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I have also been beavering away with the lovely Alan McHugh...writing the Susan Boyle musical!!

Yes folks it is happening!! Contrary to all the press nonsense and speculation about a movie...the truth is that it is the stage show about Susans life which is fascinating.

We have been working on this for over a year...it all started with Susan saying that she thought I should play her if there ever was a film. i was very flattered but laughed knowing how Hollywood worked...that I didn't have a chance but that someone like Cher would end up playing it!!! Ridiculous and totally worng but hey its Hollywood. So I forgot all about it but mentioned it and all the press surrounding the story to the wonderful Producer Michael Harrison and said that though I would never get the movie I would be right for the stage show and said we should go after it ( thinking in 5 years time!!). Michael called back 10 minutes later and said that we should do it now!! I laughed and said that there was no way that we would ever get the rights ( I would only ever want to do the show if Susan and her management approved of it and me) and i assumed that Simon Cowell and Sony would just say NO.


But after a few months of Michael persevering we got meetings and a deal has been done. Susan and her team own half of the whole thing so there is no exploitation going on ( as some have suggested!) and Susans input has been essential. its been wonderful getting to meet her and to get to know her. She is great fun and smart with a terrific sense of humour as well as a great openess towards the whole project. it is important to me and our team that we don't present a "Then this happened," episodic sort of tale or one that is overly safe and sugary...but we also don't want a show that is full of misery and darkness...we want the story told accurately but creatively and theatrically with fab songs, cast and band....a good night out all round.

We start rehearsals after panto in February....open in Newcastle in March and then tour forever it seems....dates are on the website...
We are delighted that Cameron Mackintosh has given us the title "I dreamed a Dream" and are now around Draft 6 of the script and will be arranging readings with actors soon ( never a better learning curve for a writer than when its all read out loud!!!). We have a fab director in Ed Curtis, Musical Director is Kennedy Aitchieson and casting is under way... so its all moving on... etc.

Susan is involved in it all and I was delighted when she showed up with an ITV film crew to hear bits of it and one of the songs...nervewracking and we both ended up in tears...she started to cry and that set me off.... as its very moving at points...I don't know how I would feel if my life was being acted out in front of me...very weird...   but she liked what we were doing with it...so far..so good...look out for the documentary coming out soon and a special appearance by Susan in Rab C as well as the likes of Jon Sessions
and the fabulous Richard E Grant and Andy Gray.

So thats all the news..

All the best,
Elainex