Frances Barber, who starred in the first Pet Shop Boys musical Closer to Heaven almost two decades ago, can be seen in a new solo show by the musical duo beginning August 5 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Writer Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing, Babies) and Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have again joined forces to create Musik, a solo show with a book by Harvey and six songs by Tennant and Lowe鈥攆our of which were written especially for this production.
Barber reprises her role as Billie Trix from 2001's Closer to Heaven. Performances are scheduled through August 24 at Assembly Rooms (Bijou venue), 54 George Street, Edinburgh. Visit .
, the 60-minute solo show will subsequently transfer to London's Leicester Square Theatre, running September 3鈥�7. For ticket information, click .
Pet Shop Boys said in an earlier statement, 鈥淲hen we wrote Closer to Heaven almost 20 years ago, we loved the compelling outrageousness of the character Bille Trix as written by Jonathan and performed by Frances Barber. We have all discussed for many years the idea of creating her own one-woman show which would give us the chance to write more songs for her as she looks back on her incredible career. We鈥檙e thrilled that this show is finally happening.鈥�
Harvey added, 鈥淚t has been such a treat reconnecting and working with Chris and Neil on this, 20 years after our first foray into musical theatre writing. In Musik, Billie, dried up, drug-addled icon, and rock star, tells us about her life and sings her biggest hits. I can鈥檛 wait to see Frances Barber inhabit her again as she did so hilariously and so touchingly all those years ago.鈥�
Barber鈥檚 extensive credits include the films Prick Up Your Ears, We Think the World of You, Dead Fish, and Film Stars Don鈥檛 Die in Liverpool. In the West End, she recently played Mrs. Cheveley in An Ideal Husband.
Musik is produced by Cahoots Theatre Company.
