MUSE is a musical created at Interlochen Arts Academy, now heading to the Edinburgh Fringe with Lisa Sanderson as lead writer. Music and lyrics are by Hanna Andréa, who tells us more about the show. The tagline is 14 comedies, 12 tragedies, 10 histories – one big Pucking mess!
“Before he was the Bard, he was just Will… with a problem: his publisher will only print one of his plays. With Puck as instigator, Lear, Cleopatra, the Macbeths and more of Shakespeare’s greatest characters erupt into rebellion in a chaotic race to become the chosen tale. Pop musical comedy meets absurdist theatre in this riotous story of ambition, ego and the birth of a legend.”
Where: Cowbarn at Underbelly, Bristo Square
When: 5-30 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/muse-the-shakespeare-mayhem-musical
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
The show is about a young Shakespeare before he gets famous, who is finally given the opportunity to publish one of his plays, but he can’t choose which one to publish. He enters a dream world where all his characters fight to be the one he picks. It’s very silly and mixes Shakespearean text with modern-day speech throughout its dialogue and pop songs. The show grew out of a Shakespeare-themed showcase at Interlochen Arts Academy that developed into a devised musical.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
If you like Shakespeare and pop songs, I’ve got a show for you. MUSE is a musical comedy that intertwines authentic Shakespearean text with casual modern-day dialogue. It has everything from crazy rock numbers to absurdist insult battles. It doesn’t matter if you are a Shakespeare enthusiast or only vaguely familiar; jokes and references are woven in to entertain all levels of familiarity and offer everyone a fabulously silly experience. And it has a beautiful conclusion. We love it!
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? Do you have any particularly memorable moments?
Well, so far we’ve only been in the pre-production stage! I think one particularly memorable moment so far was watching the dance call during the casting process. Seeing all these actors acting together in the context of our show really gave a sneak peek at what this version of the show is going to feel like on its feet. It was amazing to see the show come alive with twenty-five actors together in a small rehearsal room, bringing the characters alive.
What are you most looking forward to in Edinburgh?
Being surrounded by other theater people and getting to see all the other amazing shows people have been working on!
What’s next for the show?
Well, we started in the woods of Michigan at Interlochen Center for the Arts, then we had a presentation at the Clark Theatre at Lincoln Center, and now we’re here at the Underbelly Cowbarn at Fringe – so we hope to continue the trek and bring the show to more and more people! Watch out for Macbeths with inflatable pool guitars coming to a venue near you!