Russell T Davies and Pet Shop Boys are teaming up with Rambert and Factory International to adapt the Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin into a dance show premiering at Manchester’s Aviva Studios. The production will feature contemporary dance, cinematic visuals, set design by Luke Halls Studio, and music by Roman GianArthur. No premiere dates have been announced.
Russell T Davies, creator of the acclaimed Channel 4 series It’s A Sin, is collaborating with Pet Shop Boys, production companies Rambert and Factory International, to reimagine the drama as a theatrical dance production. The show is set to premiere at Manchester’s Aviva Studios and will combine contemporary dance with cinematic visuals. Luke Halls Studio is designing the set, while American singer Roman GianArthur is composing the music. No dates have yet been announced for the premiere. The original It’s A Sin premiered on Channel 4 in January 2021. Set in London during the 1980s HIV and AIDS crisis, it charted the lives of a group of gay men and their friends. Though set in London, it was primarily filmed in Manchester and the surrounding area. The cast included Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Nathaniel Curtis, Lydia West, David Carlyle, Shaun Dooley, Keeley Hawes, Neil Patrick Harris, and Stephen Fry. It became the most binge-watched show on Channel 4’s streaming service and received the most nominations at the 2022 BAFTAs. The series title comes from Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 hit song of the same name. Davies said: “It’s A Sin was such a special show for me. It’s one of the greatest honours of my life to have the show transformed by Rambert into something new and exciting.” Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys added: “The original TV drama was a landmark series which compellingly presented the reality and tragedy of the Aids crisis to a mass audience. Our song was contemporary with the crisis and we are proud to be involved as this poignant and important story is interpreted in a different medium.”