Journey to the River Sea

First produced at the Unicorn Theatre in February 2006, Journey to the River Sea returns to London for the festive season following its highly acclaimed national tour.

A family musical for everyone aged 7+, Journey to the River Sea tells the story of a young girl; Maia, who leaves Edwardian London following the death of her parents to live with distant relatives in the Amazon. The cast of eight actor-musicians (seven of whom are returning from the original production) have undertaken intensive training in capoeria; a traditional Brazilian martial art, and the production is filled with music, from haunting a cappella lullabies to the exuberance of the samba.

Maia is disappointed by her new family's dislike of the music and vibrancy all around them, and finds friendship with a lonely young actor and a mysterious boy who lives alone in the jungle. As their friendship develops, the three young people take flight into the jungle together, and find themselves in the middle of a manhunt. Eva Ibbotson's novel, on which the show is based, won the 2001 Smarties Prize and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year.