Arlene Philips to stage revamped rock musical 27 at The Other Palace

Arlene Philips will direct a revamped version of the rock musical Myth:The Rise and Fall of Orpheus (formerly known as 27) at The Other Palace later this year. 

The musical, written by Sam Cassidy, is based on the Greek tale of Orpheus and tackles the subjects of addiction and mental health in modern society, and focussing specifically on the music industry. 

The show was performed at the Cockpit Theatre in 2016 and ran for 12 weeks. Myth will now receive 9 concert-style workshop performances with a live 6-piece band at The Other Palace from 10th to 17th March. 

Casting and further creatives are yet to be announced. 

Last year, Philips teamed up with Andrew Lloyd Webber to rework Starlight Express, culminating in a number of workshop performances at The Other Palace. 

On Myth, she said: "We were inspired by the recent workshop performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express and believed this method of presentation would be invaluable to the development of Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus."

Writer Cassidy said: "It's true that musicals are not written, but rather rewritten, and this is a fantastic opportunity.

"We had great audiences [in 2016], with many people seeing it more than once, but we were not completely happy with elements of the production. I've since looked at the book, revised the storyline, dropped some songs and added new ones. This latest run will give us the chance to see how this new version works with the chance for audiences to give us feedback."

Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus will be at The Other Palace from 10th to 17th March. 

Photo of Greg Oliver in 27 courtesy Nick Ross