Interview: Book & Lyricist Anthony Drewe Talks FREAK THE MIGHTY at Cleveland Play House
Now on stage through June 21, 2026.
The Cleveland Play House is launching the world premiere of the new musical Freak the Mighty. Adapted from Rodman Philbrick’s novel, the story follows the adventures of two young outsiders who form an unlikely friendship. The book and lyrics for the show are by the renowned Anthony Drewe. The multi-award-winning writer of such international hits as Mary Poppins and Honk! is collaborating with Baldwin Wallace University alum Ryan Fielding Garrett to bring this tale of camaraderie to the stage. I had a chance to speak with Mr. Drewe about the show.
What prompted you to adapt Freak the Mighty into a musical?
Anthony Drewe:
Well, in the 1990s, a friend of mine with whom I’d collaborated on a couple of musicals sent me the video of the film adaptation, The Mighty. He said he thought it was a natural musical. I watched the film and really enjoyed it. I loved the elements of the story, but I was busy on another project at the time, so I tucked it away. I thought, “I’m not going to forget this. I’ll come back to it at some point.”
I was really moved by the film. I subsequently bought the novel Rodman Philbrick wrote, which became the basis for the adaptation.
Is this adaptation different from any of your previous work?
Anthony Drewe:
The biggest difference is that I’m writing with a different composer, someone I hadn’t worked with before. Ryan was already a friend of mine. I knew him as a musical director because he played in the pit for Mary Poppins on Broadway.
I first encountered him as the musical director of The Three Little Pigs, a show I’d written for children that was part of a festival in New York. That’s when we became friends.
After the pandemic, I was looking for a new project. My long-term writing partner, with whom I’d written for nearly 40 years, suffered a stroke in 2019. Although he made a recovery, he was unable to play the piano afterward. I was beginning to go stir-crazy without a project, so I rang Ryan in New York and asked if he’d fancy writing a musical with me.
The biggest challenge was that he was in New York while I was either in the UK or France, where I have a house. Much of this show was written through Zoom and FaceTime meetings. I think we were only actually together during a three-week stay when he came to France and another visit when he came to my house in Kent.
It’s an unusual way to write a musical because you want to be in the same room, breathing the same air, but it seems to work.
Working with Ryan Fielding Garrett, were there particular elements you wanted to focus on while writing it?
Anthony Drewe:
I think that part is the same as with any musical I’ve written. You find a story that you love, and you ask yourself, “Does this story sing?” Will adding songs contribute something to the storytelling?
Ryan and I were very much on the same page about that. We pretty much agreed on every song moment. Then, after we completed a first draft, I realized we’d missed a moment, so we wrote another song for one of our lead characters.
Ryan has been a musical director on many productions, and I’ve written a lot of musicals. We both had a natural affinity for the story and a similar instinct for where the songs should fall.
Freak the Mighty tells the story of two outsiders who develop a friendship and become a heroic duo. How do you ensure they remain genuine and avoid cliché?
Anthony Drewe: It certainly could become cliché if you’re not careful. I found these characters fascinating because it’s unusual to have a musical with two protagonists. The moment they become friends, you’re rooting for them as a double act, and that really interested me.
The fact that the boys face different challenges.-One has a form of dwarfism and the other has PTSD—was also compelling. What helped us avoid cliché was having a brilliant Access Consultant team involved from the beginning, ever since we started workshopping the show three years ago.
We have Sofiya Cheyenne as a dwarfism consultant who is an advocate for little people. Talleri McRae served as a consultant on the PTSD elements and helped ensure we handled those aspects of the story authentically.
A great deal of the groundwork was already in Rodman Philbrick’s novel. The characters never feel like clichés on the page. In fact, he knew two boys who inspired the story. Living in New Hampshire, he once looked out his window and saw a very large boy for his age and a boy with dwarfism. He watched the larger boy lift the smaller one up, and they became a unit.
Between Philbrick’s wonderful novel, our access team, the director, and the many workshops we’ve done since obtaining the rights, we’ve continually refined the piece.
How has the experience of working with Cleveland Play House been?
Anthony Drewe:
For me, as a Brit coming over and working in Cleveland, it’s been amazing. The theatre has unbelievably good facilities. Playhouse Square is extraordinary. I couldn’t believe how many theatres there are gathered together in one district.
Within Cleveland Play House, the costume department, props department, and scenery shops are all fantastic. Every time we asked for a new prop, it would appear in the rehearsal room the next day, beautifully made.
Having that ability to make changes quickly and collaborate directly with the various departments has been a real thrill. It’s genuinely felt like a team effort, with everybody pulling together.
Do you have any advice for young writers?
Anthony Drewe:
You have to fall in love with the material because you should assume it’s going to be a long-term relationship. This has actually been a relatively quick project at about four years, but you still need to love it after four years as much as you did when the idea first arrived.
Don’t simply look at the next Charles Dickens novel or the latest film and think, “Ooh, that’ll make a musical.” It doesn’t always work that way. You have to ask whether the material sings.
Sometimes I’m asked to write a musical, and after reading the script or play, I think, “This doesn’t need songs.” You have to ask what adding music will contribute to the storytelling.
Have you seen any recent shows that have become favorites?
Anthony Drewe:
On Broadway, I love Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). I’m especially fond of it because I actually mentored it. The writers came to stay at my place in France for a week, and they wrote part of the show there.
I’m very proud to have watched it grow from Ipswich to Northampton, then London, Boston, and now Broadway. It’s amazing.
I also really liked Dead Outlaw, which I saw on Broadway. I invested in Six. I love Shucked and its sense of comedy. I haven’t seen it on stage yet, but I watched Schmigadoon! on television and absolutely loved it.
Are there any projects you can tell us about?
Anthony Drewe:
This year in the UK there’s a revival of Just So. There’s also going to be a new production of Honk! for Christmas, along with a new production of our version of Peter Pan.
Ryan and I have another musical aimed at younger audiences that’s scheduled to open at the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis, which I’m very excited about. We workshopped it there in September, and the theatre told us they wanted to move forward, so we’re currently waiting on dates.
I enjoyed my time in Minneapolis every bit as much as I’ve enjoyed my time here in Cleveland, so I’m very hopeful that project moves ahead. It’s called The Good Hair Day.
The Good Hair Day. We'll definitely have to keep an eye out for that. It sounds like you have a lot of exciting things happening.
Anthony Drewe:
Suddenly, after COVID, it feels like we’re having a little renaissance!
Thank you so much for your time!
Anthony Drewe: My pleasure!
Cleveland Play House
Freak the Mighty
Cleveland Play House
Book & Lyrics by Anthony Drewe
Music by Ryan Fielding Garrett
Based on the Novel by Rodman Philbrick
Directed by Michael Barakiva
A Co-Production with Seattle Rep
May 22–June 21, 2026
Allen Theatre
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