Stiletto description
Love a musical with an unusual theme? This one will blow your mind! Think opera, supremely skilled castrated male singers, love, slavery, intrigue and tragedy. This is Stiletto, an awe inspiring new musical set in Venice, the European capital of Opera, during the 1700s.
At the time the story is set, as many as 5000 young boys, most from impoverished families, were taken every year, castrated to keep their unbroken voices pure, and forced into a life of opera. The few who survived castration had the chance to become rich and famous, but very few made it. The rest were forgotten.
Meet Marco, talented castrati
One of the success stories is Marco, a particularly wonderful singer with a lot of influence and a rich patron. A glittering celebrity at the top of his game, he meets and falls in love with a slave’s daughter called Gioia, who has a voice like an angel. But because of her humble background, she can’t work on the stage.
Marco sees her awesome talent and tries to help by introducing her to wealthy society, attempting to influence his aristocratic patron. When a murder takes place and Gioia is flung into prison, Marco must do everything he can to save her life. Will he succeed?
Some of the finest West End creative talent on board
With a score by three time Grammy nominee Matthew Wilder (Disney’s Mulan) and a book by Olivier Award nominee Tim Luscombe (Easy Virtue, EuroVision), this gorgeous new musical is predicted to sell like hot cakes.
The director is David Gilmore, who has 17 beautiful West End productions behind him including Grease, Lend Me a Tenor, Daisy Pulls It Off, The Hired Man and many more. The choreographer is Anthony Van Laast, whose Tony and Olivier nominations and many glittering West End and Broadway productions say it all. He’s been at the heart of smash hits like Mamma Mia!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie Get Your Gun and Song & Dance.
Jae Alexander is the musical director, and the orchestrations come from Simon Nathan. The set design is by Ceci Calf, costume design by Anna Kelsey, lighting design by Ben Ormerod, and sound design by Andrew Johnson. The casting comes from Neil Rutherford. The result of all this talent is sheer musical magic, a story you’ll never forget.
The executive producer is Guy Kitchenn and the magic is produced by Patrick Bywalski for the Robert Stigwood Organisation and Steven M. Levy for Charing Cross Theatre Productions Limited.
