Something Rotten Tony winner Christian Borle will put his British accent to good use and lead a workshop on July 22 for a new tuner, working title, The British Invasion Musical. According to the New York Post, the show will be set in the 1960s and follow the wave of British pop groups that invaded America.
Penned by Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), the husband of the late Roger Rees, and helmed by Jerry Mitchell, The British Invasion Musical will follow the story of Herman of Herman and the Hermits’ Peter Noone (Borle). The tuner will feature some of the Hermits’ hits including “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” and “I’m Henry VIII, I Am,” as well as other songs from the period.
The Bag O’Nails pub will provide the setting for the first few scenes, which according to producer Hal Luftig (Kinky Boots) “was sort of like the Brill Building of the London music scene…[Mick] Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were there, The Beatles were there. They were considered renegades at the time, the anti-establishment. But then they came to America and quickly became the establishment.”