First published Tuesday 5 December; updated Wednesday 13 December
Celebrities including Matt Lucas, Kelsey Grammer and Hannah Waddingham have joined Harry Enfield, Alexander Armstrong and Louise Dearman in recording unique versions of their favourite tracks from the new musical The Grinning Man – and it’s certainly put a smile on our faces.
With the show having begun its eagerly awaited run at Trafalgar Studios, the soundtrack of this fantastical musical has inspired a range of stars from the stage and screen to make unique versions of The Grinning Man songs their own.
In the first release of tracks, Armstrong was drawn to the powerful Stars In The Sky, musical theatre star Louise Dearman loved Born Broken, and comedian Harry Enfield also came on board as a huge fan of the music, delighting in the challenge of Laughter Is The Best Medicine.
In the second, comedian Lucas and musical theatre star Waddingham stunned with the brilliant duet I Have Never Seen A Face, and renowned Frasier actor Grammer also took on the magnificent track Stars In The Sky.
You can listen below to the full playlist of tracks below.
The music of The Grinning Man is composed by Tim Phillips and Marc Teitler, and received acclaim from critics and audiences alike during its 2016 premiere at Bristol Old Vic. Now, it’s set to be unleashed on the West End.
The critically acclaimed production of The Grinning Man is based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo (Les Misérables), directed by Tony award-winning Tom Morris (War Horse), and brought to life by Kneehigh writer Carl Grose. The Grinning Man also reunites Morris with two puppeteers who began their careers inside Joey and Topthorn in the original production of War Horse – Finn Caldwell and Toby Olié – now leading their own brilliant puppetry company Gyre & Gimble.
The show is macabre, magical and visually astonishing; Jon Bausor won the UK Theatre Award for Best Design for his work on The Grinning Man, which will play in a specially configured space in Trafalgar Studios.
Original cast member Louis Maskell, playing the titular role of the disfigured Grinpayne, and Julian Bleach, who plays Barkilphedro, a vengeful clown with a deceptively manipulative mind and a dark heart of lead, return to lead the West End transfer.
You can book tickets to The Grinning Man through our New Year Sale.