DEATH ON THE THRONE Comes to Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Performances run Wednesday 26th March – Sunday 13th April 2025.
A hilarious new musical, Death on the Throne, will make its London debut this March at Upstairs at the Gatehouse. Featuring a captivating live score from German pop-rock star Tobias Künzel (of Die Prinzen) and British Screenwriter Mark Underwood (Forget Me Not, Quicksilver Pictures) this eccentric comedy musical will cleverly blend wit and surrealism.
A mischievous child, Louise—determined to stay awake—convinces her father to tell her a bedtime story. This simple tale swirls into an unforgettable adventure where four puppets die on the ‘throne’ and find themselves in a purgatory like you’ve never seen before—a celestial lavatory.
With four new arrivals but only three spots in the afterlife, St. Peter is barely keeping his head above water. As each soul pleads their case for a second chance on Earth, ‘help’ arrives in the form of the King of Rock and (toilet) Roll, Elvis Presley and, yes, you guessed it, former leader of the German Democratic Republic, Erich Honecker. With further assistance from Queen Elizabeth II, Maggie Thatcher and Mahatma Gandhi.
With a live four-piece rock band and hints of Avenue Q, this toe-tapping romp through the absurdity of bureaucracy, the search for meaning in utter chaos, and the hope that even the most flawed among us can find redemption promises to be anything but bog-standard.
With incredible direction and choreography from Blair Anderson (Trompe L'Oeil and Chase, The Other Palace), the production will touch upon highly relevant themes today, and search for new meanings whilst highlighting the power of visceral storytelling and human connection.
Musical Director and Lyricist Tobias Künzel comments, I hope the audience has as much fun as we had when we wrote this. The moment, when actors for the first time bring the characters to life and get a personal relationship to the music is worth all discussions and sleepless nights before. The interaction between actors and puppets is very thrilling. Especially when the puppets start to sing. Mark and I wrote a lot of tunes and Leitmotivs which was good fun. If I play one of the songs to somebody, these guys start to sing along after one minute and laughing when they listen to the words. I think that’s a good sign. It’s not easy to place a new plot into a world of so many existing successful musicals, so I’m very grateful for the trust of our wonderful international Production Team. It’s great to be back at Upstairs at the Gatehouse - it feels a little like coming home.
Lyricist Mark Underwood comments, I’m thrilled to see Death on the Throne come to life at the Gatehouse, a wonderful venue that gave me my first opportunity as a writer over 25 years ago.
Director and Choreographer Blair Anderson comments, I am super excited to bring this collaboration with the wonderful talent of The Puppet Theatre of Halle to London. Everybody loves puppets, right? Especially when they sing and dance.
Videos
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Norwich Comedy Garden: Ed Gamble & Tom Rosenthal Chapelfield Gardens (7/04-7/04) |
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The Muppet Christmas Carol: The Film with Live Orchestra Bridgewater Hall (12/07-12/17) |
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Fawlty Towers Weekend 29/08/2026 Holiday Inn Portsmouth by IHG (8/29-8/30) |
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QUEENSRYCHE at Islington Assembly Hall - London Islington Assembly Hall (6/23-6/23) |
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Trainspotting The Musical: Arches Bar Champagne Experience Sheffield City Hall Oval Hall (10/30-10/31) |
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Count Arthur Strong - And Its Goodnight From Me! The Brindley Theatre (3/03-3/03) |
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Simon Spillett's Big Band: 'Dear Tubby H.' Stoke by Nayland Resort (5/27-5/27) |
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RICH HALL and Matt Richardson at The Norwich Puppet Theatre Norwich Puppet Theatre (5/22-5/22) |
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The Hanging Stars at St Matthias Music - London St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington (11/13-11/13) |
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Count Arthur Strong - And Its Goodnight From Me! Stockport Plaza (4/25-4/25) |
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