DJ hopes new musical is a dream ticket
(... unlike his last one which closed on opening night)
MIKe ReAD’S musical about Oscar Wilde’s life lasted just one night at The Shaw Theatre in London before the curtain came down.
Yet the DJ and former presenter of Top Of The Pops and Saturday Superstore remains undeterred.
I can reveal that Read is to stage his first new show for almost 20 years.
Called City Of Dreams, it’s set in 1930s London and features the work of light music composer eric Coates.
To be staged at the esher Theatre in April, it’s so good, Read insists, that it could transfer eventually to Broadway, New York.
‘That would be great,’ he tells me. ‘We’re too negative here sometimes. America is, by and large, more positive and encouraging.’
Read is pleased that the City Of Dreams premiere will be in Surrey. ‘The West end can be a bit of a poisoned chalice. You’ve got to rely on tourism. Sometimes, it’s better to keep it running around the provinces quite happily.
‘The West end can be damaging — the big critics come out and say: “We’ll go and sort this one out.” ’
Read, 75, claims his muchmaligned Wilde musical was better appreciated in the U.S. ‘When I did Oscar in New York, one review said: “Despite what you may have read, Mike Read is the Stephen Sondheim du jour,” which was lovely.’ By contrast, one of the reviews of the London production read: ‘ In 1895, Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years’ hard labour. A more cruel and unusual punishment has been devised by the former DJ Mike Read — a musical of exquisite awfulness.’