BIG AND BRAVE PRESENTS
BEFORE IT HITS
DATES: 9 & 10 May @ 7:30pm
THEATRE: UPSTAIRS AT THE GATEHOUSE, Highgate N6 4BD
TICKETS: £22 – available to book here
A new “New Musical” showcase, Before It Hits brings snapshots of six in-development musicals by some of the West End’s best emerging writers to Upstairs At The Gatehouse for two nights only, on Friday 9 May and Saturday 10 May 2025.
Hosted by stand up comedian FARAH SHARP (named ‘One to watch’ in the Funny Women Awards and featured on BBC Radio 4) and created by the team behind Olivier-nominated The Choir of Man, expect to see a variety of exciting, diverse new shows at various stages of their development.
The first outing of Before It Hits is set to feature works by established West End writers, creatives and performers, and will include guest performances by Grammy-longlisted songwriter and MT Composer CAROLINE KAY.
Featured Shows will include:
- Proud by Lee Freeman, Mark Anderson and Graham Lappin (9th and 10th May)
- The Vigilante by Hilmi Jaidin (9th and 10th May)
- Lightning Boy by Charlie Turner and Liv Warden (9th and 10th May)
- Maison Mac by Rudy Percival and Sam Woof (9th and 10th May)
- This Is My Name by Dominique La Victoria and Melisa Camba (9th May only)
- Love From Other People’s Lives by Tom Blacket and Ehsaan Shivarani (9th May only)
- Sally In The Woods by P Burton-Morgan and James Joshua Otto (10th May only)
- REANIMATOR by Ben Glasstone (10th May only)
Contributing Writers:
MARK ANDERSON is a lyricist and bookwriter whose lyric work includes LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER (West End), TREASURE ISLAND (Barn Theatre), THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Barn Theatre), PROUD (MTfest), and WEST END BARES (lyricist for 5 years). LEE FREEMAN is a musical director, composer and orchestrator, whose work includes THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Barn Theatre), TREASURE ISLAND (Barn Theatre), CHAT! (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), BENT (Landor/Tabard Theatre) and THE MUSIC OF LEE FREEMAN (Page to Stage). He is currently orchestrating NYMT’s new musical LIGHTNING BOY. GRAHAM LAPPIN is a writer and composer, whose shows include RELIABLE FICTIONS: A SONG CYCLE, CLIMB WAY UP (Hope Mill Theatre and original cast recording), THE RISE (in development for production in 2026), BUT WHOSE HEART? (53Two) and A LITTLE MARK (Hope Mill Theatre).
HILMI JAIDIN is the lyricist for Gurinder Chadha’s upcoming movie musical CHRISTMAS KARMA and he also provided additional lyrics for the original run of the RSC’s MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO.
CHARLIE TURNER is a songwriter whose work includes songs for Kerry Ellis ft Brian May and X Factor winner Shayne Ward. LIV WARDEN is a bookwriter whose work includes ANOMALY (Old Red Lion Theatre), Channel 4 screenwriting mentorship alumni.
SAM WOOF is an award-winning writer/director whose work includes FOUR FELONS AND A FUNERAL (Birmingham Hippodrome); ACTUALLY, LOVE (Orange Tree – Playbill Pick of the Fringe); SEX WITH FRIENDS (North Wall – Musical Theatre Review Award Winner). RUDY PERCIVAL is a composer whose credits include THE MOZART QUESTION (Barn Theatre) featured by The Guardian’s Observer in their ‘10 best shows of 2022; LESSONS ON REVOLUTION (Soho Theatre & Jermyn Street Theatre) selected for The Scotsman’s ‘Best Shows of the Fringe’; The Criterion Theatre’s 150th Anniversary Gala.
DOMINIQUE LA VICTORIA is a writer whose works include TOWARD THE FIRES OF REVOLUTION (PETA Theater, Philippines and Panas Panas Theatre Company, Malaysia) and THE BOY IN THE DRUM (Cultural Center of the Philippines and Bindlestiff Studios, USA). MELISA CAMBA is a songwriter and performer, whose writing includes BOSES (Maiden Speech Theatre Festival) and Greta’s Song (NEWSFEED at The Southwark Playhouse)
EHSAAN SHIVARANI is a Composer, Orchestrator and West End Musical Supervisor whose recent credits include THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2024): Associate Music Supervisor, Additional Arrangements & Additional Orchestrations (Dominion Theatre & Theatre Royal Plymouth); TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL (2023-24): Associate MD, Keys 1 (Aldwych Theatre); STANDING AT THE SKY’S EDGE (2023): Associate MD, Keys 2, Guitar 2 (The Olivier Theatre at The National Theatre & The Crucible Sheffield). TOM BLACKET is a writer, lyricist and composer who trained at the Royal Academy of Music. He has previously worked as a freelance radio producer and reporter for the BBC. LOVE FROM OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES is his debut musical.
P BURTON-MORGANis Artistic Director of Metta Theatre, and their recent work includes SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE POISONWOOD (Watermill), THE RHYTHMICS (Southwark Playhouse), CELLS (YouTube), IN THE WILLOWS (Exeter Northcott/16 week tour, winner of WGGB MT book-writing award 2020). JAMES JOSHUA OTTO is a composer whose recent media work includes the 2023 Duracell Christmas commercial, and in theatre has orchestrated for the UK tour of TREASON THE MUSICAL, which culminated in a performance at The London Palladium.
BEN GLASSTONE won the Stiles and Drewe Mentorship prize in 2017, and his prolific body of work includes writing music and lyrics for THE RHYTHMICS (Southwark Playhouse) in 2021 and SHERLOCK AND THE POISONWOOD (Watermill) in 2024.
JACK BLUME, producer of Before It Hits says “With such a flourishing scene of new Musical writing in the UK, we are thrilled to present a selection of delicious tasters from a variety of new shows by a diverse pool of writers, and to be lifting the veil from the lengthy development process. Wouldn’t it have been cool to see 15 minutes of Hamilton, before it was Hamilton?”