Lost Soul Music
Encyclopedia
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.
, Edinburgh
in August 2008 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was produced by White Rose Theatre
for Belt Up (nothing to see/hear)
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 TONY! The Blair Musical
and its sister show Tony of Arabia playing at the Pleasance
Dome.
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.
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)
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
musicals
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...
by playwright Chris Bush
Chris Bush (playwright)
Christopher Daniell Bush is an award winning British playwright and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre....
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
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
. Their mixture of comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and pathos
Pathos
Pathos represents an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric , and in literature, film and other narrative art....
, combined with a heavy use of monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
have drawn comparrisons with Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett is a British playwright, screenwriter, actor and author. Born in Leeds, he attended Oxford University where he studied history and performed with The Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research mediaeval history at the university for several years...
's Talking Heads
Talking Heads (play)
Talking Heads is a stage adaptation of the BBC series of the same title created by Alan Bennett. It consists of six monologues presented in alternating programs of three each.-Program A:The Hand of God...
, although they are far more theatrical in style.
Origins
Lost Soul Music was first performed at C venuesC venues
C venues is the home of the largest theatre and new writing programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is held annually in August each year...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in August 2008 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was produced by White Rose Theatre
White Rose Theatre
White Rose Theatre was founded by playwright and director Chris Bush while at the University of York in 2005. Started as a new writing company, they currently specialise in new musical theatre, and are best known for their 2007 production TONY! The Blair Musical.-Productions:* Olympia University...
for Belt Up (nothing to see/hear)
Belt Up Theatre
Belt Up Theatre are a British theatre company based in the north of England. They were set up in 2008 in the city of York. Run as a collective, the company is led by directors Dominic J Allen, Jethro Compton, James Wilkes and Alexander Wright.-Macbeth:...
as part of The Red Room. The production was directed by Chris Bush
Chris Bush (playwright)
Christopher Daniell Bush is an award winning British playwright and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre....
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 TONY! The Blair Musical
TONY! The Blair Musical
TONY! The Blair Musical is a satirical comedy musical written in 2007 by Chris Bush, director of the White Rose Theatre, with music composed by Ian McCluskey...
and its sister show Tony of Arabia playing at the Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
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 BushChris Bush (playwright)Christopher Daniell Bush is an award winning British playwright and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre....
- Composer/MD: Ian McCluskey
- Producer: Bryony Davies/Jennifer Payne
- Cast (Edinburgh 2008): James Duckworth, William SeawardWilliam SeawardWilliam Vincent Seaward is a director and actor. Co-founder and director of The Strolling Theatricals, a theatre company based in the United Kingdom.-Early life:Born in London to two barristers, Martin and Siobhan Seaward, he is the eldest of 4 siblings...
, 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 BushChris Bush (playwright)Christopher Daniell Bush is an award winning British playwright and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre.... - 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 EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
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
Chris Bush (playwright)
Christopher Daniell Bush is an award winning British playwright and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre....
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
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and the Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
, Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
.
In 2010 warm up performances of the new Lost Soul Music are scheduled at the Square Chapel
Square Chapel
The Square Chapel in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, was designed by Thomas Bradley and James Kershaw at the instigation of Titus Knight, a local preacher...
, Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
from February 3 to 6, before heading for a three week London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
run at the Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
, Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
from February 23 to March 14, 2010.
Awards
SpotlightThe Spotlight (directory)
The Spotlight is a UK directory of actors and actresses. It was established in 1927.It originally existed as a printed directory, but now also exists as an online interactive directory....
NSDF Emerging Artists Awards 2008: Best Show - Simon Says (shortlisted)
Spotlight
The Spotlight (directory)
The Spotlight is a UK directory of actors and actresses. It was established in 1927.It originally existed as a printed directory, but now also exists as an online interactive directory....
NSDF Emerging Artists Awards 2008: Best Actor - James Duckworth (for Simon Says)
Spotlight
The Spotlight (directory)
The Spotlight is a UK directory of actors and actresses. It was established in 1927.It originally existed as a printed directory, but now also exists as an online interactive directory....
NSDF Emerging Artists Awards 2008: Best Writing - Chris Bush
Chris Bush (playwright)
Christopher Daniell Bush is an award winning British playwright and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre....
(for Simon Says)