Montserrat: The Musical

I’ve had an idea. People who know Montserrat will know it is full of theatrical, musical, literary, and entrepreneurial talent. Apart from climate and natural beauty, this is what attracts visitors to the island, but could this also be a cultural export? Now that I’m back in London, I’m back into my routine of going to the theatre and seeing live bands as often as I can, and it is often a reminder of how the music of the AIR Montserrat era is still embedded in the national psyche. Last week, I was at a reworking of a 19th-century Henrik Ibsen play, which opened with a band practice at a kitchen table and a performance of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love. We also got some Oasis and David Bowie.

I’ve also seen Just for One Day at the Old Vic, where Margaret Thatcher and Bob Geldof negotiated the VAT payments on the Band-Aid single while duetting on Elton John’s I’m Still Standing. Last year, I saw Message in a Bottle, a contemporary dance performance based on Sting’s re-recordings of his best-known hits. The songs reveal hidden depths when the context is changed. Don’t Stand so Close to Me, for example, takes on a new meaning when sung on a refugee boat in a female voice, and Every Breath You Take is even more menacing when sung in a refugee camp. I also went to see OMD at the O2 a few weeks ago, where they performed their new album and classic tracks in what was their largest-ever indoor performance. The fans still love the steelpan effects on their Montserrat recordings 40 years after release.

So, can Montserrat tap into the nostalgia musical boom? There are endless 80s festivals in the UK and an increasing number of Juke Box musicals touring the provincial theatres. Over the next year, I am booked in for a 60s week as well as revival shows covering Punk, Glam Rock, and 80s music. There are plenty of other shows doing the circuit and endless musicals. Perhaps Mama Mia started it, but they are still going strong.

I can recall musicals based on the hits of Carole King, Queen, The Four Seasons, Rod Stewart, T. Rex, David Bowie, The Kinks, Take That, Madness, Bob Marley and the Spice Girls. It looks like easy money, although, for every We Will Rock You and Mamma Mia (I’ve seen both of these), there is a Viva Forever and Tonight’s the Night (I’ve seen neither, and I hope the investors had deep pockets). Most stories have nothing to do with the artists, but some do. Just for One Day is a rarity in that it tells a story using several artists’ songs, but it was so successful at the Old Vic that it has earned a West End transfer.

Some countries have been very successful at reverse cultural appropriation. The obvious one is Romania. Bram Stoker never went to Romania, and his Dracula character has only a tenuous connection to Transylvania’s real history and myths. It’s a book set primarily in England written by an Irishman, but Romania has built an entire tourism industry around it. How did they do it? I couldn’t tell you, but it was clever and the choice of character name and location obviously helped.

One of Montserrat’s tourism strategies’ (2015-25, so technically still active) said that Montserrat’s tourism offer should be based on a collection of niche offers, one of which should be its musical heritage. But it needed to figure out how to do that in practice. The later Mott MacDonald strategy talked about a Beatles Museum, which was a bit daft, and a later tourism strategy (2020-23) added AIR studios to a list of suggested tourist attractions, despite the fact it has been in a condemned state for over a decade. It wasn’t financially viable when pop stars were drinking the bar dry, so it wouldn’t be as a shell. There is very little left of it now anyway, and it has been boarded up. Pictures taken last year (not by me) are below.

I discussed a few ideas with Tourism, but they weren’t particularly interested in pursuing them, and at the time the political priorities seemed to be focused more on construction projects. I also wrote some blog posts about the studio and how musical heritage tourism might work. I won’t repeat myself, but they are here if you are interested.   Coming Soon? – The AIR Studios Musical Heritage Tour – Craig Brewin’s Blog (wordpress.com)   and https://livinginmontserrat.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/air-studios-time-to-knock-it-down/

But what about the musical? Just for One Day managed to shoehorn in some Ethiopian Red Cross workers to counter the white saviourism that Live Aid was criticised for, but it was great fun, and a percentage of the box office went to the Band Aid Trust. I suspect, however, that two musicals based on 80s music might be too much, particularly with the brand recognition that Live Aid has, but it’s an idea for the future if someone can come up with a great story. (Maybe the football team’s unexpected appearance in the next World Cup). There are around 25 songs recorded in Montserrat that a lot of people will know, and a few album tracks made famous by other artists. If someone eventually does produce the musical, then someone else will be kicking themselves. Theatre angels get 60% of the profits if a show makes money. Who knows, maybe a Montserrat Mamma Mia could make the island self-sufficient.