‘It’s a queer, queer world that we live in…’
A play with music celebrating the Irresistible Fall and Inimitable Rise of Fred Barnes: Britain’s first gay light entertainment superstar.
Born above a butcher’s shop in Birmingham, Fred Barnes’ talent and beauty took him from obscurity to topping the bill at the London Palladium. At his zenith, Fred was the highest paid performer in the country, his face all over postcards, sheet music and - fatally - the new tabloid press.
Butcher is a heart-breaking tragicomedy with songs, uncovering a buried queer story about the pursuit of fame that resonates all the more in our own time of celebrity mania. It takes us from Birmingham backstreets to the the early days of the BBC, through Pentonville Prison to variety spectacular - and there’s even a cameo from Noël Coward… A tale of queer resistance, struggle with addiction, and the bitter-sweet pleasures of light entertainment.
Written by Carl Miller (Wasted Southwark Playhouse ‘essential viewing if you’re interested in the future of the British musical’ WHATSONSTAGE; Emil and the Detectives National Theatre ‘as rousing and inventive as any show around’ THE TIMES; Ostrich Boys National Theatre of Korea, Coventry Belgrade ‘I couldn’t recommend it too highly’ COVENTRY TELEGRAPH ; Frankenstein National Youth Theatre ‘bursts with contemporary twists and takes on Shelley’s classic’ THE GUARDIAN etc)
The workshop is directed by Tony Graham (The Talking Drum: Park Theatre; Yellow Moon: National Theatre Company of Korea; Ostrich Boys Belgrade Coventry and National Theatre Company of Korea etc.)
Musical direction is by Christopher Ash (The Showstoppers; Perfect Show for Rachel; Improbable The Musical etc.)
