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The Overcoat: A Musical<\/em> is\u00a0based on the 1842 short story\u00a0by Russian absurdist, novelist and playwright, Nikolai Gogol.\u00a0Created by Michael, Rosemarie and Constantine Costi,\u00a0The Overcoat<\/em> is a dark, new musical comedy about an office worker\u2019s ill-fated\u00a0attempt to find a sense of belonging in a lonely city.\u00a0The Overcoat<\/em> is set in the frantic city streets of St Petersburg, as seen through Nikolai\u2019s\u00a0eyes. It is an imagined city inspired by Russian avant-garde art and film of the 1920s. The city pulses to the rhythm of a Russian jazz trio.\u00a0The Costi siblings Rosemarie, Constantine, and Michael are all forging significant careers in\u00a0the theatre and music worlds. They have joined forces for the first time to create a new\u00a0work which will be premiered at Belvoir St Theatre in November.<\/p>\n \u201cNikolai is a clerk and a social outsider \u2013 perpetually uncomfortable in his skin,\u201d says\u00a0director Constantine Costi.\u00a0\u201cFollowing an embarrassing exchange with a colleague, he decides to sell everything he\u00a0owns in order to buy a brand-new overcoat in a desperate effort to change his life forever.\u201d<\/p>\n The Overcoat<\/em> features a cast of four and a band\u00a0consisting of piano, saxophone, and double bass, performing music composed by Rosemarie\u00a0Costi.\u00a0\u201cThe songs and music draw on a combination of traditional Russian folk tunes and bebop\u00a0jazz,\u201d says Rosemary. \u201cGogol\u2019s writing has an innate lyricism as his characters scurry about\u00a0trading office gossip and scandals. Typewriters, the tailor\u2019s sewing machine, and the howling\u00a0Russian wind all provide inspiration to the soundtrack inside Nikolai\u2019s mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Librettist Michael says, \u201cThe Overcoat is a surreal puzzle. There are no triumphs, no heroes or happy\u00a0endings. But there is a love story. Seeking warmth from the Russian winter, Nikolai turns to\u00a0the only thing incapable of rejecting or tormenting him, a brand new coat.\u201d Actor and musician Charles Wu will play the central role of Nikolai.\u00a0After\u00a0graduating from NIDA in 2014, Charles has appeared in Samson and Jasper\u00a0Jones (Belvoir), Chimerica, Three Sisters and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (STC). He has\u00a0starred in Foxtel’s Secret City, Channel Nine’s Doctor Doctor and Here Come The\u00a0Habibs and Kriv Stenders’ Australia Day. As a musician, Charles works under the moniker\u00a0Earthquake Magnificent, an electroacoustic project blending Asian pop, folk, noise and hiphop.<\/p>\n Cast: Kate Cheel,\u00a0Aaron Tsindos,\u00a0Charles Wu,\u00a0Laura Bunting.<\/p>\n Created by Michael, Rosemarie and Constantine Costi,\u00a0Director Constantine Costi,\u00a0Book and lyrics Michael Costi,\u00a0Production Designer Emma Vine,\u00a0Lighting Designer Alex Berlage,\u00a0Composer Rosemarie Costi<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere is something extremely relevant about The Overcoat. Today, we are more\u00a0disconnected from each other than ever, climbing bureaucratic ladders to nowhere, and\u00a0much like Nikolai, we slip through cracks and seek solace in objects and comforts we can\u2019t\u00a0afford in the hope they give us purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n