West End showcase for young composer Bruce

Emerging musical theatre composer Michael Bruce is to receive the rare opportunity to have his work showcased in the heart of Theatreland in a one-off gala performance this autumn.

Michael Bruce: A Little Less Ordinary, which runs at the Apollo theatre on 1 November, will see musical theatre stars including Avenue Q’s Julie Atherton and Daniel Boys, Oliver!’s Sara Lark, Wicked’s Alex Jessop, former How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? contestant Helena Blackman, Clare Foster and Paul Spicer perform a collection of Bruce’s songs, giving the young composer the kind of exposure rarely experienced by talented artists trying to make a name for themselves in musical theatre.

The ground-breaking show is produced by the team behind the Notes From New York series, which has made a name for itself bringing previously unheard pieces of musical theatre to the London stage for the first time.

Bruce was discovered by the Notes From New York team through its 2007 Notes For The Stage competition. The 25-year-old Scottish former dance champion has since been nurtured by the show’s producers and, in addition to having his work performed in the West End this autumn, will premiere his show Ed at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Speaking about the young composer, Producer Neil Eckersley commented: “Having discovered Michael through the Notes For The Stage competition, we were hugely impressed with his innate talent and obvious promise. It’s rare that young musical theatre composers exhibit flare, passion and vision in equal measure. Michael demonstrates all three and is also a pleasure to work with. His songs deserve to be heard and so we’re making sure people hear them.”

The showcase concert comes at a time when new musical theatre creators struggle to make the breakthrough to the largest stages of the theatre capital of the world and represents a chance for young talent, both on and off stage, to shine for one of the world’s most influential theatre audiences.

MA