Lola

Lola is about a famous 19th century dancer and actress. Born in Ireland as Eliza Gilbert, she reinvented herself as the Spanish dancer Lola Montez and went on to perform around the world, seducing many wealthy and influential men along the way.

She led a tumultuous life. Estranged from her family, she never settled in any one place or with anyone for long. At times she was the most famous woman in the world: just as much for her personal antics as those on stage. Indeed, while her performances were celebrated by some she never achieved accolades as a dancer and was often ridiculed by her bemused audiences. Lola died of pneumonia in 1859 in New York where she lived out her final days as a lecturer and Christian convert. She was just 39 years of age.

In Trestle's latest production Lola prepares for the very last performance of her world famous spider dance. While the audience waits for Lola to take to the stage, we witness her outbursts of passion, anger, joy and sorrow as she revisits her bittersweet past and deliberates whether she can and will perform, and to whom this final performance will be dedicated.

The show will feature flamenco dance and rhythms, as well as live music by acclaimed flamenco guitarist Ricardo Garcia. The show, like Lola's life, is filled with happiness, sorrow, tragedy and humour. Audiences will laugh, but they might also cry. They will certainly leave the theatre tapping their toes to a flamenco beat and will also hopefully be considering the different personas they may too have created for themselves, as well as the personal cost of celebrity.

***Please note that Lola is an unmasked production. Trestle has a long history of making mask-led theatre and some audience members may expect Lola to be as such. Under the leadership of its new Artistic Director, Emily Gray, Trestle now produces work using a variety of physical theatre forms. In the case of Lola, we have collaborated with Barcelona-based dance company Increpación Danza to create a dance theatre fusion with which to tell Lola Montez's story.

Trestle is one of Britain's leading touring theatre companies, having made innovative and inspirational physical and visual theatre sine 1981. We collaborate with local, national and international artists to create physical storytelling theatre, which we tour across the UK and abroad. Visit www.trestle.org.uk for more information.