X Factor – It’s Time To Face The Musical, a new musical comedy written by television comedian Harry Hill and directed by double Olivier Award winner Sean Foley, is set to bring the melodrama of the popular ITV talent show to the West End stage next year.
Opening in spring 2014, X Factor – It’s Time To Face The Musical goes behind the microphone and under the judges’ desk to tell the story of Chenice, the only girl in the world who has never heard of the X Factor because her grandfather’s iron lung interferes with the signal in their caravan.
When Chenice accidentally stumbles into the audition queue for the world-renowned talent show with her talking dog, she embarks on a journey towards stardom and love, encountering along the way contestants with varying degrees of abilities, some recognisable judges and a handsome ukulele playing plumber and part-time eco-warrior called Max.
Billed as “an affectionate poke at the world’s most talked about talent show that will please fans and knockers of The X Factor in equal measure”, X Factor – It’s Time To Face The Musical will feature 19 new songs by Hill and Spend Spend Spend’s Steve Brown, who will also write the music for the new production.
Acclaimed director Foley, whose recent directing credits include What The Butler Saw, The Ladykillers and The Physicists, will be joined in the creative team by founder of ZooNation – the company behind dance hits Some Like It Hip Hop and Into The Hoods – Kate Prince, Olivier Award-winning designer Es Devlin (The Dog In The Manger), Tony Award nominated sound designer Gareth Owen (Top Hat, Sweet Charity) and three-time Olivier Award-winning lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, whose credits include Matilda The Musical and Pacific Overtures.
Promising a lid-lifting roller-coaster ride behind the scenes at the mother of all singing competitions, the new musical will delve into the Simon Cowell-created world that made Leona Lewis, One Direction and Olly Murs faces of the music industry that we recognise today.
Casting and details of where the production will play are yet to be announced.