Stiletto Tickets

Opera, castrated male singers and intrigue blend in Stiletto, a thrilling new musical set in Venice, Europe’s old opera capital. With a score by three time Grammy nominee Matthew Wilder (Mulan) and a book by Olivier Award nominee Tim Luscombe (Easy Virtue, EuroVision), it’s all set to be a big hit.

Why you should see Stiletto

The good news goes on. Your director is David Gilmore, whose 17 West End productions have thrilled countless thousands of people over the years: Grease, Lend Me a Tenor, Daisy Pulls It Off, The Hired Man and many more are the stuff West End legends are made of.

The choreographer is another award-worthy talent, this time with Tony and Olivier nominations under his belt. It’s the brilliant Anthony Van Laast, whose many glittering West End and Broadway productions include Mamma Mia!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie Get Your Gun and Song & Dance.

Add them all together and you get sheer musical theatre magic, a fresh new musical you won’t want to miss.

Stiletto - The Story

So what’s the story? The action is set in 1700s Italy, where around 5000 boys, mostly from poor families, were castrated every year to keep their youthful treble voices. Those who survived castration had a golden opportunity to become rich and famous, singing leading female roles in opera productions. A few of these ‘castrati’ made it, most didn’t. Those who did achieved celebrity status, becoming the rock stars of the times.

The plot concerns Marco, particularly successful castrati who falls in love with an African slave’s daughter. She’s called Gioia and she’s not just strong willed, she’s also an exceptionally talented musician. As a slave’s daughter, though, she can’t fulfil her musical dreams. Marco sees her talent and tries to bring her to the stage, leveraging his fame to introduce her to society and influence his own patron. When murder occurs and Gioia is sent to jail, Marco must do everything humanly possible to save her life.

Stiletto Creative Team

Jae Alexander is the musical director, and the orchestrations come from Simon Nathan. The set design is by Ceci Calf, costume design by Anna Kelsey, lighting design by Ben Ormerod, and sound design by Andrew Johnson. The casting comes from Neil Rutherford.

The executive producer is Guy Kitchenn and the magic is produced by Patrick Bywalski for the Robert Stigwood Organisation and Steven M. Levy for Charing Cross Theatre Productions Limited.