By James Hadley in London

I'm currently helping out on a special project at Arts Council England, looking at how a small amount of funding can best be used to assist the development of new musical theatre in the UK. For a long time it was felt that West End musicals were so commercially viable that it wasn't necessary to invest public money in that side of the industry, but now it's felt that there isn't enough development assistance to help new voices come through. Certainly not compared to what's available in New York, but there's heaps more infrastructure here compared to NZ or Australia. By James Hadley in London

I'm currently helping out on a special project at Arts Council England, looking at how a small amount of funding can best be used to assist the development of new musical theatre in the UK. For a long time it was felt that West End musicals were so commercially viable that it wasn't necessary to invest public money in that side of the industry, but now it's felt that there isn't enough development assistance to help new voices come through. Certainly not compared to what's available in New York, but there's heaps more infrastructure here compared to NZ or Australia.Most of the exciting new voices emerging in recent years in musical theatre have been American, and people struggle to name known and living UK writers of musicals aside from Andrew Lloyd Webber. In the second half of the 'eighties, through to the mid-'nineties, UK musicals dominated the West End and much of Broadway too - think 'Les Mis', 'Phantom', etc etc. Now the West End is dominated by US imports like 'Wicked', 'Hairspray' and 'The Lion King'. Although jukebox compilation type musicals from the UK continue to run strong - particularly 'Mama Mia' and 'We Will Rock You'.

One of the main ways the Arts Council has got behind the development of new musicals is to invest in an initiative called Perfect Pitch. Now in its third year, Perfect Pitch offers various development opportunities to writers of new UK musicals with commercial potential, including workshops, mentoring, and inclusion within their yearly showcase.

I recently attended the 2008 showcase at Trafalgar Studios - just off Trafalgar Square. This consisted of forty-five minute excerpts from six of the most promising new UK musicals in development with Perfect Pitch, performed by professional casts in a small black box auditorium. The excerpts were performed with no sets or costumes, but had been professionally directed and musical directed so you got a clear picture of the potential of these works. Apparently they were chosen from 100 submitted musicals, which might make you think there was no shortage of emerging musical writers, but even these top six had their limitations. One had a beautiful score but derivative plot, another had a quirky book but a two melody score stretched over all its songs. There was definitely talent there among the writers though - both composers, lyricists and book writers, so that does give cause for hope in the next generation of musical writers. But the dominant US influence was most clear in the fact that many of the younger performers tended to sing with an American accent at times, despite being English!

One of the main culprits for this emulation of Broadway - apart from the dominant influence of Stephen Sondheim among most aspiring musical theatre writers - is the popularity of musicals like Wicked by Stephen Schwartz. Still one of the hottest tickets in the West End despite having been on for over three years, I recently attended a Saturday matinee performance. Clearly this musical's popularity is such that many attend it multiple times - the huge Apollo Victoria Theatre (its interiors specially green-ified for the show) was absolutely packed with enthusiastic fans. Despite the fact that tickets cost up to £85! I got a reduced price of £40 for a £60 seat, and was still about 25 rows back from the stage. But it was certainly worth every penny.

The proscenium arch of the theatre features a hydraulic silver dragon which peers its head around and bellows smoke to announce the beginning of the show, so you know you're going to be in for one of those big budget spectaculars that you can only see in a major capital city due to the sheer cost of staging it.

Yet most of the appeal of this musical is its huge heart, beautiful songs, and the very clever way the inventive plot winds itself around the well-known story of 'The Wizard of Oz' (particularly the Judy Garland film version). If you haven't read the Gregory Burke novel on which the musical is based, I highly recommend it as a real page-turner full of dry wit and fantastical adventure. What Stephen Schwartz has added to it in his masterful adaptation is a very timely parody of how society demonises difference. As soon as you start to read the vilification of the lead character Elphaba for being green as a metaphor for prejudice in general, the whole thing becomes a lot more powerful. I don't think it's stretching things to see the way this sympathetic character is positioned as the 'Wicked Witch of the West' purely by the way her society treats her - rather than by her own actions - as a comment on the dynamics of racism and xenophobia at play in the wake of American foreign policies of recent years.

There are classic scenes of comedy, romance, and the inevitable all-singing, all-dancing showstopper ensemble number here and there. It's worth checking out the trailer of the show on the official website to get a picture of the lavish costumes and set. It's pure entertainment, so no wonder audiences still flock to this kind of show despite the credit crunch. Straight plays are struggling to open in big West End theatres, and serious musicals like the recently opened 'Imagine This' are also finding it hard to get decent audiences, but I'm guessing musicals like 'Wicked' would be the last theatre to close due to the economic downturn.

Read previous Sets and the City blogs

Feel free to get in touch with any questions (or if you're planning a London visit and want some theatre recommendations) to jamesstuarthadley@gmail.com

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08/12/08