We sat down with Abey Bradbury, writer and composer of JULIE: The Musical.
Julie D’Aubigny is down in history as one of the most chaotic characters to have ever lived – one of the first public figures to live as an openly bisexual woman, she seduced nuns, duelled multiple men at once, burnt down convents, was bribed by princes, innovated opera – all before she turned 30.
Playing at The Other Palace 12th-30th June.
Tell us a bit about the show.
JULIE is a new original musical telling the life and adventures of Julie D’Aubigny – the 17th century queer icon you’ve probably never heard of. Julie D’Aubigny (also known as her stage name La Maupin) was a famous French Opera Singer and Swordswoman in the late 1600s-early 1700s, and she was also one of the first public figures to live openly as a bisexual woman – obviously queer people have existed since people began, but Julie was very much a celebrity, and was one of the first to live so openly and unapologetically!
The show follows Julie’s chaotic life – some of her more famous escapades include setting a convent on fire, stabbing herself live on stage and being challenged to a duel by 3 different men for kissing a woman in front of the French Royal Court (she did duel them, all at once, beat them all, and then wandered back into the party like nothing happened…iconic)
Over 50 characters are played by 4 actor-musicians, who also play all the music live, in a chaotic fusion of musical theatre, comedy, drama, sword fights and kazoos!
What inspired you to write JULIE: The Musical?
From the first moment I heard about Julie D’Aubigny I was fascinated and awe-struck by this chaotic, unapologetic, flawed and wonderful person – her life really was as big and wild as Opera plot, and it’s almost hard to believe that she was a real person and not a character in a musical already
There’s also not a huge amount of queer, and especially bisexual, representation in mainstream theatre and media, and also not a lot that is really joyful and celebratory – so I wanted to create a show that is as chaotic and unapologetic as Julie herself was, and amongst the heartbreak and flaws she had, also celebrates queer joy, found family and carving your own space in a world not built for you
What is your favourite line or lyric from the musical?
There are literally so many it’s hard to choose – one that’s a new lyric for this year (as a show I’m still developing and re-writing little bits as we go) is “Just strike the flint and then see how bright I’ll burn” – which I think really sums up Julie as a character and the journey see goes on
Though I also do love the line “Not like you, you little farm boy – EE I EE I O!” – which comes in the middle of a rap battle with added kazoos…it’s a very chaotic show
What makes you most excited about bringing the show back to The Other Palace?
It’s extremely exciting, a bit bizarre and just a touch terrifying! We toured the show to The Other Palace last year, and had such an amazing response, I can’t wait to be back for our extended run this year and introduce JULIE to a whole new audience again, and hopefully see some familiar faces back to see how the show has stepped up this year!
I’m so excited to see how the show keeps evolving and getting bigger and better every time – I’m also very excited to be part of the cast again myself this year with some flippin’ fantastic people on stage, I’ve been polishing up my kazoo and sword fighting skills (I also get to do a sword fight with a guitar which is very exciting!)
What sets JULIE: The Musical apart from other musicals?
JULIE is a show that breaks a lot of the rules of normal musical theatre, and allows people to really express themselves on stage through Julie and the adventures she had, which then means audiences really get to see themselves in the show as well, which is pretty joyous to me!
You can also see the heart and the love and the soul that goes into the show from everyone involved and who make it what it is – right from the producers and venues, to the actors and team on stage giving so much passion into the performance and production, to the amazing audience members and people who’ve travelled across the UK to see nearly every performance (I still get very excited when I see them coming in through the door!)
JULIE really is breaking the mold and the rules of musical theatre, and it’s that authenticity and unapologetic chaos that really has made it stand out and become such a fan favourite in such a short amount of time!
Get your tickets here