CRYBABY
Director Alex Sutton
Musical Director Jon Beales
Set Designer Amelia Morton
Costume Designer Dora Croally
Lighting Designer Thaddeus Leong
Sound Designer Daisy Taylor
Photographer Kirsten McTernan
Book by Thomas Meehan & Mark O’Donnell
Music & Lyrics Adam Schlesinger & David Javerbaum
Based on the Universal Pictures film written and directed by John Waters.
A Richard Burton Company production, Bute Theatre RWCMD
Initial response board
〰️
Initial response board 〰️
From the writers of Hairspray comes John Waters’ cult classic rebellion, bursting onto the stage with guitar riffs, bad behaviour and deliciously twisted 1950s satire. Meet Wade “Cry Baby” Walker, Baltimore’s baddest good boy, and Allison, the society sweetheart who falls hard for him and his crew of leather clad outcasts. As the clean cut squares declare war on the rock and roll misfits, this gloriously unhinged musical ignites into a high camp riot of romance, rebellion and rockabilly.
With its sharp wit and tongue in cheek humour, this is not your typical squeaky clean teen musical, it's a joyfully anarchic ride for audiences who like their shows packed with whip smart comedy and outrageous numbers like “Girl, Can I Kiss You With Tongue,” get ready for a wild ride through America’s glossy façade and the delicious chaos underneath.
Design development..
Explored multiple different designs before finalising.
Hyper-stylised, cartoon-like world by stripping the palette back to black and white and focusing on exaggerated shapes, bold line work, and graphic contrast.
The design needed to support the exaggerated tone of Cry-Baby while maintaining clarity, symmetry, and strong visual impact from a distance.