Matthew Wilder, three-time Grammy nominee and Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, is bringing his latest musical, Stiletto, to London’s Charing Cross Theatre.
Set in Venice during the winter of 1730-31, Stiletto is a captivating story of ambition, talent, and intrigue. The musical features a stellar cast and a creative team that includes Tim Luscombe, David Gilmore, and Anthony Van Laast.
Stiletto will run from March 24 to June 14, 2025. Book your tickets here.
You’re bringing Stiletto to Charing Cross Theatre. What can you tell us about the show?
The historical spine, the backdrop of Stiletto is the rich and complex culture of the castatri in 18th century Italy. For those not familiar with the term, the castrati were male singers who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain singing voices equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo soprano or contralto.
This was a practice that dated as far back as 400 AD. The hero of our story, Marco Borroni, a young boy from a large, poor country family, is such a person who was altered at the age of eight. The families were paid a sum of money by a conservatory “talent scout” in exchange for the sacrifice of the male child, sent into conservatory to be trained and groomed as an opera singer.
Revered and reviled by Italian society, castrati lives, (provided they didn’t lose their voices during puberty), went on to become the rock stars of their day. Marco meets his equal in Gioia, the daughter of slaves, a beautiful soprano. Together, against all societal odds, they set out to change the world of opera and society forever.
Stiletto is set in Venice during the winter of 1730-31. How did you and Tim Luscombe come up with the idea for this unique setting and storyline?
I had been working on what has become the score of Stiltetto for nearly 40 years. It’s been through hundreds of changes, so by the time director David Gilmore and producer Patrick Bywalski, brought Tim and I together, there was considerable musical material to draw upon. Tim and I met in Paris and spent our first of several days together listening to music, discussing concepts, storyline and finally, after several years, have arrived with this unique story.
The cast features some incredible talent, including Greg Barnett and Jewelle Hutchinson. How did you go about selecting the cast for this production?
Our process was like so many musicals in search for the right people to play these complex characters; casting calls. However, Stiletto’s score is a cross-section of contemporary and classical singing, which requires a special talent to convey this unique world we are portraying. A musical about singing in the ultimate forum!
Telling the story about the early days of opera, along with the contemporary themes and challenges for today’s generations. A complex, rich, drama, with murder, deceit and love that appears in every conceivable manifestation. So with all those ingredients, we found what I consider some of the best of the best actors and singers from the UK. I’m so very proud of our cast and how they have risen to the challenge.
You’ve worked with some renowned names in the industry, such as David Gilmore and Anthony Van Laast. How has their expertise influenced the production of Stiletto?
David, I’m happy to say, has become an old dear friend who had been involved in one of the earliest versions of this musical. So over the years, we have had plenty of time to talk about and fine tune our perspectives about this controversial material and I have to say our collaboration has matured like a fine wine over the years. Ha! This is my first experience working with Mr. Van Laast and his associate, Chris Baldock. It has been an honor and privilege to have them both on board!
With your extensive experience in music and theatre, what challenges did you face while creating the music and lyrics for Stiletto?
As I said earlier, considering the amount of years I have spent writing Stiletto, as you may imagine, I’ve had to write and let go of too many songs and lyrics to mention. I shudder to think how many songs that haven’t made it into the present iteration. But as I learned when working on Disney’s Mulan, the story, the story, the story comes first. If the songs don’t move the storytelling along, they don’t belong. And just as a footnote, it was, in fact, one of the songs from Stiletto that landed me my position of composer for Mulan!
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Stiletto?
If you’re interested in seeing something out of the ordinary, filled with music that will make you laugh, cry and challenge you to not leave the theatre singing; if you’re curious about a costume period drama that speaks to our times, speaks to the questions of our youth, to our adults the questions we are asking of ourselves about love and all its manifestations; speaking truth to power, then we are a musical I invite everyone to see. You’ve never seen anything like this before!
