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Richy Hughes
Birth nameRichard Paul Hughes
Born1974 (age 49–50)
Orsett, England
OriginLondon, England
GenresMusical Theatre
Occupation(s)Lyricist, Bookwriter, Theatre Maker
Years active2012-present
Websitewww.richyhughes.com

Richy Hughes is an English Musical Theatre lyricist from Thurrock, England. He is most primarily known for his work on the stage adaptation of Mr Popper's Penguins, an original show titled Superhero, and Oi Frog and Friends, which was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Family Show in 2020.[1][2][3]

Early Life

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Richy Hughes was born in 1974, and attended Coopers' Company and Coborn School in Upminster, Essex. He regularly wrote and performed end of year revues, and won the school's Prize for Art in 1992. He went on to study Illustration at the Kent Institute of Art and Design.

From an early age Richy was an active member of the amateur drmatics scene in his home town of Thurrock, starring as Sydney Carton in a production A Tale of Two Cities, Riff in a production of West Side Story, and Billy Bigelow in a production of Carousel.

In 1999, Richy founded a youth theatre company known as Arts Factory.

Career

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Early Career

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Richy’s break into professional theatre came in 2012, when he entered a song into an open submission for A Song Cycle For Soho at the Soho Theatre. The comic song, titled 'It’s What He Would’ve Wanted', written with composer Scott Dean, tells the story of ‘Jimmy The Fox’ whose corpse is ‘borrowed’ from the undertakers on the eve of his funeral for one last bender in Soho.[4]

In 2012, he joined the Book, Music, Lyrics professional writers’ workshop.[5] Here he honed his lyric-writing craft under the tutelage of such esteemed theatre practitioners as Jeremy Sams, Charles Hart, Tim Sutton, David Firman, Mark Warman, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.[6]

2015 - Mr Popper's Penguins

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Richy's first professional commision came after producer Kenny Wax attended a showcase of Book, Music, Lyrics alumni. Kenny was impressed with Richy's lyric-writing ability and invited him to collaborate on a new family musical adaptation of children's book, Mr Popper's Penguins.[7] The production premiered at The Lowry in Manchester in 2015,[8] and has enjoyed runs at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End,[9] the New Victory Theater in New York City,[10] and the Seattle Children's Theatre,[11] as well as extensive US and UK tours. The show was co-produced by Pins & Needles Productions, Kenny Wax Family Entertainment, and TC Beech, with songs written in collaboration with composer Luke Bateman.[12]

2017 - Superhero

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It was at the Book, Music, Lyrics Workshop that Richy met composer Joseph Finlay and bookwriter Michael Conley, with whom he wrote Superhero with.[13] It premiered at the Southwark Playhouse in 2017, after the song 'Don't Look Down' won the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize in 2015, at an event at the Wyndham's Theatre, produced by Mercury Musical Developments and hosted by Elaine Paige.[14] The show also went on to win the Off West End Theatre Award (Offie) for best new musical in 2018. Micheal Rouse also won the Offie for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Colin Bradley in the same year.[15]

2019 - Oi Frog and Friends

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In 2019, Richy teamed up with Pins & Needles Productions and Luke Bateman again to adapt Kes Gray and Jim Field's best-selling children's book series Oi Frog and Friends for the stage.[16] This time, Richy played a key roles in both the writing of the script and lyrics. The production premiered at Frensham Heights in October 2019[17] before going on to a critically acclaimed run at the Lyric Theatre in the West End.[18] In 2020, the show was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Family Show.[19] The ceremony, scheduled for 5th April 2020 at The Royal Albert Hall, was postponed due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. Results are expected to be announced at a ceremony rescheduled for Autumn 2020.[20]

Personal Life

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Richy currently lives in Orsett, Essex with his wife, Nikki, and his children Jessie and Harry.

Musical theatre credits

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  • A Song Cycle For Soho (2012) - lyrics
  • Mercury Musical Developments 25th Anniversary Gala (2013) - lyrics
  • Mr Popper's Penguins (2015) - lyrics
  • Superhero (2017) - lyrics
  • Oi Frog and Friends (2019) - lyrics & script

Awards & Nominations

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Year Song/Musical Award Composer Result Ref.
2014 Pushy Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize Ed Bell Finalist [21]
2015 Don't Look Down (from Superhero) Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize Joseph Finlay Winner [14]
2015 The Original Headline Act For Christmas Xmas Factor Best Song Ed Bell Finalist [22]
2017 The Beautiful Game Xmas Factor All Stars Best Song Darren Clark Winner [23]
2018 Superhero Off West End Theatre Award Best New Musical Joseph Finlay Winner [15]
2020 Oi Frog and Friends Laurence Olivier Award Best Family Show Luke Bateman TBA [19]


References

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  1. ^ "MR POPPER'S PENGUINS – Touring". My Theatre Mates. 2015-12-14. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  2. ^ "Q&A podcast and photos: How new British one-man musical Superhero took flight". Terri Paddock. 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2020-04-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Oi Frog and Friends! review – a wild time for fans of rhyme". The Guardian. 2019-12-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-03.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "A SONG CYCLE FOR SOHO | Original Cast Recording | SimG Records". simgproductions.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  5. ^ "Richy Hughes Official Website". www.richyhughes.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Meet the Team". bookmusicandlyrics. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  7. ^ "Mr Popper's Penguins". bookmusicandlyrics. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  8. ^ "Mr Popper's Penguins – Lowry, Salford". Musical Theatre Review. Retrieved 2020-04-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Mr Popper's Penguins". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  10. ^ "Show Review: Mr. Popper's Penguins at The New Victory Theater". www.themamamaven.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  11. ^ "Mr. Popper's Penguins". Seattle Children's Theatre. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  12. ^ "Mr Popper's Penguins Live Tour". www.mrpopperspenguinslive.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  13. ^ "Superhero". bookmusicandlyrics. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  14. ^ a b "Sondheim Society competition 2015". Sondheim Society. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  15. ^ a b "Offies 2018: Full list of Off West End Award winners". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2020-04-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Oi Frog & Friends!". Nimax Theatres. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  17. ^ "Frensham Heights". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  18. ^ "Oi Frog & Friends". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  19. ^ a b Masso, Giverny (2020-03-03). "Olivier Awards 2020: the nominations in full". The Stage. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  20. ^ Wiegand, Chris (2020-03-25). "Olivier awards replaces cancelled ceremony with greatest moments show". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  21. ^ "Mercury Musical Developments". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  22. ^ "Iris Theatre - XMAS FACTOR 2014". Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  23. ^ "Xmas Factor Writer Focus: Darren Clark". Iris Theatre. 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
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