The Oxford Playhouse welcomes the brand-new stage adaptation of Floella Benjamin’s autobiographical award-winning book, Coming to England.
Taking to the stage from Wednesday 18th to Saturday 21st September, The production tells Floella’s powerful and important story of hope, determination and triumph as she moves to England as a child.
Aged just 10, Floella and her siblings left Trinidad and sailed alone to join their parents. But Floella’s excitement for her new life in England is short-lived, with her family subjected to racism and intolerance in 1960s’ London. Guided by her mother, and working twice as hard as her classmates, Coming to England tells the story of how a young Floella overcame adversity and grew to become Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham.
Baroness Floella Benjamin said: “I am absolutely thrilled and excited that a vibrant musical, based on my book ‘Coming to England’ is set to go on tour around the country. This uplifting and inspirational Windrush story was written emotionally through the eyes of the child and as we have all been children it will resonate with everyone. Coming to England is a positive story of love, adventure, belonging, facing challenges and overcoming adversity to become successful. I can’t wait to see it burst onto the stage.”
Over the last five decades, Floella Benjamin has had a diverse and varied career in several sectors of the entertainment industry as an actress, singer, presenter, writer, independent producer, businesswoman and media regulator. Floella has written over 30 children’s books. Coming to England was published in hardback in October 1995 and has since been published as an educational edition and is being used to teach modern history in schools and universities.
Adapted for the stage by David Wood OBE this vibrant and energetic musical is the perfect entertainment for the whole family, packed full of music, storytelling and song.
David is a highly respected writer and director of plays and musicals for children who has previously enchanted Oxford audiences with his adaptation of Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea. His other successful works include adaptations of stories by Roald Dahl and Philip Pullman.
Tickets for Floella Benjamin’s Coming to England at Oxford Playhouse start from £14 and are available from Box Office: 01865 305305 or to book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com
Who is Baroness Floella Benjamin?
Baroness Floella Benjamin is a British actress, singer, presenter, author, and politician. Born on September 23, 1949, in Trinidad and Tobago, she moved to the United Kingdom with her family in 1960. She is well-known for her work as a children’s television presenter, particularly for her role on the BBC children’s program “Play School,” which she presented from 1976 to 1988.
In addition to her television career, Floella Benjamin has written several books, including children’s literature and her memoir “Coming to England,” which details her experiences of moving from Trinidad to the UK as a child.
In recognition of her contributions to broadcasting and charity, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001. In 2010, she was elevated to the peerage as Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, and she sits in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat. Baroness Benjamin is also an advocate for issues such as diversity, education, and children’s rights.
