrong – West End & Broadway) as ‘Fanny’,

Corey Montague-Sholay (Bacon – Finborough Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe, Riverside Studios, Bristol Old Vic & Soho Playhouse, New York, Wendy & Peter Pan – Leeds Playhouse) as ‘Felix’,

Harry Kershaw (The Play That Goes Wrong – West End, Peter Pan Goes Wrong – West End & Broadway) as ‘Paul’,

Kim Ismay (Elf The Musical – West End, Wicked – West End, UK & International Tour) as ‘Lea’, George Howard (Sherwood – BBC, Witness for the Prosecution – London County Hall) as ‘Willhelm’ and Jade May Lin (professional debut) as ‘Clara’.

Director Katie-Ann McDonough said, “FANNY is a story that needs to be told and I’m excited to bring it to life with this incredible cast and creative team. Fanny Mendelssohn’s story has been waiting in the background for far too long and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it with us.”

During the run of the show at The Watermill from Thursday 23 May to Saturday 15 June, musicians of all levels, backgrounds and styles are asked to sign-up to play a piece of music at the end of the show each night to continue the work of all the incredible women musicians before them. For more information, and for the form to sign-up, visit the Watermill website or click  here.)