West End favourites Miriam-Teak Lee (& Juliet), Laura Baldwin (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella), Jordan Luke Gage (Bonnie & Clyde), Rebecca Lock (Elf The Musical) and Declan Bennett (Jesus Christ Superstar) will be among the actors to appear at MTFestUK 2024.
Running from 30 January until 11 February 2024, the showcase event at The Other Palace and Turbine Theatre will feature:
MTFestUK in The Other Palace Studio
A Jaffa Cake Musical
Written by Sam Cochrane with arrangements by Rob Gathercole.
Cast includes: Sam Cochrane as Kevin, Emily Kitchingham as Katherine, Harry Miller as Jake, Alex Prescot as Judge and Katie Pritchard as Tax Man.
Inspired by the 1991 tribunal which determined the true identity of a Jaffa Cake, the multi-award-winning Gigglemug Theatre (Timpson: The Musical, RuneSical, Scouts! The Musical) presents a new family-friendly musical comedy about the nation’s favourite cake (I mean, biscuit…?).
Both
Music and lyrics by Declan Bennett and Olivia Broadfield with book by Bennett.
A delicately powerful and intimate new musical that that poses the questions – ‘When love doesn’t last for the forever it foretold, who will we choose to be?’ ‘When our Both becomes one, will we fight or are we gone?’ ‘When we’re Both up against the wall, do we give up or give it all?’
Cast includes: Declan Bennet and Nimah Perry.
Tit Swingers
Book, music and lyrics by Abey Bradbury and Sam Kearney-Edwardes.
Anne Bonney and Mary Read: polyamorous queer pirates named the Hellcats of the Seven Seas for their various vicious and notorious crimes… who fought with their tits out. The Tit Swingers are here to write their own sea shanties in a new punk gig musical.
Cast includes: Abey Bradbury as Mary Read, Sam Kearney-Edwardes as Anne Bonney and Max Kinder as Calico Jack.
Plastered
Book, music and lyrics by Randy Rogel, developed/co-created by BT McNicholl and directed by Jerry Zaks.
Another little shop, another big problem. A twisted killer comedy musical – in a 1950s San Francisco coffee house, a struggling beatnik sculptor accidentally creates a new style of art that thrusts him into fame and fortune as trouble mounts….
Cast includes: Jacob Fisher as Beatnik, Peter Hannah as Maxwell, Jenna Innes as Beatnik, Miriam-Teak Lee as Carla, Gina Murray as Mrs Swickert, Rory O’Malley as Walter Paisley, Quinn Patrick as Leonard Desantis and Ian Virgo as Detective. Stage directions read by Pete Gallagher.
MTFestUK at The Turbine Theatre
ROMY AND MICHELE The Musical
Written by the cult film’s screenwriter Robin Schiff, the musical features a score by Gwendolyn Sanford and Brandon Jay. Kristin Hanggi will direct.
Pop culture’s most lovable and quotable best friends are back, and this time they’re bringing their misadventures to the stage in the new musical comedy. ROMY AND MICHELE The Musical is described as an absolute feel-good joyride and the best thing to happen since the invention of Post-Its®.
Cast includes: Femi Akinfolarin as Mike, Laura Baldwin as Romy White, Jarrad Biron Green as Sandy Frink, Millicent Blair as Michelle Weinberger, Jordan Kai Burnett as Heather Mooney, Connor Carson as Billy Christianson, Evangeline Jarvis Jones as Christie Masters, Deena Kapdia as Kelly Possenger, Anna MacLeod as Lisa Luder and Kingsley Morton as Toby Walters.
Bling
Music and lyrics by Elliot Clay and book by Tori Allen-Martin.
It’s 2008, season two of The Kardashians is airing, Britney’s made her comeback and a group of teenagers are about to steal $3 million worth of belongings from Hollywood celebrity’s homes. Inspired by unbelievably true events, this darkly comic pop-opera lampoons noughties culture.
Cast includes: Roxanne Couch as Sacha, Rosanna Hyland as Mum/Teacher, Idriss Kargbo as Ryan, Jessica Lee as Lucy and Olivia Mitchell as Jenny.
Redcliffe
Written by Jordan Luke Gage and directed by Josh Seymour.
Based on the tragic true story of William Critchard and Richard Arnold, Redcliffe is an epic tale of forbidden love in 1753 Bristol.
Cast includes: James Darch as Richard, Jess Douglas Welsh as Abigail, Chris Fung as Landlord, Jordan Luke Gage as William, Emma Lindars as Landlady and Rebecca Lock as Mother.
Graduate ensemble includes: Elena Bluck, Ellie McAspurn, Rees Parry and Jonathan Peniket.
The Garden
Music, book and lyrics by Chisara Agor, orchestration by Robin G Breeze.
When a sprawling magical garden grows overnight on Azalea’s estate, Azalea and her friends connect within it to unite the community, healing neighbourly strife and familial bonds. The Garden is described as an exciting, magical-realist, afro-electric-folk musical which sheds light on the need for social housing, nature and love.
Cast includes: Chisara Agor as Azalea, Elinor Machen-Fortune as Abbi, Jack Matthew as Developer, Resident.
Selected from the open submission process, the creative teams for each of the eight shows are being given an opportunity to workshop and present their work in ‘sharing’ sessions to audiences. Each piece will be cast and rehearsed, ahead of four sharing performances in workshop format, open to audiences.
Commenting on MTFestUK 2024, Paul Taylor-Mills, artistic director at The Other Palace and the Turbine Theatre said: “We are thrilled MTFestUK continues to support and showcase such a broad range of new musical theatre writing at both The Other Palace and The Turbine Theatre. Several MTFestUK pieces have gone on to fully staged productions, which is a testament to the function of both theatres to provide space and support to allow new work to be explored.”
Launched by Taylor-Mills in late 2018 as a showcase for new work by both emerging and established writers, the inaugural season of MTFestUK was staged at The Other Palace in 2019 where he was then ensconced as artistic director.
Angela Thomas
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