Paul Taylor-Mills has revealed details of a festival of new musical theatre at The Other Palace planned for early next year. The leading independent producer who followed his two-year tenure as artistic director of the popular London venue by taking on the role of affiliate producer has unveiled plans for MT Fest UK, a showcase for new work by both emerging and established writers.
Also featuring talks by experts in the field and concert performances by musical theatre stars, the two-week festival will run from Monday 11 to Saturday 23 February 2019. The centrepiece of the festival will be a Taster Menu of eight new musicals, each presented as a 45-minute semi-staged ‘sharing’ in the studio at The Other Palace. The musicals will range from brand new commissions to re-worked Broadway shows and new musicals developed by Taylor-Mills as part of his role as affiliate producer at The Other Palace.
Programming will also include intimate talks, performances and one-off events including:
- BEAM Brunches – morning songwriter showcases shining a light on some of the most exciting new creators of musical theatre. Presented by Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments, featuring writers discovered at the BEAM2018 showcase.
- Tea For Two, a programme of intimate and frank afternoon conversations with some of the industry’s most celebrated musical theatre practitioners.
- Night Caps, an informal late-night concerts series getting to know some of the country’s eminent musical theatre stars through the songs that shaped them, songs they might never get to sing, and songs from new works.
Announcing the event Taylor-Mills said: “Over the years I’ve been fortunate to meet writers and composers from all over the world, and this festival is about putting their work front and centre and celebrating the process of creating new musicals. It’s vital to ensure the musicals seen on our stages in years to come remain relevant, entertaining and boundary-pushing, and this means giving writers the opportunity to put their work in front of audiences.
“So, MT Fest UK will open the doors to the process of creating new musicals, allowing audiences to see pieces from across the world at various stages in their journeys. Come play, discover, learn – you never know where these musicals may end up!”
The eight headline musicals that will form the Taster Menu series are: AA, Nerds, First Date, Porn The Musical, But I’m A Cheerleader, Bloody Bloody Jessica Fletcher, The Astonishing Return of…The Protagonists and Killer Queen.
Written by Olivier Award-winning composer Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer The Opera), AA is described as a ‘hilarious and tender musical’ set within an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
Nerds is a ‘Musical Dot-Comedy’ inspired by the story of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Music is by Hal Goldberg and book and lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner.
First Date focuses on a blind-date newbie and a serial-dater who meet for a casual drink that turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner. The musical comedy features a book by Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner.
Porn the Musical is an anarchic musical about a young man who leaves life on the island of Malta behind to head for America and a fresh start. Book and lyrics by Boris Cezek, Kris Spiteri, Malcolm Galea and Abigail Guan, music by Boris Cezek and Kris Spiteri and additional book by Brendan Cull.
But I’m a Cheerleader is the story of Megan, an all-American high school cheerleader who seems to have it all. But her friends and family suspect Megan is a lesbian, so send her packing to the ‘True Directions’ rehabilitation camp to put her on the straight and narrow. Featuring a book and lyrics by Bill Augustin and music by Andrew Abrams.
Inspired by the long-running show Murder She Wrote, Bloody Bloody Jessica Fletcher is a musical parody as authorised as a novelist at a crime scene. The book is by Kevin Zak, Josh Lamon and Phillip Taratula with music and lyrics by Keith Varney and additional music and lyrics by Josh Lamon.
The Astonishing Return of… The Protagonists follows a group of once mighty superheroes battling the forces of evil. But 20 years later, they find themselves battling the forces of thinning hair and menopause. Then an old nemesis re-emerges with a sinister plan. Book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila and music by Michael Shaieb.
Killer Queen combines rap and RnB with 18th century France to retell a story that sparked a revolution. When Marie Antoinette married King Louis, her reputation was already tarnished by gossip. But when she is implicated in a crime, it is not just her reputation at stake, but the monarchy and France itself. Music and lyrics by Tasha Taylor Johnson, Jack McManus and Jonny Wright and book by Wright.
Tickets for all Taster Menu shows go on general sale on Wednesday (19 December) at 12pm.
Angela Thomas
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