We've all got a little excited recently about the new British musical theatre composers edging through into the mainstream, with Stiles and Drewe's Betty Blue Eyes reaching the West End last year, and Grant Olding, Michael Bruce and Dougal Irvine all getting tons of critical acclaim.
BWW:UK's own RoBert Gould is the book writer and lyricist for new show My Land's Shore, which is about to have its cast recording released. It's not been a smooth journey, though, as he explains.
"Way back in 2001 Christopher J. Orton decided he wanted to write a musical about one of the most iconic figures in the social history of Wales – Richard Lewis, or Dic Penderyn, who became the first martyr of the Welsh working class in the aftermath of the infamous Merthyr Rising of 1831," he says.
"Four years later, while Chris was studying at the Royal Academy of Music, a workshop production of My Land’s Shore was staged in London. Early in 2006 I began working with Chris on another musical, Elephant Juice, and then Chris invited me to collaborate with him to further develop My Land’s Shore."
A new version of the show was staged in concert in Cardiff in 2007, directed by none other than Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood. But even though it received good reviews, Orton and Gould wanted to work on it further - and another rewrite followed.
That's when they decided to pursue the aim of producing a cast recording. They began to put the tracks together in 2008 while they were still writing new songs, and continued to work on the music and lyrics right up until the start of the recording of the vocals in autumn last year.
The performers on the album have an impressive West End pedigree, including JoNathan Williams (Jean Valjean in Les Miserables), Sarah Lark (Nancy in Oliver!) and Killian Donnelly (Raoul in Phantom of the Opera) - and so does the producer, Simon Greiff of SimG Records, who's been the brains behind solo albums from Annalene Beechey, Caroline Sheen and Stuart Matthew Price, Stephanie J Block's London shows and a series of popular cabarets at the Battersea Barge, and featured in shows such as Saturday Night Fever before moving behind the scenes.
My Land's Shore is the first recording that Greiff hasn't been in control of since its inception. "It was their passion for the project that first resonated with me - although I'm not a writer of any kind, I am passionate about what I do and if I feel I can help I will," he says. "I wasn't directly involved in the studio process this time - it's actually the first CD project I haven't steered from the very beginning - but they sent me mixes during the process and I of course offered my suggestions, feedback and musical ideas.
"The story of My Land's Shore is very appealing as it has so many relevant trials of life we all go through; moral dilemmas, guilt, love, heartbreak, and then this story also has historical battles of conflict and social injustice in Wales - plus their powerful score is passionate and courageous with some heart-wrentching ballads too! It's refreshing to hear a score and story with this imagination, and from two relatively unknown writers is especially exciting."
