Stars of tomorrow

Tuesday November 17, 2009

The stars of tomorrow are making themselves feel right at home at the Lyric theatre - but there's no time to put their feet up.

The Hammersmith venue has given its young talent free rein to transform its studio into a 'Lyric Lounge' on the last Friday of each month - a chilled-out haven of live music, comedy acts, sketches and poetry readings.

Eight of the theatre's most promising young stars, aged 18 to 25, are working in pairs to present a monthly line-up of entertainment for a fresh new crowd.

The event began in September and music and theatre enthusiasts Gus Miller and Dionne Reid will present the next instalment of Lyric Lounge on November 27.

Gus, 25, who lives in Glenthorne Road and has been a Hammersmith resident for 14 years, said he had 'grown up' at the Lyric and was delighted to be given joint responsibility on the project.

"The Lyric are treating us like professionals, which we really appreciate," he said. "We have all been in shows before, either here or somewhere else, and that is why the Lyric trusts us.

"Even if it all goes wrong, at least we have tried it and we are witnessing it. It's about trying something different and being yourself."

Gus has performed in earlier incarnations of the project, including Step Up and Just for the Love, and said the Lyric Lounge was the next evolutionary step in spotting new talent and rewarding established performers with more responsibility.

"We want to keep that element of establishing artists," he added. "We want them to grow here and have a credible performance."

Gus and Dionne are still fine-tuning their night of entertainment, but Gus said they were planning to extend the lounge's homely feel into a bedroom setting and explore the beginnings of stardom.

"We are talking about the fact that almost every artist starts in their room singing to the mirror or the stereo. It's an insight into what happens before you make it," he explained.

"We're also thinking about a game show format and we want to do lots of comedy sketches, music and poetry."

Gus said the bedroom theme might include pyjamas for costumes and a horseshoe-shaped seating arrangement to make it more inclusive for the audience.

"The fourth wall is often there in theatre but we want to include the audience and let them take part in the game show," he said.

The Lyric Lounge is at the Lyric Theatre, King Street, Hammersmith. The event will take a month's break after the November 27 show and then return for its final instalment on January 29.

To book call 0871 2211722 or visit www.lyric.co.uk (opens new window).