91Èȱ¬

U.Me: The Musical is a new musical for radio and podcast that premieres on Wednesday 12 May.

How – in a period of global pandemic – do you take the idea of creating a radio musical that aims to bring joy and catharsis to a locked down world, and turn that into a reality? This programme examines the huge team effort that goes into crafting a piece of audio art for our times.

At the centre of the story are 91Èȱ¬ story commissioner and co-writer Simon Pitts, composer and lyricist Theo Jamieson (musical supervisor of West End hit Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), plus Grammy Award-winning record producer Steve Levine. The trio are at the heart of a large cast of artistic talents, all of whom contribute to the final work.

Via a combination of video calls, exclusive access to the fully Covid-19 compliant bubble of London rehearsal rooms, actual production recordings featuring the socially distanced 91Èȱ¬ Philharmonic, and contributions from show leads Anoushka Lucas and Martin Sarreal, actor and writer Mathew Horne (Gavin Shipman in BAFTA-winning 91Èȱ¬ TV series Gavin and Stacey) examines the creative process behind this unique radio production.

Presenter: Mathew Horne
Producer: Lewis Borg-Cardona
A Magnum Opus Broadcasting production for the 91Èȱ¬ World Service

Image: Martin Sarreal and Anoushka Lucas (Credit: 91Èȱ¬)