It's A Sin Drama to Be Adapted for Stage with Pet Shop Boys Collaboration
The award-winning Channel 4 drama It's A Sin is set for a groundbreaking stage adaptation, with showrunner Russell T Davies serving as executive producer and legendary pop duo Pet Shop Boys involved in the project. The emotional five-part series, which premiered in 2021, followed a group of gay men and their friends navigating life in London during the HIV and Aids crisis of the 1980s.
Creative Team and Production Details
Davies will be joined as executive producer by Sink The Pink founder Glyn Fussell and Pet Shop Boys, whose 1978 single gave the TV series its title. Composer Roman GianArthur will create the music with support from duo members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. The set and video design will be handled by Luke Halls Studio, known for work on tours for artists like Adele, Dua Lipa, and Take That.
Rambert, the UK's leading contemporary dance company, is developing what they describe as a "visceral theatre experience". Artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer will choreograph and direct the production, which is scheduled to premiere at the Aviva Studios in Manchester. Cast and specific dates are expected to be announced later this year.
Statements from Key Figures
In a statement, Russell T Davies expressed his enthusiasm: "It's A Sin was such a special show for me, and it's one of the greatest honours of my life to have the show transformed by Rambert into something new and exciting."
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 'It's A Sin' was contemporary with the crisis and we are proud to be involved as this poignant and important story is interpreted in a different medium."
Background of the Original Series
It's A Sin premiered to rave reviews on Channel 4 in 2021, following housemates living in a London flat they named The Pink Palace. The series starred Olly Alexander as aspiring actor Ritchie Tozer and Lydia West as Jill Baxter, a character inspired by one of Davies's real-life friends who volunteered on an underground hotline during the crisis.
The drama charted the devastating impact of the HIV and Aids epidemic on the gay community across a decade, earning widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and historical accuracy. Davies, who also created Queer as Folk and oversaw the BBC's revival of Doctor Who, previously revealed he had turned down suggestions to adapt the series into a musical, stating he "just wanted to move on" from the tragic true story.
