Guest Blog: James Grieve, Director of BERLUSCONI A NEW MUSICAL, Discusses the Challenges of Bringing a New Musical to the Stage

This week I have the immense privilege of opening a new musical - Berlusconi- at Southwark Playhouse Elephant. It is a two hour, sung through, completely original new British musical with ten in the cast and five in the band being produced commercially in a beautiful new 270 seat Off-West End theatre.

I've been fortunate to spend most of my career making new work. But never a new musical produced in this way.

It feels almost impossibly hard to make an original new musical of any significant scale in the commercial sector today. The UK was once the world leader in daring new musicals and the lack of any obvious commercial appeal was no stumbling block to a good idea. But while New York remains a hotbed of new musical invention, the vast majority of new commercial musical theatre in London is based on an existing IP whether film, book or music catalogue. I've been wondering why that is.

First up, new musicals are expensive. Like really expensive. Berlusconi has been in development for five years from its conception through script and song development, Covid hiatus, three workshops and finally production. Along with the 15 strong company of actors and musicians, it has taken a host of highly skilled creatives and technicians from music copyists to carpenters to deliver on the ambition of the work.

Next up is the issue of space. Our commercial sector is inextricably linked to the heritage theatres of the West End which for all their architectural splendour are inflexible and costly. Opening an original new musical in a 1,000 seat West End house is a stupendous risk. London lacks New York's myriad re-configurable black box spaces with capacities ranging from 200 to 800 where musicals can develop and grow before graduation to Broadway.

Then there is our cultural predilection for boom or bust. Whereas US musicals often take years to develop across scales with a nurturing industry and critical fraternity, we sometimes seem to make snap judgements on first showing. Perhaps that deters producers from investing in shows that might take more than one run to reach their potential?

We are immensely fortunate to have a subsidised sector in the this country that does have smaller, flexible spaces and a remit to be daring. But does the existence of a subsidised sector give commercial producers a get-out clause when it comes to risk taking? Do we rely on subsidised houses to take risks while the commercial sector waits to snap up the hits?

All of which stacks the odds against a new musical like Berlusconi ever being made. It's a big, bold show by two debut writers using a former Italian Prime Minister as a template to explore contemporary populist politics and the untold stories of those whose lives are destroyed by powerful men. It doesn't exactly scream box office.

But across the pond shows like Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Fun Home, Hadestown and of course Hamilton have shown the range of stories that can find a mass market. Would A Strange Loop or Here Lies Love or Natasha, Pierre And The Great Comet of 1812 be made commercially in the UK? Would they even be written?

Of course there are wonderful UK success stories. Six and Operation Mincemeat prove that fringe shows can become West End hits and our subsidised sector continues to be a powerhouse of new musical creation, often admirably enhanced by commercial producers.

But part of my excitement at opening Berlusconi this week is the feeling we are doing something unusual. Opening a new British musical in a small space with hopes and dreams it might have a big future.

It is only possible because we have been backed by a visionary producer in Francesca Moody who - along with her co-producers and investors - has been willing to take the leap of faith to promote work she believes in. And because we have a beautiful new Off-West End theatre in Southwark Playhouse Elephant with a stage and capacity just big enough for a musical of our size to make some sort of commercial sense.

Whatever happens to Berlusconi, I hope more producers like Francesca and more venues like Southwark Playhouse Elephant enable British writers to feel emboldened to write big, ambitious new musicals. A risk-taking commercial sector and an industry that patiently supports the gestation of new musicals will surely reap rich rewards for us all.

Berlusconi A New Musical is at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 29 April

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