It has been said it here before and I’ll say it again; 2011 is the Year of the Musical. The West End is brimming with a high level of talented performers on its stages, and theatres are seeing good audience numbers continuing to support the shows on offer. With a selection of eagerly anticipated new shows also making an appearance this year, times are good for West End theatre.
However, concerns are rising that there is too much reliance on imported, and jukebox musicals. Footloose, Legally Blonde, Hair, Wicked and Dirty Dancing are just a few examples of current West End shows that fit into this box, and two new musicals coming to the West End this year are Broadway transfers; Shrek the Musical, which arrives at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 7th June, with Rock of Ages due to open at the Shaftesbury Theatre in September.
To be clear here, I am not criticizing shows such as these; they are fantastic, entertaining shows that certainly have a place in the West End. The recent success of Legally Blonde at the 2011 Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards, not forgetting We Will Rock You winning the BBC2 Radio Audience Award, is proof of the popularity and success they can have. Yet, while there is an obvious demand for these shows, I don’t believe we should overlook the importance of cultivating home-grown writing talent.
There are a multitude of British songwriters in Musical Theatre circles that possess overwhelming talent and ingenuity, but are just not receiving the widespread recognition that they deserve. Sunday 20th March provided supporters of new writing with a double opportunity to attend a showcase of new songs, with the Charing Cross Theatre concert, Stars of the West End Sing the Songs of Steven Luke Walker, and the launch of Michael Bruce’s debut album, Unwritten Songs at the Prince Of Wales Theatre’s Delfont Room.
Steven Luke Walker grew up in the performing arts environment, developing a love of Musical Theatre from a young age. He has written musicals such as, Blaze, The Willow Tree and The Boy King, including a new adaption of Little Women, and is currently working as a West End vocal coach and singing tutor at the respected drama schools Guildford School of Acting and the Mountview Conservatoire.
I went along to review the Sunday night concert and left feeling very positive about the future of West End theatre. His songs were predominantly big ballad numbers, whose sweeping melodies and emotive lyrics were captivatingly exquisite to hear, while the catchy, upbeat tunes of his livelier songs amused and entertained enormously. The audience were abuzz as they left the theatre and I could hear not one bad word about the night’s music from any of them.
I caught up with some of the artists who had performed in the concert to find out what they thought of Steven’s music;
Gina Beck: “SLW is one of the most exciting new writers around; his music is a joy for
actors to sing as each song goes on an emotional journey.”
Scott Garnham: “Steven is the most fresh and exciting young composer I've heard for
ages. I jumped at the chance to showcase his talent and can't wait to
see all the fantastic ventures the future holds for him.”
Jon Robyns: “Steven's writing is proof that true Musical Theatre talent exists in the UK. It
is evocative and melodic and a joy to perform.”
Alice Fearn: “Steven's music is what every singer loves to sing and perform. Emotive and
exciting. He is a joy to work with and know he will go far as a musical
mastermind and as a writer of musical theatre in many years to come. It
was an honour to sing his work!"
Conleth Kane: “I think Steven Luke Walker is the most exciting new writer in British
Musical Theatre! I want the world to hear his amazing offerings and love
them as much as I do!”
Michael Bruce first started to become known when he won the Notes for the Stage competition in 2007, run by Speckulation Entertainment and The Stage. A Little Less Ordinary; the showcase of his music that followed in 2009 was a great success and since then, he has gone on to become the Resident Composer at the Bush Theatre and is currently composing the score for the forthcoming Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham Theatre, as well as working on a new musical.
A host of West End stars came along to the Delfont Room to perform tracks they‘ve recorded on the album. Michael Bruce’s compositions encompass a variety of musical styles, ranging from ethereally beautifully ballads to foot-tapping, attention-grabbing songs; easily the best one being his Portrait of a Princess. It is a tremendously funny song, containing incredibly clever lyrics, and perfectly epitomises all that is good in the world of Musical Theatre. Performed by the wonderfully expressive Julie Atherton, an accompanying video has been posted to YouTube which has so far garnered over 40,000 views!
A few of the artists that feature on the album offered a few words on the talented Michael Bruce;
Michael Xavier: “Michael Bruce is a new type of Musical Theatre writer. His work is
accessible, thought-provoking and emotive. His lyrics are profoundly
moving and also devastatingly funny! His compositions are delightfully
simple to hear and yet musically complex. He is a young genius!”
Julie Atherton: “He's a genius and I'm proud to know him!”
Both Steven Luke Walker and Michael Bruce are perfect instances of gifted British songwriters who should be given the chance to shine in the West End, which could only benefit from the addition of such artistically-endowed individuals; and they are not alone. There are several names out there that need to be recognised and provided with a platform to show what they have to offer the world of Musical Theatre, such as: Grant Olding (Simply Cinderella, Robin Hood); Laurence Mark Wythe (Tomorrow Morning, Through The Door); Craig Adams (Let Him Have Justice, Lift); Dougal Irvine (Departure Lounge, In Touch); Tim Sutton (Dreamfighter, The Secret Garden); Leighton James House (A Dream Affair, Only You Can Save The World); Susannah Pearse (Sex In The Village) and Stuart Matthew Price (All Things In Time).
There are a small number of organisations out there however, who do believe in supporting new writers and have done some great work in helping to introduce them to the West End stage. Speckulation Entertainment is the West End production company who championed Michael Bruce. Musical Theatre Matters (MTM: UK) is comprised of members of the theatre industry looking to develop new musicals/writers, and works closely with Mercury Musical Developments, who present showcases, workshops and so forth in support of new writing.
Another organisation who has been instrumental in establishing new names in Musical Theatre song writing is the SimG Production company, who has produced numerous showcases and through the record label SimGRecords, helps with the release of new albums, working with writers previously mentioned, such as Grant Olding and Stuart Matthew Price. I contacted Producer and Director Simon Greiff, who was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to discuss the topic of supporting new writing in Musical Theatre;
SimGProductions has done a lot of work to support new British songwriting in Musical Theatre; why do you feel this is so important?
SG: There are only a handful of companies and organizations that help, nurture & support British writing (including Mercury Musical Developments and Perfect Pitch) - there aren't enough of them! SimG Productions continues in the hope that it helps to introduce establish British writers to those who didn't know about them and in turn introduce brand new rising talent too.
Can you tell me a little bit about some of your recent events that have showcased the songs of new writers?
SG: SimG Productions started small with producing first time recordings of original work by Grant Olding and Richard Taylor (two respected British writers) on Annalene Beechey's debut album 'Close Your Eyes'. It's most recent solo album, 'All Things In Time' from Stuart Matthew Price has gone one step further by celebrating brand new British writing alongside American new writing too (from Dougal Irvine to Jason Robert Brown, Laurence Mark Wythe to Scott Alan). Most recently we released the album of 'Beyond The Gate' which is the cast recording of a revue presented at the Gate Theatre, which contained brand new songs by Mercury Musical Developments members (including Craig Adams, Tim Sutton and Gwyneth Herbert).
Who would you encourage people to follow and support as the future of Musical Theatre writing?
SG: I'd strongly recommend people following Dougal Irvine (who is a wonderfully versatile songwriter who also has the ability to write commercially appealing Brit-pop style Musical Theatre), Stuart Matthew Price (who is known best for his extraordinary vocals, but is indeed a talented songwriter too), and Grant Olding (who has written some wonderful shows and songs, and deserves a West End opportunity NOW!). George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (our best British writing team) have held 'the hopes of British Musical Theatre' banner for too long; it's time to realize and indeed support our other great writers!
Do you have any up-coming showcases you would recommend to Musical Theatre fans?
SG: Purchasing the 'Beyond The Gate' CD (where proceeds go to Mercury Musical Developments) will indeed help support what SimG and MMD are trying to do. SimG are also presenting the 'Easter with...' cabaret season that will feature new writing sung by two wonderful songstress' Caroline Sheen and Ashleigh Gray.
Should there be a greater emphasis on providing original British musicals over imported/jukebox Musicals in London's West End; or do you believe there is room for both?
SG: The West End is a commercial world, and original British writing isn't commercial at the moment. Therefore big Broadway transfers and jukebox shows will win out. One of the biggest UK theatrical exports in recent years is the musical version of BILLY ELLIOT, which features songs by Elton John. Last year I would have said "I dare any big UK producer to create a movie turned musical using a talented unknown writer! If the show & title are selling themselves, then it's time to give songwriters (who don't have a pop back-catalogue) the opportunity". With the recent closure of 'Love Story' (which wasn't commercial, and featured a wonderful score by Howard Goodall) I fear now how any producer will take the chance again! In America they have Musical Theatre writing festivals, and within those festival shows find a producer, and do indeed find success - 'Next To Normal' for example. We need this in the UK, asap!
I also got in touch with another organisation which Simon mentioned there; Perfect Pitch, who work to promote and develop new writers and musicals. I spoke with Executive Producer Andy Barnes, who answered a couple of my questions on the subject;
What were the reasons behind the founding of Perfect Pitch and how successful do you feel it has been in establishing new writers?
AB: Perfect Pitch happened by accident really, as a producer I had a desire to find something new that had never been seen before, but once I started looking, it became apparent that whilst many had potential, they were never quite ready for production and so I began to find people to help me develop them. The development network of Partners grew from there.
I think we are at the start of an exciting period for young British writers, both those that we've worked with at Perfect Pitch but in general too. Many of those we work hard to promote are being offered commissions and writing work, and several of the shows we have developed have moved on to full production of varying scale.
Can you tell me about some of your past/future events, such as the up-coming 'The Great British Musical'?
AB: The concert is about celebrating the old and embracing the new, talented writers whose shows will one day become revivals. It is about showcasing the songwriting talents of emerging British writers alongside some of those tunes you have heard over and over but still adore, and showing that this new wave of writers can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of them if given the opportunity to do so. And finally it’s about raising both awareness of the work we do, and the funds to support that work in the austere arts climate ahead.
Who would you encourage people to follow and support as the future of British musical theatre?
AB: I always find this a tricky question to answer as it's a real case of horses for courses. Dougal Irvine and Richard Taylor are both incredibly talented and exciting writers, but entirely different in the style of musical they choose to write at the moment. Craig Adams, Laurence Mark Wythe and Paul Herbert, amongst others are all great composers, and have bright futures ahead. We have some exciting book writers coming through too.
What do you believe needs to be done to get more original British musicals into London's West End?
AB: I think it's about re-educating our audiences to take a risk on new musicals. They do it with plays, but we have allowed a climate to take hold where the audience feel they need familiarity before they come. We need to encourage those producers and theatres with the ability to engage with audiences directly, and on a large scale, such as the BBC search programmes, to embrace new musicals as part of that world. We also need to make sure the work is good enough. It's no good having a new musical in the West End if it isn't very good.
It becomes quite clear that there are new and talented writers out there, creating original musicals; but why are we not seeing them in the West End? Simply put, it is because there are not many producers and investors in musical theatre that are willing to take a risk on unknown names. There are exceptions to the rule, as always: Dougal Irvine’s Departure Lounge came to the Waterloo East Theatre and was nominated for ‘Best New Musical’ at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2011; Howard Goodall’s Love Story received rave reviews when it arrived at the Duchess Theatre and was nominated in three categories for the Olivier Awards 2011, and Richard Thomas’ Shoes recently transferred to the West End and is currently playing at the Peacock Theatre.
To look at these shows, it would seem as though there is a promise of new British writers being given opportunities in the West End. If we were to take a second look however, we would see that is not the case: The Departure Lounge enjoyed just a brief spell at the Waterloo East Theatre; Love Story recently closed at the Duchess Theatre and Shoes is only booking until the beginning of April. Without any original musicals to be seen on the horizon, there is little hope for the unknown writer in the West End right now. The duo of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe are the only British writers who are receiving any real backing, with the success of past Musicals Honk! and Mary Poppins, as well as the recently opened Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello Theatre.
Let it not be forgotten that celebrated British writers, the likes of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, were once unknown names looking to catch a break. What would the Musical Theatre scene be now if the West End had never taken a chance on them?
The economic downturn in our country has had a huge impact on everything, including the arts. This, coupled with producers and investors’ reluctance to back unknown writing, is why new names are unfortunately not being welcomed into the West End with open arms.
Instead, the West End is being dominated by jukebox musicals built around a collection of hit-songs, which pretty much ensure their chances of being successful productions, as well as musicals based upon popular films and books to appeal to an audience’s sense of familiarity, as with imports and revivals of verified favourites. Treading along this safe and sure route carries the danger of turning the West End into a tourist location, instead of being a place where creativity and originality is encouraged to flourish and prosper. I am not advocating a rejection of these types of musicals; Wicked and Legally Blonde are two of the best examples of how brilliantly good they can be, and the eagerly anticipated Ghost is shaping up to be a great success. There must surely be a balance though. There is room for a wide variety of shows in the West End, with each one appealing to a particular audience’s taste, and there are many people who are thirsty for fresh and innovative British musicals to claim their patch of land there.
If the future of the West End is to be ensured, then it must encourage new writers and work alongside them to help develop their work as they are the future. It is not just the responsibility of the industry however; fans of musical theatre can do so much to help support these talented individuals. Come along to the cabarets, come to the concerts, buy their albums and most importantly, spread the word!
This is the Year of the Musical. There is an untapped reservoir of talented, innovative writers who hold so much hope and potential and this is their moment to shine. It’s time to take risks and start believing in them. So I send out a call to the producers and the investors, the theatres and the West End actors and of course, to the fans – do everything you can to support new British writers so that next year, the West End’s future looks even brighter!
Remember...create, love, inspire!
Miss Julie
You can also follow them on Twitter:
@SimGProductions
@speckulation
@MBruce83
@grantolding
@DougalIrvine
@TimSuttonMusic
@stuartmprice
And also look them up on Facebook...thank you for supporting!
