Your latest play is ‘Immortality’, what was the inspiration for it?

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The show is about the ways that people seek to achieve immortality, or to deal with our fear of mortality. I was watching a science documentary series, discussing the potential use of artificial intelligence to prolong our lives indefinitely. But what really caught my attention was a throwaway comment by the presenter, about two different scientists vying to be credited for the same discovery; in the scientific community this was their ‘only chance for immortality’.

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I was drawn to the idea that this same motivation, the pursuit of immortality, drives both scientific and artistic endeavours. That gave me the lyrics for the title track of the show.

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But the show is also about the way that society values youth over talent, how new music artists are treated depending on their age. I was fascinated by the thought that the exact same piece of recorded music could be treated as either exciting and ‘current’, or as an embarrassing joke, depending on whether the artist was 20 or 50. That this is true in the music industry is beyond doubt, but society as a whole is also complicit in the prejudice. The play draws a link between this worship of youth, and the fear of mortality.

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The lead character is an ageing singer-songwriter – is it based on your own life?

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No, although some of the dialogue does draw on personal experience. Unlike the character in the play, I don’t regard myself primarily as a performer. I’m more of a writer who has occasionally performed.

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The character of Robert Rugley is a tragic one. His fatal flaw is his single-minded focus on the pursuit of musical acclaim, to the exclusion everything else. As he starts to take increasingly desperate measures, his state of mind suffers. Then, a Faustian type of opportunity is presented to him; a chance for immortality through eternal youth, which ultimately leads to his downfall. 

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The story is partly reminiscent of ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde – was that intentional?

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Yes, insofar as the play examines the inner conflicts that could arise from achieving a state of eternal youth. In this respect it follows in a long tradition that extends back as far as ancient Greek literature.

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In the play, Robert strives for acceptance by the musical establishment, with no particular desire to recapture his youth. But, with all other options having been exhausted, reinventing himself in a younger form is the only remaining means to achieve his goal. The decision to follow this path is what leads to his inner conflict; in the process of pursuing acceptance by society he loses his true identity.

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You’ve written for several musical theatre productions before, how does this work differ from those?

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I started out in song-writing and music production, 30 years ago, then diversified into musical theatre.

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a very diverse range of shows; from the more serious dramas, to raucous comedies.

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‘Immortality’ is darker than anything I’ve written before, but still has a comedic element. The supporting characters are preposterous caricatures, which provide most of the laughs; a kind of grotesque terrain upon which the main drama develops.

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What is your favourite out of the shows you’ve worked on?

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I’d have to say ‘Immortality’ is definitely my favourite to date. But I’ve really enjoyed all of them. Another major highlight was ‘Snakes! The Musical’, on which I contributed music and lyrics; a comedy spoof musical, which was an absolute smash hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. That was definitely the one that got the best critical response so far.

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What has been the highlight of your career to date?

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It’s hard to choose a single moment, or event. The things that stand out are the ‘firsts’. Seeing myself on TV for the first time as lead singer of Exposure with the video for our single ‘Take Back That Goodbye’ in 1993. Hearing one of my tracks in a major club for the first time, and being on national radio with ‘All Time High’ by Energia in 1999. And representing the UK in Euro Video Grand Prix in 2006 with my track ‘Get The Freak Out’.

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At the present time, the world is still in lock-down over the coronavirus pandemic. How have you been affected?

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Obviously the theatre and music industries have been severely affected by this crisis, with many venues now facing closure. Like many people, I’ve been hit financially, but really I’m just glad still to have my health. I’m still hopeful things will get back to normal by next year.

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I’ve been using the time to focus on writing, recording and updating my website. It’s been a good time to get on with new projects.

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What’s next for you?

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There’s a new single ready to come out as soon as the clubs reopen, ‘Come On’ by Energia, featuring an amazing vocal by Louise Marshall plus a remix by Joe Sheriff. I’m currently working on the follow-up, and also starting writing a new show. But I also want to bring ‘Immortality’ back to the stage when the theatres reopen.

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What is the subject of the new show?

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Well I’m actually working on two different ideas. I’m not sure yet which of them will emerge as the front-runner. All I can really say at this point is it’ll be completely different from anything I’ve done before.

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What are your remaining ambitions?

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An Ivor Novello award would be nice… But seriously, I’ve always wanted to make a feature length film, so that’s definitely on the to-do list. 

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The full performance of ‘Immortality’ is available to watch here.