Exclusive: The Danish Girl is being turned into a musical – have a first listen now
The piece follows Danish transgender woman Lili Elbe, one of the first people in the world to undergo reassignment surgery. Elbe was married to artist Gerda Gottlieb and became the subject of many of Gerda's paintings in the 1920s. The book was previously turned into an award-winning film in 2015.
Composed by Alex Parker with book and lyrics by Katie Lam, the musical is still in its development phase, but you can have a first listen to one of the tracks from the show, entitled "Silk", below.
The number is performed by transgender New York actress and Lucille Lortel Award nominee L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop), accompanied by a choir put together in collaboration with the Trans Voices Company as well as a ten-piece band. It includes nine trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming vocalists.
The new musical has also addressed how it casts its company – aside from the two leads, roles will only be set by vocal range, rather than gender, age or any other markers.
The creative team is actively wanting to bring trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming performers on board for the development process – you can reach out at info@tdgmusical.com.
The video was made At The Red House in collaboration with Wild Plum Arts.
