Never Be King
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| Never Be King | |
|---|---|
| Music | Charlie H. Ray and Sam Columbus |
| Lyrics | Charlie H. Ray |
| Book | Charlie H. Ray |
| Premiere | 2023: National Alliance for Musical Theatre |
Search Never Be King on Amazon.
Never Be King is a pop-punk musical based on the lives of Henry of Navarre, Marguerite de Valois, and Gabrielle d'Estrées.and their corresponding accounts of the War of the Three Henries and the succession of Henry III. With music by Charlie H. Ray and Sam Columbus, the score blends styles from music of the early 2000s and contemporary choral music. The musical is notable for featuring two different characters' perspectives of the same historical events across two acts[1].
Never Be King began development in 2021. A year later in 2022, the Never Be King E.P. was released. In 2023, the musical premiered to the public at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's 35th Annual Festival of New Musicals[2].
Synopsis[edit]
Act One[edit]
*information incoming*
Act Two[edit]
Information incoming
Development[edit]
Never Be King was first conceptualized by Ray and Columbus during workshops of their prior musical, Freedom Summer, at the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) in the summer of 2019[3]. According to interviews, Ray had been interested in the history of Henry of Navarre for years, but had yet to determine how best to frame the source material. On a lunch break at City Kitchen (now closed) in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, the duo conceived the narrative structure of the show and storyboarded both acts. According to the writers, little about the plot has changed since.
Ray and Columbus wrote the show for two years before beginning developmental workshops in 2021. The first reading of Never Be King featured Zack Calderon (Amazon's The Wilds) as Henry of Navarre, Veronica Otim (Jagged Little Pill, & Juliet) as Gabrielle d'Estrées, and Kailey Boyle as Marguerite de Valois, among others[4].
2022: The Never Be King E.P.[edit]
In October 2022, the Never Be King E.P. was released, featuring new cast members Chris McCarrell (The Lightning Thief, Les Misérables) as Henry of Navarre, Talia Suskauer (Wicked, Be More Chill) as Gabrielle d'Estrées, with Veronica Otim returning as Marguerite de Valois. The E.P. features five songs from the musical.
- "Rock Song" feat. Chris McCarrell
- "Agnus Dei/On My Mind" feat. Veronica Otim
- "Some Days" feat. Chris McCarrell and Talia Suskauer
- "I'm Coming In" feat. Talia Suskauer
- "If I Wrote This Story" feat. Talia Suskauer
2023: NAMT and 54 Below[edit]
In 2023, Never Be King was selected as one of eight musicals to perform at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's 35th Annual Festival of New Musicals[5]. Abbey O'Brien (Waitress, Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill) joined the team as Director, and Alyssa Kay Thompson (Waitress, 1776) joined the team as Music Director/Supervisor.
The festival production of Never Be King retained the principal cast of McCarrell, Suskauer, and Otim, while welcoming new principal cast members Wren Rivera (Jagged Little Pill, Between the Lines) as Jaq, Tomás Matos (Fire Island, Diana: the Musical, Hadestown) as Henry III, Benny Elledge (Waitress) as Antoine de Bourbon, and Stephanie Torns (Waitress, Wicked) as Jeanne d'Albret, among others.
Weeks later, Never Be King was presented at 54 Below, featuring the same principal cast[6].
Cast & Characters[edit]
| Character | The Never Be King E.P. | NAMT | 54 Below |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023 | ||
| Henry of Navarre | Chris McCarrell | ||
| Gabrielle d'Estrées | Talia Suskauer | ||
| Marguerite de Valois | Veronica Otim | ||
| Jaq | Wren Rivera | ||
| Henry III | Tomás Matos | ||
| Antoine de Bourbon | Benny Elledge | ||
| Jeanne d'Albret | Stephanie Torns | ||
| Ensemble | Joey LaPlant, Kailey Boyle, Caroline Didelot, Charlie H. Ray | Nick Drake, Eric Siegle, Noa Barenblat | Audrey Hare |
References[edit]
- ↑ "Never Be King". Never Be King. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ↑ National Alliance for Musical Theatre (2023-10-23). "Never Be King". NAMT. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ↑ Howe, Clayton (2023-01-09). "Charlie H. Ray Part 1 "Never Be King" | Clayton Howe's Entertainmentx". entertainmentx.podbean.com. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (2023-06-28). "NAMT Festival of New Musicals Reveals 2023 Line-Up". Playbill. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ↑ "New Musical! Never Be King by Charlie H. Ray and Sam Columbus, feat. Chris McCarrell, Talia Suskauer & more". 54 Below. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
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