“We wanted to create a new platform for writers of original Musicals to present their in-development work, and offer audiences the chance to see behind the curtain”
BEFORE IT HITS is a new showcase of New Musicals, all at various stages of their development, by credible emerging West End writers. Some of these shows are only months into their writing and have never previously been presented in front of an audience, whereas others are years into the process and have already been through numerous workshops. We sat down with Jack Blume to talk about the showcase.
What inspired the creation of BEFORE IT HITS?
With so much of the West End filled with stage adaptations of hit movies and jukeboxes by megastar artists, audiences would be forgiven for not knowing how much exciting original Musical Theatre writing is happening across the country. It’s incredibly difficult for new writers to get their work to a place where producers, investors and venues will be willing to ‘take a punt’ on presenting them, even for small-scale or regional try-outs, and the development process to get work to a presentable stage is usually a number of years. All of this in mind, we wanted to create a new platform for writers of original Musicals to present their in-development work, and offer audiences the chance to see behind the curtain, to catch a glimpse of a future hit, before it’s even finished.
How did you go about selecting the musicals to feature?
We wanted to present a great variety of work across the eight shows featured, but all from writers with existing credibility in the industry, whether that credibility was as a writer, director, performer, or MD etc. Some of the shows selected were already on our radar – for example, Proud (by Lee Freeman, Mark Anderson and Graham Lappin) is a wonderful show that we’d produced a song release for a couple of years ago – but others were brand new to us, like The Vigilante by Hilmi Jaidin. Putting an uplifting comedy musical alongside a dark revenge satire with powerful, thought provoking lyrics, meant within the space of 30 minutes our audience had experienced two ends of the Musical Theatre spectrum. Thrilling!
Why was it important to make this showcase appealing to a commercial audience rather than an industry-only crowd?
Most showcases are targeted specifically at industry attendees, because presenting work is expensive, and writers need to make sure their work is seen by the people who might be able to take it into production. It’s also because producers are used to seeing unfinished work in a black box and imagining what they could do with it, whereas commercial audiences usually need a bit more production value when they buy a ticket!
With Before It Hits we wanted to give writers the opportunity to present an extract of their work with proper production value: pro headset microphones, a live band led by a West End MD (the brilliant Ehsaan Shivarani) visually engaging lighting design, sound and video design, and even a classy set with props. The benefit of presenting their work this way, in front of a commercial audience, is that they could see how their writing feels when it lives and breathes, when an audience is there waiting to be entertained, and they could also walk away with pro-shot archival footage for any industry folks who were unable to attend on the night.
To make sure the audience energy was high throughout, we had standup comedian Farah Sharp host the showcase, getting the audience laughing from the very top, and introducing each of the shows. This meant the night never stagnated with awkward scene changes or resets, but kept flowing, and the crowd stayed switched-on.
Were there any standout audience moments or comments that stuck with you after the performances?
One audience member told me that it was the first Musical Theatre production she’d seen since she was a child, and she was struck by the huge emotional depth of the work. Another mentioned that she doesn’t usually like musicals and attended only to support a friend, but that she ended up really enjoying how the fast paced “taster” format kept her engaged throughout, and now she wants to see more shows!
How do you see this kind of showcase influencing the trajectory of new musical theatre development in the UK?
I hope that we can grow the Before It Hits format in future iterations, perhaps presenting more works, or in a bigger theatre, so that more audiences can see early-stage Musicals and be a part of their journey. I think the value to writers of having their characters come to life under the lights is huge, and we should be creating more and more opportunities for this to happen as an integral part of supporting new Musical development. Making these sorts of showcases commercially targeted, and maybe even commercially viable in their own right, will only serve to create mutual benefit for audiences, writers, and the industry as a whole.
Over the two nights, Jack and the team presented segments from eight shows, along with guest performances by Caroline Kay. Across the shows there were a cast of 20 brilliant performers including Keelan McAuley (Clueless), Sally Ann Triplett (Cabaret) and Baker Mukasa (Standing At The Sky’s Edge).
The performances were both sold out in advance, and had people waiting on the door for returns. The responses from audience members, and from the writers and performers involved, were wonderful! This was the first ever staged production by Big And Brave Ltd.
Being featured in Before It Hits breathed new life into my musical – by letting us stage our excerpt with a full set, lighting, choreography and a band, I was able to see the show’s real potential for the first time, without all the risk that comes attached to a full production. I’ll say it again – I think Before It Hits is going to be the showcase that every musical theatre writer will want to be in.
– Hilmi Jaidin, THE VIGILANTE
This testimonial can’t fully capture how wonderful everything was, but hopefully it’s a good starting point. We had such a great experience working with Big And Brave! It makes all the difference collaborating with people who genuinely care about the work.
– Melisa Camba, THIS IS MY NAME
It was an absolute joy to be part of Before It Hits and we really appreciated the level of care that went into it. A great new showcase for original British musicals.
– P Burton-Morgan & James Joshua Otto, SALLY IN THE WOODS