Wild West End

Being from Glasgow, the idea of a Wild West End conjures up visions of middle-class parents strolling their prams past Oran Mor at top speed, before blocking the entrance to the Oxfam Book Store. But for Paulden Hall, who rocked the Fringe with Fresher, The Musical last year, the WWE is more about the parody behind the hit musical. A new book from Adam Paulden and Matt Leventhall, with lyrics By Andrew Doyle and Ed Clarke (holder of the 2010 Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year Award and a touring maestro from the East Midlands, respectively), WWE follows a struggling musical theatre writer in a razor-witted satire of some of the greatest musicals of all time, deconstructing the hits and the characters.

"The fringe will always be a regular thing for us," explains Matt Leventhall. "We started as fringe producers and we love the festival. Having looked at the fringe programme this year, we're without a doubt the only show offering a satirical take on the world of musical theatre."

The rise of jukebox musicals - where existing songs are shoe-horned into a vague narrative - might have devalued the worth of the genre, but Leventhall insists that WWE is something original. "Whilst others in the past may have rewritten songs, we are unique in presenting a whole story in itself, with famous music from the great shows, but which is a no-holes-barred parody of the genre and its big names."

Equally fortunate for Live Art enthusiasts like me, this isn't just a series of in-jokes. "It is fun and accessible to all. You don't have to be a musical theatre expert to get our jokes - all you need to know is that musical theatre exits," he continues. "And perhaps have been exposed to a little of it. We feature the music of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Les Miserables, Oliver!, The Wizard of Oz, The Lion King, meaning it's very unlikely you wont have come across at least one of them!"

"We as a company decided to hold up a mirror to our world as musical theatre producers and found that artists we'd worked with in the past all loved the idea and each contributed huge amounts to the book. We drafted in two superb comedic writers to create the lyrics - one is Andrew Doyle - with his own stand up show on the fringe this year!"

Pleasance Theatre, Islington, 29th July, 7.30pm,
Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, 1st-3rd August, 6.50pm (1hr)
Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, 4th-29th August, 6.50pm (not 14th)