Barn Theatre to premiere new song cycle Now or Never with live digital concert

Casting has been confirmed for the Barn Theatre’s most ambitious live-stream to date, the premiere of new song cycle Now or Never next month.

Marking Matthew Harvey’s first collaboration with the Barn since the composer, lyricist and performer took up the post of associate artist at the popular Cirencester venue, the live ‘one-shot’ digital concert will air for one night only on 1 April at 6.30pm.

Harvey (Jesus Christ Superstar, Violet) features alongside Eloise Davies (Be More Chill, Grease), Ahmed Hamad (The Boy in the Dress, Rent), Irvine Iqbal (The Boy in the Dress, Aladdin), Lucy St Louis (Man of La Mancha, Motown), Kate Sherman (Evita, The Sound of Music UK tour) and Courtney Stapleton (Dear Evan Hansen, Six).

Discussing the project, Harvey said: “What’s been really inspiring to me, and probably the driving force behind Now or Never is the amount of good that has been happening in spite of the pandemic, especially within the theatrical community. I’ve watched countless streamed productions and even a handful of in-person ones that have been defiantly thrown together with love, from a community that have really struggled throughout the pandemic, but are still doing what they love, wherever and whenever they can. So, I wanted to write a song cycle that was all about hope in the face of catastrophe.”

The innovative digital production created by the Barn’s Ryan Carter will present the work as a non-stop, one-shot song cycle with one camera navigating the entire building covering seven characters moving between seven spaces.

Commenting on his work, Carter said: “What I love about working for the Barn is that I’m able to create without worrying about whether the team will be able to make it work. I could pitch a 40-minute, one-shot, live vocals, seven spaces, no stop-and-starts, no cuts live stream, and not sweat one bit about whether we’d pull it off. I’m also absolutely thrilled to have been trusted with the creative vision of this piece’s premier. The song cycle has a real future ahead of it, so it’s not lost on me that I get to look after its first iteration.”

Now or Never is written by Harvey with creative direction by Carter and musical supervision by Freddie Tapner. The creative team also includes Ben Collins as director of photography supported by Ben Thomas and Alex Tabrizi with sound design by Harry Smith. The concert follows on from the recent release of one of the songs from Now or Never, ‘Only A Moment’.

Angela Thomas