''Thalidomide!! A Musical'' is a British

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

written and composed by Mat Fraser, who was born with

phocomelia Phocomelia is a congenital condition that involves malformations of human arms and legs which result in a flipper-like appendage. A prominent cause of phocomelia is the mother being prescribed the use of the drug thalidomide during pregnancy; ho ...

as a result of the drug

thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral administered medication used to treat a number of cancers (e.g., multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and many skin disorders (e.g., complication ...

being taken during his mother's pregnancy. Fraser and Anna Winslet play all the roles in the show. The musical was developed with director

Bill Bankes-Jones William Michael Roger Bankes-Jones British Empire Medal, BEM (born 1963), known professionally as Bill Bankes-Jones, is a British opera director and artistic director and founder of Tête à Tête (opera company), Tête à Tête. He is best known ...

and premiered at the (

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

)

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in Theater, theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a ...

's Octoberfest in 2005. It has since played across Britain and at festivals in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and

Versailles, France Versailles ( , ) is a commune in the department of the Yvelines, Île-de-France, known worldwide for the Château de Versailles and the gardens of Versailles, which is designated an UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the western suburbs ...

. The production tells the story of a love affair between Glyn, a thalidomide survivor (Fraser) and a non-disabled woman, Katie Crawford (Winslet), attracted by his phocomelia. Fraser calls the story a "cartoon version" of his own life. Winslet won the role in part because she did not shirk at an audition request to mimic Fraser himself.

Musical numbers

* "Monster Babies" * "I'll Be His Arms" * "It's Hard to Hitch Down Life's Highway with No Thumbs" * "Talk to the Flipper ('Cause the Face Don't Care)"

Reception

The ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'' summarized the show as "sharp and original, but not for the squeamish".Sharp and original, but not for the squeamish - Telegraph
/ref> One Wolverhampton councillor, Malcolm Gwinnett, criticised the show, arguing that, "To exploit people in this way is, frankly, sick", while Fraser said that, "It makes ''

Jerry Springer Gerald Norman Springer (February 13, 1944 – April 27, 2023) was a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, lawyer, and politician. He was best known for hosting the controversial tabloid talk show '' Jerry Springer'' from 1991 to 2 ...

'' look tame".

References

{{reflist 2005 musicals British musicals Plays and musicals about disability Works about amputees Phocomelia

Musical numbers

Reception

See also

References