Former Culture Club singer Boy George is gearing up for the debut of Taboo, a stage musical based loosely on his life. The pop idol-turned-DJ hopes it will bring him newfound respect as a songwriter.
The Do You Really Want To Hurt Me singer created the music and lyrics for the semi-autobiographical musical, which tells story of a boy from Bromley – “Like me, but kind of straight,” says George – who becomes involved in London's Eighties club scene. Artists portrayed in the West End production, written by This Life writer Mark Davies-Markham, include Visage’s Steve Strange, the androgynous singer Marilyn and performance artist Leigh Bowrey.
“The show is very funny,” reveals the former Culture Club frontman, who says all he wants right now is for his new project to succeed. “It’s an opportunity for me to establish myself as a songwriter, rather than an amusing chap in a hat and make-up, which is one of the perils of having such a strong identity. People forget what it is that I do.”
In addition to writing the score for the boy-meets-girl musical, George has kept busy as a DJ, including a recent gig at the Paris Versace collections, hosting a show on KISS FM, and a writing a regular column. “A lot of people think if you’re not on telly every day, you’re sitting watching re-runs of old interviews you’ve done in the Eighties,” he told UK paper The Mirror.
Currently busy doing promotional interviews for his new musical, George is unlikely to abandon his first love, however. “I could make a living talking on TV… But that’s not what I want to do, not my calling. It’s still music,” he declares.
Taboo opens at The Venue, Leicester Square, in London’s West End on January 29.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
