Caroline Slocock, lyricist and co‑book writer of the new musical Ruth, discusses bringing the extraordinary life of Ruth Ellis to the stage at Wilton’s Music Hall. The world premiere explores the final chapter of Ellis’s life, combining noir‑inspired storytelling with a powerful original score.
With themes of domestic abuse, class divide and the pressures placed on marginalised people, Ruth highlights a story that still resonates today. Slocock shares insight into the creative process behind this decades‑long passion project.
Ruth runs from 18–28 March 2026 at Wilton’s Music Hall. Tickets are available at here.
You’re the writer of Ruth, opening at Wilton’s Music Hall. What can you tell us about the show?
It is a new take on the story of Ruth Ellis. While much of the show is historically accurate, we have also taken a leap of imagination and included an encounter that definitely did not occur in the real world. It is something that adds a lot of emotional depth to the story.
I am not going to say any more as I will give it away.
Ruth tells the story of Ruth Ellis and the societal forces that shaped her life. What first inspired you to write this musical?
I was writing lyrics for a band years ago and people used to say the songs had a musical theatre quality. That got me thinking about the idea of writing a musical.
Then one day, out of nowhere, Ruth Ellis landed in my head and it was a real lightbulb moment. I could see it all and hear it and imagine it so vividly.
Once I started researching Ruth’s life, I became completely absorbed in her story and felt compelled to present it in a musical form. There is definitely an operatic quality to her tale.
The production combines noir style visuals with an emotive original score. How did you approach crafting the book and lyrics within that aesthetic?
I would say the writing came first, the script and the score, and the visuals followed.
So many elements of Ruth’s story, the blonde femme fatale with the gun, the sleazy nightclub, the jail, the courthouse, are pure noir. It lends itself perfectly to a moody visual style with lots of shadows.
We do not exactly have a voiceover, as in a Philip Marlowe gangster film, but something akin to that. Wilton’s Music Hall is such an atmospheric venue and that will really enhance the entire experience.
The themes explored, domestic violence, class inequality and power structures, still resonate strongly today. How did you navigate these themes during the writing process?
The last thing I wanted this to be was a soapbox musical with a heavy political message. People want to be entertained, not lectured at.
I have tried to convey all those themes but with what I hope is a light touch. You cannot tell the story of Ruth Ellis without including some of the darker elements of her life, but the show has humorous and high energy moments too, the light along with the shade.
Your career has spanned fashion, PR, screenwriting and now musical theatre. In what ways have those experiences influenced your writing of Ruth?
I think the common thread through all the things I have done is a sense of drama. A fashion show, done right, can be a piece of theatre.
My time in the States, promoting wonderful actors in well crafted TV films, showed me how a good story can carry you away.
I tend to be drawn to big bold stories and strong visuals. The 1948 film The Red Shoes is heaven to me.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Ruth?
We will give you a night of drama and emotion and heart stopping music and memorable visuals. You will be entertained and informed and challenged and moved.
You will leave thinking, if I had walked in Ruth Ellis’s shoes, if I had lived her life, I could’ve ended up murdering someone too.
