World premiere of major new musical STILETTO announced

Emmie Newitt 31 July, 2024, 11:00

Created by a multi-award nominated creative team, the new musical will premiere in London next Spring.

stiletto charing cross theatre Stiletto promotional image. Design by Rebecca Pitt.

Stiletto is a new musical which heads to Charing Cross Theatre from 24 March 2025.

In 18th century Italy, approximately 5,000 boys were castrated annually, predominantly from impoverished families, to preserve their treble voices for opera. While a few achieved fame and fortune by singing female roles, most were left behind. Stiletto, a new musical with music and lyrics by Matthew Wilder and a book by Tim Luscombe, is set in Venice, the opera capital of Europe, during the winter of 1730-31, where the city is swarming with opportunity and danger.

Stiletto will centre on Marco, a young man castrated as a child to retain his voice, who dreams of becoming an opera star. He meets and falls in love with Gioia, a confident and extremely talented young woman of African descent who faces barriers due to her heritage. However, their ambitions lead to tragedy when a body is found dead, and Gioia is imprisoned. To save her, Marco must confront his past and the corrupt forces that threaten their future.

The cast for the musical is yet to be announced.

Stiletto will be directed by David Gilmore whose 17 West End productions include Grease and The Hired Man. The creative team will consist of Choreographer Anthony Van Laast (Mamma Mia!), Musical Supervisor/Musical Director Jae Alexander (Sister Act), Orchestrator Simon Nathan (My Son's A Queer (But What Can You Do?)), Set Designer Ceci Calf (Farm Hall), Anna Kelsey (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Lighting Designer Ben Ormerod (The Beekeeper of Aleppo), Sound Designer Andrew Johnson (The Play That Goes Wrong) and casting by Neil Rutherford.