Edward Court grew up in Essex but has now made Bermondsey his home; it is much more convenient to get to work playing Don Attilio in Phantom of the Opera, Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical that is once again back in the West End, writes Michael Holland…
During his childhood, the young Edward was involved in many theatre groups. ‘I remember seeing ‘Me and My Girl’ at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester and asking my mum how I could learn to do all of it!’ he says while reliving the joy of that day. ‘I trained professionally as an actor at Performance Preparation Academy and have since worked in the theatre industry as an actor, singer, musician, musical director, composer and teacher.’
Edward has been in his current role since 2021, but that time has had its ups and downs with Covid restrictions going back to 2020. It was at the start of the pandemic when all theatres were closed that he and writer/director, Lydia Shaw came up with an idea that would keep them ‘focussed on something positive and creative in a crazy time!’
That idea was Hatched! A family musical all about female empowerment that fuses musical theatre, audiobook and audio drama in a new format that makes musical theatre accessible all over the world via Spotify and Apple podcasts: ‘Hatched is completely free to listen to!’ he emphasises, which is a good thing in the current cost of living crisis.
I was intrigued to find out how an online musical was put together while the majority of the nation was locked indoors. ‘Firstly,’ begins the musical maestro, ‘we managed to cast the show through our network of friends and colleagues who work in theatre, so we have a brilliant group of West End performers(from Wicked, Phantom, Bonnie & Clyde, Jersey Boys, Priscilla, Mary Poppins), including Debbie McGee!’ I could feel Edward’s excitement. ‘All the songs and dialogue were recorded remotely during the lockdowns; via the power of the internet, each person had a microphone set up in their homes and was able to record their characters.’
I suggested that working like that could not have been easy. ‘It was a massive undertaking but the result has been amazing… We funded the project through a GoFundMe page.’
The story follows Fallon, a bird who longs to fly, but she lives on the mythical island of Rakka where the female birds aren’t allowed to fly. Having just laid their eggs, Fallon and her friends set out to make the island a fairer place for their new chicks. But it’s a race against time – can Fallon bring down the infamous Lord Zandajay and change the rules before the eggs have hatched?
Lydia Shaw, said: “It started as a lockdown project to make musical theatre accessible to all… It kept growing and now it’s basically a full-scale West End musical in audio format! Expect drama, fun, some loveable characters and a fantastic score (with everything from disco to G&S to motivational ballads)! We wanted to release the show for free because, at its heart, Hatched! has a really important message – equality and liberation for females of all ages.”
Edward had the last word: ‘We wanted to write something that families can enjoy together (age 7+), so there’s something for everyone – with plenty of music and fun for kids and some thought-provoking, contemporary themes for the grown-ups. It was something that kept us creative and hopeful during the pandemic and we hope this project can be equally uplifting for our listeners.’
Episode 1 drops on Sunday 9th April, with the following 8 episodes and an album coming later this year.
To listen to Episode 1, or support the project, visit www.hatchedmusical.co.uk
Edwards’ website: https://edwardcourtmusic.com/
