Multi-award-winning composer and lyricist Alexander S. Bermange's musical Thirteen Days follows the lives of three lovers, three leaders and three nations during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 - the closest the world has come to being wiped out by nuclear war - by means of a score that fuses Western, Eastern and Latin musical styles.
This gala concert performance, featuring a West End star cast to be announced and directed by Dominic Shaw, is being staged in aid of the Make A Difference Trust, which raises funds for HIV and AIDS projects that build awareness and provide care, support and education.
Following acclaimed productions in London and Sheffield, and boasting songs that have been released by a number of leading international musical theatre artists, this much-anticipated return of Thirteen Days comes at a time when its themes are more relevant than ever.
"What Bermange manages to capture beautifully, and what makes this musical so successful, is that this isn't just a dry recounting of history and fact - the songs for both Kennedy and Khrushchev humanise both of the leaders excellently, and adding in crowd pieces gives a wonderful snapshot of public perception during these tense times& The songs are excellent, the themes carried through beautifully as the tension rises, and there are some stand-out crowd numbers, including the wonderful second-act opener This Could Be the Week and the more upbeat Another Day in Havana. The duets and three-part harmonies between the romantic leads are hauntingly successful, as are the torch songs& This is a piece screaming for a full-scale production& Bermange's musical skills are undeniable." - One Stop Arts
"Excellent& leaves you humming some lovely tunes, and moreover is fully thought-provoking& One wishes for a wider audience for musicals that are written with so much sensitivity" - Musicals Online
"The stirring balladry that comes out of songs like Anyone But You and More Than A Memory feels ready to take up residence on a West End stage, as does the storming Act One finale - the mark of many a good musical past& One can well imagine a future for this musical." - The Public Reviews