New musical The View Upstairs to open at Soho Theatre

A new musical The View Upstairs will open at the Soho Theatre this summer.

Making its European premiere, Max Vernon's piece has run off-Broadway as well as in Australia. It follows Wes, a young fashion designer who buys an abandoned space that was formerly a '70s gay bar, burned down in an arson attack that killed 32 people decades earlier.

Directed by Jonathan O'Boyle (Pippin, Aspects of Love) and choreographed by Fabian Aloise (The Rink), the musical will run from 18 July to 31 August at the central London theatre. Casting and the further creative team is to be announced.

Vernon said: "As a devotee and lover of British theatre, art, music and culture (from Caryl Churchill and Joe Orton to Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, Roxy Music, T Rex and Siouxsie and The Banshees), it has been a lifelong dream of mine to bring an original musical to London.

"For that show to be The View UpStairs – which is high fashion, rock and roll, queer, subversive, and speaks to an important forgotten history in the LGBTQ+ community – that is an enormous opportunity."

A three-time Drama Desk nominee, Vernon is a recipient of the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical. His previous work includes KPOP.

An original cast recording of The View Upstairs is available online.