Leading independent theatre production companies Metta Theatre and Aria Entertainment have released the album for new feel-good musical The Rhythmics.
Following on from the last month’s release of the single ‘Waiting To Begin’, the full, partially-Crowdfunded cast album is now available via Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Music and other digital platforms.
Recorded in lockdown following social distancing guidelines in the studio the recording features: Neil McDermott (EastEnders, Pretty Woman), Eleanor Kane (Fun Home, Billionaire Boy), Christopher Staines (The Great Gatsby, Abigail’s Party), Daniel York Loh (The Shadow Factory, Pahl-La), Samuel Thomas (Man of La Mancha, The Last Five Years) and Kinny Gardner (Lindsay Kemp Company/Krazy Kat Theatre Company). The musical director is Jamie Ross and the album was mixed and mastered by Simon Small for Voicebox Productions.
Along with the cast album (which features 11 of the 19 songs from the show) the producers have released a full music video for the track ‘Got Your Back’ with fully integrated BSL choreography from Mark Smith (artistic director of Deaf Man Dancing).
Describing the track Metta’s artistic director Poppy Burton-Morgan said: “ ‘Got Your Back’ comes at the opening of Act II. The Rhythmics team are having a drink together over Zoom (in the pub in the show proper) and finally starting to open up to each other emotionally. Leader of the troupe Nick reappears halfway through, having gone AWOL and he opens up through basic sign language (as he and his brother sometimes communicate in BSL as one of Jeremy’s children is deaf). Rifts are healed, and in the midst of the opening up they have a brainwave about how to transform their routine for the impending world championships…”
With a book and lyrics by Burton-Morgan and music and lyrics by Stiles and Drewe prize-winner Ben Glasstone (Reanimator), The Rhythmics is one of three new British musicals benefitting from emergency support for Metta from Arts Council England.
In May, Metta’s Burton-Morgan and William Reynolds announced plans to use the Arts Council England emergency funding, £20,000 from the company’s own funds and over £3,000 raised by a Crowdfunding campaign to support the production of creating cast albums and BSL integrated and captioned music videos for three productions (a new version of the company’s Wind in the Willows-inspired In The Willows, ‘climate crisis’ musical Housefire and The Rhythmics) all written by Burton-Morgan.
Commenting on the project, Burton-Morgan added: “It has been a surreal and poignant experience recording this album and making a music video in isolation, especially for a show that is so intrinsically about community and togetherness. But I’m thrilled with what we’ve managed to create, and in a strange way I think the warmth and humanity of the performances shines through all the brighter in these dark times.”
In The Willows, which earlier this year earned Burton-Morgan the Writers Guild of Great Britain Award for musical book writing, features music from award-winning composer Pippa Cleary (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole) and ground-breaking hip-hop composer Keiran Merrick. The re-vamped version of the show which toured the UK last year was due to be previewed this year ahead of a new tour in the spring of 2021.
Housefire, which features music by award-winning US composer Ben Toth, was due to be workshopped at The Birmingham Rep and at London’s The Other Palace and at another London venue earlier this year.
One of the UK’s leading mid-scale touring companies, Metta has previously won praise for their street dance Jungle Book and circus musical Little Mermaid.
Angela Thomas
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