Laurence Mark Wythe
Encyclopedia
Laurence Mark Wythe is an award winning English
composer
, lyricist
and writer
for West End
and Off-Broadway
musicals. He is principally known for the off-Broadway musical
Tomorrow Morning
(2011) and Through the Door (2009) seen in the West End
at the Trafalgar Studios starring Julie Atherton
. Tomorrow Morning won the Jeff Award in Chicago
for Best Musical (midsize) in 2009. The musical opened at the Landor Theatre
in South London in October 2010, prior to a planned West End transfer in 2011. The West End production has now been put on hold; the show will open at the York Theatre in New York City in March 2011.
The original production of Tomorrow Morning was at the New End Theatre
in London, and starred Emma Williams
, Stephen Ashfield
, Alistair Robins and Annette McLaughlin. The original cast album was available on the Dress Circle record label
. In 2007 Tomorrow Morning was featured at Theatre Building Chicago's Stages Festival of New Musicals. The show has also been seen at the Spirit of Broadway Theater in Connecticut
. In 2007 it was nominated for Theatre Radio's Best Musical of 2006.
The show was subsequently produced at Victory Gardens
Greenhouse Theater in Chicago
Illinois
in 2008, directed by Tom Mullen, starring Jonathan Rayson, Michael Mahler, Charissa Armon and Emily Thompson. This production won two Jeff Awards. Again the show was produced by Hilary A. Williams.
The off-Broadway production of the show opened on 31 March 2011 at the Theatre at Saint Peters on Lexington Avenue.
at the London Palladium
, playing the role of Marta von Trapp. She also appeared for a year in Oliver!
at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
and is Young Fiona in Shrek
- The Musical in the West End in 2011.
Best New Musical Off-Broadway Alliance Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Musical BestofOffBroadway.com Tina Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Ensemble BestofOffBroadway.com Tina Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Actress in a Musical BestofOffBroadway.com Tina Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Musical (midsize) 2009 Jeff Awards, Chicago (Winner)
Best Artistic Specialization 2009 Jeff Awards Chicago (Winner).
Best Musical UK Theatre Radio's Best Musical 2006(Nominee).
at the Cambridge Theatre
in the West End, and The Secret Garden
at Manchester Library Theatre. He later became a musical director before concentrating on writing and composing. He also teaches/lectures in musical theatre in the UK and US.
Tomorrow Morning ran off Broadway in 2011. Prior to this it played at the Greenhouse Theatre in Chicago for a limited six week run in 2008, receiving strong notices from all the major Chicago critics including Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune
, who called the a "Must See Work" and gave it 3-and-a-half stars; and Hedy Weiss at the Chicago Sun-Times
. The show won a Jeff Award for Best Musical (mid-size production) and for Best Artistic Specialization (Mike Tutaj - Film & Video Design).
His other musicals are Through the Door and The Lost Christmas, the former in concert in the West End in 2009, and both of which were seen in a showcase format in the West End in 2008. The Lost Christmas starred Suranne Jones
and Jayne Wisener
. The Lost Christmas was recently produced at the Hazlitt Arts Centre in Kent in the United Kingdom.
In 2010, West End performer Stuart Matthew Price recorded Wythe's song "Goodnight Kiss" for his debut album All Things In Time for SimG Records. Other songs of his have been performed in concerts and cabarets, most notably "Action Man" from The Lost Christmas, which was performed in the West End at "Christmas in New York", "The Recurring Dream" and also "David's House".
It has been suggested that Wythe is perhaps the most talented composer and lyricist of his generation, and that he is an exciting new voice in British musical theatre which has for some time not produced hit musicals.
The themes of his work that has been seen onstage have principally been exploring the intricacies and complications of marriage and divorce, and of modern relationships—i.e. in Tomorrow Morning and Through the Door, and how fidelity and commitment are complicated elements of modern life. His family show The Lost Christmas features a young girl who yearns for adventure in a Disneyesque story and ultimately saves Christmas for all mankind, but even this work features a marriage (of the girl's parents) that is under some pressure.
said that much of the score for Tomorrow Morning was "sublime, and sublimely delivered". She gave the show three and a half stars. Time Out London gave the show four stars and made it Critics Choice. Michael Coveny in The Independent
had less glowing praise for the show itself, but pointed out Whythe's skill as a composer and lyricist, and his potential for the future. Paul Vale in The Stage
called the show "thoughtful and intelligent". Mark Shenton, in the Sunday Express http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/207225/Theatre-review-Kim-Catrall-s-homecomingReviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-Reviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-Reviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-Reviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-described the show] as "coolly adult, neatly propelled by an earnest song cycle".
Shenton has previously supported the show, and described Whyte as potentially the most talented British musical theatre writer.
Tomorrow Morning: 2006 New End Theatre London, 2007 Theatre Building Chicago, 2008 Spirit of Broadway Theatre Connecticut and 2008 Greenhouse Theater Chicago, Joseph Jefferson (Jeff) Awards Best Musical & Best Artistic Specialization.
A Tragedy of Errors: 2002 Cambridge Summer Music Festival, 2004 Theatre Street School of Performing Arts, London.
CR7 - Cancer Control Force BBC
Tomorrow's World
Live Roadshow 2002: Mega Mela Exhibition Wembley Arena
2003, Queen Elizabeth Centre London 2003.
The Lost Christmas: 2008 West End Showcase Trafalgar Studios; 2007 Mick Jagger
Centre Dartford
England
Through the Door: 2009 West End premiere concert; 2008 West End Showcase Trafalgar Studios & workshop Hazlitt Theatre Kent England
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
for West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
musicals. He is principally known for the off-Broadway musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Tomorrow Morning
Tomorrow Morning
Tomorrow Morning is a musical by British composer and lyricist Laurence Mark Wythe. The story concerns the relationships of two couples separated by a span of time; one couple is getting married, while the other is getting divorced....
(2011) and Through the Door (2009) seen in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Trafalgar Studios starring Julie Atherton
Julie Atherton
Julie Atherton is a British actress, who is best known for her work on stage. On the 3rd of October 2009 she finished playing the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the West End production Avenue Q. She released her debut album, A Girl of Few Words on 2 October 2006...
. Tomorrow Morning won the Jeff Award in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for Best Musical (midsize) in 2009. The musical opened at the Landor Theatre
Landor Theatre
The Landor Theatre is a pub theatre in Clapham, South London.Originally the Cage Theatre upon its opening in 1994, the Landor became "Upstairs at the Landor" in 1995 and finally the Landor Theatre in 1998, following a refit of the building....
in South London in October 2010, prior to a planned West End transfer in 2011. The West End production has now been put on hold; the show will open at the York Theatre in New York City in March 2011.
The original production of Tomorrow Morning was at the New End Theatre
New End Theatre
The New End Theatre, Hampstead, was a 80-seat fringe theatre venue in London, England, located in the London Borough of Camden which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was listed widely on the internet, including with the New York Times....
in London, and starred Emma Williams
Emma Williams (actress)
Emma Williams is a British actress. After, going to North Halifax Grammar School and studying at the Stage84 stage school in Idle, West Yorkshire, she has had a successful career in TV, film and on stage....
, Stephen Ashfield
Stephen Ashfield
Stephen Ashfield is a British actor. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and since graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London, he has enjoyed a successful stage career...
, Alistair Robins and Annette McLaughlin. The original cast album was available on the Dress Circle record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. In 2007 Tomorrow Morning was featured at Theatre Building Chicago's Stages Festival of New Musicals. The show has also been seen at the Spirit of Broadway Theater in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. In 2007 it was nominated for Theatre Radio's Best Musical of 2006.
The show was subsequently produced at Victory Gardens
Victory Gardens Theater
Victory Gardens Theater is a theater in Chicago, Illinois dedicated to the development and production of new plays and playwrights. The theater was founded in 1974 when seven Chicago artists, Warren Casey, Cordis Heard, Roberta Maguire, Mac McGuinnes, Cecil O'Neal, June Pyskaček, and David Rasche...
Greenhouse Theater in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 2008, directed by Tom Mullen, starring Jonathan Rayson, Michael Mahler, Charissa Armon and Emily Thompson. This production won two Jeff Awards. Again the show was produced by Hilary A. Williams.
The off-Broadway production of the show opened on 31 March 2011 at the Theatre at Saint Peters on Lexington Avenue.
Personal life
Wythe is married and has two children, Sophie and Charlotte. Sophie is a child actress, who appeared in The Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, playing the role of Marta von Trapp. She also appeared for a year in Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
and is Young Fiona in Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
- The Musical in the West End in 2011.
Awards
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical Outer Critics Circle Awards (Nominee)Best New Musical Off-Broadway Alliance Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Musical BestofOffBroadway.com Tina Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Ensemble BestofOffBroadway.com Tina Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Actress in a Musical BestofOffBroadway.com Tina Awards 2011 (Nominee)
Best Musical (midsize) 2009 Jeff Awards, Chicago (Winner)
Best Artistic Specialization 2009 Jeff Awards Chicago (Winner).
Best Musical UK Theatre Radio's Best Musical 2006(Nominee).
Career
Educated in London and later at Cambridge, Wythe began his career as an actor in musical theatre appearing in stage productions including Peter PanPeter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
at the Cambridge Theatre
Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons...
in the West End, and The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's...
at Manchester Library Theatre. He later became a musical director before concentrating on writing and composing. He also teaches/lectures in musical theatre in the UK and US.
Tomorrow Morning ran off Broadway in 2011. Prior to this it played at the Greenhouse Theatre in Chicago for a limited six week run in 2008, receiving strong notices from all the major Chicago critics including Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, who called the a "Must See Work" and gave it 3-and-a-half stars; and Hedy Weiss at the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. The show won a Jeff Award for Best Musical (mid-size production) and for Best Artistic Specialization (Mike Tutaj - Film & Video Design).
His other musicals are Through the Door and The Lost Christmas, the former in concert in the West End in 2009, and both of which were seen in a showcase format in the West End in 2008. The Lost Christmas starred Suranne Jones
Suranne Jones
Suranne Jones is an English actress. She first rose to prominence playing the role of Karen McDonald in ITV1's soap opera Coronation Street over a period of four years...
and Jayne Wisener
Jayne Wisener
Jayne Wisener is a Northern Irish actress and singer. She is best known for playing Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.-Background:...
. The Lost Christmas was recently produced at the Hazlitt Arts Centre in Kent in the United Kingdom.
In 2010, West End performer Stuart Matthew Price recorded Wythe's song "Goodnight Kiss" for his debut album All Things In Time for SimG Records. Other songs of his have been performed in concerts and cabarets, most notably "Action Man" from The Lost Christmas, which was performed in the West End at "Christmas in New York", "The Recurring Dream" and also "David's House".
It has been suggested that Wythe is perhaps the most talented composer and lyricist of his generation, and that he is an exciting new voice in British musical theatre which has for some time not produced hit musicals.
The themes of his work that has been seen onstage have principally been exploring the intricacies and complications of marriage and divorce, and of modern relationships—i.e. in Tomorrow Morning and Through the Door, and how fidelity and commitment are complicated elements of modern life. His family show The Lost Christmas features a young girl who yearns for adventure in a Disneyesque story and ultimately saves Christmas for all mankind, but even this work features a marriage (of the girl's parents) that is under some pressure.
Critical reception
In 2010, Lyn Gardner in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
said that much of the score for Tomorrow Morning was "sublime, and sublimely delivered". She gave the show three and a half stars. Time Out London gave the show four stars and made it Critics Choice. Michael Coveny in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
had less glowing praise for the show itself, but pointed out Whythe's skill as a composer and lyricist, and his potential for the future. Paul Vale in The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
called the show "thoughtful and intelligent". Mark Shenton, in the Sunday Express http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/207225/Theatre-review-Kim-Catrall-s-homecomingReviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-Reviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-Reviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-Reviews-Antony-And-Cleopatra-Lennon-Departure-Lounge-Tomorrow-Morning-A-number-described the show] as "coolly adult, neatly propelled by an earnest song cycle".
Shenton has previously supported the show, and described Whyte as potentially the most talented British musical theatre writer.
Selected works
Currently writing a musical called Girlfriends for Korean producer Chun Soo Shin.Tomorrow Morning: 2006 New End Theatre London, 2007 Theatre Building Chicago, 2008 Spirit of Broadway Theatre Connecticut and 2008 Greenhouse Theater Chicago, Joseph Jefferson (Jeff) Awards Best Musical & Best Artistic Specialization.
A Tragedy of Errors: 2002 Cambridge Summer Music Festival, 2004 Theatre Street School of Performing Arts, London.
CR7 - Cancer Control Force BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series, showcasing new developments in the world of science and technology. First aired on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.- Content :...
Live Roadshow 2002: Mega Mela Exhibition Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
2003, Queen Elizabeth Centre London 2003.
The Lost Christmas: 2008 West End Showcase Trafalgar Studios; 2007 Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
Centre Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
England
Through the Door: 2009 West End premiere concert; 2008 West End Showcase Trafalgar Studios & workshop Hazlitt Theatre Kent England
Credits
| Year | Production | Role | City | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Stage West End - Trafalgar Studios | Through the Door | Composer & Lyricist | London | Book by Judy Freed |
| 2008 Stage | Tomorrow Morning | Composer & Lyricist & Book | Chicago | Jeff Award - Best Musical (mid-size production)/Jeff Award - Best Artistic Specialization (Mike Tutaj - Film & Video Design) |
| 2008 Stage | Tomorrow Morning | Composer & Lyricist & Book | Norwich, Connecticut | Nominated for 4 Spirit awards |
| 2007 Stage | The Lost Christmas | Composer & Lyricist & Book | Dartford, Kent, UK | |
| 2006 Stage | Tomorrow Morning | Composer & Lyricist & Book | London | Nomination: Theatre Radio Best Musical 2006 |
| 2005 Composition | Fanfare for the Hard of Hearing | Instrumental | London | Commissioned for the Breaking the Sound Barrier campaign by RNID performed at BAFTA on Piccadilly, winner Best Campaign 3rd Sector Excellence Awards |
| 2004 Stage | A Tragedy of Errors | Composer & Lyricst & Book | London | |
| 2004 Film | Kristina | Song composition | Winner of Best Short Film (under 75 mins)Swansea Bay Film Festival | |
| 2002 Stage | A Tragedy of Errors | Composer & Lyricst & Book | Cambridge, UK | |
| 2002 Stage/Arena | CR7 - The Cancer Control Force | Composer & Lyricist | London/Glasgow/Cardiff/Birmingham | |
| 2001 Stage | It's Christmas Time | Composer & Lyricist | Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK | |
| 2000 Stage | Cinderella | Composer & Lyricist | London | |
| 1998 Stage | Robin Hood | Composer & Lyricist | London | |
| 1995 Stage | Making Waves | Composer & Lyricist | London |
External links
- Official Website http://www.laurencemarkwythe.com
- Tomorrow Morning http://www.tomorrowmorningthemusical.com
- http://www.21stcenturymusicals.co.uk/creatives/laurence_wythe.html 21st Century Musicals
- http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/shenton/2008/11/yesterday-in-chicago-with-tomorrow/ Shenton's View