Trinity students’ Edinburgh sell-out musical transfers to London

Three Trinity students involved in the Edinburgh Fringe hit Palindrome are performing the musical at the Riverside Studios London, 8-10 September.

Art History student Maddy Power wrote the script, Medieval and Modern Languages student Jacob Benhayoun is one of the actors, and alumna Aoife Pallister-Begadon co-produced the musical with Christ’s English student Katie Burge. All cast and crew are members of the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society (CUMTS), whose previous success includes the hit musical Six.

Palindrome is set in a highland community where the local Post Office is threatened by competition from a new packaging warehouse. Postie’s daughter Hannah, who works on the warehouse production line, experiences conflicting emotions. Based on Maddy’s writing with original music by Neve Kennedy and Jas Ratchford, the show was praised by critics and loved by Edinburgh audiences.

Maddy, who acts as well as writes and has an agent, said Edinburgh had been ‘a crazy experience of chaos and good humour.’

It comes with its own set of highs and lows and is an emotionally and physically exhausting experience, but the cast and crew of Palindrome were all so amazing. We managed to put on a show that we were all really proud of, with a number of sold-out performances and standing ovations.

Jacob said:

It was a pleasure to play a part in taking this brilliant piece of original writing to the Edinburgh Fringe. Performing it everyday for two weeks, the show went from strength to strength. It is rare for student shows like ours to get a run beyond the Fringe – let alone in London – so this experience is fantastic.

Jacob played Hamlet as well as Trigorin in The Seagull last academic year, and will play the role of Reverend Winemiller in Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke at the ADC Theatre in October.

Maddy is starting her own theatre company and staging her new play in London.

I am a professional actor represented by United Agents and alongside taking Palindrome to the Fringe, this summer I’ve been filming for a new movie, The Radleys, which is set to release on Sky Cinema in spring 2024.

Being President of the Dryden Society, Trinity’s theatre society, has been a great learning experience said Maddy.

Through the Dryden Society I have learn invaluable skills of managing money, communicating with teams and how best to structure a theatre-related society or company.

Hopefully all of this exciting stuff will carry me into a future where I can continue to act and create theatre!

You can book tickets for Palindrome at the Riverside Studios. 

Main image: Paul Ashley