EXCLUSIVE: Famed singer-songwriter Nick Cope on new jukebox family musical Rosie and Hugh’s Great Big Adventure, premiering at North Wall in July

The new jukebox family musical “Rosie and Hugh’s Great Big Adventure” with songs by Nick Cope will premiere at North Wall in July.

The famous singer-songwriter has teamed up with the children’s book author Victoria Saxtonwho wrote the script for Nick’s songs for this new jukebox musical for 3- to 6-year-olds.

Nick, former lead singer of Candyskinsand today better known for his extremely popular Popcast on CBeebies and his sold-out solo shows for children, said that when he was asked to be involved in the creation of this new family musical, he jumped at the chance.

“It’s been really fun to see the characters come to life to my songs, or should I say ‘my greatest hits,'” he jokes, “and we can’t wait to see how our audience reacts.”

Victoria adds that the biggest challenge was choosing the right tunes from Nick’s extensive repertoire, but she was immediately drawn to the project. “Nick’s lyrics really spoke to me when writing the show and helped me come up with the characters that I hope Nick’s many fans will really enjoy,” she adds.

“We had such an extensive catalog to choose from and the pieces we selected fit together so well that this feels like a truly unique collaboration.”

Rosie and Hugh’s big adventure shows Rosie and Hugh the hedgehog, who are best friends. The summer holidays are over and Rosie is nervous about going to a new school. Hugh knows a witch who lives in the forest with her dragon and could cast a spell that would make the last day of the summer holidays the last forever. But first Rosie and Hugh need the help of their new friends: a squirrel with wobbly teeth, a small lizard and a very rusty robot.

“The message of the show is that you should always be yourself, even when things get difficult.”

So how Rosie and Hugh’s big adventure come about? Producer David Luff says: “I have been a fan of Nick’s music for decades, so I asked him if we wanted to work with him on a new Duke box musical for children, and now it’s moving full steam ahead.”

The show is performed by a cast of five talented actors and musicians and David adds: “It was really great fun bringing these characters to life. And the narrative just flows because we have a fantastic cast. But ultimately the message of the show is that you should always be yourself, even when things get difficult.”

Recommended for ages 3 and up

Rosie and Hugh’s Big Adventure runs from 24 to 27 July at the North Wall . Book at https://www.thenorthwall.com/whats-on/rosie-hughs-great-big-adventure/