Vince Morley lives on a knife-edge between reality and a corrupted, monstrous reflection he calls Cancertown, believing an inoperable brain tumour allows him to move between the two. Assisted by the scarred and homeless Bugfuck, Morley fights to save others from falling into Cancertown. Searching for a missing person named Daniel Grey, Morley is attacked by an escaped Cancertown resident called a Badmouth. When Morley discards the marker that the Badmouth has been using to track him, the creature chooses an alternate victim, dragging him into Cancertown. Morley has no choice but to follow...Now with commentary from writer Cy Dethan and artist Stephen Downey.
Vince Morley lives on a knife-edge between reality and a corrupted, monstrous reflection he calls Cancertown, believing an inoperable brain tumour allows him to move between the two. Assisted by the scarred and homeless Bugfuck, Morley fights to save others from falling into Cancertown. Searching for a missing person named Daniel Grey, Morley is attacked by an escaped Cancertown resident called a Badmouth. When Morley discards the marker that the Badmouth has been using to track him, the creature chooses an alternate victim, dragging him into Cancertown. Morley has no choice but to follow...Now with commentary from writer Cy Dethan and artist Stephen Downey.
Morley's worlds are in ruins. After the mysterious Piecemaker rescues him from Evil Twin, he introduces Morley to the Babyface - the ultimate prize the Cancertown players fight for. Morley learns that this Babyface, Bugfuck and even his own illness are all inextricably connected. His tumour is an organ grown specifically to allow him to enter and leave Cancertown at will. Bugfuck's madness runs so deep that she has created a whole new world to accommodate it, and Morley has been trapped in her nightmares from the beginning...With commentary from Cy Dethan and Stephen Downey.
A radically urgent intervention, An Inconvenient Black History of British Musical Theatre: 1900 - 1950 uncovers the hidden Black history of this most influential of artforms. Drawing on lost archive material and digitised newspapers from the turn of the century onwards, this exciting story has been re-traced and restored to its rightful place. A vital and significant part of British cultural history between 1900 and 1950, Black performance practice was fundamental to resisting and challenging racism in the UK. Join Mayes (a Broadway- and Toronto-based Music Director) and Whitfield (a musical theatre historian and researcher) as they take readers on a journey through a historically-inconvenient and brilliant reality that has long been overlooked. Get to know the Black theatre community in London's Roaring 20s, and hear about the secret Florence Mills memorial concert they held in 1928. Acquaint yourself with Buddy Bradley, Black tap and ballet choreographer, who reshaped dance in British musicals - often to be found at Noël Coward's apartment for late-night rehearsals, such was Bradley's importance. Meet Jack Johnson, the first African American Heavyweight Boxing Champion, who toured Britain's theatres during World War 1 and brought the sounds of Chicago to places like war-weary Dundee. Discover the most prolific Black theatre practitioner you've never heard of, William Garland, who worked for 40 years across multiple continents and championed Black British performers. Marvel at performers like cabaret star Mabel Mercer, born in Stafford in 1900, who sang and conducted theatre orchestras across the UK, as well as Black Birmingham comedian Eddie Emerson, who was Garland's partner for decades. Many of their names and works have never been included in histories of the British musical - until now.
Slaughterman's Creed is a story of the fall and rise of monsters, where an ethical knife-edge is all that separates hero from villain. A human trafficker orders the death of a killer who refuses to breach his professional code. Twelve years later, the trafficker's world erupts in blood and chaos. Barely surviving and crippled for life, the Slaughterman has returned to put the whole organisation to the blade.
Vince Morley is a dangerously sick man. Within the monstrous alternate world of Cancertown, a creature of horrific violence and limitless rage has burst from the nightmare landscape. The foundations are shaking and the old powers are falling. In response, the deadliest of Cancertown's inhabitants seeks Morley out to claim a favour that could cost him more than just his life.
This critical and inclusive edited collection offers an overview of the musical in relation to issues of race, culture and identity. Bringing together contributions from cultural, American and theatre studies for the first time, the chapters offer fresh perspectives on musical theatre history, calling for a radical and inclusive new approach. By questioning ideas about what the musical is about and who it for, this groundbreaking book retells the story of the musical, prioritising previously neglected voices to reshape our understanding of the form. Timely and engaging, this is required reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of musical theatre. It offers an intersectional approach which will also be invaluable for theatre practitioners.
Shadowmancer takes you into a world of superstition, magic and witchcraft, where the ultimate sacrifice might even be life itself. Obadiah Demurral is a sorcerer who is seeking to control the highest power in the Universe. He will stop at nothing. The only people in his way are Raphah, Kate, Thomas and the mysterious Jacob Crane. Packed full of history, folklore and smuggling, Shadowmancer is a tale of an epic battle that will grip both young and old. The thrills, suspense and danger are guaranteed to grab the attention and stretch imaginations to the limit.
