When Celebs Write Music For The West End
Published on Wednesday 21st October, 11.40am, Written by Carrie Dunn
Leaving aside the issue of whether or not she received an eight-minute standing ovation on her first night (the PR says yes, people who were there tell me no), Diana Vickers’s final song in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice is revealed to be the work of Take That’s Mark Owen. Yes, everyone’s favourite little boy band munchkin is the co-composer of Sunlight, the song that LV sings when she finally finds her own voice. He follows in a grand tradition of hit-making stars writing music for shows – let’s look at some others. Jukebox musicals not included…
Mark Owen
Elton John (The Lion King, Billy Elliot, Aida)
The modern master of musicals began his theatrical career by scoring the Disney film The Lion King, which then transferred to stage. He clearly got a taste for it after that. The Olivier-winning Billy Elliot’s been in residence at the Victoria Palace for nearly five years, transferring to Broadway to great acclaim (and a plethora of Tony Awards) this year. Aida was a huge hit in the US, and has also been staged in Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Uruguay, Australia, Philippines, Mexico, Croatia, Peru, Argentina, Estonia, Canada, Hungary, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, China, and Israel. But not the UK.
Benny and Bjorn (Chess, Kristina)
It is a source of great pain to me that while Mamma Mia! The Musical continues to pack ‘em in all over the globe, Benny and Bjorn’s masterwork Chess is consigned to the vaults and revived only every so often when somebody thinks they can fix the flaws with the book. I don’t dispute that there are issues with the storyline; but it is a fact that the score and the orchestrations (as heard on what I deem the definitive recording, the Concert staging of 1992) are some of the most beautiful writing for musicals in the 20th century.
Dave Bryan (The Toxic Avenger, Memphis)
The masses were unsurprisingly sceptical when Bon Jovi’s keyboardist announced his intentions to write a musical with Joe DiPietro, librettist for shows including I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. The scepticism multiplied when they learnt that the new creative team were going to base their new show on B-movie The Toxic Avenger, about a geeky smalltown boy who falls into a vat of toxic waste and is endowed with superhuman strength. But weirdly, it works – it’s funny, endearing, and has a rockin’ score. The smallness of the venue at the New World Stages off-Broadway works too – it creates a sense of intimacy and enforces tricky staging decisions (such as the cast doubling up on roles, to terrific comedy effect). Word is that their new extravaganza, Memphis, on the Great White Way is somewhat less successful.
Any other pop star composers I’ve missed?
2 Comments to When Celebs Write Music For The West End
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Despite its flaws I agree that Chess is infinitely better than Mamma Mia. I’ve got to show some love to Zubin Varla as Freddie in the 2001 Danish tour cast, though.