Cable Street: Musical tells story of rise of fascism that is relevant today
Cable Street tells the story of migrant communities rallying to stop fascists marching through the streets of London – for the show’s creators the themes are just as relevant today.
Song and dance might not be the usual way to talk about the rise of fascism, but the musical Cable Street tells the story of migrant communities joining together to stop the British Union of Fascists from marching through the predominantly Jewish part of east London in 1936.
And nearly 90 years later, director Adam Lenson says it still resonates.
Director Adam Lenson
“The writers started writing this in 2019. And I think what they were aware of was that the world was tilting to the right, that actually far-right leaders were gaining power in countries all over the world,” he tells Sky News.
The musical is based on the battle of Cable Street in 1936.
On 4 October, the British Union of Fascists, led by Nazi sympathiser Sir Oswald Mosley tried to march through the predominantly Jewish part of east London.
The violent group, also known as the Blackshirts, was met by thousands of local people from different communities coming together to block their march.
Eyewitnesses from the time describe “Jews and Orthodox Jews in their long silk coats and felt hats standing shoulder to shoulder with Irish Catholics, dockers, Somali seamen, communists, and trade unionists”.
Some estimates say up to half a million people came together to counter-protest, creating blockades and stopping the Blackshirts from passing through to Cable Street.
It is widely considered a triumph over fascism.
“Cable Street for me is about communities coming together to stand up against a common enemy, which is the fascists in 1936,” actor Danny Colligan says.
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Danny Colligan
The cast of Cable Street rehearsing
For him, the production is an opportunity for people to learn about history.
“I think using musicals, singing, acting and dancing to make it a little bit more entertaining so that people go ‘I like that, that was fun, now I want to go on Google and research and find out these things’,” he adds.
Almost nine decades later, for some people, history is repeating itself.
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In August this year anti-racist organisers, led in large part by the groups Stand Up To Racism and Hope Not Hate, mobilised to counteract the far-right demonstrations that began in response to the attack in Southport that left three children dead on 29 July.
In their hundreds and sometimes thousands anti-racist demonstrators were on the streets of towns and cities including Bristol, London, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Brighton in support of those targeted by anti-immigrant riots.
“My hope is by being set in the present and the past, the piece will show an audience that actually this sort of activism, this sort of community action, isn’t something that belongs in a museum. It’s something that belongs in the here and now,” Lenson says.
Just like with the battle of Cable Street in 1936 concerns about migration, the economy, and housing continue to cause clashes today.
But for the Cable Street musical creators, there is hope that with some song and dance, audiences will be reminded they are better off standing together.
Cable Street is on at the Southwark Playhouse Borough until 16 March.
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Taylor Swift has announced she is getting married to her NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce.
The pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end shared the news in a joint post on Instagram, with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
The announcement was liked more than 1.7 million times just over 30 minutes after it was posted.
Pic: Instagram / @taylorswift
Swift and Kelce started their relationship in July 2023, after the three-time Super Bowl winner said on his podcast New Heights that he tried and failed to meet the singer at her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City.
Rumours grew that the couple were dating after Swift was spotted at a number of Chiefs games. On her seventh time in the stands, she brought her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, along.
Kelce told the Wall Street Journal in November 2023: “There were definitely people she knew that knew who I was, in her corner [who said]: ‘Yo! Did you know he was coming [to the Eras Tour]?’
“I had somebody playing Cupid… She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out.”
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Earlier this month, Swift appeared on Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, and announced her 12th album, titled The Life Of A Showgirl.
Speaking to her now-fiance and his brother Jason Kelce, Swift said it was inspired by the Eras Tour – and also talked about Travis’s attempt at meeting her two years ago.
While she said his plan to give her his number on a friendship bracelet was a “wild, romantic gesture,” she joked he “didn’t do any proper logistical planning” and thought he would be allowed backstage.
“Because he knows the elevator lady, he thought he could talk to her about just getting down to my dressing room,” she added. “That’s how it works in 1973.”
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The new album, which will be released on 3 October, marks her first release since she took back control over her entire back catalogue from private equity firm Shamrock Capital.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
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Despite rumours he would retire after losing this year’s Super Bowl, Kelce will play for the Kansas City Chiefs again this season.
He told GQ magazine his on-field performances “slipped a little bit” as he started acting, and added: “I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard.”
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