A major concert of the new musical IRISH AFFAIR by Stuart Brayson will take place in June at the National Opera House in Wexford, Ireland.

This true love story set in Ireland in 1957 is being developed by the National Opera House and a series of staged concerts featuring the full score of this exciting new musical will happen this summer on June 27th, 28th and 29th at the National Opera House.

Casting to be announced soon. 

For more details of Irish Affair look at the website of the National Opera House

I am thrilled to announce the return of my musical FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.

The brand new production will open on October 29. 2022 at Charing Cross Theatre in London.

Casting will be announced very shortly and what’s even more exciting is this brand new production of FROM HERE TO ETERNTY will also feature new songs by myself and Sir Tim Rice.

I look forward to seeing you all at Charing Cross Theatre to fight the fight..again.

It wasn’t planned but like all the best unplanned plans it felt like the right time.

A retrospective of the original west end production of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. Perhaps even a reunion. Yes a reunion. But under lockdown? 

I had a few words with a new good friend of mine called Jean-Paul who runs Musical Theatre Radio in Canada. I think he’s my friend. He’s asked me to do three or four interviews on his fab radio programme so that’s always a good sign..

We had discussed a Q and A with a prize attached. Something to raise the morale among the theatre community. OR even an Evening With SB live on the radio, this is my one man band spectacular where I lift the lid on my highs and lows on this uncertain profession called showbiz and chuck in a few songs to boot. I was keen to help Jean-Paul to do something positive as like everyone in theatre land I wanted to do my bit to rally the troops.

He said he’d get back to me.

Enter Simon Greiff. A British producer I’d never met but due to the marvels of zoom within one breezy chat we were off and running. A virtual FHTE reunion. One night only.

You’ll never get them I thought. The cast and creatives of the London show. It’s been awhile and perhaps they don’t still have the same feels for FHTE during a worldwide pandemic. And if they said no who could blame them. Simon seemed confident. 

We left it at that and I got back to work writing songs for my new country album. 

Twenty minutes later we were on. Most of the leads and creative team had said a resounding yes and even Tim Rice was up for it. I was a little shocked. How was this going to work? I’ve never been to a reunion. Not even a school one. Really I never even went that much to school..

A week or so later all the online theatre set ups were running our story. FHTE-ONE NIGHT ONLY. All positive stuff. Reunions might be cool. 

What had intrigued me about this reunion from the get go was that we were actually going to present it on a new platform. A virtual theatre no less. Always up for new things and experiences, this seemed a funky way to spend an evening reminiscing and miles away from the 24 7 COVID 19 blues. Even if we all really wouldn’t leave our living rooms. Hasn’t 2020 been a drag…

The platform called REMO offered the audience and star turns a chance to mingle before the show and a virtual stage for myself and the rest of the company to converse, discuss our memories and for the fans to interact with us with questions during the evening. 

It’s obviously not a theatre but when the chances are most of us all won’t see the inside of one until 2021, it’s the best alternative I’ve seen so far. And it all seemed fitting that From Here To Eternity would be the first to get this virtual ball rolling. It always seemed we were always just a little ahead of the curve. Sometimes to our detriment.

I said I’d sing. We needed music and the bloke who wrote the songs can’t really pull a sickie. 

The night came and after a little dress rehearsal, where to be honest I didn’t have a clue which button meant what and where or how any of this was going to work. We were up and running. Whatever happened it would be something positive I thought and a little money in the kitty for those in need. 

I did have a slight premonition of me sat in a virtual room on a virtual table on my own for an hour and half as my computer skills leave a little to be desired. But with my genius of a nephew at the helm all I was assured would be well.

And it was.

The fans of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY never fail to amaze me. They are devoted and totally loyal to Eternity. A few I know personally some I’ve never met some I’ve yet to meet, but they really do come from all parts of the globe, mostly young and all passionate and a few slightly obsessive about the boys and girls of 41. I cannot thank them all enough for being so incredible. 

I think in truth my main reason for wanting to do a ONE NIGHT ONLY was to thank the fans and the UK ones especially. I know what it’s like to be a fan. And a lot of people who found our show just as it was shuffled out of the west end have been left up in the air only with few brief memories to hold onto over the years since. Why don’t you tour? When are you going to return? FHTE fans have written to me for years now with the same heart felt pleas and I’ve had no answers. When America might have seemed the logical future choice for a major production of FHTE it’s heart belongs in Britain.

And so to the evening..

It was lovely to hear the creative team and cast speak so honestly about their experiences of the London production. I was so moved as they all showed how much the show had truly meant to them. It was a magical short lived west end dream that certainly touched all of our hearts. And now in hindsight what is so wonderful is we can all see and appreciate the good things again. What we set out to do. 

I’ve certainly never seen a company as devoted and hard working as that London production of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

And it was a joy to spend a few hours reminding ourselves perhaps of what we actually all achieved. 

And when the virtual event was over I remembered why I set out to write musicals. It was because of such evenings. A musical brings people together in a way not many other art forms can. Yes being in a rock band was exciting but theatre is engaging. It’s an experience we all share together. The artists and the audience. A big family and a good story.

Thank you Jean-Paul and Simon for allowing us to share our story again..!

When I was asked to perform recently at a Supperclub, I was curious. Ive done many things in my longish career but never literally sang for my supper! And the idea of being able to get back doing what I think I do best, perform with my guitar in an intimate setting some of the score from From Here To Eternity was too good to refuse.

And get fed! A five course meal no less!

Well of course I said yes.

I’ve always warmed to a challenge and doing something new. And to meet and spend an evening with a selection of lovely fans of FHTE was a very special opportunity indeed.

And so it was.

It was terrific to hear the many questions about From Here To Eternity and answer as honestly as possible as one delectable course after another was served. All in the moody glow of the flickering candlelight.

Wine flowed. Conversation was never stilted and a such a wonderful evening was had by one and all.

I simply adored singing our score from From Here To Eternity. Unplugged so to speak. Songs I don’t think I’ve ever sang in public before. More Than America. Ain’t Where I Wanna Be Blues. Run Along Joe. Another Language. Boys of 41 and a few others. And of course the rousing Tom Pettyesque Fight the Fight!

The one thing I kept thinking in between each song was, these lyrics are so damn good.

Sometimes even I forget the genius that is Tim Rice.

Sat with my guitar on a simple chair with my dinner guests literally only yards away should have been slightly nerve wracking. But they were such an appreciative audience I also threw in a few other songs from a couple of my other shows. I had a terrific time. I hope they did as well. So much fun.

I think we were all reluctant for the night to end. I know I was. But as in all good parties the time finally came to say goodnight.

We left and each made our way off into the London night. It was a special evening. Different. Memorable.

I would recommend anyone to take part and indeed go see a Stage Left Nights Supper Club if you get the chance. You certainly won’t regret it.

I know if asked I’d love a return performance.

In fact I’m hungry for more.

Stuart Brayson Oct 2019

The musical is opening on Oct 24th-27th in Brighton!

For more information regarding my musical 2 Dumb, click here.

Stuart Brayson talks to Piers on the eclectic show about his career in the music industry and being a British theatre composer today. He also shares some insight into the new show Pink Angora Sweater with a live performance from the concept album by Jim Cozens of Above the Clouds.

You can listen again on the link below:

https://www.marlowfm.co.uk/listenagain

Select the Eclectic Light Show, 5th July 2019

Elaine Paige celebrates the best of Broadway, Hollywood and the West End in her radio show. She plays “Above the Clouds” from the Pink Angora sweater from the newly released album “Pop Goes Pink Angora”. You can listen online here and catch the track at 1 hour and 42 minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wqw

Bess-A new pop musical

When I was 12 at my secondary school. They called them comprehensives back then. So this was called Highfield Comprehensive in Felling, Tyne and Wear. I wonder if its still there?  I didn’t attend that often so this was a rare visit I guess. I had two or three teachers that got me. But not many did. To be honest I never learnt anything at school. Everything I did learn happened at home through my older sister and brother through records and books and the TV. School was a drag and to be frank a bore. A chore.

Anyway on this rare visit to school I had to do an assignment. Chose a subject matter and be a good little boy and learn about it all and prepare a dossier, a project, for teacher and class. Two hours a week to do your own thing I guess. Most of the boys chose Bruce Lee who was hip at the time. My first choice was Adolf Hitler.

My mam persuaded me to consider Queen Elizabeth the 1st. I wasn’t convinced. At first.

Then my mam got me a folder in Newcastle, from a cool shop called Mawson Swan and Morgan, a file that contained authentic info and documents about Elizabeth R and I watched Glenda Jackson playing the Virgin Queen. Something happened. It resonated. I GOT history.

I never looked back. The research I did as a nipper on Elizabeth led  to more ambitious projects down the line such as a musicals on Mata Hari, Byron, Cleopatra-Queen of the Nile and even movie screenplays on Dickens- Mr Tringham and an exciting period drama, a true story  called Murder at the Savoy. And of course a little musical called, From Here To Eternity.

But it all really all got cooking as a bairn with that project on Queen Elizabeth the 1st

Whizz forward a lifetime and in March 2019 I got itchy to do a new musical. Bonkers really as I’ve written more musicals than probably anyone alive. Or dead for that matter and I’m still completely unknown. Probably as I’ve not had one major interview on telly, radio or a serious article about me though I’ve been doing this music  lark since the late 1970s. Crazy huh? And I’m British. We do have a problem in this country promoting and supporting our own. Sad but true. Or maybe its just me?

Anyway, in March I had a zany idea. How about a time travelling musical. I could see how the youngsters now dug the 1980s. Like my generation dug the 1960s even though we weren’t even born then.

So I thought what would happen if a kid of 2019, who like me was bored with his time wanted to time travel using his iphone back to the 80s to meet his idol, David Bowie. But, being a bit crap he got it all wrong and went back to the 1580s! And took Bowie ala Serious Moonlight, Let’s Dance Bowie, back with him! To the court of, yes you guessed it…Elizabeth the 1st!

I wrote a synopsis and found a batch of old unheard pop songs from my vast back catalogue and soon I had a new show which I called BESS.

I thought this was or had the potential to be more of a movement based dance piece than previous work so I sent the synopsis to Bird College in Kent, who I knew had a good reputation in this area.

And waited. To be honest I didn’t wait long. In a few days I was meeting the head guy of Bird in Paddington for a coffee in between a slew of meetings for Pink Angora Sweater.

He got it and within a week or two I had a college and a week with twenty students and a great choreographer to stage a world premier of Bess. A new pop musical as I labelled it.

All fine and well but I hadn’t exactly written it. Only six or seven pages to be exact. Oh well. Not to worry. If its meant to be it will happen.

And it did.

But only a few days before we were due to begin rehearsals of Bess. And only roughly a week before we were due to present a workshop of Bess to the industry.

Now lets make this clear this was not because I’m lazy. Anyone who knows me will testify that this is not the case. Unless its a 9 to 5 job or fixing a plug, lightbulb or cooking a meal. Then I’m officially Britain’s laziest Chap. But writing is different. I don’t believe in working at it and I don’t worry about doing it last minute. Its has to happen naturally and in its own time, it can’t be forced.

And this was a comedy. I knew writing something funny must just roll off the pen. Be one long stream of consciousness. And so I left it until this happened.

Dangerously late but after three full days I finished the book of Bess the weekend before we were due to kick off at Bird college.

I think its one of the best things I’ve written. But most importantly the whole idea feels…timely. Now.

The week at  Bird was a dream. The sun shined every day in Sidcup, I even found a great pub near to the campus, The Alma folks, a lovely pint, atmosphere and a mean ploughman’s.

And the students were all amazing.  AMAZING. So much raw talent and the movement and choreography top notch. In fact it was hard to believe sometimes they were so young. And goosebumps. Lots of them. As the songs were put up on their feet my arm and neck was basically a sea of shivers time after time. A good sign.

The performance date came to quickly. I’d have loved a month or two to explore it all even more. But the Friday arrived and we put most of the first half of Bess on its feet and presented it to what was 70 per cent a young crowd. Bairns.

I introduced the piece honestly by stating it was a joy to finally finish that project on Elizabeth I’d began as an unimpressed teenager. And also get David Bowie to sing a few of my songs!

I also made a pact with the young theatre students watching that if they wanted to do new work and supported me I would write them new musicals and support them. I hope we both honour that pledge.

And so began the first ever Bess. Only a few days after I’d written it. Even by my standards it all happened fast. But boy was it fun. And boy did it work!

I don’t think I’ve enjoyed myself so much in a such a long time as I did that week with Bird. And Bess?

I think the future looks bright for the original Queen of Rock. As I said in the blurb England will never be the same.

Thanks for the tip Mam.

You see I was listening…

Stuart Brayson

Origins 

Many moons ago I came across a book in my local library. Libraries have been a very good source of ideas for me so I mourn their passing. You can go in looking for one thing and come out with something else and your life has been changed forever. Anyway, the book was called ‘Nightmare of Ecstasy’ and it was all about this strange but appealing chap called Ed Wood. He looked a little like Errol Flynn. 

I’d never heard of Ed Wood before this. Though I had seen a few of his unique films on the telly as a boy. Especially remember seeing Plan 9 From Outer Space as a youngster and not knowing what to make of it. Was it arthouse or was it just a piece of crap? But it definitely stayed in my memory. Which is more than many so called important movies have over the years.

At the time I read the book I was just beginning to write musicals after putting my rock career to one side. So everything I picked up at this time I guess I was thinking, could this make a musical? 

Ed Wood was definitely different. Looked cool. A misfit. An outsider. He was brave. Fearless. Number one I found him interesting and if I did I’m sure other people would too. And he never gave up. He persevered. I liked this guy. He was like me. He just liked to wear women’s clothes. So what? I was a new romantic once. I used to hire costumes for gigs. A different persona/image each time. I’d worn everything on stage from a blue antique bullfighters get up to a beautiful regal tailcoat from a BBC series on Casanova. Wore a tacky silver space coat from Dr Who I borrowed from Bermans and Nathan’s on many occasions. Often walked down Oxford Street dressed in furs, full make up, bright blonde hair looking like an extra from the Night of the Living Dead. Ed was ok. He could have joined my band.

I recall thinking the idea of Ed Wood being a legitimate war hero, a kind of Audie Murphy type figure, but only because he was secretly wearing women’s underwear under his uniform and didn’t want to get caught would make a great scene in a show or a film. I must also add I had considered writing a screenplay at this point.

Then came the Ed Wood movie, starring Johnny Depp and Oscar winning Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, which was/is fabulous, but never featured the war hero/underwear sequence strangely?

I then put the Ed Wood Musical idea to one side, but always planned to return to it one day. I do this a lot and if it’s a strong idea it always reappears somewhere down the line but perhaps at a more convenient time. This also happened with From Here To Eternity for example.

Whiz forward a few years and I’ve written a few more shows, even had a few up and running and I’d bought a new recording console which gave me scope to record more ambitious projects without cost or outside interference. Just me and guitar, piano or whatever instrument I could lay my hands on. I went on a binge of writing and recording musical concept albums. Things that even if no one else wanted to listen to I did and so did my brilliant mum and I could perhaps send it to Tim Rice whose opinion I always respected the most (apart from mum of course!)

So Ed Wood The Musical was born. I wrote it and recorded, mixed it all with me playing all the roles very quickly. Perhaps in a week? Then From Here To Eternity happened or began to happen, so again Ed Wood was put on hold. Knowing that a good idea always has its day.

A year or so ago I decided to return to Ed Wood but this time put it into shape for a future production. In other words sit down and write the book. And it needed a fresh lick of paint. A new title. Ed Wood was predictable and a little boring, too much like the movie. So I rechristened it Pink Angora Sweater, suddenly it felt timely, more relevant, a real possibility. I wrote the book in three days. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t like work at all. It wrote itself really. A good sign. And three new songs for this new revamp, Pink Angora Sweater, Star, Sweethearts were all written and recorded just me and the guitar, live in a good morning session. Another good sign. I was on a roll. One song I had already written but was just sitting around doing nothing but felt like it could fit Ed’s story or what was now, Pink Angora Sweater, was called You Lost Me On Friday. So why not, it’s not ethical, but I wanted a hit. And I felt it was a good song. A big song. Bugger ethics. It’s in the second half.

Last summer I contacted The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. How about trying out a new show? I was now after all these years of struggle a West End Composer? It’s British, it’s cool, the kids will love it..thankfully the Central met me and surprisingly gave me the green light. A date? How about Sept 13th 2018. Suddenly this is real, it’s happening. 

I chose the young actors from the Centrals spotlight link. Or rather they chose me. I didn’t listen to one voice I just liked their look. Or should I say, they looked right.

So I launched Pink Angora Sweater. A blurb and a few images I’d mocked up myself. A little twitter and a few emails. I wanted it all to be low key, different, unique, not a predictable launch. Ed after all wasn’t a predictable guy. People in the business soon began getting back to me, they liked the title, the idea, Ed Wood and his crazy bunch of renegades were back and in demand. Maybe this kooky idea wasn’t so kooky after all?

I also didn’t want to put too much pressure on the concept or the kids. If the presentation didn’t work then no one would know vibe. But I knew deep down I had something rather special. But more importantly it was the right time.

I had two days. One day to meet the actors, rehearse. And then a second day to put it on its feet and present at 3pm. No pressure. So I invited Johnny Depp. 

Surprisingly his agent got back to me. He’s on tour. He might come or might not. He’s that kind of guy. Cool. I told the actors on the morning of the showcase, oh and it looks like Depps coming. The rumour went round the Central like wildfire. It was all very Ed Wood. But more of that later..

I had chosen six students to play the main characters, Ed Wood, Bunny, Dolores, Bela Lugosi, George Weiss/Orson Welles (doubling up) and Kathy. All great. One problem though. I’d given songs to all the actors and none to Bela. You see I’d made the decision it would be an hour long presentation. No more. Not the full show. A show of the show. And Bela this time around was to be a speaking role only. I felt bad for the youngster as Bela but that’s the way it was to be. 

I thought no more or it… 

My mind was totally full with organising, rehearsing and enjoying seeing it all come to life. The songs from the first moment played like a dream. I’d chosen to feature ten from the score. Each one came alive from the get go. Good job, we didn’t have time to make any of them work. And an early favourite, especially with the young girls of the cast, you guessed it, You Lost Me On Friday. A tender ballad performed by a sensitive Ed Wood. My unethical last edition to the score. Good job I trust instincts more than ethics.

But how do I present this? As usual I leave everything to the last minute. Soak up the ambience, the situation and what I have to play with. Concentrate on the positive and erase the negative. Adapt with what I have. No point given all the action to a character if that performer is the weakest etc Of course to others this is deemed as unprofessional or dangerous. I like to think on my feet.

I needed to hear the book read before I approached the final draft I would actually present for the showcase. If it was weak or the actors were. I’d simply read the synopsis and we’d do the greatest hits. It was a good story and score I was confident of that. And even average singers with a fine pianist at hand couldn’t mess them up. But all the students were good singers. I was impressed. Again my instinct on getting the right look for each role had paid off. A risk? Perhaps, but a risk worth taking.

The book read well. Very well. It was funny. Had pathos. Moved along quickly. Even just reading it all, including lyrics and it told the story and the characters came alive. This gave me a dilemma. But a good one. I now knew I had to also present more of the book than I had intended. 

I went back to my hotel on the night before the showcase buzzing with excitement, but still unsure of what was the best route for the presentation. Synopsis and songs? A few scenes and songs? One character as narrator and songs? Then it hit me. Radio play.

Ed Wood is after all obsessed with Orson Welles. A main chunk of the story is Ed’s burning desire to be the next Orson, a triple threat. We even have a song performed by Orson after he meets a broken Ed Wood in a Hollywood bar called Don’t Lose The Dream.

Orson Welles led the Mercury Theatre Company. Indeed most of this troupe of struggling working actors became a mainstay in Welles breakthrough and groundbreaking movies, Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, actors such as Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorhead etc

How would Ed have presented his own life story? Like Orson Welles of course. Or as Orson Welles adapted many brilliant stories for the radio in NYC with his Mercury Theatre Company. Infamous radio plays like War of the Worlds which made the young Welles a household name. So that’s what I would do. It all made sense. We would do the workshop showcase of Pink Angora Sweater as a Mercury Theatre radio play and I would narrate. Perfect. Obvious really. Though only obvious at 1 am the night before the day of the show.

So I spent a long night adapting the book of Pink Angora Sweater into a radio play in my hotel room. I changed not one word of dialogue or scenes or songs. Simply put in new narration/information and reformatted it all on my iPad. I finished just in time to have a shave and grab a little breakfast and set off for the Central. I sent the format of the new presentation script to the MD shattered but elated. More shattered really..

Rather pleased with myself and confident this was going to work, I checked my emails before I got on the tube. As in most new things especially musicals disaster is always only moments away, I knew this, but thought, hoped this time it would be different, but no here it was. Bela Lugosi was missing.

Or rather the actor, remember the one I mentioned who didn’t have any songs to perform, who was due to play Bela? Well he had an urgent family crisis and therefore wasn’t able to make the performance. This was 8. 30 am, the presentation was 3pm.

I had no time to find a new actor. Nor any desire to do so. I’m a great believer of turning the negative into the positive so that’s what I did. 

I wrote back to the Central. No problems, I’m playing Bela Lugosi.

It made more sense to me than others would imagine. I’d once applied for a place at the Central School but couldn’t get a grant from Gateshead Council. Indeed I’d lived along the road from the School as a struggling young pop singer and would be actor and many, many times sat outside waiting for my dole check wishing I could join the students inside. So I finally got in, and as an actor.

Ten minutes before we are due to perform the world preview of Pink Angora Sweater and with guests arriving a student rushes up to me and whispers, Johnny Depp is in the foyer. This is all getting surreal and very Ed Wood. Ok I reply. Cool.

The guests take their places, more than I had expected, much more. Maybe I’m not the unknown composer after all? 3pm comes and I couldn’t resist the moment.

I waited another five minutes.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry about the delay but apparently Johnny Depp is here and we’re waiting for him to come and join us. Or words to that affect.

A few more late guests arrived and took their seat, including one chap who could have been Depp or even Depps dad.

And then after all those years beginning with a simple visit to my local library we performed the first ever performance of Pink Angora Sweater The Musical.

I very much look forward to many more.

Stuart Brayson