INTERVIEW | Stephanie Martin and Calista Kazuko Georget, Fury and Elysium

A brand new queer, revolutionary musical Fury and Elysium is heading to The Other Palace Studio this summer. This new musical will celebrate and will put the lives of three iconic Jewish women: writers, political revolutionaries and artists at the centre.

With a book by Stephanie Martin (Juniper and Jules, Soho Theatre; Passion Fruit, New Diorama Theatre) and music and lyrics by renowned singer-songwriter Calista Kazuko Georget, prepare to be immersed in Weimar history and culture, both artistic and political, as audiences are invited to explore Berlin’s infamous queer scene.

Natasha caught up with them both to find out more..

1. You’ve been working on this musical since before the pandemic. What does it feel like to finally see it come to fruition?

SM – It’s so exciting, having worked together for three years and having both become first time mums during this period, it’s really special. New musicals are so rarely staged so we feel very privileged and excited to be sharing this story. 

CK - Yes absolutely, it’s a dream come true to see our ‘other baby’ come to life! It’s been such a journey to get here, and in every song there is a part of the ‘story’. Writing this show throughout lockdown was a very special, important way to stay connected.

2. Fury and Elysium sounds wonderfully transgressive and queer. Like Stephanie’s other work, do we see a variety of sexualities and identities – could you drop a few hints about the characters and their relationships? 

SM – There is a central relationship between famous cabaret performer and drag king Claire Waldoff and Olga, following a meet cute, first night of passion and morning after the night before which is the most romantic part of the piece as a whole. These two characters are based on a real life couple who were together until old age. Equally famous Anita Berber tells us about her love life but her queer love affairs don’t end so happily..

3. Calista, you are classically and jazz trained and have released music that others have labelled ‘alternative’, ‘indie-pop’ and ‘pop-macabre’. Not that we want to confine you to a particular genre, but what type or types of music can we expect to hear in Fury and Elysium?

CK - This is my first time writing a musical and I am totally loving it! The world of theatre is very different to what I’m used to, the processes and directions. I think my favourite part is being part of such an amazing team, just one cog in a mighty machine which I feel honoured to be a part of. In terms of the music itself, I’ve really enjoyed exploring my classical and jazz training, as well as the music I’ve created as a singer/songwriter. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved, paying homage to the brilliant music of the time whilst at the same time keeping it innovative and modern. Describing my music has always been a struggle, but it’s been a total joy to be as ‘theatrical’ as I want - hurrah!

4.  Can either of you tell us a little more about your Jewish heritage and how has it informed the story, lyrics and music of Fury and Elysium? 

CK - My Jewish grandmother was born to Russian-Romanian immigrants and grew up in the East End of London with eleven in two beds! I loved my ‘Nanna Tessa’ (who was born Esther but changed her name after the war) dearly and as we were very close she was very much part of the furniture growing up. I’m very proud of my Jewish roots and the traditions passed down from my Nanna and my Dad who was a brilliant violinist, Paul Robertson. As they are no longer with us I cherish dearly these memories of their singing and dancing, unrivalled sense of humour and perfect use of yiddish phrases! Now I’ve become a mother it feels even more important to keep these traditions and their memories alive. It’s been so powerful to connect to my Jewish roots whilst writing the music for this show. What an honour to be inspired by the great work of Jewish composers such as Kurt Weill and Mischa Spoliansky, as well as my late Father’s work and my own lived experiences as a mixed Jewish and Japanese woman living today. I feel very connected to the music and I really hope the audience enjoys listening as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it.

5. What has been the best part so far of bringing this new musical to life?...

We have been super fans of each others work for years, always front row at each other’s shows, so creating this epic collaborative piece and working together has been the most fun! And now to be joined by our brilliant co-directors Rafaella Marcus and Karoline Gable, who have already brought such interesting and useful notes to bring the script and score to the next level. We can’t wait to get into the rehearsal room with the phenomenal cast and team to see the show come to life, the creativity cascading and the magic happening in front of our eyes, what a buzz!

6.     ….And the most stressful?

As ever – the money! There have been several articles recently about the lack of funding around musicals and the Arts in general so we’re incredibly grateful to have the support from Arts Council England, Help Musicians UK, Colet House and our generous patrons to make this show possible. Hopefully this signals an increase in Arts funding for more relevant, important new works.

7. It’s the elephant in the room so I’m going to mention it anyway – elements of your concept are reminiscent of Cabaret. Despite a central female character, that musical’s source material and composition emerged very much through the male gaze. In what ways is your musical different? 

We love “Cabaret”! And have both loved the current production. When we first started writing “Fury and Elysium” “Cabaret” wasn’t in the West End so it’s great that it’s all synched up. “Cabaret” is absolutely a great reference in terms of the world of Berlin, the cabaret scene and the political context and rise of fascism. Ours is a Brechtian queer epic about resistance that covers 1918 – 1933 and explores the lives of 6 iconic Berliners including socialist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg and journalist Gabriele Tergit. Same world and time period but very different in characters and content. Some other musicals that have inspired our show which you can feel the echoes would be Churchill’s “Top Girls”, Sondheim’s “Assassins”, Brecht’s “Fear and Misery of the Third Reich”. And as you you say, whilst “Cabaret” emerged from the male gaze, our show explores the female / queer / non binary gaze. 

8. Am I right in thinking that the musical had another, German, name at some point? It’s now very Greek-influenced - why did this change?

Our musical has developed out of Stephanie’s original show “Halbwelt Kultur”, which was the brainchild of Stephanie and Patrick Ehmcke-Kennedy. As this is a new show we needed to find a new name, one which encapsulates the epic nature of the piece. We were all delighted when we finally arrived at “Fury and Elysium” which captures the sense of revolution, passion and drive of our characters as well as the paradise our characters are fighting for – paradise that can be political, creative or to do with queerness and freedom. 

9. The Other Palace, where the musical has its premiere, is billed as “the home of new musical theatre”. In what ways has its ethos and spaces supported you in developing Fury and Elysium?

The Other Palace is the perfect home for our piece and we’re so excited to be there after a workshop sharing in the past. Known as London’s home of new musicals, we’re incredibly grateful for them for programming us, believing in our show and all the amazing support they’re offering. It’s a beautiful space and we can’t wait to see our show come alive there.

10.  And finally, could you give us a summary in less than ten words of why everybody should come and see the production? 

Come join us to celebrate unapologetic rebellion, freedom and passion!

Fury and Elysium is performing At The Other Palace Studio from 6 June - 18 June. Book your tickets here.