SOME THOUGHTS ON WALLIS & EDWARD

The book and lyrics for Wallis & Edward, have been written by Erv Raible, as a project with and for Jillann Gabrielle as a vehicle to showcase her talent. Since the fateful day, December 11, 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated, we have all grown up being told about "the love story of the twentieth century". We wish to set the story straight - or at least straighter! Having owned four of New York City's major cabarets, over the past 30 years, Erv always found that when songwriter shows were presented in his clubs that the ones that focused on lyricists were more compelling than those that focused on composers. What makes a great composer is the sound that they ultimately develop. However, the lyricists frequently work with a number of composers and thus their songs have a greater variety of sound involved in the finished product. With this thought in mind, two of the shows songs were originally written for other projects and have music, by two very different composers. Wallis & Edward, the musical, will be written by a number of carefully chosen composers, therefore giving the show greater variety - the cohesive factor being that all the music will have a 1930 feel, a parody-esque quality. This will allow all the composers to have their own sound ultimately come through in the end. Imagine if Kurt Weill, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Noel Coward, and George Gershwin got together and wrote a show - that's what we are going for in Wallis and Edward!