The Mayor of Musical Theatre

Happy Wicked Movie Day! Let us be glad! Let us be grateful!Bit of a special episode, this one. To celebrate the release of one of the most exciting and hotly-anticipated stage-to-screen adaptations of all time, here is a never-before-heard interview that I conducted with Wicked’s composer, Stephen Schwartz back in 2021, when we were coming out of Covid and Stephen Schwartz’s first ever musical, Pippin was about to open in Charing Cross Theatre. Some quotes from this interview appeared in a Musical Theatre Review article about Pippin, but we had a wide-ranging chat beyond that about writing, musical influences, other composers he enjoys, and – significantly – a LOT of chat about Wicked and the Wicked movie, which was still a year and a half away from commencing filming.Apologies for the worse-than-usual audio quality, my nervousness as a novice interviewer, and for the shameless plugging of my own show, Sisyphus: A Rock 'n' Roll Musical at the start there. Plenty of fascinating chat from Stephen Schwartz beyond that though. I hope you enjoy!Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/ianbowkett.bsky.socialFollow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m talking to Kate McKeown and James Hadley, two of the wonderful team behind Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network, which are brilliant organisations dedicated to new UK musical theatre writing. They are organisations I have come across in the past thanks to their many great initiatives to support aspiring composers such as myself, and this was a very fun chat about all the work they do, and the musicals that have meant the most to them.For more info and events for Mercury Musical Developments, visit: https://www.mercurymusicals.comFor more info and events for Musical Theatre Network visit: https://www.musicaltheatrenetwork.comFollow Kate McKeown on twitter and instagram.Follow James Hadley on twitter.Follow Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network on twitter and instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeevan Braich is a steam train of talent, a very exciting young actor who is currently lighting up the stage as Rusty in Starlight Express. His performance has earned him a nomination for a Stage Debut Award at this year’s ceremony which takes place on Sunday 29th of September and is hosted by former podcast guest Divina de Campo!For tickets to The Stage Debut Awards 2024, visit: https://www.thestage.co.uk/awards/the-stage-debut-awardsFor tickets to Starlight Express starring Jeevan as Rusty, visit: http://www.starlightexpresslondon.com/Follow Jeevan on instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, my guest is the wonderful Darren Clark, composer of The Wicker Husband and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – my most recent pick for Musical theatre Review’s show of the year. He’s also the founder of New UK Musicals – an online repository for sheet music and backing tracks from new shows, as well as the casting website Actor Musician UK.The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which Darren wrote with Jethro Compton, is transferring to the West End’s Ambassadors Theatre from October, so do check out the link below and make sure you get tickets. As I say a hundred times throughout this episode, it is the most remarkable piece of theatre and you do not want to miss its West End debut.In this episode, we discuss his shows, his approach to composition, and some of the musicals that have inspired him. For The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tickets, visit: https://benjaminbuttonmusical.com/Follow Darren on twitter and instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, our guest is the sensational Jak Malone, who recently won an Oliver Award for his role in the best reviewed musical in West End History, Operation Mincemeat. We're talking to Jak today because this coming Sunday - the 9th of June - Jak will be one of the special guest judges of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition at the Sondheim Theatre!SSSSPOTY is always special. Previous podcast guests Courtney Bowman, Alex Young, and Desmonda Cathabel all got their start at this competiton, as well as superstars like Taron Egerton and Cynthia Erivo. This is you chance to see not just the stars of tomorrow, but also new some new writing – possibly the next Operation Mincemeat – and some classic Stephen Sondheim songs, performed by the best young talent in the country on a beautiful West End stage, all for an absolute bargain price. The ticket link is below and I can’t encourage you enough to book now before it sells out! I’ll see you there on Sunday.For tickets to The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition, visit: https://www.sondheimtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/sssspoty-2024Follow Jak on twitter and instagram.Follow The Stephen Sondheim Society on twitter and instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re a regular listener, you will have heard countless hours of guests talking about Standing at the Sky’s Edge when asked about their favourite musicals. The show is inspired by Sheffield, the music of Richard Hawley, and beautiful Brutalist architecture. It is an incredibly exciting piece of new musical theatre and it is currently running at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until August 3rd featuring Mya Fox-Scott and Rachael Louise Miller, both of whom are exceptional performing talents. But what musicals have inspired them in their musical theatre careers, and what show would they choose to run forever if they were the Mayor of Musical Theatre?For tickets to Standing at the Sky’s Edge, visit: https://www.skysedgemusical.comFollow Mya on instagram.Follow Rachael on twitter and instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The beloved hit musical Mamma Mia! is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary in the West End. To mark this occasion, we chat with its book writer Catherine Johnson about her journey to becoming one of the most successful stage writers of our time, her work with ABBA to create Mamma Mia!, and the other musicals she loves the most. For Mamma Mia! tickets, visit: https://mamma-mia.com/london.phpFollow Mamma Mia! on twitter and instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legendary is an understatement. Frank Wildhorn is a renowned composer of not just some of the most beloved and iconic musical theatre shows to ever hit the stage, but also of chart-topping hits for artists like Kenny Rogers, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Whitney Houston. You will surely know shows like Jeckyl & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Bonnie & Clyde – which is about to go out on a UK tour, and the incredibly successful recent West End concerts for Death Note. Now he has a brand-new adaptation of the manga Your Lie in April, which is about to play three concerts at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on April 8th and 9th. In this episode, we discuss his shows, his approach to composition, and some of the musicals that have inspired him. For Your Lie in April tickets, visit: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/your-lie-in-april/Follow Frank on twitter and instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zachary James is a renowned actor, singer, recording artist, and Grammy Award winner who has performed with opera companies around the world, created the role of Lurch in The Addams Family on Broadway, worked with artists as diverse as Philip Glass and Tina Fey, and is now starring as the king of the underworld, Hades himself in the much-anticipated London return of Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre. What are the shows that have most influenced him in his career, and which one production would he choose to run forever if he was The Mayor of Musical Theatre?For Hadestown tickets, visit: https://uk.hadestown.com/Follow Zachary on twitter and instagram.Produced by Ian Bowkett (twitter: @ianbowkett) in association with https://musicaltheatrereview.com (twitter: @musicaltheatrer)Follow the podcast:Twitter: @MusicalMayorPodInstagram: @MusicalMayorPodTikTok: @MusicalMayorPodHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.