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''Closer to Heaven'' is a
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
by Jonathan Harvey and
Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
. It was premiered in May 2001 at the
Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberl ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
, opening to mixed reviews, and ran until 13 October 2001. A second production of ''Closer to Heaven'' was premiered in Australia in 2005. New off-West End productions premiered in London in 2015 and 2019. A spin-off cabaret show, entitled ''Musik: The Billie Trix Story'', opened in Edinburgh in 2019.


Plot

The story is narrated by retired rock icon and actress Billie Trix (
Frances Barber Frances Barber (née Brookes, born 13 May 1958) is an English actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays '' Camille'' (1985), and '' Uncle Vanya'' (1997). Her film appearances include three collaborations with Ga ...
), who otherwise has a fairly small part in the story. The opening number, "My Night", is sung by Billie and the rest of the cast, and is used to introduce the characters. Shell Christian ( Stacey Roca), is going to see her estranged father, Vic Christian ( David Burt), for the first time in years. Vic, who is gay, left Shell and her mother during her childhood, and now runs a successful gay club in London. Meanwhile, Straight Dave (
Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously ser ...
), who has just arrived from Ireland, is working as a bartender at Vic's club, although his ambition is to be a dancer at the club. After seeing and speaking to her father, Shell meets Dave, and they immediately fall in love. Record producer Bob Saunders (Paul Broughton) is a friend of Billie Trix and a regular at Vic's club. He sees Dave dancing and decides he wants to sign him for a boy band he is forming. He makes an offer to Dave, who has no interest in signing; however, Saunders continues to pressure Dave into working for him. Dave meets and falls in love with drug dealer Mile End Lee ( Tom Walker), who deals at Vic's club. Shell is devastated when she discovers that Dave is gay, although part of her has suspected it all along. Meanwhile, Vic discovers Lee dealing drugs in his club and confiscates the drugs. Lee is worried he will be killed for losing the drugs. At this point, everyone gets high on
ketamine Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It is also used as a recreational drug. It is one of the safest anesthetics, as, in contrast with opiates, ether, and propofol, it suppresses ne ...
– Shell is still upset about Dave; Lee is worried about being killed; Dave is frustrated that Lee has withdrawn from him; and Billie, a habitual user, needs no excuse. Lee has a drug overdose and dies. At Lee's funeral, Dave sings a song, ''For All of Us''. A few months later, Dave is apparently back on the road to success and sings ''Positive role model'' to end the show on a high (the 2015 and 2019 productions replaced ''Positive Role Model'' by ''Vocal'' as the closing song).


Music

Most of the songs that appeared in ''Closer to Heaven'' were specifically written for the musical because
Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and a ...
and
Chris Lowe Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981. Biography Lowe attended Arnold School, an independent sc ...
did not want to produce a "
jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs perfo ...
" in the vein of ''
Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...
'' or ''
We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at numb ...
''. Several of the musical's songs were pre-released on the Pet Shop Boys' 1999 album ''
Nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ci ...
'', including ''Closer to Heaven'', ''In Denial'', and ''Vampires''. ''Nightlife'' was recorded whilst they were writing ''Closer to Heaven'' and originally more of the album's tracks appeared in the musical. The oldest song is ''Shameless'', which originally appeared as the B-side to " Go West" in 1993.


Songs

* ''My Night'' – Billie Trix & Cast * ''Closer to Heaven'' – Shell & Vic * ''Something Special'' – Straight Dave * ''Positive Role Model'' (instrumental) * ''Closer to Heaven'' – Shell & Dave * ''In Denial'' – Vic & Shell * ''Call Me Old Fashioned'' – Bob Saunders * ''Nine Out of Ten'' – Shell & Straight Dave * ''It's Just My Little Tribute to Caligula, Darling!'' – Billie Trix (featured in rehearsal scene) * ''Hedonism (instrumental)'' * ''Friendly Fire'' – Billie Trix * ''In Denial'' – Straight Dave & Shell * ''Something' Special'' (reprise) – Straight Dave * ''Shameless'' – Vile Celebrities * ''Vampires'' – Vic * ''Closer to Heaven'' – Straight Dave & Mile End Lee * ''Out of my System'' – Shell with Billie Trix, Flynn & Trannies * ''K-Hole'' (instrumental – featuring an excerpt of ''Run, girl, run!'' – Billie Trix) * ''For All of Us'' – Straight Dave * ''Closer to Heaven'' – Straight Dave * ''Positive Role Model'' (replaced by ''Vocal'' in recent productions) – Straight Dave * ''My Night'' (not reprised in recent productions) – The Cast


Cast Album release

An album, ''
Closer to Heaven (Original Cast Recording) ''Closer to Heaven'' is an album of songs from the Pet Shop Boys 2001 stage musical '' Closer to Heaven''. The songs feature the original London production cast and production credits go to Pet Shop Boys and Stephen Hague. Track listing #"My ni ...
'', was released in October 2001 and was produced by
Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
and
Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session k ...
. The album featured studio recorded version of songs from the musical. It was planned to release ''Positive role model'', as sung by Paul Keating, as a single before the album was released. Remixes by Almighty and Fergie were commissioned for use on the single, but plans were scrapped when the London production closed. These remixes remain unreleased, although the Almighty remix was available for a short time from the Pet Shop Boys' website and an edit of Fergie's remix appeared on dance compilation ''Headliners:03'' in 2001. The full-length version of ''My Night'' was also available for a short time from the Pet Shop Boys' website. A limited edition single of ''Run girl run'' by Billie Trix, a song based on the iconic Phan Thị Kim Phúc photograph from the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...
, was available during later performances. The two track CD featured two versions of the track, of which brief snippets could be heard in ''K-Hole''. The versions featured were: ''Run girl run (Original 1971 single version)'' and ''Run girl run (1981 post-apocalyptic nightmare mix''. ''Run Girl Run'' later appeared in the spin-off cabaret musical '' Musik'' in 2019.


Demo songs

During the recording of the Pet Shop Boys' ''Nightlife'' album, there were many songs written for the musical that never made it to the final cut. Some of these songs have since been released as b-sides to Pet Shop Boys singles (for example the song "Nightlife" appeared as a b-side to " Home and Dry" in 2002) or been made available through the Pet Shop Boys' website, but many still remain unreleased. These songs include ''Tall Thin Men'', ''The Night Is The Time To Explore Who You Are'', ''You've got to start somewhere'' and ''Little Black Dress''. The last of these, ''Little Black Dress'' has been covered by Pet Shop Boys covers band
West End Girls "West End Girls" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song's lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were in ...
and was released as a single in 2009.


Original London cast

*Billie Trix –
Frances Barber Frances Barber (née Brookes, born 13 May 1958) is an English actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays '' Camille'' (1985), and '' Uncle Vanya'' (1997). Her film appearances include three collaborations with Ga ...
(until 15 September); Amanda Harris (16 September to 13 October) *Straight Dave –
Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously ser ...
*Shell Christian – Stacey Roca *Mile End Lee – Tom Walker *Vic Christian – David Burt *Bob Saunders – Paul Broughton *Flynn – David Langham *Billie's Babes – Marcos White, Jo Cavanagh, Akiya Henry, C. Jay Ranger, Mark John Richardson, Richard Roe,
Louie Spence Louie Spence (born 6 April 1969) is an English dancer, choreographer and television personality, best known for the TV show ''Pineapple Dance Studios''. He was a professional dancer in his youth, performing in West End musicals including ''Mis ...
,
Mark Stanway Mark Stanway (born 27 July 1954) is an English musician. He was the keyboard player for the prog rock band Magnum from 1980 until the end of 2016. Career Stanway first appeared with Magnum on the 1980 recording of '' Chase the Dragon'' (r ...
, Amanda Valentine *Understudy Vic/Bob Saunders/Flynn - Andrew Whelan


Other performances

The original run of ''Closer to Heaven'' was from May 2001 to September 2001. This was extended to January 2002 because early performances were played to packed audiences. However, over the summer, audiences dwindled. In recent interviews, Neil Tennant has blamed this on poor marketing and bad press reviews. After the
11 September 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, the Arts Theatre was worried about the continual fall of audience numbers across London and wanted a big audience puller, so ''Closer to Heaven'' closed on 13 October 2001. It was replaced with ''
The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores co ...
''. When ''Closer to Heaven'' opened in London, the Pet Shop Boys said that there was interest from production companies all over the world, including New York and Germany. On 8 May 2006, Frances Barber joined Pet Shop Boys to perform "Friendly fire" at a concert for
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...
. This was recorded and later released as the Pet Shop Boys' live album '' Concrete''.


Brisbane 2005

In 2005, a short series of performances was produced by the
Brisbane Powerhouse Brisbane Powerhouse is an arts and cultural hub located in a former power station in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm, Queensland, Australia. The venue offers an array of performing arts, visual arts, festivals, and free community events. The fi ...
in Brisbane, Australia. The cast for the Australian production included: *Billie Trix –
Libby Munro Libby Munro (born 11 November 1981) is an Australian actress. Biography Munro was born on a cattle station near Charleville, Queensland, before she moved with her family to a property west of Millmerran. She attended Fairholme College in Toow ...
*Straight Dave – Regis Broadway *Shell Christian – Crystal Taylor *Mile End Lee – Joel Curtis *Vic Christian – Chris Herden *Bob Saunders – Chris Maver *Flynn – David Dellit *Billie's Babes – Joel Curtis, Olympia Kwitowski, Sarshee Elliot, Brad Kendrick, Remi Broadway, Ellen Casey In December 2005, Pet Shop Boys announced that this production would be moving to Sydney to coincide with the
Sydney Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...
; however, the production was cancelled due to time constraints.


Brighton 2009

The amateur City Theatre Company in
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
staged "Closer to Heaven" in September 2009 at the Sallis Benney Theatre. It had a 5-day run, 22 to 26 September.


Texas 2010

The first US production was scheduled for 1 to 24 October 2010, by Uptown Players in Dallas, Texas. The cast for this production includes: *Billie Trix – Morgana Shaw *Straight Dave – Evan Fuller *Shell Christian – Lee Wadley *Mile End Lee – Clayton Younkin *Vic Christian – Jason Kane *Bob Saunders – Coy Covington *Flynn – Mikey Abrams


London Revivals 2015

A revival of the show took place at the Union Theatre in May 2015. Due to overwhelming popularity a second run happened in Autumn 2015. This smaller scale production featured the 2012 song ''
Vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production ...
'' as the closing number instead of original closing numbers of "Positive Role Model" and the reprise of "My Night". An instrumental of "Positive Role Model" still features during a dance routine scene.


April to May 2015

*Billie Trix – Katie Meller *Straight Dave – Jared Thompson *Shell Christian – Amy Matthews *Mile End Lee – Connor Brabyn *Vic Christian – Craig Berry *Bob Saunders – Ken Christiansen *Flynn – Ben Kavanagh


October to November 2015

*Billie Trix – Katie Meller / Ben Kavanagh *Straight Dave – Alex Lodge *Shell Christian – Molly McGuire *Mile End Lee – Jonathan David Dudley *Vic Christian – David Habbin *Bob Saunders – Nic Kyle *Flynn – Ben Kavanagh / Daniel James Greenway


London Revival 2019

A new production of the show took place at the 100-seat Above the Stag Theatre in London from July to August 2019. This
off-West End Off West End refers to theatres in London which are not included as West End theatres. The term is a relatively recent one, coined after the similar American term "off-Broadway" (though without the same strict definition). It is usually used synony ...
production, directed by Steven Dexter, also featured ''
Vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production ...
'' as the closing song, and featured a new version of ''Something Special'' with altered lyrics written by
Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and a ...
, sung by Mile End Lee. This production received generally positive reviews. *Billie Trix –
Adèle Anderson Adèle Anderson (born 14 June 1952) is an English Olivier Award-nominated singer and actress, best known as one third of the cabaret group Fascinating Aïda. Career Anderson has appeared internationally in concerts, in theatrical plays, on the ...
*Straight Dave – Blake Patrick Anderson *Shell Christian – Maddy Banks *Mile End Lee – Mikulas Urbanek *Vic Christian – Christopher Howell *Bob Saunders –
Ian Hallard Ian Christopher Hallard (born 9 November 1974) is an English actor and writer. His work includes acting roles in the West End, including the lead role of Michael in a revival of Mart Crowley's '' The Boys in the Band''; at the National Theatre ...
*Flynn – Aidan Harkins *Billie's Babes – Rhys Harding, Billie Hardy, Matthew Ives, Hollie Smith-Nelson *


''Musik: The Billie Trix Story''

In April 2019 it was announced that a spin-off cabaret show entitled ''Musik'', written by Jonathan Harvey with four brand new songs written and produced by Pet Shop Boys, would premiere at the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
in August 2019. This new one-woman show produced by Cahoots Theatre Company explores the backstory of Billie Trix and stars Frances Barber who originated the role in the original London run of ''Closer to Heaven''. On 6 August 2019, an EP of the six songs from ''Musik'' was released to streaming services. A London run of ''Musik'' ran from 5th February to 1st March 2020 at
Leicester Square Theatre The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts s ...
. Stuart King, writing for '' London Box Office'' (12 February 2020) noted:


References


External links


Closer to Heaven
fan site)
Brighton City Theatre Show
{{Pet Shop Boys 2001 musicals Pet Shop Boys West End musicals Original musicals LGBT-related musicals British musicals