Bolts from the blue – 2023 will be an exciting time for new musicals
As the year progresses, it is becoming clearer and clearer that there is a wellspring of new musicals, either conceived during the pandemic or nurtured since then, that are ready to take to the stage.
In Chichester, there is the new adaptation of hit series Rock Follies, while Disney’s Winnie the Pooh is set to be an erstwhile hit on tour after winning hearts in the US. Speaking of US hits, the West End will be graced with the music of The Temptations in Ain’t Too Proud, as well as the musical iteration of the much-loved novel The Secret Life of Bees. Pulitzer-winner Next to Normal will also be wowing within the intimate confines of the Donmar Warehouse this summer.
Next Monday we’ll be dipping into rehearsals for Cake – re-imagining the world of Marie Antoinette. In terms of re-imaginings, the world of animated TV series SpongeBob is also sailing its way into the Southbank and out onto the open road. Up in Manchester, a musical based on the world of Mancunian Drag Queens boasts an excellent creative team, while in Hammersmith the strikingly titled Killing the Cat is preparing to open. The stage version of Treason will also finally get a fully fledged run.
The Time Traveller’s Wife will launch off the back of a Chester preview run into the West End (it’s about time!) this autumn, while the stage adaptation of another novel, Rebecca, has secured an Off-West End run. Speaking of Off-West End runs, new musical Berlusconi is also set to light up freshly opened venue Southwark Playhouse Elephant.
Of course, shows wouldn’t be successful without grassroots support and development. Anyone wanting to see the newest pieces before they make it big should head to the VAULT Festival before it wraps up later this month. What’s more, in a couple of weeks’ time producer Katy Lipson will be holding a new “Open Pitching Day” in order to hear the latest concocters of vibrant, novel material.
One of the hotspots for new musicals is set to be Curve in Leicester, which looks primed to welcome a few very new productions over the year, including an off-West End smash-hit and the cherished stage version of The Book Thief.
Like a bolt from the blue, producer Paul Taylor-Mills has suggested something very exciting is also on the horizon. After the mammoth success of Heathers the Musical, could he strike twice with another major New York import that may have spent some time on the Great White Way? The likelihood is improved even more by the presence of a scene-stealing movie musical star, itching to make his way onto the stage…
