West End and Broadway ‘Phantom of the Opera’ star Ramin Karimloo and his son Hadley challenge the Olivier award-winning cast of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical to compose a new song in the style of ‘School of Rock’… against the clock!
West End and Broadway star Ramin Karimloo, the youngest ever Phantom in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, has challenged The Showstoppers to compose a musical theatre song in just 24 hours.
At 11am on Monday 20 April via Twitter, Ramin and his son Hadley followed Elaine Paige’s lead last week in taking part in the 24-Hour Song Challenge.
Inspired by children being at home from school during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ramin and Hadley threw down the gauntlet for the Olivier Award-winning improvisers to compose a song about home schooling in the style of Sir Andrew Llooyd Webber’s “School of Rock”.
The finished song – recorded by the cast who are all isolated from each other – will be unveiled on social media at 11am on Tuesday 21 April.
The cast rising to this challenge will be Justin Brett, Pippa Evans, Joshua Jackson, Ali James, Adam Meggido and Andrew Pugsley.
The music will be written (in the style of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock) and performed by Duncan Walsh Atkins (keys), with Dylan Emery (guitar).
The team have to write the lyrics, compose the music, learn the parts, perform to camera and edit the results all within 24 hours (12 hours really, even Showstoppers need to sleep!).
Adam Meggido, Artistic Director of The Showstoppers, said: “Elaine Paige, as the First Lady of the West End, was a natural choice to launch The 24 Hour Challenge last week when we composed and performed “Don’t Go Out” in the style of “West Side Story”, her favourite musical. We’re thrilled that Ramin, one of the biggest Broadway and West End stars, has picked up the baton for our second challenge. Keep your eyes peeled for further 24 hour song challenges in the coming weeks from the biggest stars in musical theatre.”
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical has been a rip-roaring success since the show started in 2008. It has had 12 sell-out years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, two West End runs, an Olivier award for Best Entertainment and Family Show and a BBC Radio 4 series.In the show, the audience meets a writer of musicals who is on a deadline – and needs their help. The audience shouts out suggestions of a setting, musical styles and the title of the show and they’re off! The Showstopper team – cast and band – then weave a brand new musical in front of the very eyes of the audience, complete with hilarious characters, fabulous dance routines, beautiful songs, epic story lines, all sprinkled with the pizzazz of a Broadway show.
