The Last Ever Musical at White Bear Theatre

The Last Ever Musical, a new musical with music & lyrics by Richard Bates, book by Simon James Collier, at the White Bear Theatre, a fringe venue in Kennington, south London, from 13 Aug to 7 Sep 2013.

Directed by Simon James Collier, choreography by Omar F. Okai, designs & costumes by David Shields, lighting by Ciaran Cunningham .

Brian Wilts, a small-time London based theatre producer, has spent his entire working life scheming, dealing, begging and borrowing, sweet-talking, manipulating and schmoozing, pampering, massaging egos, promising ‘the world’, and skating on financial, ethical and moral thin-ice, suddenly has a rude-awakening one morning when he finds himself facing his own judgement day. The opening night of a £95,000.00 theatrical commission from The Femlette Feminine Hygiene Corporation is fast approaching, Brian is up the proverbial creek without a paddle as, despite positive assurances to his backers, there isn’t in fact a show, and he’s spent a large chunk of the advance on making his other loss-making productions happen, coupled with the maintenance of his hedonistic life-style. Added to which the theatre owners, themselves under pressure to come up with a hit after a string of disastrous failures, are now insisting that the show, an exploration of ‘woman in today’s society’, be made more ‘up-beat’ than Brian’s original proposal, by turning it into an all singing and dancing mainstream musical. Can Brian utilise his eclectic skills to rise to the challenge, or will his fragile house of cards come crashing down around him, making this his theatrical swan-song!

- by Darren Dalglish