West End and Broadway star Elaine Paige today launches the 24-Hour Song Challenge by challenging The Showstoppers to compose her a musical theatre song in just 24 hours.
At 11am via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Elaine threw down the gauntlet for the Olivier Award-winning improvisers to compose a song about having to stay isolated at home in the style of "West Side Story", which is her favourite musical of all time.
Check out her video!
The finished song - recorded by the cast who are all isolated from each other - will be unveiled on social media at 11am on Thursday 9 April.
The cast rising to this challenge will be Ruth Bratt, Pippa Evans, Adam Meggido and Andrew Pugsley. The music will be written and performed by Duncan Walsh Atkins (in the style of "West Side Story").
The team will need to write the lyrics, compose the music, learn the parts, perform to camera and edit the results all within 24 hours (12 hours really, even Showstoppers need to sleep!).
Adam Meggido, Artistic Director of The Showstoppers, said: "With our regular West End show and tour dates cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we wanted to set ourselves a new challenge given that we are all in different locations - which is a first for us! And Elaine Paige, as the First Lady of the West End, was a natural choice to launch The 24 Hour Challenge - we can't wait to hear what she wants us to compose! Keep your eyes peeled for further 24 hour song challenges in the coming weeks from the biggest stars in musical theatre"
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical has been a rip-roaring success since the show started in 2008. It has had 12 sell-out years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, two West End runs, an Olivier award for Best Entertainment and Family Show and a BBC Radio 4 series.In the show, the audience meets a writer of musicals who is on a deadline - and needs their help. The audience shouts out suggestions of a setting, musical styles and the title of the show and they're off! The Showstopper team - cast and band - then weave a brand new musical in front of the very eyes of the audience, complete with hilarious characters, fabulous dance routines, beautiful songs, epic story lines, all sprinkled with the pizzazz of a Broadway show.
