Theatre News

The Other Palace announces Heathers in new work in progress line-up

The new musical venue has announced five pieces the public will be able to see in development

Paul Taylor Mills and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Paul Taylor Mills and Andrew Lloyd Webber
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Paul Taylor Mills have announced the five productions that will form their first Work in Progress series.

The series aims to present work at varying stages of development, and offers audiences the opportunity to see the work at a fraction of a cost of a regular show – tickets start at £7.50.

The first production, presented over five performances in the studio from 30 May to 3 June, will be Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy's Heathers the Musical. A dark story about a teenage misfit ran off-Broadway in 2014. O'Keefe's other work includes Legally Blonde and Bat Boy.

This will be followed by Alex Baranowski, David Watson and Sam Yates' take on Dr Feelgood, which receives a public showing on 10 June. Joybubbles by Carl Grose and Alex Silverman will show the following week on 17 June, and tells of Joe Engressia, who was born in 1949 completely blind but with perfect pitch.

Frank Wildhorn's Bonnie & Clyde, which has a book by Ivan Menchell and lyrics by Don Black, will have five performances from 26 June to 1 July. The musical based on the infamous criminal couple, had a brief Broadway run in 2011 starring Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan.

Later in July, new musical organisation Perfect Pitch will present The Little Beasts in the main house. Aimed at children aged seven and upwards, the new musical will use puppetry to tell the story of a selfish little girl who runs away from home and discovers a magical menagerie filled with animals that used to be children before their naughtiness brought them to untimely ends.

Talking about the new initiative Lloyd Webber said: "I want The Other Palace to become the London space where writers and producers can try out and perfect new work, offering audiences the opportunity to see musicals in development."