First track from BBC’s U.Me: The Musical released

The opening track from the BBC commissioned U.Me: The Musical is now available ahead of the musical’s world premiere on the BBC World Service and on BBC Sounds on 12 May.

Performed by Anoushka Lucas (Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), ‘Everything Stops’ also features a number of West End stars as special guest backing vocalists.

With narration by Stephen Fry, the cast for the musical includes co-leads Lucas and Martin Sarreal (Here Lies Love, National Theatre), with Nicole Deon (The Wind in the Willows, London Palladium) and Kevin Shen (Yellow Face, National Theatre).

The cast is supported by a number of West End stars who have provided the backing vocals during lockdown. Featured performers include: Soophia Foroughi (Prince of Egypt, Dominion Theatre), Tyrone Huntley (Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Sejal Keshwala (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre), Evie Rose Lane (Footloose UK tour) and Jamie Muscato (Heathers, Theatre Royal, Haymarket). The cast is completed by students from the Paul McCartney-founded Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA.)

Set during the global pandemic crisis, U.Me: The Musical features words and music by West End musical director Theo Jamieson and a book by Jamieson and Simon Pitts with music production by Liverpool based Grammy Award-winning record producer Steve Levine.

Commissioned by Pitts and the BBC World Service, the project has given employment and support to British creatives including singers, musicians, mix engineers and orchestrators. Contemporary musicians feature alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with over 60 musicians across the UK recording their parts remotely to be mixed by Levine in his Liverpool studio.

Commenting on the project, Pitts said: “It can take six years to create a new musical for the West End or Broadway. We’re writing and arranging and recording U.Me in five months during lockdown. We’re excited to be bringing together some of Britain’s greatest music and drama talents in a project touching on our shared global experience over this last extraordinary year.”

Jamieson, whose theatre credits include Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Here Lies Love, added: “The BBC wanted to do a radio musical in response to the Covid pandemic, a romance in this moment we are in that would get the blood pumping and raise goosebumps. When all guns are blazing on a musical, nothing generates that much energy and that much feeling. It’s a big challenge, but actually the feeling of responding and delivering something to the public in a short amount of time is actually really fun. It’s fantastic as an artist.”

U.Me: The Musical is an international love story between two young people on opposite sides of the world who catch each other’s eye during a crowded work video conference and fall in love online.

Angela Thomas