MILES
A fusion of live jazz and theatre explores the life, legend, and legacy of Miles Davis.
Following an acclaimed sell-out run at Summerhall Arts this year at Edinburgh Fringe, MILES. transfers to Southwark Playhouse Borough from 4 February – 7 March 2026.
Written and directed by Oliver Kaderbhai, MILES. is a fusion of live jazz and theatre exploring the life, legend and legacy of Miles Davis. Performed by Jay Phelps—the acclaimed trumpeter and DJ known for his work with Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Amy Winehouse and Wizkid—and Benjamin Akintuyosi, the production delves into the creative chaos behind Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time. The dynamic two-hander moves through time and influence to examine Davis’s artistic evolution and impact, inspired by Davis’ autobiography, extensive research, and archival recordings.
MILES. captures the sound, pressure, and innovation of an artist who redefined modern music. The result is a hypnotic, smoke-laced fever dream: an exploration of addiction, reinvention, and the explosive cost of genius.
Writer and director Oliver Kaderbhai said, “Bringing Miles’ story to Southwark Playhouse Borough 100 years after his birth feels like the perfect place to explore the legacy of a complex man whose music transcends time, place and race whilst being rooted in all of those things. The Playhouse sits neatly between the beating heart of London’s contemporary jazz scene in Peckham and the storied history of haunts like Ronnie Scotts in soho and the 606 in Chelsea. Miles’s album, ‘Kind of Blue’ resonates with a contemporary audience as much, if not more than it did when it was released in 1959. He created something extraordinary in a time of deep civil division and personal turmoil, and, somehow, that felt hopeful to me.”
Tickets: £28 Standard | £22.50 Concession | £16 Previews
Venue details
- Address:
- Southwark Playhouse Borough
- 77-85 Newington Causeway
- London
- SE1 6BD