Taboo

Taboo, Norwich Theatre Royal, 2004

Cast: Stephen Ashfield, Declan Bennett, Emma Bispham, Jody Butterworth, Julian Clary, Ben Draper, Ashleigh Gray, James Gillan, Gareth Heesom, Michele Hooper, Drew Jaysom, Rebecca McHinnis, Steven Osborne, Jason Pachett, Jacqui Rae, Robert Shelly, James Templeton.

Music & lyrics: Boy George

Book: Mark Davies

Director: Christopher Renshaw

Before the jukebox musical became a thing I feel like musicals were already a potential part of a popstars career and I may have seen quite a few of them. Boy George was inevitable - his life and look were made for the stage. This included Julian Clary as Leigh Bowery which I imagine was clever casting as I doubt either of them could sing properly and were prone to rude messing about. 

The image on the cover of the programme looks familiar - I assume we're supposed to think it's Boy George but it's actually Corinne Drewery from Swing Out Sister and was used on the cover of their single Breakout. I don't suppose she had anything to do with the story so I guess someone just liked the image.

In the same box was another, glossier programme:

I assumed that meant I'd seen it twice but there's no mention of a venue or year in it and the cast list is exactly the same. So I looked on my other blog and it turns out they were selling two different programmes for the same show and like a fool I bought them both and am now recycling them both.