Since the creation of the New Musical Theatre Department at Birmingham Hippodrome, the first of its kind in the UK, the work seen to be emanating from the venue is nothing short of inspirational.  The Hippodrome have created a fantastic working environment for new writers to come together and produce good quality work which is extremely important for the longevity of musical theatre.  There are so many interesting, crazy, sad, funny and uplifting stories to be told, and with the passion of the whole team I am very excited to see what is created.

Headed up by Deirdre O’Halloran, and alongside her team, Finlay Carroll (New Musical Theatre Coordinator), James Ashfield (New Musical Theatre Producer) and Chris Ball (Production Manager) an evening showcasing six new musicals ensued and I happily found myself immersed in a world of creation, inspiration, joy and talent.  During the evening, we heard songs and dialogue from six completely different new musicals:

• The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade (Lyrics by Helen Arney, Music by Jenni Pinnoock and Book by Brian Mackenwells)
• A Very Serious Unserious Black Hair Courtroom Drama, The Musical (Music & Lyrics by Neone, Book & Lyrics by Lakesha Arie-Angelo)
• Reality Bites (Book & Lyrics by David Payne, Music and additional lyrics by Aron Sood, Dramaturgy, direction and additional lyrics by Nyasha Gudo and Orchestrations by Will Tuckwell)
• This Is My Name (Book by Dominique La Victoria and Music & Lyrics by Melisa Camba)
• Pit Stop and Wash (Music by Tyriq Baker, Lyrics by Kristal Malin-Sheppard and Book by Gaby Songul)
• Reveries (Music & lyrics by Matthew Harvey and Creative direction & book by Ryan Carter)

Each of these new musicals already has their own identity, leaving me wanting to see the full productions ASAP!.  When showcasing new work, it always helps when the voices telling the stories and singing the songs are sensational, so imagine my delight when the likes of Georgina Onuorah, Sharlene Hector, Maddison Bulleyment and Courtney Stapleton lent their incredible talent to proceedings, alongside a magnificent four-piece band who were the masters of adaption through each genre of music they played.

Our very charismatic host, Alex Cardall gave us some wonderful snippets of information, none more exciting than the news of ‘Hot Mess’ (music & lyrics by Jack Godfrey and book & additional lyrics by Ellie Coote), previously called ‘This Is A Love Story’ in its workshop performance in the Patrick Studio last year, making its way to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year, the first time the Birmingham Hippodrome will have taken a show to this one of a kind event.  Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this one, as after hearing one of the fantastic songs from the show, I have a feeling it will be a sure fire hit!

This whole evening was a truly wonderful chance to see the start of something very special, and I felt honoured to be in the room with like-minded musical theatre loving individuals who were all so appreciative of the work showcased. The city of Birmingham really has attracted the best of the best and long may the Birmingham Hippodrome continue its incredible work with writers, musicians, lyricists and dramaturgs in order to create some of the most exciting musical theatre I've heard.

For more information on the New Musical Theatre Department at Birmingham Hippodrome, please visit: New Musical Theatre – Birmingham Hippodrome

Written by Emma Rowley

Picture : The Musical Theatre Writers Group launched with its first cohort in April 2024 (image taken from Birmingham Hippodrome website)