First star performers announced for Stiles and Drewe Best New Song concert

George Stiles, Anthony Drewe and Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) have unveiled the first group of West End favourites lined up to perform the songs in the running for this year’s Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize later this month.

Hosted by Olivier Award-winner Janie Dee (Follies, Hello Dolly!), the one-night only concert will feature stars including: Christopher Chung (Heathers, Romeo & Juliet); Chelsea Halfpenny (Waitress, Emmerdale); Kaisa Hammarlund (Fun Home, The Boleyns); Teleri Hughes (Heathers, Les Misérables); Emilie Louise Israel (Hamilton, The Lion King); Craig Mather (Sweeney Todd, The Wind in the Willows); Sharan Phull (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Bend It Like Beckham); Caroline Sheen (Mary Poppins, Into The Woods); Emily Tierney (Identical, Wicked); and Rebecca Trehearn (City of Angels, Ghost). Further casting will be announced at a later date.

Awarded on an annual basis to a member of MMD, the UK’s largest membership organisation dedicated to developing new musical theatre writing, the winner of this year’s award will be revealed at the end of the special concert performance at The Other Palace in London on 21 November 2022.

Chosen from 175 submissions, the final songs are:

‘Getting Away With Murder’ from La Vida Loca Latin Dance Musical by Chris Brindle and Rob Jones

‘I Don’t Feel Like Me Anymore’ from Snowflake by Lewis Cornay

‘Joyce’s Song’ from Falling Skies by Sophie Boyce and Fred Feeney

‘Keep Me From Going Under’ from Keep Me From Going Under by Michelle Payne and Emy Parsons

‘Lullaby’ from Soul of the Ballad by Chris Poon and Daniel York Loh

‘On My Way’ from Hynt (Passage) by Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams

‘One Last Request’ from The Most Beautiful Suicide by Flora Leo

‘Parallel Life’ from The Fan by Karen Bishko and Max Luck

‘A Portrait Of Me’ from Dead Reckoning by Lezlie Wade and Scott Christian

‘The Inventor’s Daughter’ from The Night Our Parents Disappeared by Andy Room and Oli George Rew

‘This Isn’t Magic’ from Galileo: An A Cappella Musical by Dan Mawson and Leo Mercer

‘Wheatfield With Crows’ from The Rise and Fall of Vinnie & Paul by Neil Bastian

The 2022 Best New Song will be chosen by the panel of industry experts including Stiles and Drewe, Jenna Russell, Ameena Hamid and Matthew Xia. The winning writer or writers will receive £1,000 towards the development of their work. An additional price of £250 for Voice, Vision & Potential will also be awarded, sponsored by writers of Six, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.

The concert will also commemorate 30 years of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), the UK’s membership organisation for writers of musical theatre. Established in 1992, MMD is dedicated to developing the talents and careers of its members and ensuring a future for British musicals.

The evening will celebrate the achievements of MMD’s members past and present, including songs from Identical by Stiles + Drewe and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by Darren Clark and Jethro Compton, among others.

Angela Thomas