I’m quite certain you’ll have got the message by now if you follow the arts coverage here at the Yorkshire Post, but I’ll say it again: ours is the leading region in terms of theatre in the whole of the country outside of London. There’s even an argument that we would give London a run for its money.

Fanciful? You could point to a musical born in and very firmly of Sheffield, soon to make its way to London, in evidence.

Standing at the Sky’s Edge, first seen at the Sheffield Crucible in 2019, is returning to the theatre to occupy the much coveted Christmas production slot and once the festive fun is done, then it will transfer to the National Theatre on London’s South Bank.

What’s particularly remarkable about that feat is that this musical, with tunes from Steel City troubadour Richard Hawley, is so intensely Sheffield that it features a whole story strand that you will only understand if you know about the famous message that once adorned the Park Hill Estate.

Standing at the Sky's Edge returns to the Sheffield Crucible as the theatre's Christmas production.

Robert Hastie, the original director of the production and Sheffield’s current artistic director, is returning to the Chris Bush script for Christmas 2022.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Sky’s Edge back to the Crucible after a sell-out run in 2019. It was so popular that we’d planned to bring it back the following year, but of course Covid disrupted those plans, so it’s particularly exciting and gratifying to be sharing it with our audiences again,” says Hastie.

“It’s exactly the kind of show we all need right now. The first day of rehearsal this time round was like meeting up with an old friend.

“The themes of the show – the importance of community in the face of inequality and injustice – are as powerful and relevant as ever. And of course Richard Hawley’s music is timelessly brilliant. It’s been great to have a chance to look again at elements of the plot and design that we felt could work better, but there are no major changes. We had to decide whether to bring the story bang up to date (originally it ended on New Year’s Day 2019), but thought that if we included the pandemic it might eclipse everything, so we did a little update and now the story stops in January 2020, just before the world changed completely.”

Rachael Wooding and Robert Lonsdale as Rose and Harry in Standing at the Sky's Edge. Picture: Johan Persson.

The inventive script weaves together a number of different timelines and different lives, the fulcrum for all being the Park Hill Estate, the famous Sheffield landmark that was built to be a ‘city in the sky’.

Also returning to the world of the Park Hill Estate is Rachael Wooding, who plays Rose Stanhope, the character she played in the original production in 2019.

“Rose is a wonderful character, she’s witty and fun and the rock of her family. She supports everyone with a quiet strength and shows incredible resilience through extremely tough times,” she says.

“I quite honestly love Sheffield and working at the Crucible. It feels right and I can’t wait to get back to this wonderful show. My family still lives down the road, so I’ve been back since.”Another Steel City native, one does wonder if this is a story that can really translate to London audiences. Stanhope has no concerns.

“I don’t think you need to be from or connected to Sheffield to appreciate the stories, otherwise most stories told I wouldn’t be able to follow. It’s set in Sheffield and really is a love letter to it, but you could be anywhere to feel the love through the story. However, there will be a real nostalgia for people who know and love the city.

“The show is honestly the best thing I’ve done. It will break your heart and put it back together again. It’s very rare to be part of something that in equal parts is so incredible. Chris Bush’s writing, combined with Richard Hawley’s music, so beautifully arranged by Tom Deering, performed by these glorious actors, guided by Robert Hastie, just shouldn’t be missed.”

Hastie agrees that this story can work down south, once it has served the audience of Sheffield in that much coveted Christmas production slot.

“We make all our shows with and for this glorious city, but we’re really proud that they speak to an audience’s hearts wherever they’re from. That’s as true of Standing at the Sky’s Edge as it is of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie or Life of Pi.

“I’m thrilled to be introducing London audiences to jokes about Henderson’s Relish.”

Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Sheffield Crucible, December 10 to January 21. sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Sheffield theatres' hit show Standing at the Sky's Edge returns as the Christmas production