Theatre News

X Factor musical gets West End premiere in 2014

The long-rumoured musical based on TV show The X Factor will premiere in the West End early next year, it has been announced.

Titled X Factor – It’s Time To Face The Musical!, it will feature 19 new songs with music and lyrics by Steve Brown and a book by comedian Harry Hill (pictured below), and is being directed by double Olivier Award winner Sean Foley.

It’s produced by Stage Entertainment UK and Simon Cowell’s company Syco Entertainment.

According to press material, the show “goes behind the microphone and under the judges’ desk to reveal the (not
necessarily accurate) story of heartache and laughter that keeps
millions tuning in every week.”

It continues: “In turn irreverent, anarchic and yet
strangely touching X Factor – It’s Time To Face The Musical! is an
affectionate poke at the world’s most talked about talent show that will
please fans and knockers of The X Factor in equal measure.”

The story centres on Chenice, who lives in an ITV blackspot because her Grandad’s iron lung interferes with the signal in her caravan, and the only girl in the world who has never heard of The X Factor.

When she accidentally stumbles into the audition queue with her talking dog, she starts a journey to both stardom and love. Along the way, “she’s joined by contestants with vastly varying degrees of ability, some judges you might well recognise and Max, a handsome ukulele playing plumber and part time eco-warrior.”

The creative team is completed by choreographer Kate Prince (Zoonation’s Into The Hoods and Some Like It Hip Hop), designer Es Devlin (2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony), sound designer Gareth Owen, lighting designer Hugh Vanstone and musical supervisor Phillip Bateman.

Although a venue is still to be confirmed, according to the Daily Mail the show will “open at the London Palladium this time next year”.