Standing at the Sky’s Edge

Standing at the Sky's Edge began life as the 7th studio album by the English musician Richard Hawley, released in 2012 and nominated for the year’s Mercury Prize. A respected singer-songwriter, guitarist, and music producer, Hawley played with the Britpop band Longpigs in the 1990s before joining Pulp. He has released eight studio albums, and was nominated for two Mercury prizes and a Brit Award. And he’s worked with a host of brilliant musicians including Lisa Marie Presley, Shakespeare’s Sister, Arctic Monkeys, Manic Street Preachers, Elbow, Duane Eddy and Paul Weller. The musical’s name refers to a real-life place in his native city of Sheffield, Skye Edge, formerly known for its crime-ridden council estates.

The show has been awarded Best New Musical at the Oliviers, telling the story of three families who live on the old Park Hill council estate. Hawley also won an Olivier, alongside musical director Tom Deering, for Best Original Score or Orchestration. The show first opened at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 2019 and, after a successful run at the National Theatre in London, it’s moving to the Gillian Lynne Theatre for February 2024. Theatre tickets for Standing at the Sky’s Edge take you to a masterpiece directed by Sheffield Theatres’ Artistic Director Robert Hastie, with a top creative team and a West End cast that’ll be announced nearer the time.