{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='We speak to Pet shop boy Neil Tennant at the London rehearsal of new musical \u0026#39; Closer to Heaven\u0026#39;' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c3abd8eafeecae16306b' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c3abd8eafeecae16306b' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nWe speak to Pet shop boy Neil Tennant at the London rehearsal of new musical \u0026#39; Closer to Heaven\u0026#39;\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003e1. Part of the rehearsal.' Closer to heaven '2. sot Neil Tennant - \"It's quite a hard drama really and that is what we set out to do is do a contemporary drama with contemporary music. The first half of the show is very funny where the...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003e1. Part of the rehearsal.' Closer to heaven '\u003cbr/\u003e2. sot Neil Tennant - \"It's quite a hard drama really and that is what we set out to do is do a contemporary drama with contemporary music. The first half of the show is very funny where the plot develops and the second half of the show is much tougher and it has a big sense of tragedy and then we resolve that. I think the audience... one thing that everybody agrees on that watching the show you go on an emotional journey and the music reflects that as well.\"\u003cbr/\u003e3. part of rehearsal 'Closer to heaven '\u003cbr/\u003e4. sot Jonathan Harvey - \"The challenge as a creative team together is to make the songs work and decide which bits of the scripts need a song. Nobody comes to a musical to see the dialogue, the songs are what sell it and the story and so... as a book writer it is to trust having as little dialogue as possible some times and to trust that the music can tell the story and so I felt like I learnt a lot doing this.\"\u003cbr/\u003e5. sot Neil Tennant - \"We originally called the show nightlife and we decided it looked a bit too bleak and this song, closer to heaven which is in the show is a running theme throughout the show in that the daughter meets her father for the first time in 15 years and they sing this duet of closer to heaven. Then she meets a boy, straight Dave and they sing it together because they are so excited and it goes right the way through the show. Also there is the sense that people are striving to get somewhere in their lives and that is heaven and so it works on that level as well.\"\u003cbr/\u003e6. rehearsal ' Closer to heaven '\u003cbr/\u003e7. sot Paul Keating - \"It's unlike anything I've ever done. For the start we are in a very small space and it is very intimate and it is nice to have an audience so close, but because just doing something with a strong story and not doing something that is the tried and tested formula, I'm not saying Tommy was that because it wasn't, but this is definitely something new which I'm enjoying very much.\"\u003cbr/\u003e8. rehearsal ' Closer to Heaven' \u003cbr/\u003eThe eagerly awaited 'Closer to Heaven,' with music and lyrics by PET SHOP BOYS' Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and story by Jonathan Harvey ('Beautiful Thing', 'Gimme Gimme, Gimme'), finally opens on May 31st at London's Arts Theatre in Great Newport Street following previews from May 15th.  \u003cbr/\u003eAs you would expect from Pet Shop Boys and Jonathan Harvey, this is not your average musical. It is a riotous story of sex, drugs, clubland and the music industry but at its heart is a love triangle.  Straight Dave, a sexy young barman fresh from Ireland falls for the beautiful, ambitious club manager's daughter Shell and the young, street-wise drug dealer Mile End Lee. The iconic Billie Tricks, hostess of London's most successful club night, oversees the action while the outrageous pop band manager Bob Saunders has his own plans for Straight Dave. As fame and fortune beckon, Dave has difficult decisions to make.  \u003cbr/\u003eFrance Barber plays Billie Tricks, Paul Keating is Straight Dave, Tom Walker is Mile End Lee, Paul Broughton is Saunders. The cast also includes David Burt, Stacey Roca and David Langham.\u003cbr/\u003e'Closer To Heaven' features 15 new songs from Pet Shop Boys, and mesmerising club choreography by Peter Darling ('Billy Elliot' and the musicals 'Merrily We Roll Along' and 'Candide').  \u003cbr/\u003e\"We've always liked the theatre and our live shows have had very strong theatrical elements,\" says Neil Tennant. \"We've wanted to do a musical for ages because we wanted to see if it was possible to put contemporary pop music onto the stage.\"  \u003cbr/\u003eThe songs are vintage Pet Shop Boys though the writing process was different. \"We've had to write songs to progress the plot so we've written to a brief,\" Chris Lowe explains. \"But stylistically the music is Pet Shop Boys music. That's the whole point of it.\"  \u003cbr/\u003eThe seeds of 'Closer To Heaven' were first planted eight years ago when the BBC wanted to commission a musical and suggested that Neil and Chris work with Jonathan Harvey. They saw his play 'Beautiful Thing' and subsequently approached Jonathan with the idea of collaborating on a musical.  They decided they would come up with an original story rather than base their musical on an existing book or film. The three of then sat down and came up with the basic idea for the 'Closer To Heaven' plot and the principal characters over a few months. Jonathan began to write the script while Neil and Chris wrote the music.  Over the last six years the project has reached fruition. \u003cbr/\u003eA cast album will be released later this year produced by Neil, Chris and Stephen Hague and featuring the cast.  \u003cbr/\u003e'Closer to Heaven' is directed by Gemma Bodinetz ('Breath, Boom' - Royal Court Upstairs, 'Luminosity' - now in rehearsal for RSC) and designed by Es Devlin ('Henry IV Part One and Two' - RSC, 'Betrayal' - National Theatre). 'Closer To Heaven's''  sound design is by Simon Barker, lighting by Mark Henderson and musical supervision by Chris Nightingale.  \u003cbr/\u003ePet Shop Boys is the most successful duo in British chart history, their world-wide number one singles include West End Girls and It's a Sin. They have sold over 28 million albums world-wide.  \u003cbr/\u003eFormed in 1981, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe began their careers in a cabaret group, One Under The Eight, while Tennant was employed as a journalist on the UK pop magazine Smash Hits.  They first break through with a re-recording of 'West End Girls' which quickly climbed the charts in late 1985 - the song had been previously released and failed to sell at all. Their debut album, Please, the follow up, 'Love Comes Quickly', a remixed version of 'Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)' and 'Suburbia' all helped to consolidate their position in the UK during 1986. The following year, the duo returned to number 1 with the Cat Stevens' influenced 'It's A Sin'.   By this time, they were critically feted as one of the more interesting groups of their time, with an engaging love of pop irony, camp imagery and clever wordplay. Top five hits followed with the Dusty Springfield duet, 'What Have I Done To Deserve This?' and a cover of the Elvis Presley hit, 'Always On My Mind'.   \u003cbr/\u003eFor further information contact EMI Records international on 0171 605 5000 or Peter Thompson Associates on +44 20 7439 1210\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv 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