Background
In 2010 The Lowry took part in the Mercury Musical Developments Project, “Sounds of England”, which worked to develop six 30-minute pieces of musical theatre. The qualifying work had to reflect originality with a distinctive English voice and theme – that is, it did not try to recreate the "Great American Musical". The winners received workshops and readings at the Watermill (Newbury), The Lowry (Salford) and Jermyn Street Theatre (London).
The Lowry successfully hosted The Signalman by Geoff Page (based on the short story by Charles Dickens). Subsequent discussions with Geoff resulted in the opportunity to develop the work into a full length piece, using a portmanteau framing device and combining this story with two other popular classical works – Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat and A Warning to the Curious by M.R. James.
Although the three stories are concerned with strange or supernatural happenings, they are contrasting in their approach to this subject which provides a striking variety.
Developing the piece
Geoff successfully pitched his new idea to Andy and Wendy Barnes of Perfect Pitch Musicals, an organisation committed to the development of new British musicals. Geoff had worked with the organisation when he took part in their “Composer Cabaret” slots held at George Square Theatre.
Geoff and Roger Haines, who directed the original showing of The Signalman at The Lowry and with whom Perfect Pitch had collaborated on the very successful production of The Go-Between, spent some time looking through the material with an eye to developing the piece further.
For artistic reasons, and after much discussion, Poe’s The Black Cat was replaced by Bram Stoker’s The Judge’s House; and the new production of No Sleep For The Haunted has begun to take shape…
