Live To Tell: (a proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical

HIV. Survival. Reinvention. This is not a show about Madonna… yet.

Brian has a dream: pitching himself to the Queen of Pop as the author of her glitzy new musical. But when the undetectable reality of HIV rises up, things change quicker than a Ray of Light.

For nearly forty years, Madonna’s remained on top by constantly reinventing herself. After years living on HIV meds, Brian wants to do the same. But he can’t live to tell a tale of jukebox triumph until he confronts the stigma and side effects of long-term survival.

LIVE TO TELL mashes up queer history and pop artifice into some highly personal Confessions on a Dancefloor. Sure, medicine can suppress a virus, but how do we keep on living? Just like a prayer, this show will take you there.

Written by and starring Brian Mullin

Featuring Dan de la Motte and Nadya Ginsburg

Directed by Deirdre McLaughlin (Big Bad, In the Beginning, The Secretaries)

Digital design by Josh Anio Grigg (Fath Hope and Charity, Dirty Crusty)

Lightin design by Alex Thomas

Originally developed at and supported by The Yard Theatre and artsdepot. Additional support from BAC. Funded by Arts Council England. 

Presented by PlayWell Productions

Audience responses:

“Intelligent, poignant, very funny”

“Totally camp and totally moving”

“Full of heartfelt revelations about the day to day experience of living with the virus”

“A comedy that packs an enormous sucker punch… it doesn’t matter if you love or hate Madonna or if you know everything or nothing about HIV.”