What do you get when you combine 1600s France, opera, nuns and sword fighting? Julie: the Musical of course! This exciting new show seems to have a bright future ahead of it, and from our first taste has left us wanting more.
Here at Overstudies we had the opportunity to see the first concert performance of Julie at the MT Pride Lab takeover currently taking place at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington and were not disappointed. Although this wasn’t a full staging of the show, it gave us enough of a taste of what to expect that we have already bought our tickets to the full performance taking place at The Other Palace in July. The show already seems to firmly know what it is and what it’s trying to do even in its infancy, which gives us high hopes for the future.
So, what is Julie about exactly? The show tells the tale of the life and adventures of historical bisexual icon Julie D’Aubigny, a famous opera singer. She was one of the first public figures to live openly as a bisexual woman, who found herself in a number of chaotic situations such as being bribed by princes and seducing nuns.
The story takes place over a glam-rock inspired musical score, covering a whole host of musical styles which feels fitting for a show about a person as chaotic as Julie D’Aubigny. The costuming was also a highlight, giving Abba meets & Juliet energy which, I think fits the piece particularly well. Due to the nature of the MT Pride Lab, there was little in the way of set design, but the company made excellent use of the lighting design to convey the setting and location of the piece despite the limitations of the space. I do think that this allowed the songs to really have their moment to shine, and were strong enough existing on their own to make me want to come back and see the show all over again.
My initial and honest reaction to the concert performance was that I left the theatre dying to see a fully staged production, and when it comes to new work this is always a promising mindset have. It’s rare to see bisexual characters done well in performance media, often falling short of stereotypes, but this show takes those stereotypes and takes ownership of them, turning them into the strength of the titular character. The strength in this particular piece is firmly rooted in it’s celebration of queer identity, found family and self-discovery within a world that wasn’t necessarily designed for you.
My only concern about this show is in its similarity to other shows approaching historical figures in the same way. The story is unique and exciting, and centres bisexuality in a way I wish more shows had the confidence to, but I fear it may get lost amongst the wider musical theatre crowd. This however, is why I’m so keen to see a full run through of the show, and I’m excited to see how things like staging might differentiate it from other similar shows. I firmly believe that this show could gain a quick fan base, as long as it ensures that it celebrates what makes it unique.
For those wanting to get a little taste of Julie: the Musical, a concept album is available with highlights on the show’s official website. I can already see a number of the songs in the show making their way onto my most played songs of the year should they find themselves on Spotify. I strongly recommend having a listen to the tracks available on the website and letting the music speak for itself.
We firmly believe this is a show to watch and can’t wait to see what comes next. Keep your eyes glued to Overstudies to read our full review of the show later in the year.
If you want to get your own bisexual, opera fix the show is heading to Manchester, Hull, Prescot and Leeds before returning to London for a run at The Other Palace in July. Tickets are on sale now for all performances from juliethemusical.co.uk.
As part of an exciting Artistic Director takeover at The Kings Head Theatre, the MT PRIDE LAB is Tania Azevedo’s LGBTQ+ Musical Theatre focused season celebrating the best in developing musical theatre. Performances run from 6 June – 31 July, features the best and brightest new LGBTQ+ musical theatre. The full lineup of shows can be found on kingsheadtheatre.com
