Lost Soul Music

Lost Soul Music is a series of tragicomic musicals by playwright Chris Bush and composer Ian McCluskey, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008. Consisting of six parts, they explore the idea of various ways to lose or sell ones soul. Their mixture of comedy and pathos, combined with a heavy use of monologue have drawn comparrisons with Alan Bennett's Talking Heads, although they are far more theatrical in style.
Origins
Lost Soul Music was first performed at C venues, Edinburgh in August 2008 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was produced by White Rose Theatre for as part of The Red Room. The production was directed by Chris Bush with musical direction by Ian McCluskey. This was White Rose Theatre's third production at the Fringe in 2008, the others being a revival of ' and its sister show Tony of Arabia playing at the Pleasance Dome.
Parts
* All the Best Tunes: Boy meets girl. Boy loves girl. Boy sells his soul for a song in order to impress girl. Because the boy is an idiot, naturally.
* Soldier of Fortune: in the heat of battle a frightened soldier choses ignoble life over a glorious death. Now he must find a way to pay off his debt.
* Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Henry Horatio Swann has lost something, and if he can't get it back he's not quite sure what he'll do. A bittersweet tale of love, devotion and sorting offices.
* Fisher of Men: All life can be found down by the river - you just need to know where to look. John boy knows, and there's only one catch he's after.
* The Devil You Know: Everyone has demons of their own: only Helen's answer back. She just wants to talk, but they're here to demonstrate how the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
* Simon Says: A simple tale of unrequited love, and the sacrifices a man will make to gain his heart's desire. How much of yourself would you give up to be with your beloved?
Cast/Company
* Writer/Director: Chris Bush
* Composer/MD: Ian McCluskey
* Producer: Bryony Davies/Jennifer Payne
* Cast (Edinburgh 2008): James Duckworth, William Seaward, Alex Forsyth, Ian McCluskey, Anna Rohde, Alice Boagey, Tim Pearson, Nicola Carter, Matthew Lacey, Jennifer Payne, Ed Duncan Smith, Dave Jarman, Alexander Wright, Ellie Groom, and Chris Bush
* Cast (2009/2010 revival): Kristin Atherton, James Duckworth, Alex Forsyth, Roxanna Klimazewska, Ian McCluskey, Laurence Pears
2009/2010 Revival
In September 2009 White Rose Theatre began work on a new version of Lost Soul Music. As well as substantially rewriting and recasting the shows, one of the original six performed in Edinburgh was scrapped entirely, and replaced with Fisher of Men. (The lost show, A Brief Lecture on the Nature of the Soul, was originally performed by Chris Bush in Edinburgh, after another actor dropped out. Bush was not keen to revive his performance or the show, which was considered too dense a text and not suited to musical adaptation). At this point Roxanna Klimaszewska and LAMDA alumni Kristin Atherton and Laurence Pears joined the cast, and workshop performances were held at 41 Monkgate, York and the Pleasance, Islington.
In 2010 warm up performances of the new Lost Soul Music are scheduled at the Square Chapel, Halifax from February 3 to 6, before heading for a three week London run at the Pleasance, Islington from February 23 to March 14, 2010.
Awards
Spotlight NSDF Emerging Artists Awards 2008: Best Show - Simon Says (shortlisted)
Spotlight NSDF Emerging Artists Awards 2008: Best Actor - James Duckworth (for Simon Says)
Spotlight NSDF Emerging Artists Awards 2008: Best Writing - Chris Bush (for Simon Says)

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu