Take That’s Mark Owen has written a brand new song for the West End production of The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, which is currently previewing at the Vaudeville theatre (press night 20 October).
Entitled Sunlight, the song provides the finale of the show and is sung by the title character in her own voice, after she is pushed to reluctant stardom impersonating the singing voices of stars including Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland and Edith Piaf.
Playwright Jim Cartwright said he had intended to give Little Voice an original song to sing when the play premiered at the National Theatre in 1992, but the producers ran out of time to get one written. The collaboration with Owen for this new production came about after Cartwright happened to be at Granada Studios at the same time as Take That. “It has taken 17 years but with a song as perfect as this, it was worth the wait,” the playwright commented.
Owen, who co-wrote the song along with Jamie Norton and Ben Mark, is one quarter of the hugely successful boy-turned-man-band Take That, who have enjoyed two number one albums and several sell-out stadium tours since their reunion in 2006. “Jim Cartwright is one of the country’s leading playwrights and to be asked to be involved in the writing of the final song for Little Voice was a real honour,” said Owen. “I’m a huge fan and am thrilled that he feels the song fits the moment and does his play justice. I’m really looking forward to watching it.”
Diana Vickers, who plays Little Voice, the shy young girl whose talent for singing is seized upon by her mother’s club impresario boyfriend Ray Say, said of the song: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard Mark Owen was going to write the final song for the play! I’d always really looked up to Mark, as I think the songs he writes with Take That are spectacular. Sunlight is absolutely beautiful, and it provides the perfect ending to a brilliant play.”
The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice also stars Lesley Sharp as LV’s overbearing mother and Marc Warren as Ray Say. They are directed by Terry Johnson.
CB