Joined At The Heart The Musical

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"A vocal treat to the ears with its well executed harmonies. The cast seem to realy gel on stage and are able to be both professional and enjoy their performance which is great to watch. Some stunning performances that really catch the eye. The story as one would expect is gripping. A show for those who enjoy a traditionally written musical I would say." www.edfringe.com

We will be recording the soundtrack in the next few weeks. Watch this space...

The vital romance at the heart of Mary Shelley's timeless novel is reborn in this soaring new musical. Once in love, Frankenstein stands to lose everything. Dare to journey through his turbulent tale.

Joined at the Heart is a new musical which tells the love story of Victor Frankenstein and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a young orphan girl, taken in by Victor's parents and cared for as if she were their own daughter. When Victor's mother dies, he studies to become a doctor and vows to end the suffering that death brings. While in pursuit of the answer to the quest for eternal life, the love story between Victor and Elizabeth evolves.

Joined At The Heart is an evocative story of love, morals, relationships and ethics. It is written by Graham Brown, Geoff Meads and Frances Anne Bartram. Renowned local director and producer, Frances Brownlie, takes the helm for this summer's production. Many will know Frances for her life long involvement in local drama and for the energy she brings to every project she is involved in.

Every area of the show has been professionally prepared using incredibly talented people from each field of expertise. From choreography through light and sound, the audience can expect a moving experience that will last long beyond the show.

The musical premiered at The Junction 2 in Cambridge from 1st - 4th August 2007. It moves to The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 12th - 18th August 2007.

Book your tickets now at:

www.cthefestival.com (Edinburgh)

Joined At The Heart fought off competition from hundreds of other new musicals to reach the final of the 2006 BBC Worldwide Search for Musicals competition.

Meet The Cast...

JAMES STUART The Creature

James first began acting at the age of eight when he took part in a production of The Wizard of Oz. Since then he has played various roles including 'Benjamin' in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and 'Kenickie' in Grease. As a professional actor James first performed as 'Beralde' in a production of Le Malade Imaginaire and went on to play various roles from a drunken yob in Where Are We Going Wrong to 'Mercutio' in Romeo and Juliet to 'Lennie' in Of Mice and Men. James' love of Shakespeare has led him to performing in open-air productions in the grounds of castles, stately homes and gardens all over the United Kingdom including Belvoir Castle in Nottingham and Wimpole Hall in Cambridge. He has played 'Dogberry' in Much ado about Nothing, 'Lord Capulet' in Romeo and Juliet and 'Sir Toby Belch' in Twelfth Night. He has recently been touring schools, teaching Shakespeare and stage combat to drama students. James has performed at the breathtaking Minack Theatre in Cornwall in a production of Whistle Down the Wind and in previous years at the Edinburgh Fringe. His last success was with a devised comedy piece produced by his own company Trouserpress Theatre. James is extremely excited about his challenging role in this production and welcomes the opportunity to return to musicals after being involved in Shakespeare for so long.

ADAM BONNER Victor Frankenstein

Adam was born into a musical family and has performed in musicals for nearly 20 years. He has played 'Tony' in West Side Story, 'Lt. Joseph Cable' in South Pacific and 'Will Parker' in Oklahoma. He particularly enjoyed performing the role of 'Don Bosco' in the musical General Mickey to sell out audiences at the Cambridge Corn Exchange with all proceeds going to the Project for Bolivia. As well as performing in musicals, Adam has also performed in many concerts. More recently he has turned to producing and directing and has just finished a production of High School Musical with Sawston Youth Drama. Adam acknowledges his role as 'Victor Frankenstein' as his most challenging to date and is finding it an exciting and memorable experience.

LISA NORMAN Elizabeth Lavenza

Lisa started dance classes and attended dance festivals at the age of 11 and after taking the part of 'Nancy' in a production of Oliver at school, went on to take A levels in Performing Arts and Dance Studies at Hills Road Sixth Form College. While at Roehampton University in London she joined the university theatre company and performed in Guys and Dolls and played 'Dorothy' in The Wiz. Since then, Lisa has performed in the concert Do You Hear the People Sing? and played the part of 'Nellie' in South Pacific. Lisa is excited to be playing the part of 'Elizabeth' in Joined at the Heart and is thrilled to be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe.

KIRSTY WRIGHT Justine Moritz

Kirsty has been hooked on theatre since the age of 6 years when she joined the Cambridge youth group Dramawise. Since then she has trained in ballet, tap and jazz and taken part in musical theatre workshops at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and the Guildford School of Acting. Kirsty has played many leading roles, including 'Nancy' in Oliver, 'Anita' in West Side Story and 'Miss Hannigan' in last year’s smash hit Annie The Musical at The Cambridge Corn Exchange. In 2006 she won the Best Actress award at the Cambridge Drama Festival for her role in Zigger Zagger and subsequently appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in the same show. Kirsty’s professional work includes tours with various companies presenting plays, musicals and Shakespeare and she has performed in musical productions at The London Palladium and Her Majesty’s Theatre. She has also performed and led workshops in professional tours with MOPA Theatre Company’s "Shakespeare for Schools". Kirsty is thrilled to be playing 'Justine' in this exciting new musical.

SIMON THOMPSON Henry Clerval

Simon, by day, is a fire-fighter and is a keen sportsman taking up any sport that’s going. At the age of 10 he started acting with Viva Youth Theatre and as an adult has performed as 'Rick' in A Slice of Saturday Night, 'Cookie' in Return to the Forbidden Planet, 'Rolf' in The Sound of Music, and 'Judas' in Godspell. He has also taken part in many cabaret shows and pantomimes with various theatre companies. This is Simon’s third visit to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a performer. His previous performances were as 'Nick' in Fame (2005) and 'Mr Cocker' in Back to the 80s (2006). Simon is an Eastern Regional Representative for National Young Persons Participatory Theatre Council and has recently turned his hand to directing for Youth Theatre.

JUDITH JUDEN Mrs. Moritz

Judith’s auspicious career began with the role of Mary in the school Nativity at the age of 7. Later, no longer qualified to be a virgin mother, she instead directed junior choirs. Once again treading the boards, Judith has recently appeared in WAD’s production of Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz. She is currently relishing the part of the bossy housekeeper in Joined At The Heart; a role for which she is well suited and some may say requires little acting!

STEPHEN SMITH Professor Higgins

Stephen appeared this summer at the Corn Exchange in The King and I playing the part of 'The Kralahome' for Camcit Players, in his fifth consecutive summer musical. He has previously played 'Bill Sykes' in Oliver, 'Mr Murphy/Sgt. Major' in Blitz, 'Officer Krupke' in West Side Story and 'Drake' in Annie The Musical. In May he played 'Capt. Brackett' in South Pacific in Ely. Stephen was born in Cambridge and has appeared in over eighty productions since appearing in The Sound Of Music in 1978. Some of the many musicals he has appeared in include Cabaret, Return To The Forbidden Planet, Fiddler On The Roof, Guys And Dolls and Jack The Ripper. His appearances in plays range from Racing Demon</i, Benefactors and Twelve Angry Men to Don't Dress For Dinner, Run For Your Wife and A Chorus Of Disapproval. Stephen is also a published playwright and has written fifteen plays with two or more premiering next year. He has also directed several plays, as well as his own, including Nobody's Perfect, The Winslow Boy, The Real Inspector Hound and Black Comedy. He is really looking forward to playing 'Prof. Higgins' in the premiere production of Joined At The Heart.

PETER CRUSSELL Professor Waldman

Equally at home in musical theatre, comedy and drama, Peter has performed in many shows since being cast as 'Dopey' in Snow White & The Seven Dwarves two years running at his primary school in St Albans. He later attended Mill Hill School alongside the sons of famous television and film actors such as Peter Sallis, Leslie Phillips and Tony Brittain where he became a leading actor and gained honours and distinctions in his LAMDA exams. On leaving school, Peter went to Cambridge and joined a number of theatre companies during which time he has taken leading roles in many plays including Abelard and Heloise, Charley’s Aunt and Hobson’s Choice. He has even played 'Gormless' in a pantomime of Sleeping Beauty and more recently has enjoyed playing the part of 'Puck' in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Regular appearances in festival plays led to a nomination for the Best Actor Award. He has always enjoyed all aspects of performance whether in the chorus or playing leading character roles like 'Harry the Horse' in the musical Guys and Dolls or 'Parsloe' in The Card. He is looking forward to his first visit to the Edinburgh Fringe.

CLAIRE MAYNE Caroline Frankenstein & Sarah

Claire loves acting and singing and wishes she’d discovered them earlier. She first performed in 2005 in Camcit Players’ production of West Side Story at The Cambridge Corn Exchange, and has since gone on to perform roles in all subsequent productions there including Annie The Musical and The King and I. She is a member of Sawston Players and has performed with them and helped backstage in numerous One Act and Three Act Drama Festivals. In 2007, she received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor/Actress at the Sawston Drama Festival, something she is very proud of. Claire has been involved in this, the first production of Joined At The Heart since the beginning and as well as her roles as both Caroline Frankenstein and Sarah, she has been actively involved in the publicity and marketing of the production. Claire is thrilled to be making her Edinburgh Fringe debut in Joined at The Heart. Love and thanks to her friends, her supportive family, her husband Christian, and her daughter Ellie.

MATT BULLEN Bob & Edward

Matt has been performing on stage for over 12 years in dramas, musicals and as the singer of a band. He has been nominated for several awards at drama festivals and has sung for charity. He is also playing 'Lun Tha' in The King And I at the Cambridge Corn Exchange this July. He has worked with Frances Brownlie for over 5 years, and Graham "Gaz" Brown for about 2 years and is excited (and somewhat nervous!) by the prospect of these 2 powerful influences combining forces to create "JATH" (as it's become affectionately known by the cast). Some of his more memorable roles include playing 'Don' in Summer Holiday, 'Nicely' in Guys and Dolls, 'Doody' in Grease and 'Diesel' in West Side Story, but he would like to point out that he has never had the chance to play a drunken, slimey, pub landlord, and with that in mind, getting into character has been a lot of fun! He wants to thank his family for putting up with that! In Act 2 Matt is reborn as 'Edward' who gets to defend his family from the creation and wants to thank James Stuart as the scary (!?!) creature for making him laugh so much during rehearsals with his vacant expression - he didn't realise he really was confused! Being part of an original (and superb) cast in a brand new musical is such a rare opportunity and this has been a fantastic experience for him - he really doesn't want it to end. As always, Matt would like to thank his family, Caroline and especially his son Thomas.

GERRY GOODJOHN Peggy

Like a lot of people, Gerry contracted the acting and singing "bug" at school but it wasn't until she was in her 30s that she really did anything about it. Gerry is a member of Campaign Amateur Theatre and The Garden Theatre in Ely. This is her first show with Sawston Players. She has had roles in panto, Gilbert and Sullivan and musicals ranging from Oklahoma! and other Rodgers and Hammerstein classics, Camelot, Oliver (twice), Guys and Dolls and Godspell. She has sometimes been in the chorus or had a cameo role and occasionally had a lead role! She has just played 'Bloody Mary' in South Pacific and absolutely loved it. She is really her kind of gal! In Joined At The Heart she plays 'Peggy', a salt-of-the-earth, no-nonsense landlady who is saddled with a good-for-nothing husband, 'Bob'. Some things never change! She hopes you enjoy Joined At The Heart and would like to add that if it has made you want to tread the boards it is never too late to start. Maybe next year we will see you on stage at The Edinburgh Fringe!

DARREN SMITH Uncle Michael & Grave Robber 1

Darren has been involved both on and off stage since moving to Cambridgeshire 14 years ago. He studied Drama, Performing Arts and Dance. He has been involved in over 60 shows ranging from musicals to comedy, drama and pantomime. Darren first hit the stage as a 'T Bird' in Grease, and then went on to play 'Action' in West Side Story, performing his first solo. He is a regular on stage in both Cambridge and Ely, as well as taking part in drama festivals in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. He recently performed as 'Sky Masterson' in Guys and Dolls, and is looking forward to his first musical at the Edinburgh Festival. Darren’s love for Shakespeare has led to performances such as 'Caliban' in The Tempest, 'Macduff' in Macbeth, and recently as 'Antony' in Julias Caesar. Darren enjoys the challenge of a new role and the thrill of performing a character or being in a situation that he otherwise would never experience. Darren is a committee member of three Cambridgeshire theatre companies, and a Founding Member and Company Secretary of a musical theatre group.

LYDIA CRUSSELL Florence

Lydia became interested in drama at the age of eight when she saw an advert in the local paper for children to be in the local production of The King And I. Since then she has appeared in several musicals, such as Oliver and Godspell both at school and with Campaign Amateur Theatre in Ely. More recently, Lydia has taken a major part in My Fair Lady and was cast as one of the three 'Fairy Godmothers' in a production of Sleeping Beauty. Following her successes both on stage and in school singing competitions, Lydia has just been awarded the prestigious Drama Scholarship at the exclusive King’s School in Ely, where she is also an active member of “Kings Voices” which has just completed a concert tour in Southern Europe. She is very excited to be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time with the rest of her family.

JAMES CRUSSELL William

In comparison to the rest of the Crussell family, James was relatively late in developing his interest in drama, making his debut when he was 14. Since then he has appeared in Bugsy Malone, Singing In The Rain and On Your Toes with the Garden Theatre Company and has just played the part of 'Thisby/Flute' in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. James notes that every part he has ever played has involved him ‘dying’ on stage, and his part in Joined At The Heart is no exception to this. James is looking forward to visiting Edinburgh and performing at the Fringe for the first time.

JAMES CAMP Ensemble

James is delighted to be performing again at the Edinburgh Fringe after playing the title role in Zigger Zagger in 2005 with Sawston Players. He has performed in many productions locally with several groups including Camcit Players, Sawston Youth Drama and Sawston Players. Favourite roles include 'Baby John' in West Side Story, 'Nicely-Nicely Johnson' in Guys and Dolls, 'Harold Hill' in The Music Man and most recently, 'Bugsy Malone' in the play of the same name. He has gained very useful experience from Dramawise theatre group in several youth festival plays winning two acting awards for his recent portrayal of 'Jeremy' in The Quintessential Quintet. James is also a member of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and although Joined at the Heart will mark his twelfth musical production, it will also mark his first World Premiere!

INGA GARRIOCK Ensemble

Inga started performing at the age of 4 doing ballet and tap, and then went on until she was 8. She decided to join Dramawise at the age of 7 and hasn't stopped since! She took up dance again at the age of 11 doing ballet, modern, tap and jazz and has been in lots of shows at the Corn Exchange and other venues around East Anglia but never Edinburgh or The Junction. Inga is so excitied to be a part of this!

JADE FALLON Ensemble

Jade started going to a local ballet group at the age of around 5. She was inspired by this to try out performing arts, so went to a stage school in London called Bodons. After moving away to Cambridge she had a long break, up until a few years later when she realized that she would really love to join a drama group again. Since then Jade has joined Dramawise, run by Frances Brownlie, which she has enjoyed and has learned a lot. Jade is now really looking forward to performing Joined At The Heart.

KATTREYA SMITH Ensemble

Kattreya first appeared on stage at the age of 6 in The Pied Piper in 2000 and has appeared in panto every year since. Last month she made her third appearance at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in The King & I having previously been seen in Annie The Musical and Oliver. In May, she played her most favourite role to date as 'Liat' in South Pacific for CAT Ely having previously played 'Pepper' in Annie as well as ensemble in Oliver and The Victory Show. Last year she played 'Dee Dee' in Nobody's Perfect and 'Taylor' in the drama festival play Barbecue which won several awards. Kattreya is looking forward to returning to Edinburgh having found herself selected as audience member to play the youngest child in a production of The Railway Children on a day trip to the Festival four years ago. At least this time she will be in the cast list !

PAM BROWN Ensemble

Pamela started out in musical theatre at a young age in school and youth productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Dracula, Bye Bye Birdie and Jonah. She was also lucky enough to be in the school choir chosen for the touring production of Joseph for its leg at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. A member of Young Arbury Music Makers for many years, Pamela also played in the Waterbeach Brass Band. In later life Pamela has been a make-up artist back stage for the last 7 years at Girton Operatic, but was drawn back onto stage in the latest Witchford Amateur Dramatics society musical The Wizard of Oz. As wife of Joined at the Heart’s composer and MD this show was an “if you can’t beat them – join them” opportunity which has been thoroughly enjoyable!

JANE CRUSSELL Ensemble

Jane studied at Manchester University where she gained a BA in Performing Arts. On returning to Cambridge she became involved in back stage work and was a founder member of “The Penguin Club”, a society dedicated to the Technical Aspect of Theatre. Throughout the 1980s Jane was the ASM (Assistant Stage Manager) for most of the amateur shows in Cambridge. After a break to concentrate on bringing up her family, Jane joined the Garden Theatre Company and the Campaign Amateur Theatre Company in Ely and has enjoyed performing in a variety of musicals with both companies. She is very excited to be involved in this brand new show and having the opportunity to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Meet the Composer and Lyricist!

GRAHAM BROWN - COMPOSER & MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Born just outside Glasgow, Graham joined the Army as a musician, serving in the Gulf War and attending the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, where he studied trumpet, piano, bass guitar and instrumentation. A Master of Arts graduate in film composition followed, having studied at Kingston University. He has always had a keen interest in musicals, playing parts such as Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane and Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, and has been a member of operatic societies on both sides of the border. His true passion lies in composition and Frankenstein has been a labour of love for over 7 years. He has been Musical Director for a number of companies including the Camcit Players, the resident light operatic group at the Cambridge Corn Exchange, the Campaign Amateur Theatre Company in Ely, and the Witchford Amateur Dramatic Society and still plays regularly in the pit across Cambridgeshire. Additional lyrics by Graham.

GEOFF MEADS - LYRICIST & SOUND DESIGNER

Hailing from Cambridge, England, Geoff started his musical career aged 8 studying guitar and then a number of brass instruments. As a brass soloist in several contest bands he quickly scaled the musical grades and played in many prestigious venues. He held the position of Solo Tenor Horn at Cambridge Youth Brass for many years including appearances at the National Brass Band Championships. Later his interest turned to guitar, composing and performing contemporary music in the fields of Pop, Folk and Blues. As well as his musical undertakings, Geoff's is a lifetime scholar of audio and visual systems. He spent several years as a full time recording and mastering engineer working on projects in many genres. He recorded and mixed the CD of Joined At The Heart co-written with fellow composer and friend Graham Brown. Geoff now mixes his time between musical and lyrical composition and as a regular and popular music performer. He also teaches calibration of audio and video systems and is a member of the HAA (Home Acoustics Alliance) and the ISF (Imaging Science Foundation). He regularly sits on audio industry listening panels and is the "golden ears" for a successful audio company and several audio magazines.