‘Our cast are out of this world’
Flyby is a daring new musical, which has its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough soon. Theo Jamieson, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics and also co-directed and co-created with Adam Lenson, took time out from other musicals he’s working on to talk about this production that is said to fuse ‘an intimate and exhilarating love story with the vast and endless loneliness of space’, writes Michael Holland.
Flyby was originally developed in 2025 when the National Theatre gave the team a lot of studio time in the early stages. Theo adds, ‘They also helped us present the show to the industry, which is where we connected with our brilliant producer (Adam Kenwright).
I was intrigued by this tale of an astronaut who heads out into nothingness when his love for a film-maker on Earth is not reciprocated. I asked how this story of an astronaut going rogue came about?
‘I wrote it very intuitively – I think I’m led by a pretty subconscious process, which I then organise afterwards. I’ve noticed that I like stories which present as epic and actually end up being about very precise, human, emotional shifts.’
But then I wondered what comes first, writing the songs or the dialogue.
‘Writing the music, lyrics, and scenes was totally integrated. Usually, there’s a moment or a feeling I want to realise, and the challenge is working out which tool to pick up – is it led by the subterranean energy of the music, or do we find our way in via dialogue and lyric?’
And is there a favourite aspect of writing a musical?
‘I love them all in different ways, and what’s fun about doing all three is that if you get locked in one of the strands, you can pivot to another to re-energise. Music is very intuitive and immediately expressive, but I think the power that it can generate has the most impact if it’s been set up and positioned sensitively by the action.’
So is Flyby a lost-in-space story or a love story?
‘It’s about the impossibility of intellectually holding all the contradictions of love simultaneously. It’s also about emotional risk and the tangible consequences of those risks.’
I don’t need to ask if Flyby will be any good as Theo’s credentials are top notch. He has had work (U.Me), commissioned by the BBC in 2021 and recorded with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, with a sequel aired in 2024. He composed the music, lyrics, and orchestrations for the musical The Famous Five in 2022, and in 2019 was awarded the prestigious Stiles and Drewe Prize for Best New Song – the absolute pinnacle of British musical theatre awards.
That must have all been very exciting.
‘I’ve loved so many of my jobs! Playing piano is still a thrill to me, so when I’m performing challenging music with great players, it creates a really special kind of feeling. I’ve written musicals that involved composing for an 80-piece orchestra (!), which is an awe-inspiring organism to engage with. And I also got to conduct classic American musicals like Funny Girl and High Society – I love that kind of score – something alchemical was happening during that period of musical theatre writing, tremendous energy and power exist in the music from those shows.’
High Society… I was thinking of asking if Theo had slipped in a reference to the classic lyrics from that musical, ‘Have you heard it’s in the stars, next July we collide with Mars’ in his own tale of space travel, but decided against it. I’ll wait until press night.
But how did Theo get to this stage in his life? Was it easy?
‘I flaked around a lot as a teenager. At various points, I’ve been on a path towards filmmaking, writing, or visual arts. I started a love affair with music and theatre in my late teens and haven’t really looked back since I started on that journey.’
What music does this composer and lyricist listen to?
‘Tons of classical music, pop music, theatre music, opera, contemporary music, jazz… I think of musical theatre more as a form than a genre, which means you can magpie gestures and vibes from almost anywhere. And I LOVE it as a form – I think it offers unmatched opportunities for intensity and psychological feeling through music.’
I reckon there is a really good feeling about this show, and I was right:
‘It’s a very close company of collaborators and everyone is going all-in on the project, in all its strange genre-mashing ambitions. It’s a very exciting and warm company to be in… We’ve had a pre-rehearsal workshop which was wonderful. Our cast are out of this world (apologies…) and they’re totally fearless. I love fearless actors.’
That intrepid company of actors is: Poppy Gilbert, Stuart Thompson, Rupert Young, Gina Beck, and Simbi Akande.
Any last words? ‘Yes. The National has always been an inspiring building for me, and The National Theatre Studio is basically where I want to live.’
And on that other-wordly response, I’ll be lifting off myself.
The Flyby set design is by Libby Todd, the lighting by Ben Jacobs.
Southwark Playhouse Borough from 3rd April – 16th May.
Booking and full details: https://flybymusical.com/
